War Spoiled? - Commentary on War Spoils

Nearly a month since releasing the controversial War Spoils system, Relic has released new information regarding its implementation and their plans moving forward. The War Spoils system, while great in concept and a step in the right direction, has been extremely frustrating for most players in its current form. After hundreds of hours of playtime, many players report fewer than two commander drops. Relic has been listening to community feedback regarding the situation and has released a statement regarding their plan to move forward. Relic has highlighted these issues as a high priority:

! A purpose and value for duplicate items. A need for correlation between skill/game outcome: If you have an awesome game, the system should account for that. The inclusion of Western Front Armies Commanders in the store, available for purchase. Relic

As a fan, it is nice to see Relic acknowledge that their system isn't perfect, and that they are working towards improving it. In response to the duplicate War Spoils drops, Relic Community Manager Jeffery "Noun" Simpson stated the system was "Working as Intended." Since then, he has also shed light in the COH2.ORG forums as to why duplicates exist in their current form:

!Originally many War Spoils items were going to be timed items, so you'd get a Commander that would last say 3 days. The intention was that with duplicates you'd be able to recharge your items. So if you had a Commander with 5 hours left you'd use that duplicate faceplate to add an extra 12 hours. The feedback in the Alpha was strongly against timed items for War Spoils, and we responded which left us in the current situation where there are duplicates but they (currently) do not have a point. As we improve the system they will again, and it'll be a better point than just recharging items.Noun

The big news here, however, is that Western Front Armies commanders will be purchasable as of July 23rd. You read it right folks, the wait is over. For all of the unlucky souls who have yet to receive their coveted commander, this is great news, assuming of course you are willing to pony up the cash to acquire them. The War Spoils system is a nice response to the P2W label that Company of Heroes 2 had been slapped with all over the internet. Allowing players to unlock content through play time, while providing those who wish to skip the grind and purchase their content up front is considered by many to be a fair solution to this issue.

This of course brings back concerns over the Pay2Win label that has plagued Company of Heroes 2 since release. In a rather ironic twist (or one of the most ingenious marketing ploys ever), the release of War Spoils saw the community go from outraged that commanders were blocked behind a pay wall, to begging Relic to take their money. The pay wall gave way to being locked behind the RNG wall of War Spoils instead, where the fate of each commander was linked to random chance. Now that commanders are purchasable, the situation becomes a little more murky, and that nasty "P2W" label may creep up again.

Relic has also implemented a "Commander Rotation" that will allow players who do not purchase or loot commanders the opportunity to try them out on the battlefield. The promotion will include commanders for all factions, and help bridge the gap between the War Spoils loot system and the DLC model.

The key issue here is that War Spoils, in its current implementation, still offers no guaranteed means of obtaining commanders without purchasing them. Without giving players a measured way of achieving their desired commanders, the War Spoils system will still leave players feeling frustrated at best, and cheated at worst. During the last month the COH2.ORG forums have seen numerous posts about the system, and have provided their own ideas for fixing it. An astute member of the community, PingPing, had this to say about a possible solution:

!The problem now is that there's still no GUARANTEED way to EARN Commanders - it's either try your luck on the RNG OR you pay up. It's still forcing a DLC with no absolute way to get a Commander without: A) Pure Luck B) Paying for it. There really needs to be an additional way: C) Earn it You reach a rank or XP or hours played - you hit a visible landmark achievement - then you get that Commander. The DLC paywall should only be a "Fast pass" TO that Commander - not the ONLY way to it. Its not about being cheap - or whiny - or ungrateful etc - its about fairness.PingPing

All in all I am encouraged by Relics response to community feedback, and have high hopes for the War Spoils system. It is without a doubt a great improvement over solely purchasable commanders. With a few tweaks, and continuing community feedback, I feel that Relic can turn War Spoils into a polished and engaging content delivery system that provides players with both the means to acquire content and a motivation to continue playing.

It's obvious the War Spoils system has the potential to scrap the "Pay 2 Win" label. So I ask you, reader, does the new system do enough in its current state to remove the "P2W" label from Company of Heroes 2 entirely? If all content is potentially available for free, should premium commanders be allowed in future tournaments? How can Relic further improve their system?