How difficult is this game?

[Fenris99]

VedalkenBear said:
Well, that said, what kinds of nations/factions/different-strategic-choice-factors do you enjoy? Luckily, Dom3 has something for everyone. Generally, about 3 somethings for each one.

Ah, that's a difficult question to answer. When I played the Civ games I usually tried to out-tech everyone. With Paradox games I usually role-played by trying to outdo whatever that nation did historically; overrun Sibera for Russia, colonize for England, etc. When playing wargames I generally prefer to have a smaller army of elite units. I also prefer ranged units that can kill before the enemy closes the distance.

Any advice on starting nations?