I feel dumb for not replying to this sooner. Yes I am interested in joining the Classics Discord server if it means I have a more direct line of communication with sharing feedback on the mod.
The version I am playing I believe is "Update 41" as the latest one labeled "A temporary fix" for some reason made the game crash to desktop without any warning after loading any level. Full disclosure though, at the time of downloading I just used the "- The Mod Itself -" hotlink to download the mod, so for all I know it could have led me to an earlier version of the .gro file.
Lastly I have finally updated the playthrough to contain all of the Planet Atlantis levels. I won't sugar coat it though, I got pretty pissed off during some key fights, so expect some long winded rants that are pure rage venting that really don't offer any meaningful feedback. I am hopeful that I provided enough useful feedback in these commentaries and that if nothing else the footage will help you out in further refining combat encounters.
I hope to complete the remaining 2 levels soon and update those to the playlist, will send an update when that happens.
EDIT: I also wanted to say that I wholeheartedly agree with you that dying a couple times is part of the learning process and is entirely expected when playing on the hardest difficulty. Where I personally draw the line is when fights are unable to be beaten consistently despite having a good understanding of the fight itself. I would argue that any good fight should be able to be beaten consistently with enough practice and skill. If the player has practiced a fight countless times and has a good grasp on their arsenal and what enemies they can expect to face then they should be rewarded for their efforts, not thrown into a blender to see how many times they need to slam their head into a wall before they can break through.
The challenge should ultimately come from the basics of dodging and shooting; knowing which weapons are effective against which enemy types, learning enemy attack patterns, and how to dodge them when overlapping with other enemy attacks.