How RomeTotalRealism saved my affair with RTW

[Spartiate]

Even though it has been out there now for months i must admit that i only recently down-loaded RTR(5.4 i think).What can i say about this game.Does anyone know if they have tampered with either the strategic or battle-field AI,because i was pleasantly surprised by the challenges this game presented to me.Enemies allying against me.AI controlled factions forcing other factions to become protectorates.Naval warfare is no longer your domain......the AI will contest every blockaded port.Imagine my horror when the Julii sailed a 20 unit army of seasoned veterans by the toe of Italy and Sicily, which i control,ignoring my cities and armies there and landing a force near Thapsus in North Africa to assist their Ptolemic allies.Bastards!
On the battle-field i am noticing improvements also.When attacking against the Ptolemics i normally send my cavalry around the wings of their formation to attack from the rear whilst they are engaged with my infantry.I was delighted(sort of)to see them deploy their phalanxes in a kind of U formation.By this i mean that they had at least 3 phalanxes on either flank that turned to face my cavalry threat with-out engaging.As i was attacking uphill i had to pause my infantry to re-think my strategy.
I had a general named Hamalcar the Conquerer who spent 20 years(40 turns) driving the Ptolemics away from Lepcis Magna and had no less than 5 of those sword cross symbols denoting famous battles in the desert but never reached a Ptolemic city.His son did however.
For these reasons and many more i am now in love with RTW once again.Bring on EB.
Oh i'm playing as my favourites by the way........Carthage.