A lot of the additions that are going to be included in this patch are a really good idea: Joint Wars needing a casus belli, being able to join existing wars, and more late game historic moments should've been included in the base game (or R&F for that last one). But man, I really hope that isn't all we're going to get on the balancing front of things. That England "buff" isn't even really a buff, all things considered, and it's disappointing that apparently Vicky & Seondeok are the only two Civs to get a balance touch-up (Seondeok was definitely in need of the nerf bat, though). What about low-tiers like Spain, Georgia, and France? For the love of god, make the chateau not just simply out classed by the pairidaeza in every conceivable fashion! And if the only general mechanics that are getting touched up are the social policies, governments, and Magnus' chop, then that will be sorely disappointing as well. Social policy & government tweaking is good, and sure, Magnus' chop needed to be nerfed. But production costs - particularly in the late game - are so out of whack from what your cities can reasonably produce, and in my opinion loyalty needs to be scaled ever so slightly, as it makes conquering cities beyond tedious. Sometimes I wonder if Firaxis even plays their game, because to me these balance changes are no-brainers that continue to be ignored.
A hill start is really powerful.
