Probably already mentioned...

[hermanJnr.]

...but I haven't seen it on the last few pages I've looked for it

Naval battles in Multiplayer Campaign are really doing my head in, for the lack of a "hunt down fleeing units" button as you get in single player. While it makes sense in land battles (hunting down routers while your opponent sits around for ages is a bit unsporting), I find it so frustrating in small early-game naval battles.

Example - I take on a Spanish Galleon that's prowling my seas as GB with a couple of Brigs. I cripple it's sails, and begin to shoot a ton of grape and roundshot into the stern, absolutely murdering it. I think about boarding it once I've whittled the crew down a bit more.

What happens? The morale of the Galleon of course breaks before the hull is very damaged, battle ends immediately. Back to the strategic map, said Galleon uses it's 1700's Warp Drive (tm) to magically escape certain death and instead sail back to the local port for full repairs.

This has gone on to happen against Pirates, more Spanish forces, and French boats I've engaged (all played by my opponent instead of AI). It's immensely frustrating, since I feel like even though I'm "winning" the battles nothing seems to come of it, while in land battles at least half the time you're capturing a region, with all the awesome tax benefits and so on that brings.

Does this drive anyone else mad? The guy I'm playing against fails to see what irritates me so much, but meh.

[TheEschaton]

I concur. In my recent SP game I'm playing as the Italian States (which turned out to be wildly fun) and the Ottomans invaded me twice. Each time I could have captured a significant number of the invasion's transports with my brigs, but they magically escaped with no sails.

I pretend that a squall suddenly blew up which prevented the capture, but I'll be damned if Allah wasn't mighty timely with his storms for those damn dirty Ottomans one too many times.

Come on! I'm the Pope! Give me some love too!