Was there a shift in design during the development of ROME II?

[Bramborough]

I feel like the internal political system should have been removed in Rome 2. It's too tacked on and feels like just a way to waste the player's money in the midgame so he doesn't steamroll as fast. There are no benefits to playing the political game. It's all damage mitigation.

I agree that it has worked out that way. There could be a decent benefit to politics due to the increasingly good trait bonuses working up the promotion ladder. The problem, however, is that generals tend to die off fairly quickly due to 1tpy. One doesn't get enough "reward" time with the high promotions' bonuses after working a guy up that ladder.