Your post isnt really related to anything I said. My point was that making a claim along the lines of "volks worked when they didn't have stgs" (and had schrecks) is an irrelevant comparison because the factions were so different at the time. Also, yeah, okw are expected to win against usf early game...still not really related to anything that I said though.
Infantry meta went back to what it was before Stuart/T70 dominance,
Except for:
Volks gaining STGs and IA power.
Penal from useless to mandatory vs OKW
Volks STG signed the end of Cons (and Cons aren't really dominating anything) and USF infantry domination.
I mean, from a design perspective each faction has its own flavor at the beginning:
- Ostheer have strong early support tools and weak mainline infantry, and that can be replace not so lately by a medium/good elite infantry squad that must be vetted to become monsters.
- Soviet have weak but numerous and cheap units that must be completed with Doctrinal elite units.
- OKW have right of the bat elite squad, weak but numerous mainline infantry and a variety of expensive but effective tools and premium access to super late game units.
- USF have a strong mainline infantry, that must be vetted to compete with elite squads, weaker support tools and split into T1=AI tools T2=AT tools and zero late game units.
What remains today
- Ostheer have strong early support tools and weak mainline infantry, and that can be replace not so lately by a medium/good elite infantry squad that must be vetted to become monsters.
-
Soviet have weak but numerous and cheap units that must be completed with Doctrinal elite units. ==> Soviet's weak but numerous units can't do shit anymore vs OKW and you must go Penals or die.
- OKW have right of the bat elite squad,
weak but numerous mainline infantry and a variety of expensive but effective tools and premium access to super late game units. ==> OKW mainline infantry isn't weak anymore thanks to STGs
AND Lavanade.
- USF have a
strong mainline infantry, that must be vetted to compete with elite squads, weaker support tools and split into T1=AI tools T2=AT tools and zero late game units. ==> VS OStheer, Riflemen remain strong but vs OKW Volks compete on the same league at all stages.
We can argue RM still have the upper hands in terme of raw stats, but in the reality, RM need to unlock BARs, to retreat to pick them at the base, RM doesn't have early access to FRP, RM doesn't have auto-heal at vet3, RM need to unlock grenade to use it and Volks lavanade is simply the best grenade in game.
If I pickup this comment from you
In which case would a similarly expensive, similarly vetted (same xp) allied unit (not cons) lose a 1v1 from heavy cover against rushing volks? Single bar rifles (admittedly requiring tech) would win. Single bren (again, requiring tech) or even vanilla infantry sections would win. Penals would win. I had to make a lot of exceptions and qualifications, but volks' effectiveness still seem to be widely overstated in my eyes, even if only slightly.
In any cases, volks would
not lose thanks to the lavanade. Even if you must insta retreat your volks squad after, that will be the same for the opposing squad. Volks can rush everything, even a .50 or a vickers thanks to the super suppression resistance and throw a lavanade, there isn't a single other squad that can do that.
I can only imagine the volks losing if the squad has to go through negative cover.