Well I always thought NTW was far too limited in scope for my interests. I had not really paid much attention to its development or feature set, but it does not surprise me that CA would come up with a way to increase the strategy of the game, at a core level, then cripple it hopelessly. I remember when The Elder Scrolls IV (Oblivion) was being touted for its Radiant AI, problem was, the hype couldn't match the actual programming requirements and in the end RAI was gutted. So, I understand this sort of thing doesn't happen just to CA, but it's disappointing none the less. I really just see no reason to get NTW; I like minor factions, I like reshaping the face of Europe, I like actual grand strategy, NTW offers none of these. ETW is still a train wreck in some respects and I really can't see the impetus for me to buy yet another product, standalone or add-on considering the disabled nature of the original release. Oh well perhaps next time we'll get: The Caudine Forks: Total War. I'm sure it would sell well.