Strategic World Map?

[bonsainut]

I am having fun playing the tactical battle maps, but the game feels a little hollow without a strategic overview (to me).  The way the campaign is linear regardless of whether you win or lose a battle takes a lot of interest out of it for me.  I have over 2200 hours into Napoleon TW because of the amazing replayability.

In many ways, this game represents what my dream Civil War strategy game could be... but the developers seem more focused on having you replay the Civil War (as it actually happened) over and over - with your result being how effectively you managed your tactics... versus how you fought the Civil WAR.  As other players have pointed out... I find it completely unsatisfactory to push Grant into the Tennessee River at Shiloh... and have it not impact the progress of the war.

At the minimum, I would love to see a branching campaign, where your success/failure at each major battle is what triggers the the next available set of scenarios.  The only way you would play the Civil War "as it happened" is if your win/loss record was the exact same as what actually happened during the War.  Each "chapter" could include two "skirmishes" or minor battles that would be for resources or to improve your troop experience... and one main battle that would advance the story line.

Much more satisfactory... and a ton of fun for people playing as Lee - when he wins at Gettysburg and has to attack the Union troops defending Washington to win the war, for example.  Or when Burnside flanks the Confederate line at Fredericksburg and drives the Confederates back to Petersburg... etc.  There have been a million "what if" scenarios and this would be a great way to take advantage of them, increase replayability, and give the game a lot more depth.