i'm slightly overwhelmed - help

[Ludens]

i read somewhere that if the fleet has a commander then it performs better, especially if he has relevant traits - is it true?

Admirals get command stars like family members do, to a maximum of four or five. However, they cannot be adopted into your family like army captains, and family members cannot become admirals. If you load a family member on board of a ship, they just count as cargo.

As for unofficial patches, I would recommend that you install a formations mod. These are very small files that do not change the appearance of the game, but they make the A.I. act more cleverly on the battlefield. Currently, the most popular formation mod is Darth Formations but I've heard that Sinuhet's new formations set is even better. You can find Darth Formations 16.0 here, and Sinuhet's formation 7.0 for R:TW and 1.0 for BI over here.

Welcome to the Org, BTW .

[m5000]

thanks, do these formation mods require starting a new campaign or is it possible to continue the old one?

[Ludens]

thanks, do these formation mods require starting a new campaign or is it possible to continue the old one?

They'll work fine with your old campaign.

[m5000]

ok, and what does 'vanilla' mean in the context of mods - the original unmodded game?

[Bombasticus Maximus]

Hopefully your Admirals won't get the trait of seasick as once did. And yes Vanilla means ummodded RTW.

[Dutch_guy]

ok, and what does 'vanilla' mean in the context of mods - the original unmodded game?

Yes, vanilla is the game you buy - unmodded.