This is the first Paradox game I ever bought. The user interface is not great given the native resolution of my monitor. Although there is no in-game setting for UI scaling or text-size adjustment, the Paradox forums refer to mods and modding instructions that allow you to change the text size and/or mod the interface. However, when you try to access those specific forum threads, it locks you out, saying you must be logged in. So, I went and registered an account over there and confirmed my email, but then when I revisited the page I was trying to access, Paradox now tells me I must link my Paradox account with my Steam account for the "privilege" of viewing mod instructions for an issue that should be addressed within the game in the first place. Apparently Paradox has no use for Good Old Games customers.
I was a huge fan of Gothic I & II (but not III) and so I fell right into this game's open-world hack-and-slash "quasi-RPG" style of play. It's very similar to the Gothic games but with a huge variety of better-looking weapons and armor, a slicker interface, but perhaps a less compelling story-line. Also there are horses to ride. About those -- a lot of people complain about the horses being cumbersome, but I myself was impressed with their properly realistic behavior and separate AI, the way they'll stubbornly steer away rather than do galloping gymnastics down a 45-degree slope, their fairly exact adaptions to variations in the topography. Using horses is a challenging but fun option, and takes some finesse. If you want a more "player-character" fluid horse behavior try the excellent Mount & Blade games. Anyway, I find it to be an addicting game practically from the get-go.
