Really not the place for this, but this thread and site are largely filled with horse farts, myself very much included, so....
First game I bought was Houdini. Could have had at the time a WoZ, Dialed-In, Hobbit, and I regret that to this day.
That said, build quality is fantastic! I do appreciate non licensed themes, but the work that David Thiel did on those games, along with the genuinely incomparable JP de Win, and Keith and Joe's coding add unique elements that go beyond build quality. Sometimes I find their coding work obtuse to master obviously, but those key differences go way beyond build quailty.
I was the sole person, think so anyway, that mentioned yesterday that I'd LOVE to have seen this game grafted onto Oktoberfest. That game had so, so many pluses, maybe in ways more than I see here, but licensing, and theme balance matter more than what AP is strong at currently.
Art design, LCD integration is genuinely amateur in comparison compared to what de Win does, and I am NOT happy saying that at all. It's really does separate AP's games from JJP and Stern in a significant way. I don't know if that's a nepotism issue, but clearly that needs handled more than your code or Josh's or build quality.
Stern has blown me away with their development in these ways, and you can see great advancements throughout their games over the years, though their font usage is entirely insufferable all too often.
Anyway, some quick thoughts there. I hope/d AP would be a disruptor, but after 4 games, the direction still feels aimless, and even an overpriced half ass mess like this, still clearly feels more relevant than what AP is offering to this point.
Again, I dearly want better from AP. We all have. The industry clearly needs better competition. I definitely know I will never buy a NIB JJP again with these pricing structures and the owner's mindsets of cost saving over Jack's original vision of innovation over anything else. That JJP is clearly dead.
Time to step it up AP. Pull the pieces together fully, and you have an open shot. Bring on the Nordman, and Oursler's last game! We're waiting...anxiously!