:). And what difference does it make who ends up being who? It's not a fantasy book series, it's a game. And in a game, playability comes first, and the plot is secondary, in my opinion.
But for me, the plot is important.
I used to only play shooters in Multiplayer (because it's not interesting to just shoot at the computer without a plot) (except for Doom and Duke Nukem 3D :) I played those because of the atmosphere).
Now, the storyline in FPS games is like a whole book.
In general, for me, a game is like a book in single-player mode.
And in multiplayer, the plot is, of course, not important :).
And in the fourth game, there are many positive (and original) features.
This includes the caravan.
And walking heroes (of course, some people may not like this, but nothing prevents you from moving around with one hero in your army).
And simultaneous attacks in battle (those who need it have the First Strike and Counter Strike abilities).
And simplified city micromanagement.
And so on.
The only thing I personally don't like is the alternative choice of creatures, or rather, not the alternative choice itself, but the limited number of creatures - only five types (I would like more variety in battles :)).
But even here, there are advantages... - it encourages you to think carefully about your choices