In light of numerous patches, is Empire : Total War less buggy? Has the AI been improved on the campaign map since initial release?

The AI is somewhat the same as the release "version". It is still easy to beat, predict and takes little to no initiative . If you wish more of a challenge you must install one or more of the many mods designed by fans.

They should prove quite a challenge. As for the buggy part, I do not see any major bugs left, except maybe for the fast that it is not still not optimized too well, being still a system-hog.

Indeed, seems like the Total War developers are paying attention to the community, at IGN you can read that the game community pointed out that the bales of hay that showed in early versions were historically inaccurate, so this went out in the next patch. In the same way some players said that the moustaches sported by some ingame soldiers were also historically inaccurate, and they were off too. Now about the AI being improved, I'm not sure.

That's is very hard.

I cant really gove you an answer,but what I can give you is a way to a solution, that is you have to find the anglde that you relate to or peaks your interest. A good paper is one that people get drawn into because it reaches them ln some way.As for me WW11 to me, I think of the holocaust and the effect it had on the survivors, their families and those who stood by and did nothing until it was too late.