I tend to agree with your sentiments..

Have no idea why titles were dropped. I would like to see it back.

Cannot pick faction heir...not good.

I raised the moats issue a while back...this was a pretty important part of the era. Ignored completetly

My thoughts at present are that CA just ran out of time and had to go with this release date. But as an end user it is a bit of a letdown. I enjoyed Rome a lot..with it's flaws..and you rightly say this feels like a kinda lazy way out..same thing different skin. All the improvements castles/cities choices..merchants etc..and others seem to have been offset with the issues above.

I don't see a patch addressing these either.

Being blunt...I am not blown away with this...I am even thinking of ebaying my copy, yes that bored already. With the previous titles I was dead hooked for months and longer. But this is a re-treat..and in some ways a downgrade from the previous version. Sure titles is a small minor point, but all these areas add up to the whole game.

Great things were expected and this simply doesnt deliver. If the patched version is better..we shall see. But take note CA....time to get really creative, just hammering out updates of the same old thing might just scrape it this time, next time it most def will not.