I disagree with you there pal. I know some people like Sandbox History like CA seems fairly adept at, but I think there should also be some historical direction for nations not being controlled by the player. Also this style would make things like marriages and diplomacy have more of an impact on the game.... actually...just two...yes two...things i'd like CA to never ever use again in their next TW games is being Turned Based and having to control agents on the map.