Gee, I would have thought with all the complaints about the problems and niggly things such as why country x is not in this time period, why is (insert wish here) not in EU, etc. you would welcome an improved version of this period first!
Personally I'm delighted that this same period with a little extra tacked on the beginning and end is focussed on first. After all, don't we want the limitations of the first game addressed first?
Having said that I would have liked to have seen the game begin at about 1000 AD. This is a time where we can still expect roughly the same Europe to coalesce into major nations later, depending on player input of course. By starting the game in Roman times, depending on how you did, such as conquering the world with Carthage, it would totally screw up the Middle Ages section, making all the following nations hypothetical. So really I can understand picking a timeframe where particular cultures and nations were established and seeingit through to the end of the period when there again was a quantum shift in warfare, politics etc.
One thing I hope is added is a chance to start the GC at different dates, perhaps three or four, each reflacting the different situation on the ground at any time so that you could perhaps take charge of Pol during the height of the Deluge, or push a late clain in North America as the French in the Indian Wars etc.
