I'd do LP of this one, but I don't have time and will at the moment. So, I'll try to be brief.
Pros:
- Realistic presentation of squad-level combat, pretty much on par with CM. Models everything you would expect from such game, i.e. morale, fatigue, suppression and stuff.
- Campaigns, Tactical + Strategic layer. Basically AP has stuff which Combat Mission lacks. You actually need to think about your losses and ammo during the battles, because it might affect your situation later.
- Focused more on the big picture than micromanagement.
- Pretty customizable. You can change default battle size, its length and other stuff.
- Decent enemy AI. It's not perfect, but makes the game playable and enjoyable. I've little experience on how AI handles offensive, because I prefer to play the attacking side myself.
Cons:
- Interface is, well, strange. IMO the whole order system should be ditched. You select various options in the sidebar: method of movement (assault, move, etc.), whether the guys should move using roads, hide, etc. There is a selection of quick presets, but most are not perfect. As your last choice is applied to any move order you direct to a unit, you find yourself constantly fiddling with the settings.
- Pathfinding sucks in the forests and some sectors are very havily forested. Inability to separate mechanized squads from their halftracks makes it annoying to cross forests.
- AP maps are composed of invisible squares, so when you order a unit to move somewhere, it moves to a square somewhere near the place you've chosen. It is annoying when moving tanks and shit around the forest using roads - they will almost always stray from the road at the end of their travel so that they can sit at the square they have been ordered to move.
- Individual soldiers act strangely at times. Don't know whether it is a feature or a badly written AI. I've seen a lot instances when individual soldiers, often squad leaders, separated themselves from the squad and moved towards the enemy situated 50-200 m away. Results in their death 99,9% of times. Loosing a squad leader means that leadership of an unit goes doooown, so you need to watch out for any lemming behavior among your troops.
- Lack of ability to order single units to fire at specific targets or areas is frustrating at times. Then again, it adds to the feeling that there is an actual chain of command out there.
- Performance could be better (though it might have something to do with my laptop).
- No multiplayer is a shame.
- Developer's PR seems non-existent.
It might seem that the game is bad or mediocre at best, but it isn't. If you like the genre, then give it a try. If you like to micromanage everything, then go for CM Normandy instead. All in all, I'd say that AP is a solid Eastern European title. It's hardcore, has some hit-and-miss ideas, is a bit rough on the edges but still manages to deliver solid gameplay. Also, it seems pretty stable and I didn't find any glaring bugs.
Just one more thing: overtenemy mentioned a patch that made it possible to field more units, since apparently pre-patch battlefields felt somewhat empty. Do you have any opinion on this change, has it improved the game for you?
It improves the game a lot. New system isn't perfect but clearly, it's a step in the right direction.
