We're getting there. Technically I played two games on a tiny map with the spiral spokes coming from the center.

In 1.09o we seem to start with alot more resources in the vesinity. Also we spawn with a wolf right next to us? I build a city the wolf crushes my soverence and the city. I build it again he kills it again. Grr. WTF? So I started another game.

Basically the same thing happen the next game, a creature spawn right next to my sovereign. This time there  was a bunch of NPC close by so I hired them all. I was able to build the city and load it with npcs. The wolf ran away from this larger force. I chugged through the game. Took out someones capitol and then signed a treaty with them with a big bribe. I went to look for the other two factions but they weren't there. I wonder if they fell to the creature spawn adjacent thing?

Any ways I eventually formed an alliance with the guy who's capitol I stole and the game ended. But... no crashes. I think this is the first time I have to use the exit button for this game LOL.

I like most of the changes so far, I have to keep relearning the tech tree since it  in so much flux but , I think the changes are for the better.

I feel like my only option spending POP is tech research. This is partly because the AI will drive down the military path right to the big axes. If I divert and make many other purchases, I can't hurt their guys very much and they ONE-SHOT my guys. Once I shoot down military equipment branches and get some good equipment, I can run around with just my sovereign and I'm invincible. The AI didn't seem to research magic (probably the only thing that would hurt me).