I played PG in the past and it was my nº1 game for over a year
So excited by getting the beta.Ok impressions:
It has a clear flavour of the original game and it was very good one. I was used to the rules and the old game so noticing more what is not there instead of what it is.
After the first battles, i was missing the original blinking white dot on the units to tell me who are still waiting orders. The next unit works but it is not clear enough which is the current unit to move in (not highligted enough). Fights also running too fast, with no old "rugged defense" and such info, no transitions on moves to have clear where and how they are moving, or else enemy moves where are coming from.
I found very very happily the option to move units and come back to them later for attacks (old game once you moving one unit you had to use it or lose the chance for the turn) That is a great advance to efectively plan the attack order.
Maybe the info on the units, the experience they are gaining and so should be more clear. too small area or not clear the STAR highlight how goes.
I found that most artillery and AAA ranges are increased, which gives much more limitation attacking and draining enemy forces. 2 artillery 2 hexes away with 1 AAA cant be killed easily
On the old game, from scenario to scenario, every unit was resuplied to full strenght... i MISS a lot this one here
The unit types are excellent but, by experience, normaly you end having the most bigger and stronger units of them as soon as possible, wich limits the visual aspect. Players tend to maximize. So not sure if people will love this, but there should be a limit on the last tier unit types, so you have the wide range of them and not only tigerII and pioneers as soon as they are available.
Not sure if it would be reasonable to limit your core units not by numbers, but by tiers. Scenario 1 - tier 0 units + 2-3 tier 1 / scenario 2 - tier 0-1 units + 3-5 tier 2 / and so on.
After having played several battles, i found too hard to keep my units alive. Something i was able to do most of times on the old game.
I found that enemy is able to put on the game too much units. And most of them nonrealistic as 3-4 atgs with 2-3 artillery and several AAA. The units the Ai creates for defense after turn 1-2 should be mostly inf with some artillery support imo, The kind of units they would create in desperate defenses, like garrisons and militias, after having their first line units killed.
Their number and the fact that the range effect of artillery and aaa has increased caused on my core units terrible losses. Something hard to avoid despite of being very carefull and wise.
And losign units (and their experience) no matter how well you play is something ouch.
If you can give those units the chance to become routed, sent 3-4 hex back with a strength of 2-3 would be a good "option" for game. Or Not kill them but delete from scenario till the end and get them back for next scenario. Some players will love it.
Since i can move my unit, move others, and then come back to first one and do attack, would be probably good to have the chance to select 2-3 of them at same time and coordinate attacks. So i can do multiple attacks and benefit of it. At the end, attacking one enemy unit one by one, by different units, from different hexes, will result on the enemy losing 3, then 4, then all its strength or retreated and finally killed. So why not make all my ground units attack at same time the target, have it killed same, but make my units lose less strength?
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About the game playability, most of the players will try hard to fight and win the complete campaing with decisive victory and end the game. Once done, not sure if they will play it so hard or for so long.
The beautifull thing of this game is the chess style, still seeing your units grow and be able to defeat large enemy forces with no loses in a brillant way. Maybe placing secondary target Rewards will increase the playability and interest on improving campaings, like 1+ core unit for ending before turn X, free upgrade of 2 units due to capture of enemy "factory" town, extra assignable experience to 1 or 2 units due to a enemy Unit destruction and so on.
After the scenario, if you put a list of achieved and failed secondary targets, it will give players the whish to replay it and achieve the objetives.
On the expected casualty dialog, I would add also reasons to players to rethink strategy, remarking the reasons of the expected casualties:
For example:
losses -4 / -3;
Initiative 12 / 11;
dig in 3 / 6 ;
weather effect +-X
Artillery defense support Y (or N)
terrain effect +-X
So you decide to hit it with artillery first, or soft it with air, wait for better weather, attack from different side, hit their support first...
Sorry if i have too many enthusiastic ideas 