IMO, AoW2 had the potential to become one of the greatest TBS games of all times, to be mentioned in one breath with MoM, MoO and Warlords. It has fallen slightly short of that, but I still think it's a great game that will keep me busy for a quite while.
In comparison with the original AoW it obvious that not all aspects have been explored in AoW2, that there is still a lot of life and replayability left in AoW2.
How long did it take before the mods for AoW came out? I don't know because I wasn't around in the forum at the time, but my guess is it too several months, maybe even a year? I'm quite certain that we will see a mod for AoW2 as well.
Some of the Unit imbalances will be fixed by mods. Others can be resolved by player agreements. Remember, how everyone kept bitching about Haste and how overpowered it was? Ok, players agreed not to use Air, or at least not to use Haste. Some complained, "how lame is that if I can't use a Spell, because it's unbalanced, I hate AoW2!!" Did those people feel the same way about AoW's FMDS (Free-moving Dragon Ships)? Now there is an exploit! And people agreed, and they said, let's not use those suckers, and all was well. So, if an 8-stack of Druids is ridiculous, then agree not to use it.
Another often touted advantage of AoW is the number of great maps available. I do think we can have great maps for AoW2 as well. There are limitations to the AoW2 editor, no doubt, but so there were for AoW.
The sacred "timed flame" for AI reinforcements? - it's called a work-around! Is it cheesy or elegant? Take your pick, I don't care - it works. And just like the mapmaker for AoW were able to overcome the editor's limitations by ingenious work-arounds, so we'll see the same for AoW2. Stop complaining, start inventing. So what if you have to stick the Wizard in an underground cave to keep the assassins away? Does it works? Great!Did you love AoW 1.0, or 1.1, or did you think "nice try, but it could have been so much better..."? Or was it Warlock's or Kris Lighthawk's mod for AoW 1.36 you fell in love with?
AoW2 hasn't fully matured yet. Yeah, it would have been nice to get greatness straight out of the box, but if you have a good game for a while that becomes a great game later, do you really care where it came from?
Don't write off AoW2 just yet. Hold your final judgement on AoW2 until we have all the parts before us, i.e. the last patch (ok, 1.2 does look/sound like -it-) and the latest mod.
It is roaming the depths in eternal hunger, devouring all and everything, far from the light, lost in the shadows, alone, wandering, searching, evermore...