Ladies & Gentlemen,

If you are so bold as to start on H or VH in this version of the game be aware that the CAI is going to be very mean. There is little reasoning with the factions, you can get peace but it is not simple.

If the level of aggression is too much for you try the game on an easier setting until you can cope with what they are throwing at you.

I know in the past everyone played on VH/VH but this is a different beast. Even on the easier settings you should not expect for everything to be easy. You will likely not get protectorates for pocket change. You will not get France to hand over all its North American possessions if you offer to give them Paris back. You will have to kill off the Pirates before you are safe in any trade theater. You will need a good fleet to protect your merchantmen, and so on.

The BAI is improved, not perfect but improved. The AI is back to attacking from two sides at once with reinforcements. It set it up that way. Everything seems improved to some degree.

They have given you what you asked for and it seems stable but has still a few glitches in places with menus and whatnot.

It seems to be a challenge at what ever level you chose and it is a different sort of game at each difficulty level.

There are a few things that happen too regularly. For instance, the Iroquois will go to war with the 13 Colonies on the first turn. The UP will declare war on Spain each time, and a few others.

The old guides won’t do you much good in this version and I have not seen any faction that is a cake walk.