I just started playing so I don't have big feedback yet but initially my feedback is positive. Everything seems to be a bit better.

This isn't AI feedback but can you change these two pet peeves:

1) I find an item. There are two options: OK and Equip. A lot of times I miss a third option. I just want to look at the item before equipping it right away (I don't know if it's better than my current item for example). Can you put a third button like "Examine" that will take you to equipment screen but not equip the item right away? That would be a lot more useful.

2) In tactical combat when I successfully hit a unit, the hit bar shows the hit before the animation completes and the hit number flies up. It's a small thing but it really kills the suspense. The hit bar should show the hit after the animation and the after the number flies up. The animation should complete first, then the number should fly up, then the hit bar should reflect the hit.

Thanks.

EDIT: A bug. Pariden offered me money to go to war with Magnar while I am already at war with Magnar (and not the same turn either they had declared war on me long time ago).

AI has been awesome so far.

Playing on normal for my first game, with 6 AI. I killed 2 of them so far and a 3rd died to the others. The last 3 AI players are puting up a fight. One even took my capital from me with my sov and his army right next to it, they just ran right by and took it. So on the next turn  i had to fight that army and the city defenders to get back my capital. The AI is even using magic when they have a champion. 

I must say it was very nice of you too tell Derek about that! I will also take advantage of it too improve my spelling .

Why is this, and similar events even possible?

Isn't Berserker's whathaveyou a level 7 item?

My greatest worry is for the AI Sovs. They need more health and starting armor to survive in this big mean world. And since they should get it, so should I. 

Why bother with a button like "Examine" just skip the middle man and a lot of unnecessary and pointless menu work by displaying your existing items stats and the new items stats in the window itself.

Or have equip bring up the equip screen.

Well, I think I need to play a bit more, but the staring monsters killed many towns within 5-6 turns after being founded. One game I lost my Hero on the first turn when we was attacked by a monster immediately. That was interesting considering I have them turned to the lowest setting.

I don't necessarily argue for a third button. My point is the current two options don't cater to the most encountered use cases. Having Equip bring up the Equip screen would probably work.

Played a couple of hours on large-all factions-challenging map with Resoln. My first impressions is that AI really got an overhaul here and that it truly feels more challenging in 0.913. No more roaming alone and taking entire factions with a sole hero anymore! Here is a couple of things I saw in my first 2 games (wrote them while playing)

First game:

So I launch as Resoln, build my second city and I am stupid enough to build an outpost not too far from a river krag. He beats the outpost, comes down on my second city. In the meanwhile, knights fall on my hero group. Bang. In 2 turns, I lost an outpost, a city and my heroes died twice...While the monsters go crazy on me, Gilden builds an outpost at my former perfecft spot...finally some challenge in challenging!! 3 things I liked:

1) Monsters knocked on me because I did the outpost and woke the beast...

2) That same krag went on rampage and not only destroyed my second city, but also the Gilden parties in that area.

3) The knights, after beating me, went down on rampage on gilden scouts/settlers in the area, before destroying their (my) perfect spot outpost.

Second game (I wanna see how the game runs with citizen walking around and, to admit all, the first game was a bad start )

I launch the game...omg Altar is destroyed on the first turn...

Couple of minor bugs

Bug: quest location for rat nest shows black spot when zooming out

Bug: death shard sometimes doesn't show on map, and then shows again. This goes for quest location (humble inn) too.

Bug: Leonia hero stays on map after I beat her up. Still some small bugs with quest location (need to zoom out then in to see them). All this stuff is minor, expanding is really nice and I have to be carefull since my sovereign died once in the north!

Knights and mage (same that killed my hero) destroy Yithril outposts in the north!! Nice, I can place mine now! Oh no mobs turn south towards my zone of comfort. I gather all my forces (a puny bunch still) and return north. While I clear the area (wasn't easy vs these knights), pioneers from Yithril grab all the area...They seem friendly but they must pay the price for grabbing my land!

So I declare war, while all my heroes are in the north (3 heroes, 1 warg, 1 spearmen unit). I grab their newly founded city, Yithril sends me an army of brutes...well 5 vs 5 guess who wins. 3 turns after, I launch a full offensive on Yithil second city. 5 vs 5, I win but lose my lv 5 warg and spearmen. Yithil surrenders to me.

Bug: Death shards are invisible and not buildable sometimes for a turn. The turn after they are buildable again.

I find (well Yithil did that for me) and attack Tarth, they in the way and I wanna see how they will stand. I am really overextending and good AI could deeply take advantage of that (my sovereign isn't in the area anymore and I got no extra troops, only 3 heroes).

A settler that espaced my 2 heroes' army builds an outpost beside me. Boom... Next turn, I attack 2 of their cities at same time (one with one hero and the main one with 2!) 2 crucial tactical battles that slows down so much (major memory leak) that I need to fasten them. Both battles were in the grasslands with hills and a city: certainly is some kind of bug. Fastening in crucial moments doesn't give great results: I lose both battles but worst, in the main one, I deal no damage to Tarth (was a 2 vs 5 battle) even if both my heroes are ranged and lv 6 lol...oh well enough for tonight!

Final word:

Well on my first 2 games, I have to say AI in version 0.913 is certainly better than in 0.912. Way better monster AI on challenging mode. Monsters aren't passive anymore and they eat all that is around when awaken. Still need to play more and really wanted to point out the first bugs that I found in the first 100 turns. The only one that bothered me was the massive memory leak in the crucial tactical battle, but frankly, it's a minor issue compared to the major improvements I saw in the AI and the general feel of the game (feels more balanced).

Even If I was a bit deceived on how easy it was to take Yithril 3 cities with 3 heroes and 2 units, i came to realize that I just caught him off guard in the early game (his sovereign was far far away when he surrendered to me). Actually If I hadn't cut his brute army going down south, Yithil would of grab my own 2 cities without problem.

The battle vs Tarth showed me that AI is certainly better at defending city and that it wasn't possible to just grab them with lv 6-7 heroes. He had couple units there and, this time, his sovereign was in the area. Lady Irane was lv 6 like my heroes (the Yithil one was lv 5 when he surrended), which implies that she farmed the area properly. Tarth was also sending one army in the wild, certainly to backdoor me in the south.

Well, 0.913 in challenging felt like a real challenge and I am certainly looking forward to try a long game when I have time. Very nice update Derek and Brad, this is fun and AI clearly improved between 0.912 and 0.913. Cannot say at this point if it's too easy or too hard but will glady update this when I get to play a full long game. Thanks!

Played a game on challenging, though I'm only early into the game.  AI heroes and armies are much more active early game.  This is only one game worth of observation, but I played 7 games of .912 and never saw nearly this many wandering heroes.  They actually grabbed goody huts.  More thorough attempts over the weekend, but this was an encouraging first 50 turns.

I think the experience nerf was *way* too drastic. I used to routinely get level 20-30 after clearing the map; I'm looking at my guy and seeing 810 experience needed for level 9?? I'm getting 8-10 per battle. And I still don't even have any of the cool, interesting level abilities (crit 3, lethal 3, etc, since i've been spending it all on training/potential since I NEED EXP), let alone a level five school of magic.

the problem with that [at least in my own experience] is that 90% or more of the time when i find an item, it is more or less useless to the character that found it. i either have better already equipped or it is meant for a different type of build.

opening up the equip screen just so i can look at the item to see what it does to satisfy my curiosity is not the answer. You already have a window and a prompt; there is almost no excusable reason to make the player(s) go through OTHER menus just to see what something does.

with that said, i think the item stats should be displayed on the screen with the item, and i do love the suggestion that equip brings up the equip screen instead of silently equipping the item.  i know that MY personal preference would be to see the item stats of what you currently have equipped in that slot to compare in a streamlined window

About 30 minutes into a game, and I'm at an impasse.   Get attacked by 3 darklings, I kill them, but after the last one dies, game just sits there.  I suppose that is one way for the A.I to win.

Okay, but in a larger game you won't always know what each hero has equipped. Simply seeing the stats and effects of the item you have received does little for you in that case, especially since I almost always end up clicking okay, equip on the main screen, and then trade because either that item is good for one unit or I just equipped it or my main unit and now I need to trade his old item to another hero. I guess the best solution would be a quick stat of the new item and then the equip button going to equip and the okay button going to the main game screen to continue playing. That would be a great UI.