Impressions for 0.8:
1. love the music. I especially like that it changes when you're in different territories. Really fits the feel and tone of the mod.
2. The Walker seems overpowered. Compared to the rest of the guns in the mod, which seem to have been toned down, the walker still packs a wallop with 51p. As much as I like a personal hand cannon (the sawn off shotgun is great, by the way), it runs into the issue of "why would I ever use a different gun". With the Spencer vs. the Winchester for example, you have to decide between speed (the Winchester) or stopping power (the Spencer). Despite the fact that the Walker's reload time is very slow compared to other pistols, it's still fast enough to get the job done, and makes it difficult to consider other pistols.
3. I like the concept of the stockpiling skill a lot- it solves a lot of the issues with ammo, except for not being able to equip a rifle, pistol, and melee weapon. Personally, when I feel I need all 3, such as when I'm playing a Cavalry Officer, I tend to leave the pistol with just it's 6 shots, as sort of a 'desperation' weapon.
4. The map is definitely fuller, and that's a great thing. One of the biggest gameplay problems was riding around looking for somebody to fight, and spending days just roaming around. While fine in some sense, going 20 minutes without a battle isn't what this type of game is about
That said, it did force the player to invest heavily in spotting and trailblazing, to first see the target, and then ride him down. Now that the map is so full, I wonder if those skills will be worth slightly less.
5. I actually like that my companions aren't highly specialized into a specific skill set. While of course it would be handy to have a "doctor" and a "tracker", etc. I don't really mind putting those points in my character, and having my companions just be extra firepower.
6. As far as companions go, it would be nice if there was more than 1 spawn point in each city for the companions; if for example I wanted Doc Valentine, it'd be nice if I didn't have to hire a bunch of guys I didn't want just so a spawn point would open up for him in a few days.
7. Shotguns seem to work fine so far; the sawn off is only really effective "up close and personal", which I imagine is the intention. I haven't had a chance yet to try any of the others, but the drop off from damage at range looks good so far.
That's all I've got for now, keep up the great work!
-DrZaius
EDIT: Forgot about the hats with hair! Absolutely love it; really helps keep the immersion of the mod (A cowboy has to have a hat!)