I'm having crashing problems very late in the game (that is to say, after 5 or 6 hours maybe of straight play) and fairly infrequently. They usually happen in the middle of a major combat. I get a warning from Vista that it tried to access something that it shouldn't or somesuch, and I think that's the equivalent of a BSoD on the older OS's.
I've noticed its made a little different than most games that are coming out these days as if it weren't made for the PC in mind. In particular the saves are in the program directory and not in the documents directory like most Vista games (although many games that are cross platform these days, like Puzzle Quest, are completely independent of Windows' registry).
On the random placement - I've heard its random but I have not encountered that yet though I've yet to start a new game. The area around the Darion Castle is identical to the Demo it seemed to me. Reloads of the previous saves, even in areas I've yet to be in, seem to have the same objects palced there
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On the graphics: a lot of reviewers are bringing down the game on graphics. They may seem simple but I've noticed an attention to detail in them in a different direction than polygons.
For example, I walked by a pirate standing there in the Islands of Freedom and then I did a double take as he balanced his sword on his finger then caught it in the air. There's quite a number of creatures to encounter and they all do stuff.
There are other things you might not notice like the faces built into the side of some of the mountains.
Finally, I've noticed that the blow up combat terrain is based on the areas where you are standing when you entered combat. They aren't identical but they are pretty close. I thought at first it depended on area which is more typical but then I started noticing cliffs, the previously mentioned face on the wall, and the Book of Life when it became an obstacle. If I had to guess I think there is a dynamic element generating it, possibly tiles, even the terrain looks like it was manually adjusted.
