Well having options is always nice BUT
IF we are faced with a choice of
a.) more polished game overall if only one start date is covered
b.) less polished game overall if you try to cover EVERYTHING
I have to vote for a.)
Yes like i said, having options is great, fun and all that, BUT if we are to judge the game experience i would rather have more to do with 1 start date (and enjoy higher quality) than have an ability to scroll through history, choose a game and then get bored couple of hours later.
The fact that im also modding EU3 sort of impacts my view, since i know exactly how time consuming editing history files can be. If i could again, choose between having Paradox work on hardcodded stuff (game mechanics, AI etc) OR work on history files (that literally ANYONE can open with text files), ill go for game mechanics every time.
But thats just me.