actually, you regenerate ap at the beginning of each of your turns. Crew members seem to only affect boarding - the ratio of your crew to theirs affects the probability of your success
I never thought I would one day/have the odd privilege to say/that I saw sweet Lenore again/(though she was after my poetic brain)/But I do love those rhymes galore
@Rulis88: maybe you don't understand that this is a PIXEL game. If you want good graphics, go on a PS3 or Xbox360, play a game on that, and stop complaining about things you don't understand
...
OK maybe that was a bit harsh, but still, Kongregate has 'pixel' tabs for a reason!
For people complaining about more steps being worse than more boxes, think about it like a programmer: they want to get the most efficient program as priority number one. The less steps you take the more efficient it is as it takes less time. A programmer doesn't care about his functions once they work, just the program
Why do people complain about the game? Okay, so there is a bit too much of the element of luck sometimes, but overall it's a great game with a reasonable plot (which is explained in a secret unlockable timelime - including why the tank explodes when it runs out of fuel). Like I said, luck is an element, but if you spend your money right it shouldn't make too much difference (except in adventure mode - THAT is difficult, particularly the last level and boss).
...
Actually there is one more thing that bothers me. Dirk claims his father was a soldier who was killed by the General (although the General claims he is Dirk's father Vader style) but in the timeline it says he was left on a doorstep with the label DDD. Which is true?
Why do people complain about grinding? I only repeated levels after I beat the game - to get every upgrade on the castle. The best tactic is to get the treasures immediately (clue - what do pirates do with treasure) and then focus on summoning capacity. When you max that out, save up for the evil rainbow of happiness (clue - look at the badge for its location) then do the same for the circus (clue - not in the castle). After that, the tower abilities are probably best, although its up to your strategy. If you focus on spells, than the higher upgrades are better. If you focus on units than the lower upgrades are better. I know this is a bit big-headed and long, but I feel it is useful, so please + it.
@N1ghtshade3 - its like thewave2 says, the progressive tower system is there for a reason: on your first run through of the game you can try each tower and see what upgrades it has and how useful it is.
 "Utopian Mining"){kind=icon}
 "In3structoTank!"){kind=icon}
 "Caribbean Admiral"){kind=icon}
 "Sonny"){kind=icon}
 "100% Complete"){kind=icon}
 "Snail Bob 3"){kind=icon}
 "You are a... The Sequel"){kind=icon}
 "Eddie's Lament"){kind=icon}
 "Myosotis Chapter 3"){kind=icon}
 "Submachine 8: the Plan"){kind=icon}
 "PRIOR"){kind=icon}
 "Frantic Frigates"){kind=icon}
 "J-J-Jump"){kind=icon}
 "Jahooma's LogicBox"){kind=icon}
 "Creatively Complicated"){kind=icon}
 "Humbugger"){kind=icon}
 "Indestruct2Tank"){kind=icon}
 "Villainous"){kind=icon}
 "Karoshi : Suicide Salaryman"){kind=icon}
 "Bloons Tower Defense 4"){kind=icon}