Certainly this game came out of the box incomplete. However it cetainly isn't a piece of "SH*T". dudtorpedo, I would suggest patching and using strict saving rules to avoid issues. One of the benefits of SubSim is that we've wrestled with the bugs and limitations of SH3 since release and its much easier for newbies to the game to get under way. Though if you've played AoD I'm sure you're no noob.
Just patch, be careful where you save and explore modding options. By many people's estimation even stock patched this game is nearly unplayable after they've tried The Grey Wolves Mod, or NYGM.
Both major mods not only add content that is otherwise absent but also bring a new level of realism to the game and fix a few other bugs along the way.
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