Any Player Reviews?

[NimitsTexan]

If you're willing to put up with not-terribly-formed opinions and observations, here's my take so far:

1. Graphics are slightly improved. No surprises there.
2. Battle AI is slightly improved. Formations are held, arty is used, flanking is at least a possibility, and they daimyo isn't suicidal.
3. Campaign AI is improved. For example, in the ETW build, if I hold a single well-stocked province next to hostile AI, all it can do is attack my well-garrisoned, well-fortified capitol. Now the AI will make end-runs toward those lightly-garrisoned provinces behind your big army. Makes life much more interesting. Amphibious assaults are to be expected if you don't protect your coastline.
4. Diplomacy is improved in most aspects, although getting a peace treaty from someone whom you are destroying is as silly as in ETW (see Knight, Black).
5. Between two and three options are now available when you conquer a province: (1) Occupy, (2) Loot, and most interestingly, (3) Liberate. Option 3 is not always available, but when it is, you create a new nation that (a) is your protectorate and (b) supplies you with some conscripts (1-3 units). Very useful for creating buffers with aggressive Black Knight neighbors.

That's all I can think of right now. Gotta get to work, too. Basically, NTW feels like a very polished, high-end mod for ETW, which isn't such a bad thing.

If only they could put those changes in E:TW . . .

[Mailman653]

If only they could put those changes in E:TW . . .

You can say that again, I haven't played ETW in months. But, going back to the topic, seems as if NTW is a decent stand alone based on what some are saying about it so far.

[Lemur]

Having had a chance to play it a bit more, I'll just add this:

After ETW, Napoleon feels small. Instead of a multi-theater global battle, you're stuck in Europe, which feels like a sharp step backward. I miss India. I miss America. I miss an Ottoman Empire that feels like an empire.

So, yeah, more polished, less buggy, prettier, runs faster, but ... smaller. Not sure how replayability is gonna be on this fella.