Hmm, good question.

I fear many newcomers won't even notice that there IS a campaign... I know it works like a mod but still it's too easy to miss it.

As a "foreigner" I also would have liked subtitles (I can read English well but listening to it I lose something here and there).

Anyway, the fact that I'm trying the campaign at all is good news, as I first thought I'd skip it. Presentation is really nice this time around  

Who is going to play the "Campaign" anyways? In all my years of gaming I have NEVER played a campaign game of these types. I'm straight to the FUN sandbox mode where I get to select everything.

its not easy, its "streamlined"

I'm really enjoying the campaign too and I NEVER played them either for TBS games. Surely an easy, normal and hard setting would have been welcome though thusfar I'm really having fun.

I guess for me it's because Master of Magic never really had a campaign game. It was just full blown get into the action any way you liked back then and I grew accustom to that style of play. Never played Heroes of Might & Magic campaigns. Never played Combat Mission campaigns. I think the only game I played the campaign in that I HAD to was "Sword of Aragon" since you didn't get to randomize the map and pick the races you wanted to play. Warlords I pretty much did the same things once II-III-IV came out cause you could setup everything to YOUR liking not what some developer thought was to your liking lol. The first Warlords I guess was a campaign game though you could pick your starting race. I love games that I can RANDOMIZE everything so it's different every time. Those are the bestest and most funnest (yeah I know no such word) to me.

On the other hand, I always start with a campaign if the game has one. For one, the first levels are usually a tutorial, so you get the basics quickly, and the campaign also introduces you to the lore and the story (if the game has one), which at least in my case, really helps the immersion.

I admit I play games mainly for the story, and I always loved historical campaigns in strategy games.

ARRRH! What kind of human are you

I kind of liked the Starcraft 2 campagin. (Except the last bit).

Sincerely
~ Kongdej

I always play campaigns in RTS games.

In fact, the more I think about it, I basically never play sandbox games ever.  Maybe some games that don't have a campaign (dom3).

If I play SC2, it would ONLY be for the campaign. I really didn't like the direction they went with unit construction in multiplayer. (and yes, I've tinkered with the game)

Instead of fewer more specialized units that can handle more diverse scenarios; sc2 went the othe direction requiring more dumber units that are to be used as cannon fodder as your opponents adapt and change.

No unit should be expendable like that...well...unless your the zerg.

Also REALLY don't like how you have to sign in to play. Don't like being connected just to gain access to a game that you should be able to play without having access.....grrrr.

Agreed that any good 4x game is about sandbox play, but I usually play campaigns if they're available.  And right now, while I'm getting the feel of the game (I just started last week), it might provide a decent framework to learn how things work. 

I don't disagree with you, but I also wouldn't be surprised with this scenario:

"Wahhh, why did you make items usable in the trade window, I keep accidentally using them on the wrong hero!"

I believe this is probably one of those things you can never win at.