Perhaps but I'd still prefer the "penalty" as more realistic. It reflects the learning curve associated with new and increased responsibilities. An individual can be a great tactical leader but not necessarily a great operational or strategic leader. Certainly a game cannot reflect all the nuances of human nature but the loss of skill level balances these considerations independent of who I might or might not promote "manually". It seems to me there would be other ways to correct the AI imbalance (perhaps by imposing a minimum skill level before a promotion can occur...that's what any savvy human player would do anyway).
Either way, nice to hear your perspective; gives me something to think about although I've seen other complaints about the 1.7 patch that still leaves me in doubt as to which of the games (DH, ARMA, AoD, or HOI III) is the most balanced. Any thoughts on that?
