Well, I've made it to Mission 9, and now this mission is also too hard to complete. It seems instead of my suggestion of re balancing heroes (which are still overpowered, enough that if I use my heroes for defense while I create an army, then send out an army with heroes, I can complete every mission before this and after first try without losing any units) it seems that instead, Tan is now instead far more aggressive to make them threatening even with absurd heroes.
I may be bias towards new content of any kind over remixing / restyling of existing things, but I like this updated version even less now. I don't think I'll be finishing to be fair, I am just not enjoying this mod whatsoever anymore.
What did I like before and after?
Well, as said before, changes where your goal strategy has to be different was mostly it. Changes such as needing to find new / different cockroach locations in Mission 6, or having to destroy all mines in more missions like Mission 7. Or new map appendixes such as the one I mentioned in Tan Some Hide. These are the changes that I find most interesting, but the mod difficulty is now too comically overtuned to the point that I simply don't want to deal with it anymore just to experience missions that, again, I've already played before. I want new content is what I'm saying, but having to get through old content but more arduous isn't worth it to me.
Unit rebalances could be interesting, but you need gradual introduction of them in order to explore them I think. The base game does it well enough in that when new units are introduced to you. Expecting to get an instant grasp of what units can do differently and how they are good and bad is well enough, such as grenadiers being bulkier, mortar men being faster, choppers being strong, tanks being weaker against infantry. But expecting this while also expecting you to be so adept at the base game that you are supposed to be able to survive the insane Tan is just too much. For example, maps where you cannot rely on Heroes, such as some Great Battles where you only have Sarge and cannot use him effectively to defend multiple chokepoints. Or, again, Mission 9 where Tan are so hyper aggressive now attacking from more angles than you have heroes, or attacking in high volumes. I literally had two Half-Tracks and machine gunners and shit attacking my base before my first Depot was even constructed. Yes, the heroes obviously beat them, but it stays at this level or increases as the map goes on. So what do I do when I need my heroes to clear out the road? Or the villagers start moving? I can build towers, but the nerfed speed of the Bulldozer makes way harder than it needs to be while villagers run head first along the road, or Choppers come attack before I'm even allowed to build AA guns, which require a Super Duper HQ now.
Anyway, I'm done ranting, and I'm pretty done with this mod. Sorry to be extreme, but yeah. I ain't enjoying it anymore, so.
Also, Mission 9 hero units spawned backwards, so I think several cutscenes have been broken? Should confirm them all later.