1) No drop off sites makes hunting easy and fun 2) Batch training is just awesome, I've always hated seeing a map sprinkled with rax and stables. Easier to manage in the beginning too. 3) Upgrades are expensive and much more dramatic than +10%, foundry upgrades are interesting. 4) Powerful third age units! AoM lacked that overpowering "knight" from AoC, but I think cannons+dragoons (and maybe unique civ units like curiassers) will restore that. 5) Super mercenaries. 6) One powerful (and powerfully looking!) fort. 7) Trading posts require map control and treasures require exploration. 8) Infantry units aren't... meaty enough. They just don't look very impressive, and some look like stick figures (rodeleros). In a battle it's hard to tell who's a musketeer and who's a skirmisher, I wish they looked a bit more distinct. Don't have enough experience with the HC to comment on that yet, and I couldn't find detailed information on civ bonuses. Is there anything special about the Spanish besides the faster experience gain? Or the British besides the mannor houses?