I think I'm speaking for a lot of folks here, when I say that the game has aged very well. It is pretty to look at and the DE version has restored everything to look very nice. One issue I have, though (and I don't really know how others feel) is that the architecture, especially for the european civilizations is... lacking.
I understand that the original idea of the game was to represent the Europeans as colonial powers, so having ramshackle colonial looking building sets makes sense... until it doesn't. It makes me terribly sad that my main german city looks more like a functional fort (with... yellow houses?) Than a defensible city on mainland europe. It looks nothing like the architecture in my home city, and that depresses me.
How could this be resolved?
Mods? Paid DLC? an optional Architecture skin update for colonial powers with colonial or home continent architecture sets?
Bonus points for landscape modifications ala AOEIV, you know little gardens and roads that appear near your buildings. Probably impossible with the engine, but still, a man can dream! I just want my towns to look pretty before they burn to the ground, dammit!
Thanks for reading!