Just bought Napoleon off of Steam. Now what?

Ok, I'm a long time lover of the total war serious, rome, medevil, empire and now napoleon.

But I'v read the AI is weak and most people use a "Mod." Is there a simple mod that I dont need to unzip files into a .rar file and all this jazz that is download and launch?

And Maybe i'm over looking something, but i'm trying to read all the old patch notes for this game, and I cannot find access to patch notes ANYWHERE! Why dont they make them more available?

Well as a newb to this game, I look forward to hopping on and asking more question and helping other with time! thanks

The AI is pretty good in my opinion, but if you're looking for a mod, TROM 2 is my favorite for campaign, although you'll have to unzip it. (That's not hard, just download 7-zip, it's freeware, open the file, and drag it to your data folder) For battles, NTW3 is excellent, and comes with a .exe file for easy installation.

Well I'd like to avoid a MOD if possible i never used a MOD in Empire. I just worry the naval AI or campaign AI isn't aggressive enough. But thanks for the response.. Now, any idea's on where to read patch notes?

I'm not sure that they are available in a single easy-to-get-at form. You might try going onto steam, click on the News section and select the product updates from the channels. You'll then need to scroll down the list, scanning for Napoleon Total War.

Check 24 Feb 2010, 22 Jun 2010 & 2 Jul 2010

Well i'm about to fire up the game and start playing. In some of your guys opinions, is the AI bad enough I should download a MOD before I play? Or is it a challenge and fun enough to give a whirl with no MOD's. I don't need insane AI, just not terrible and dumb AI.. So please give me your opinions

Play a campaign or two in vanilla and decide what you, personally, don't like about the game. Then look for a mod that fixes the bits you don't like.

Or that adds on that you think is missing.