I've lost more sleep to it than I have to any game in quite some time. Its absolutely addicting lol. Personally I like conquering the world as the US (of course), or building a giant yet peaceful trade empire with the Dutch, both are good times. Anyone else been playing?

Actually Knyte, it IS buggy as fuck lol, although I've yet to run into a game breaker. It may be worth your time to wait, unless the series or the premise really excites you. Although like I said, I personally have not run into anything too huge.

As for comparisons, I've never played any other TW game. I only picked this one up because I love the war and diplomacy of the time period. It's not the mos accurate thing in the world, the way its portrayed in-game, but its close enough, and its damn fun.

Ahahaha, well sort of. I mean, you can focus exclusively on making money via industry and trade and cultivating alliances even with "opposite" factions--my Dutch are allies with most major powers, including the English, French and Spanish. If war between them breaks out, I simply opt not to enter (which is an option when you're allied with both sides of a war.) In addition to being hugely profitable, the lack of military buildup and upkeep (except for basic defensive purposes) helps you max out your coffers quicker too. Of course SOME war has to be involved--I took over south India, for example, by allying with the north Indian faction, and crushing all of the minor factions in the south. So there was fighting, but it was selective, and all based on cost/profit analysis. Then, once you're filthy stinkin' rich, you can start BUYING UP the world, rather than overrunning it. I bought a bunch of South American colonies off of France and Spain, for example. Spain won't sell me the part of Europe I want though, so I'm considering going to war with them knowing that England (and most likely France) will back me up and help me crush them. I'll keep the war going just long enough to get the land I want (and maybe steal a few Spanish trade routes from them, as long as I have free reign to sink their fleets), then I'll broker a peace treaty and renegotiate a more profitable trade agreement.

Now, that long ass explanation was just to illustrate that, while it is fun to go stomping all over the globe with unstoppable armies, a little finesse can go a long way too. That's one of the things I love most about the game--each faction really does feel different, and there are tons of ways you can play.

You know, like I said, this is my first Total War game. After loving this one so much, I've considered getting Rome. Is it the same basic idea, from what you understand?