Improving the AI ranks number one on my list. The Total War series are overwhelmingly about the single player experience and therefore greater weight should have been placed on providing a more capable AI opponent. On the other hand this is the TOTAL WAR series and I can see why CA decided to make the strategic AI in STW and MTW so single minded in its pursuit of conflict. I guess the problem lies in the fact that many of us wanted to play a Civilization-like strategic game as well and felt somewhat cheated when we realized the AI wanted nothing more than to provide us with constant combat instead of pursuing more realistic and sensible strategies.

Overall I would have to say that as it stands, the strategic AI needs much more work than the tactical AI. There's too much to cover here but when it comes down to it MTW's strategic AI seems too hell bent on fighting multi-front wars and painting itself into a corner. This is somewhat understandable for your basic Conquer the map campaign but it does not work well at all for the Glorious Achievment campaign. Much of the problem is rooted in the crude and simplistic diplomatic model which CA has assured us will be addressed in RTW. On the other hand MTW's tactical AI is a classic case of 'close but no cigar'. It seems so close to doing the right thing but never carries through with a sensible decision. I'm sure all of us have lost count of those battles we should have lost but won simply because the AI failed to press home the attack instead of timidly tumbling headfirst into failure. Relevant to this is the 'indecisive dance of infamy' which is probably the most glaring weakness of the tactical AI.

Regardless of the spectacular eye candy and plethora of new features that are sure to be found in RTW if the AI is not markedly improved over previous installments then I will definitely restrain myself from recommending RTW to fellow gamers as heartily as I did with STW and MTW.