Hello everyone,

I'm currently slacking a bit at work and shopping around for a few early Christmas presents for myself. I am reading some very good things about this game on some wargaming forums, so I've become rather interested. However, before buying I would like to ask a few (perhaps stupid) questions that I couldn't immediately find an answer for.

1) What kind of DRM is implemented in this game? EDIT: Disregard that, somehow managed to completely overlook the giant "no DRM" link on the right. Great policy, though.
2) I saw on the news page that people who buy the game before this sunday get free access to the Gold edition beta. Do I interpret it correctly that they will also get free access to the finished Gold edition, or will they still need to buy that?
3) How good is the AI? I'm not really a strategical genius myself, but will it provide a decent challenge without being frustratingly hard or blatant cheating?
4) From the trailer the gameplay looks a bit fast-paced for my liking, as I've never really liked standard RTS speeds. Is it possible to play at slower speeds, or is the speed fixed?

Thanks for the quick reply. A shame about the speed issue (would have prefered more options than just pause), but I'm placing my order right now.

Nemo its not fast-paced at all, its quite leisurely with plenty of time to issue orders, you rarely need to pause it but its nice to have the option there. Trust me i hate frantic button hammering.
The "Expert" difficulty in the original Hegemony: Philip of Macedon is very challenging. But thats what makes it great. I cant comment on lower difficulties but from what i have read they feature less frequent attacks on your empire and with smaller forces, so something to suit every play-style and preference.

Enjoy the game and welcome to the family :)

I am also a newcomer to Hegemony and I would like to second the desire for multiple speed settings, at least a slower setting for decision making during battles / specially during battles in multiple fronts!
The reason I ask for this is because I like to have a view of how my orders are being followed up. In my case, I end up with a stuttering "pause and restart" gamestyle that becomes very tiring and, after a while I find myself saving and exiting the game to have a breather.

Since this is my first post, I think I should end on a brighter note :-)
This game rocks!
I have played strategy games since 1985 and this one went straight to my top five ( Annals of Rome, Operation Vulcan, Deuteros and the Europa Universalis series...total war has just been downgraded...)
The way logistics, terrain and resources shape strategies in hegemony is beautifull and a pleasure to play with.