A bad install or.....?

[pezhetairoi]

Well Ramesses, a lot of the problems you have mentioned are noted and perennially mentioned problems. I even mentioned them myself, at the start when I didn't know better. You should take a look at the 'known bugs' thread to update yourself. These issues have been addressed time and time again in reply to everyone who asks it, and I think Khelvan is pretty much sick of answering them, so I shall do the answering this time.

About the Roman/Seleukid faction switch issue, i'll say it again for the benefit of those who haven't heard, it is being solved, but currently the team has many more important issues such as the Apocalypse bug and the unit cards that still don't have the graphics they are supposed to have and problematic models/recruitment areas/building complexes that they have to iron out. So that can wait since it's only an immersion issue that really doesn't interrupt gameplay.

About the techtree, I share your grumbles completely. There simply isn't a techtree around for reference. However, the question is: Is there anyone left who has the time and spare effort to do it for the community? Currently the team is low on manpower with volunteers bleeding off after the OB (and people who have other pressing commitments that pushes them off the team, e.g. me, who must serve in the army 5 out of 7 days a week) and therefore no one has the spare time left to create a unit guide and government systems guide, since it must of course be far more comprehensive than the original RTW guide, and since it requires extensive testing and references to the spreadsheets prepared by the team beforehand. You'll just have to live with it, I'm afraid, and feel in the dark like I am. It is just too daunting a task to attempt right now with so many OB bugs to iron out.

About Pontos and KH, I'm not too sure because I have played neither before. However, I think the Pontos-getting-back-into-war-with-you thing is a hardcoded RTW diplomacy screwup, and not the script's fault? And it probably was meant to reflect historically possible events, since you must remember that 'rebel' cities in EB are not necessarily 'rebel' but are just 'independent'. And besides, quite a few of the eleutheroi cities are actually affiliated/allied to the KH in the scripting, since historically many Asian Minor cities were closely tied to the Greek city-states that founded/supported/traded with them.