it's a shame, but taleworlds' changes to both the strategic and battle ai have made the core loop more of a slog when compared to warband, and when combined with its extremely exploitable systems and design that seems to be lacking in intention, it comes together as a pretty but empty experience. my former optimism is steadily dwindling as taleworlds has struggled to deliver meaningful improvements for several years, and their saving grace for their previous games, the modding community, has been at least temporarily scared away by their erratic and compatibility-breaking updates.