Well units have the following stats:
•Combat Morale (In Game Play)
•Combat Fatigue (In Game Play)
•Combat Morale and Fatigue (Outside of Game Play)
•Damage Absorption
•Defensive Rating
•Damage Rating
•Range
•Experience Rating
•Leadership
Though I abhor the thought of tracking, on paper, the morale and fatigue of 500+ regiments, it'd be awesome with counters, and I welcome the detail.
We have both damage rating, which I presume is more like the attack, defensive, which I guess is how hard it is to damage that unit (faster units its higher, much like BF), I think absorption would be the same as "armor" basically, I guess its just the way it was termed. Offense/Defense/Damage would make a bit more sense, or Attack/Defense/Mobility maybe.
But Range, ugh, there is just no way that can be a good thing to have, when each hex is FIVE HUNDRED mapbaords. Not even artillery can go over 1 hex. Its insane. Mobility would make so much more sense, give units a strategic movement, which should be about a 1:3 ratio (though I'd say 1:4, as some things may obstruct movement and not really be on a strategic map). This would mean a Locust could move 3 hexes, an Atlas 1, THAT is how range should be done, not both units moving X, but one gets to fire farther. Maybe the "range" is abstract, it isn't like we have much to go on, and in fact would mean more of an area of effect based on movement than a weapon range, though the text really seems to indicate this is range.
And what is funny is they say how games that divulge from that don't sell, yet use battleforce 1 as an example, which DID have range, movement, and alternating combat! The reason IMO it didn't sell is the game kinda sucked, the mechanics were broken, and the playing pieces were crazy silly.
The simple fact is IO *should* play differently, just as 1:300 micro armor with a tiger vs a sherman plays differently than Europa where each counter is a division. There is simply no strategic game out there that gives units ranges, and there is a reason for that. Implementing it in IO at a 250km per hex scale will make IO fail completely IMO, as the battles will in no way match the battles published in the hundred or so BT books, it just won't match up, and it'll be silly.
May as well just do the GDW Command Decision or Corps Commander thing, and just say each mech is really a battalion or regiment, and you play it just like you would a single mech, but each kill is really "36 kills" or whatever, but if you do that you may as well just keep the BF rules.
Ugh, not sure why, when they ask for feedback, they don't seem to be very active in here :(