The greatest asset of this game is the ease with which it supports mods. Instead of one game, you get dozens. Ancient Rome, the American Civil War, Medieval Europe, Middle Earth, Arthurian Britannia, historical realism or fantasy, it's all there. The open world sandbox nature is also a huge plus. Want to work your way up through the ranks, earning the respect of your liege? Want to forge your own kingdom out of the ashes of the existing order? Want to be a highwayman/woman? A merchant trader? All are possible. The game is what you make of it.
Without a tutorial or even a manual, the learning curve is ridiculously steep. The first level of the campaign is the closest it gets to a tutorial, and after some cursory explanations it tosses you into the fire. I'm still not sure how the Innovative Command System works. I get drawing a line with RMB will deploy the selected units along that line, but the one click attack? They'll turn their flank to the enemy and get cut to pieces. What do the map icons mean? I figured out the shield means a brigade can take up defensive positions. But what does the eye and the three dots mean? These questions could be easily answered in a five minute tutorial, or even rolled into the first level of the campaign. Aside from not really knowing how the game works, I must say it's otherwise enjoyable.
I vaguely remember getting the demo of this game, back when gaming magazines had demo disks. Oh god, I dated myself rather horribly there. Anyway, I wasn't sure I imagined this game or not until I found it on GOG. And it's just as good as I remembered. It's a good, if rather shallow grand strategy game. If you're looking for something more detailed, like HOI, this will not satisfy that itch. But if you have a few minutes to wage war across Europe on a grand scale, this is it. And the scenario editor lets you create or modify scenarios to your hearts content. Want to start the war with everyone maxed out on tech? Rock those V2's in '39. Want a rematch of Jutland? Jutland 2: Electric UBoat-a-loo it up. Unfortunately, this game doesn't always play well with a modern OS. Do not get impatient and click during the AI turn, because that's a surefire way to crash the game.
The game is visually stunning. If only that was enough to carry it. The puzzles are the worst part. The guy you're helping provides criticism rather than help when you're stuck. Some of the solutions seem random. With hindsight they make some sense, but leading up to that point is hair pulling frustration. My other main gripe is padding. This game forces you to go back and forth, back and forth, to solve a puzzle. It's tedious. Time consuming. Frustrating. And adds zero value to the game. It's only there to bulk out the play time. Yes, the world is pretty, but by the eighth time I'm trotting up that path, I want to see that world burn.
I find this title to be better than CK2 because you don't have to buy a load of DLC to make the game playable every time it's updated. You get this game, and it's a complete game. If you want more, it's easy to mod your own events and such. My only complaint is the diplomacy aspect is rather lacking for the importance it plays. There's also no feuds and vendettas with other families, which could add a bit of spice.
