It´s fine, misunderstandings are common when not talking face to face. Not a big deal.
- I would say that my criticism of factions in their current state is similar to yours. I like the difference the Khuzait offers in combat by fielding a bigger number of horse archers than the other factions, but besides that, most factions seem very similar in everything apart from looks. Policies are something I hope to see changed down the line by having them be specific to the different cultures and further cement the factions supposed strengths (and weaknesses). That said, I find the premise behind each faction interesting with Sturgia being based on the Kievan Rus etc.
- My experience with sieges has been mainly positive though I´ve also had similar experiences to you. When they (mostly) work like intended they´re great fun, when they don´t they´re incredibly frustrating. Thankfully, the problems with sieges are mostly that they don´t like intended which can, and I´m confident will be, patched, unlike the Warband sieges that worked like intended but still weren´t particularly fun.
- Field battles are definitely too short. I think this is in part due to initial formations breaking up after the first charge causing both enemies and allies to send scattered pockets of troops until they´re both depleted. Another problem with them may lie with health pools being way too low with people dropping like flies the moment armies clash. Tactics or the lack thereof is also a problem like you said. Still, I´m personally finding them more enjoyable than the battles in Warband.
- Castles are pretty much useless as the AI will often choose to ignore them and go for towns or other targets rendering them useless to their intended purpose of being in strategic locations. Towns have mostly been upgraded close to fully by the time I get one so yeah.
- The combat I´m actually enjoying vastly more than the one in Warband. I know there´s been a lot of "controversy" over a block delay, stances, and overall changes to fainting, etc. I haven´t really noticed these problems in singleplayer, but I could imagine they would be a problem for competitive players.
The reason I point out the features technically being there is two-fold.
First off I don´t like the "doomer" approach (not saying you´re one) of pretending like we´ve been force-fed a pile of literal dogsh*t and like some people haven´t been hounding the devs for a build in whatever state, playable or not, for years on end. Many threads like this will either devolve into a delusional praise fest for the game or a complete sh*tshow of toxicity and doomsaying. I obviously air on the side of the people who like the game and I´m confident it will be great in a year or two, but I have no issue pointing out current, former, and (potential) future problems with it.
The second is cultural I guess. In Norway, when talking to people we don´t know personally we tend to be formal and straight-forward. It may seem different or even hostile(?) when translated to English, but in Norwegian, this would be a very standard way to discuss with strangers.
