Overall, this game isn't bad, but it isn't great either. It has a lot of bugs and annoyances but I can play through them, maybe some can't. I think people expected this game to be enhanced from Warband with better features. Not like removed feature such as: not being able to play female, not able to get married, no way to discuss politics and gain the kings favor (or am I mistaken here), no arena, no way to have your own faction (then again I dont know if Warband had that feature too actually).
I find the game pace slower than Warband, especially if I set the game to hard, because money is difficult to get until you amass an army and enough money to start caravan, then you start raking the thelas afterwards. Also the fighting seems slower, alot slower than Warband's The Eagle and the Radiant Cross where I felt the fighting there alot faster (I think their animations are better too to make it faster I dont know). Fighting felt like being in a very weak bullet time from Max Payne.
Likewise in Warbands but more noticeable in WF&S, the cavalry light, medium or heavy are chargers, its ok on the heavy ones but the light and medium cavalry gets killed by a even number side or either range or infantry troops. Heavy seems to be ok, but because their horse aren't heavily armored (or maybe I haven't seen heavily armored horses yet), they get shot down easy so it tends for this game to be more foot based than having a few cavalry to turn the tide.
I have yet to do sieges, academy,armor smithing,weapon smithing,horse-merchant, guild-merchant and stuff. But I'll give them a go once I amass a decent amount of fortune soon

. Heard that you get options in sieges such as blowing up walls and such, I like to see that

. And I LOVE how the fortresses are like small towns too, I thought that was the BESTEST feature in M&B ever, instead of just a fortress that held troops it was a small little town to go to inns and such, I reckon some villages should have inns and a small store, and can turn into a little town to a big town and such.
Enjoying the game, but its definitely not as good as Warband in my opinion and I think some of the mods like The Eagle and the Radiant Cross seem to be a more evenly paced game.