Ahhhh... sigh... It's just a game. I have many games that work better than this one, and yet they are sh*tty games.
Examples: NHL 2003, Superpower, The Settlers III or maybe it was IV, Cossacks, Empire Earth, the whole CFS series, America...
The bottom line is that this game has real potential, yes it has bugs, but its not in the core design (notice how many things got fixed in single play with such a small patch). So when they finally sort out the mp problems all of you overly anxious people will have to shut up, my advice is pop some yellow xanax, or get sh*t faced, or just go get laid. Because its just a game, and there is no reason to be so upset over a game that cost $40.
Basically I'm saying "Stop being so American!!!", instant gratification is not part of reality. It will work out eventually, so be patient, play something else while you wait for patch 2. If you can find them Europa Universalis II, and Waterloo; Napoleon's Last Battle, could take up a large part of your gaming time.
Cheers,
Jay
Enjoy the wait!