One of the GOATs of my childhood, just as good as i remember - haven't found a modern alternative that comes anywhere near!

At first, I was iffy about the game, mostly for controlling your character. It's just lanky the way it was done.
Like, someone tried to be different, and yea, let's not talk about that. If you can get past that part, it's not a bad game, You have to do the side quests to get everything for your progression while trying to be effective.

The story is not epic but just a typical war story, and the respawner for the resources is not great, so saving is your only choice to avoid the downfalls if you get wiped out.

The AI could have been done better for your troops as to control there movements and firing, as they will trigger most events all on there own and home base structures when out they just stand around, the resources gathering is kind of lanky like I'm doing a map and I see that I have thousands of wood, stone, iron? Who has ever done the game layout and design of how everything is interconnected? That's good enough. Who cares about this type of mindset? Was it slapped together on a whimsical factor to launch it?

Not digging the "town/fort" style of building scales that is used and then with spread out merchants it's kind of clutter, like the size scope is off, as you have to make it more roomy, like with building games, as you have to adjust for block rotation to get to pictular looks.

The point is, like a car, is it intuitive to drive? Yes. Then you do the same for the character, It's a vehicle, so you set it up the same way; it's more adaptable and commonly used in a "B" type camera rolling effect --> If I need to have a piece of paper for the remind me prompt of what keys I need to use for said value system, then you have missed the mark.
Since you're getting into the "stuff," a better use of DIY survival is adding components onto gear, slotted make use of breaking down gear as they already have buffs applied to them, "magic" is also slinky for technology ⚙ This way you can make use of faction game-play with elves and dwarfs making an enchanted bow string and then with chemicals treating it, make it a processing factor. I was thinking that the workers should operate a mounted ballista from a roof platform since you're in a war campaign. Then you have supply and demand, and you have hard-hitting bolts, and you need lots of them. It would make use of the thousands of lumber gathered. It has the immersed feeling to it; by choices made, perhaps turrets could be magic-based and use the Mana liquid like a type of fuel ⛽. Then, have a simple slider to set the intensity and speed. Then make use of magic mana crystals as power energy like a deep cell for your weapon or shield and electrial from lighting strikes or storms and then you can tune them after they get struck by the lightning 🌩 places could hold for some intresting results, this where you can make game-play fun and pop the big crit.

What is the functionality of the land, and how can it better function to tell a story? What if you could pull out a shoulder-fired ballasta that was magic power-based, perhaps with a combined explosion from crystals being detonated? So many ways to tell a picture story, and then have a cam chaser with it for that perfect 👌hitting moment.