Thanks for the replies, CA guys.

I want to say that though my criticism of the patch situation is harsh, RTW still remains the best military game I've ever played, and it is my favorite. I will eagerly await the expansion, and buy it regardless of the open bug issues.

I stand by my statements about quality and how I think customers should be treated. Having said that, I do understand that sometimes, management policy just won't allow you to do the right thing you so desperately wish to do. I have left some jobs because of this kind of conflict between what you know is right, and what managers will allow.

Rome Total War is a terrific game. You at CA deserve all the kudos you received, the GOTY status, and the good sales that accompany all that. I'm sure many here on this forum can recall high praise I've given for a job well done in the game concept, design, and particularly the implementation of the morale system which I think is groundbreaking.

I don't wish to "put the boot in" any further. It is painful for me to be critical of other developers, because I know how such criticism can feel when it's directed at me. Please believe me, CA, you have plenty of respect for your capabilities, this matter of bug fixes relates much more to management policy IMHO.

It may be to everyone's best interest if an official communication could be made from CA or Sega to clear up the matter of whether any action will be taken officially to fix the save load bug between now and the presumed expansion. To my thinking, only the save/load bug is a critical problem. Simple mods fix most other bugs that are of any consequence, and most of us could probably accept that.

Again, I wish to thank the CA staff who have responded, and sincerely hope the lines of communication will remain open. None of us would be posting here if we didn't have a deep interest in the game.