Hmm, quick dash through things here. Apologies, but if I'm not speedy I won't be able to say anything until tomorrow.

1. Remember, I've only played for two hours. I am going to go back for more in the hopes it will improve. Also, I'm only one frog - statistically speaking more people are finding BI to be a lot better. They've also played for longer. I'll be playing several factions to completion or near completion before I decide whether to drop this game, or (I hope!) not.

2. I'm playing on a very high end system here - P4 3Gig, a smidgen over 2Gig RAM, ATI radeon 9800 Pro, latest drivers, and all that. I don't have much up to upgrade to, barring marginally better video cards which cost a fortune I'm not going to spend.

2B I've always had this pause/speed altering issue, right from 1.0 before the minimal UI was even considered. The minimal UI makes it worse because there are no clickable speed altering buttons at all, only the hot keys. Which don't work reliably.

2C. This happens even on tiny, crappy little 500 men total battles. Even once on a 200 man total battle. Even on low graphics settings. I ran through the whole collection of fixes I could think of back in RTW ... 1.1, IIRC.

3. I won't comment further on the graphics issues until I've tried a slightly older set of drivers. Won't be the first time I've had this kind of trouble because of drivers.

4. I'd love to sit about and admire the eye candy during the marching phase, but often I have so little time every single minute counts. The minutes spent watching the marching could be used better and more interestingly for me, for example, in taking more time to consider my moves on the camp map, or in not rushing the actual fighting phase of the battle. Given unlimited time, yes I could enjoy the eyecandy. But now I'm rather forced to stare at the eyecandy knowing all the while I'm not going to have time to fight the battle with anything approaching more subtly than a warhammer to the face.

5. Very hard campaign, medium battle, simply because I hate cheaty battle bonuses handed out to either side.

6. I don't autoresolve any battles. It's a frog thing, and one I've held to since the first days of STW. I also don't reload if my game goes pear shaped (I wish, oh how I wish!), and several other iron man type rules. Autoresolving battles is eyewatering for a control freak like me. The battles are also about 65% of the game's draw for me. If the rebels came out stronger, and with better units, or less often, then I'd be happy. Either give me a real fight, or don't bother me

7. I'd by far prefer too aggressive to what appears to be a card holding member of a pacifist association. It is a wargame, after all. Total war. Well, to be very wishful I'd prefer a medium between the two, which others seem to be getting.

8. I was going to smush up the WRE in France before going to Britannia, and I've already sort of committed myself to that direction. But as soon as is feasible I'll try and head that way.

9. Rome shell?

10. I don't pause battles either, unless I have to answer the phone or something. Which happens distressingly often; people bother me at the worst of times. It amuses me - in STW and MTW I was a frequent pauser because I couldn't keep up with the (slow!) pace of battle. But RTW is faster in battle, and I can keep up fine.

11. I haven't loaded any games, so I've no idea about the load/save thing. All reports indicate it's fixed.

12. I wouldn't blame anyone for my buying the game. I chose to, even if I did still have doubts.