Any advice for a new player?: jagged alliance 2

Got the game recently because I saw it was like fallout gameplay wise. I might start it tonight. I downloaded the 1.13 patch. Though didn't read much on it. I read that it has some bug fixes and updated resolution. Is there any reason for me to not have installed the patch? Are there any gameplay changes?

Also what difficulty should I pick? Novice, experienced? What other options should I chose in the beginning? Also whats the difference between sci - fi and realistic.