GCS Balance Patch Analysis

Wreck values normalized
We are adjusting the amount of resources players can attain from vehicles using doctrinal salvage abilities. Previously, certain wrecks would award large amount of munitions/manpower, which wouldn’t correspond to their class. We are now changing salvage so that only fuel and munitions are awarded from salvaging a wreck. Moreover we are normalising wreck values so that the amount of resources gained now depend on the worth of the vehicle.

Values are given in Munitions/Fuel

• Ultra Lights: 10/5
  
• Lights: 15/10
  
• Mediums 20/25
  
• Advanced Mediums: 35/30
  
• Heavies: 50/40
  
• Super Heavies: 60/45

The changes to salvage affect both Tank Hunter Doctrine (Soviets) and Tactical Support Regiment (UKF) salvage abilities.

!I think this is one of the greatest changes being made to the game. Most of you probably know how broken those things were. For Soviets it was a great munition/fuel income and for UKF it was a great manpower/fuel income both of those increasing as the game progressed (more vehicles = more things to salvage). It really needed to be balanced as this could severely decide a game in some cases.Danyek

! It is absolutely understandable. In 3v3 and 4v4 there are too many tank wrecks. Of course wrecks are not always accessible but some wrecks had unfair compensations.Sturmpanther

Bugfixes:
Fixed an issue where hold fire on Luchs/Brummbar would make either vehicle permanently unresponsive if abandoned while the ability was on.
Fixed an issue where the OKW FlakHT would, sometimes, become permanently stuck.




Handbrake 2.0
We are further modifying the handbrake ability to make it provide additional utility to the players.

We feel that the current version of handbrake (i.e., one that completely immobilizes vehicles) feels too cumbersome and is not a good enough fit for transport vehicle use.

The new ability is similar to a hold fire ability. However, instead of preventing firing, it simply prevents the vehicle from automatically rotating to face enemy units. The vehicle will still rotate to attack enemy troops, but only if an explicit attack command is issued. If a movement command is issued, the vehicle will respond to the movement command. At the same time, if the ability is on, the vehicle will stop automatically rotating once the movement is complete.

The use-cases that handbrake v2.0 was developed for in mind were the following:
Allow fixed-arc vehicles to utilise their rear MGs properly , e.g., when chasing (rotation diminishes the accuracy of weapons).
Allow for a more stress-free mechanised play experience.

The difference between v1.0 and v2.0 is that to pull the aforementioned maneuver, the player would have to click the handbrake v1.0 ability multiple times (at the right moment). With handbrake v2.0 the maneuver can be executed without having to repeatedly toggle the ability.

In addition to the originally affected vehicles (i.e., all transport vehicles), we are also adding handbrake v2.0 to the following vehicles. This will allow players to control whether they want the vehicles to rotate to face the enemy or not:

• Kubelwagen
  
• Flammenhetzer
  
• Crocodile
  
• Sturmtiger

Nevertheless, the following vehicles retain the original (i.e., immobilize) version of the handbrake. This is because for the following vehicles, unwanted movement incurs a potentially lengthy setup time:

• M15 (USF)
  
• Infrared Halftrack (OKW)
  
• Flak Halftrack (OKW)

!The prime unit to benefit from handbrake v2.0 is m3a1. You turn it on, move around and now you can fully benefit from its high damage rear-MG more reliably.Mr.Smith

!These changes make it likely that we will see more halftracks in the future. The OKW halftrack will benefit from this change a lot, because it used to drive a bit further forward before if you wanted it to shoot immediately. And now you can just use the handbrake! |GB| The Hooligan486

Hold fire for tanks/AT guns
We find that the lack of a proper hold fire ability makes players resort to half-measures to control when their AT-guns or tanks can fire (e.g., by turning on prioritise vehicles to get a better position vs infantry).

Thus, we find it an interesting idea to add a proper hold fire function to all vehicles that can benefit from it. The affected units are:

• All anti-tank guns
  
• All tanks that already have a prioritise-vehicles ability
  
• FlakHT
  
• Panzer4 Command tank
  
• Ostwind
  
• Centaur
  
• KV-2
  
• M15 (use it to reserve flak rounds for valuable targets; the MGs will continue to track/fire on targets)
  
• M5

Note that the hold fire ability will only prevent the main gun from firing. Anti-tank crews and vehicle MGs will continue to fire on nearby enemy (just like when prioritise vehicles is on). Stealthed anti-tank crews will automatically stop engaging units due to a bugfix introduced during the Winter Balance Patch (WBP).

Note: To make UI experience consistent, the doctrinal Soviet AT ambush ability has been moved one row below its previous position.

! Ambushing the enemy is a great tactical play in CoH 2 that comes with great rewards if done right. Giving "Hold fire" for ATGs and tanks means that they'll start shooting when explicitly ordered to, or disabling the ability.Danyek

Maxims
We find that the dominant Soviet “Maxim-spam” strategy is far too effective compared to the effort required to pull this off.

In order to reign-in the “maxim-spam” strategy, while not further devaluing Maxim’s value as a support weapon, we are going ahead with a minor rework.

One of the key problems with Maxim spam is that because Maxim’s firing arc is tiny, the MG has to be extremely good at controlling targets that enter the arc. At the same time, however, while the Maxim is garrisoned, the arc handicap goes away, whereas raw performance remains. This becomes particularly troublesome vs factions that lack proper offensive tools to reclaim garrisons from MGs.

To address this issue we will be increasing the arc of the Maxim MG. At the same time, however, we will severely reducing its suppression performance. The Maxim will, however, retain the following benefits over other MG teams:
It comes with a 6-man crew, by default
It has a very fast, yet unreliable, teardown time to get away

To further increase the requirements needed to use the Maxim to other MG levels, we are removing sprint (which allows MGs to “get away”) and we are also increasing the setup time to other MG levels. We are also increasing the reinforcement cost of the original crew to match the reinforcement cost of Conscripts.

Even though we are giving the Maxim a low base-value suppression (to avoid early-game spam), we are gifting the Maxim with good multipliers vs light-cover and suppressed squads to allow the Maxim to scale well into the late-game.

The new Vet1 ability (Sustained Fire) will help the Maxim perform more reliably vs blobs. An improved burst time will allow the Maxim to deal increased suppression vs persistent targets. Reduced cooldown allows the Maxim to switch targets more easily. Finally, the forced reload at the start of the ability can be used to guarantee that the Maxim will not chew through its ammunition belt during a crucial fight.

Overall, the changes are the following:

• Arc of fire increased from 60 degrees to 90 degrees (other MGs have 90-120 degrees)
  
• Setup time from 2 to 3 (other MGs have 3)
  
• Burst duration from 2.25 to 4.5
  
• Damage reduced from 4 to 3 (the DPS of the Maxim remains the same)
  
• Tracking speed from 35 to 28
  
• Reinforcement cost from 15 to 20
  
• Sprint removed from Vet1
  
• Sustained fire ability added at Vet1

Suppression changes:

• Suppression reduced from 0.00015909 to 0.00006
  
• Suppression versus light cover from 0.5 to 0.75
  
• Suppression versus heavy cover from 0.1 to 0.2
  
• Suppression vs suppressed targets increased from 0.5 to 0.65
  
• Nearby suppression modifier from 0.8 to 1.25
  
• Nearby suppression radius increased from 10 to 13

Mobility/Survivability changes:

• Maxim squad formation changed
  
• Rotation changed from 120 to 225
  
• Acceleration/Deceleration increased to infinite
  
• Removed cover-traversal penalties from the Maxim

Sustained fire:

• Increases burst length duration by x2
  
• Reduces reload time by 0.5 (multiplicative)
  
• Reduces cooldown time by 0.5 (multiplicative)
  
• Forces a reload at the beginning of the ability
  
• Cancels (with no refund) if the Maxim moves
  
• 30 second duration
  
• 50 seconds cooldown
  
• Costs 20 munitions

!We will never forget you old maxim..... That's what you maybe want to hear, but i'll forget the old maxim as fast as i can because it was overperforming as ****. These changes however made the maxim a way more interesting unit and i think it's really close to getting to the place where it should be.|GB| The Hooligan486

!Higher reinforce cost was definitely needed. 15 was way too low! Sturmpanther

!Don't spam maxims.' The only difference between someone telling you not to spam maxims now and someone telling you not to before this patch is that now it’s advice; not a plea. Use them like you would USF 50. Cal's and don't leave them too unsupported! Remember the setup time is longer now as well so a-moving them might result in a lost fight! Finndeed

!This is a first good step in terms of balancing the HGMs. In my opinion none HMG should supress infantry in green cover. Cover and flanking was always meant counter to HMG, not the other way.Hector

Penal Battalions
To prevent unwanted bugs from happening, as well as to assist with targeting the ability, we are splitting the functionality of the Penal Satchel ability to two separate ones.

Note that both abilities launch precisely the same projectile with respect to damage and critical effects. The two abilities only behave differently with respect to targeting.

(Manual version)
This ability targets a location on the ground.
If the satchel collides with a vehicle, the satchel will stick to the vehicle

(Targeted version)
This ability can only be targeted on enemy vehicles
If the vehicle remains within range while the ability is casting, the satchel will home-in on the enemy vehicle

!When they made their satchels sticky, they became a great threat for vehicles that wanted to push them away from cover. With the targeted satchel, slower micro capability players will be able to cripple an enemy vehicle too, with the aim to reduce their frustration by making sure the satchel won't miss the chosen target.Danyek

M4C Shermans
To prevent players from over-relying on sherman callins, we are increasing the dispatch time between successive Shermans. That way, the player will not be able to efficiently allocate their fuel resources without teching up. Moreover, longer recharge time between Shermans will prevent players from pushing out too many Shemans at once, when the Command Point requirements become met.

Note that, at the same time, we are not affecting the cost-efficiency of the Shermans. Thus, the doctrine will still reward the players with a highly-efficient USF-made tank. At the same time, the longer recharge time will force the Soviet player to want to field Shermans side-by-side with Soviet-made tanks. We believe this will also add a touch of authenticity to the doctrine.

To reward players that have teched up, we are reducing the cooldown of the Sherman dispatch ability, so that the doctrine can continue to be useful in the long-run.

For reference, note that the building time for the T-34/76 is 50 seconds. Thus, we believe 2:30 minutes to be a reasonable compromise between too short and too long.

Increased recharge time between shermans to from 36 seconds to 2:30 minutes
Building T4 decreases recharge time from 2:30 minutes to 1:15 seconds

!As lend lease was becoming more and more favoured by the players thanks to the usefulness provided by its abilities meant, that some balancing had to be done. Relic community balance team is trying to make teching worthy again(T-34/85 tied to T4, E8 tied to Major).Danyek

!The massive delay on calling in subsequent Shermans makes the M4C a side show. If you are truly screwed and needa tank, ANY tank then this is still an 'okay' option. If you are in a position to build T4 to get the tank faster then you will probably be better for spamming t-34s for much less fuel. Finndeed

!The GCS proved so far that this change was mandatory and didn´t hurt the usefulness of the commander in general. Commander is still very useful when executed properly but, hopefully, Molo strat is no longer as viable as it was before.Hector

M10
We find that the M10, which is a highly cost-efficient tank hunter is overperforming with respect to how it deals with infantry, due to its potency to crush squads. Therefore, we are taking steps to remedy this, without, however, affecting M10’s mobility.

• Chassis rotation rate reduced from 38 to 32
  
• Turret rotation rate increased from 30 to 36 to compensate

!Finally the M10 realises it's NOT a racing car that drives in the Formula One. Don't cry USF lovers, the M10 will still be as good as it was in a "train" nothing will change that |GB| The Hooligan486

!This unit being less able to crush will even out this tank a little, the reduction in maneuverability will also make diving enemy tanks harder to pull off. Really though the appeal of this tank was and is always going to be the way it can kill ANY other tank in the game in seconds if used in groups. It is still also the perfect counter to Stug E's and called-in Ostwinds from OKW. Finndeed

Panzerfausts (Volksgrenadiers only)
We found that the early arrival of OKW panzerfaust combined with the complete lack of scaling potential for light vehicles made it prohibitive for players to integrate light vehicle strategies in their games. Along with other inconsistencies in the faction (e.g., repair speeds), this gave free reign for Kubelwagen pushes over opposing factions.

Moreover, we find that the cost-efficiency improvements on the Panzerfaust were too dramatic. This is especially given the cost-efficiency of other OKW upgrades and abilities, as well as the overall cost-efficiency of the Volksgrenadier squad veterancy, upgrades and abilities.

In the future, when the aforementioned issues become resolved, we will reconsider restoring Panzerfaust timing and cost-efficiency to their WBP-levels.

Cost increased from 25MU to 30MU
Requires a truck to be be set-up (as opposed to be called-in) to be available

!This change alters OKW gameplay from WBP in the early game a bit but primarily only against Soviets. Soviets M3 scout car with flamethrower combat engineers are a potent early rush tactic. If your Soviet opponent goes T1 you should have a raketen ready incase an M3 appears. While the raketen cannot fight other infantry squads primarily, it can still cap points just like infantry. This alters OKW playstyle a bit just till other issues are fixed and then they will reconsider reapplying the WBP faust to OKW.ShadowLinkX37

!Ehh... any brit player worth his salt would be able to keep his/her UC alive vs fausts and Kubels. This only really affects M3 rushes and pretty uncommon USF Dodge usage.Finndeed

Command Panther
The primary issue with the Command Panther is it has a very easy time killing just about any type of vehicle by itself. This is primarily because of the +50% damage bonus that the (inexpensive) Mark Target ability bestows on the target. Given that this ability also causes sever issues when teammates are involved, we are enacting some preliminary changes to the Command Panther.

Our changes to the Mark Target ability aim to make it less efficient at “bursting-down” enemy vehicles, while still allowing the ability to perform better in a sustained-fire role. This allows the ability to remain relevant, while offering options for counter-play to the targeted player.

The overall changes will make the Command Panther itself benefit a lot less from the Mark Target ability (making it feel a lot less like an “one-tank-army”. At the same time, the ability will still benefit the entirety of the OKW army to attack a variety of targets.

To prevent the vehicle from being too dominant in teamgames, we are making Command Panther mutually exclusive with the King Tiger. Moreover, we are changing the way the Command Panther’s aura affects teammates.

We are also increasing the Command Point requirements of the Command Panther to bring its arrival closer in line with its value.

• Increase Command Point requirements from 10 to 11
  
• Main gun AoE damage decreased from 1/0.35/0.05 to 1/0.15/0.05
  
• Mark target bonuses changed from 50% damage to 25% damage/15% accuracy
  
• Mark target now also tracks the target in the fog of war for the duration of the ability
  
• Command Panther is now mutually-exclusive with the King Tiger (similar to JT/KT restrictions)
  Aura
  
• Command Panther Vet5 aura gives too many bonuses and, basically, irrevocably breaks infantry combat:
  +range, +sight, +speed bonuses removed from infantry-affecting part of the aura
  (Vet5 aura still awards +accuracy/+reload to infantry)

Moreover, we find that the following parts of Command Panther’s aura to be too potent in the context of teammates. Especially when OST allies are involved:

• +sight/+range parts of vehicle-affecting aura no longer affect teammates
  
• Vet5 infantry-affecting aura no longer affects teammates

!Now with the damage nerfs of coordinated fire to 25%/+15% accuracy against marked vehicles, the command panther can no longer 3 shot standard mediums. However it can still 4 shot advanced mediums such as the USF EZ8, the UKF comet, the Soviet T34/85 and even the M26 pershing. Coordinated fire can also be used to track vehicles in the fog of war now, great for AT guns. Aura changes no longer break infantry engagements and reduced for allied vehicles but is still a tank you should always consider in teamgames for its potent aura. Exclusivity with the King Tiger and JagdTiger means you'll have to make tactical decisions on which of these great tanks to call in.ShadowLinkX37

!11Cp is absolutely fine! Heavy Tanks are coming at 13+. Also the change from the 50% more damage is understandable. In the past you could 2 shot Jacksons with that. So even when you saw the Command Panther shooting the first shot to your jackson, your death was already definite. Command Panther is now mutually exclusive, that sounds interesting. Let's see how it works for OKW in 3vs3, 4vs4.Sturmpanther

!The command Panther will continue to be the 'oh shit where did my T3 go?!' solution. If you go for one of these the probability is that you wouldn't be able to get the KT out anyway. The only significant change i can foresee is that it will no longer counter Brit's stupidly fat (HP-wise) Churchill tanks (all variants).Finndeed

Tank commander upgrade (Fine tuning change)
We find that the ability presents the players with far too many good bonuses compared to how much it costs. In particular, the experience gain modifier distorts the veterancy gain rate of the affected tanks.

Removed veterancy gain bonuses from the upgrade
Removed stealth detection bonuses from the upgrade
(The upgrade now only awards accuracy/sight bonuses, which is more than OK for the price)

!Stealth detection and veterancy boost from tank commander removed means you need to be more wary of Raketens as they'll be detected at shorter ranges and no bonus veterancy means it will take a balanced amount of time comparatively to vet your UKF tanks in comparison to Axis tanks. Still a very worthwhile upgrade for 25 munitions as it provides both accuracy and sight to the vehicle, both of which will indirectly give you a slight veterancy advantage as you'll be able to hit units with higher accuracy where you may have missed and attack before your opponent may see you with the sight bonus.ShadowLinkX37

! Indeed, veterancy gain bonuses was too good. Sturmpanther

Emergency Warspeed (Fine tuning change)
We find that the ability bestows far too powerful mobility bonuses to the already highly-mobile roster of the British faction. This comes in contrast with the free-to-use nature of the ability. We are also removing the ability of players to “tune up” the tanks of their teammates with the ability.

Speed modifier reduced from +35% to +15%
Acceleration modifier reduced from +60% to +30%
It is no longer possible to “tune-up” allied tanks with Emergency Warspeed

!Still a very worthwhile ability as it gives a received accuracy bonus to the user as well as speed to an already fast arsenal of UKF tanks. Don't be afraid to pop EWS when you need it as you can always reapply it again with royal engineers.ShadowLinkX37

!Especially in Teamgames 2vs2, 3vs3, 4vs4, this was a great buff for all other tanks. It should be only possible for brits, like it will be now.Sturmpanther

AEC Treadshot
To make the ability fire more reliably (i.e., without bugs), we are changing the nature of the ability such that the AEC has to be stationary to fire it.

At the same time, we are increasing the responsiveness of the ability to give UKF players that build and preserve their AECs with a reliable snare ability.

Unit has to be stationary to fire Treadshot
Ready aim time reduced from 2 seconds to 1.5 seconds (improves responsiveness)
Reload time between shots reduced from 2.5 seconds to 2 seconds
(the ability will only be refunded if no shots were fired before moving)

!The AEC lost a lot of its draw once the Allied light vehicle meta was toned down. Improving this ability to be a more reliable snare makes the AEC more attractive when fighting real tanks in the late game. Tobis

!After 2 years our little AC finally learned how to shot properly. Give it a cookie, for being such a good baby Hector

Cromwell
We find that the primary issue with the Cromwell is the fact that it has a crush ability that is far too efficient. This allows the tank to:
Overcome the average performance of its main armament
Supplant dedicated anti-infantry platforms, making them irrelevant (e.g., Centaur, infantry upgrades)

To reduce Cromwell crushing ability, we are forced to reduce its rotation rate. However, to allow the Cromwell to retain the feel a higher-than-average mobility, we are compensating chassis rotation rate with increased turret rotation rate.

Secondary to these changes, we are adjusting several other attributes of the Cromwell to bring its cost-efficiency in line with other tanks of its calibre.

The new Cromwell is a highly-mobile tank. However, at the same time, to utilize its higher mobility, the Cromwell has to sacrifice its firepower (i.e., moving accuracy) to that of other tanks. Therefore, making the trade-off between accuracy and mobility more pronounced.

Finally, to partly offset the weak British early game, where several vital tools are missing from the arsenal (e.g., snares, reliable anti-garrison, mobile indirect fire), we are giving Cromwells access to smoke shells, already at Veterancy 0. This change will also, particularly benefit Anvil which, so-far, does not have reliable access to smoke, making it more attractive with comparison to Hammer.

• Fuel cost increased from 110FU to 120FU
  
• Rotation rate from 38 to 32 (equivalent to Panzer4)
  
• Turret traverse rate from 40 to 47.5 (to counteract chassis rotation reduction)
  
• Moving accuracy multiplier decreased from 0.75 to 0.5
  
• Smoke shell available at Vet0, but with a 15 second cooldown
  
• Veterancy 1 reverts smoke shell cooldown to 10 seconds

Scatter adjusted to match Panzer4 levels (affects anti-infantry):

• Increase horizontal scatter from 6 to 7.5
  
• Distance scatter max from 6.2 to 6.4
  
• Distance scatter obj min from 5 to 10
  
• Distance scatter offset from 0.3 to 0.25

!The cromwell is finally being balanced as it was to good and to cheap in comparison to similar vehicles like him as for example the Panzer IV. It will receive a small nerf, but will still be an excellent tank to build.|GB| The Hooligan486

!This unit was too cheap indeed. Now the cost are more balance to the other factions.Sturmpanther

!Do note that cromwell is still better than panzer 4 in some terms including cost, mobility and arrival time.Hector

Comet
The Comet is receiving changes that are similar in-spirit with the ones already described for the Cromwell.

In addition to these changes, we are also reducing the range of the main gun of the Comet to 45 to match other anti-infantry-capable tanks (e.g., Pershing, Tiger). We believe that Comet’s higher-than-average armour and mobility will still allow it to overcome the reduced range. At the same time, this will make standoffs with the more-specialist Panther more balanced.

Given the overall power level of the Comet, we are also bringing its population-cap value in line with its worth.

We believe that the new Comet will remain a highly-valuable tank of which 1 will remain more than valuable (especially because of the white phosphorus ability). At the same time, players that choose Hammer as their late-game specialisation should not follow the usual excesses with respect to how many Comets they field, otherwise there will be no space remaining for a supporting army!

• Main gun range from 50 to 45
  
• Population cost increased from 16 to 18
  
• Reduce rotation rate from 36 to 32 to prevent crush (same as Panzer4 levels)
  
• Turret traverse rate from 40 to 45 (to compensate for chasis rotation changes)
  
• Moving accuracy from 0.75 to 0.5
  
• Rear armour reduced from 130 to 110
  
• Fixed an issue where the grenade throw ability would sometimes not work
  
• Fixed an issue where it was possible to use the grenade ability while moving

Scatter adjusted to match Panzer4 levels (affects anti-infantry):

• Increase horizontal scatter from 6 to 7.5
  
• Distance scatter max from 4.2 to 6.4
  
• Distance scatter obj min from 5 to 10
  
• Distance scatter offset from 0.3 to 0.25

!Moving accuracy adjusted to 0.5 from 0.75 will make the tank more micro intensive since you must rely on glide shots to maximize accuracy. Can no longer crush with ease but still has the power to do so if the opportunity presents itself. Reduced range means panthers will be taking the first shots so caution must be utilised around tank destroyers. Scatter increases means it's less accurate vs infantry. It won't kill a model with every shell now, but is still a large threat to enemy infantry.ShadowLinkX37

!Also the decreased range is nice to see, because now real antitank-hunter have a chance to deal with Comets. Don't forget they still have a high frontal armor.Sturmpanther

!This thing will no longer be the judge, jury and executioner. The rear armour nerf will only alleviate frustrating rear armour bounces but when do you ever get a chance to shoot this highly mobile thing in the arse anyway? Still any nerf is welcome. Finndeed

Cromwell/Comet Smoke Shell/White Phosphorus
We find the range of either ability (80 range) a bit over-the-top. Thus, we are bringing them both down in-line. At the same time, we are introducing a critical fix to both abilities. That way, we expect the abilities to always work reliable from now on.

We are also changing the behaviour of Comet White Phosphorus shells so that it no longer finishes off infantry models. The White Phosphorus (WP) shells will still damage models down to 1HP of health (just like other, similar WP abilities).

Note that when issued the command, Cromwell/Comet will stop-to-fire their shells. Nevertheless, you can still reissue a movement command to make either tank fire their shells on-the-move. The behaviour of smoke/WP shells should now mirror the behaviour of Sherman smoke mortar shells.

Fixed a bug where Smoke Shell/White Phosphorus would, sometimes, fail to trigger properly
Range of Smoke Shell/White Phosphorus reduced from 80 to 45
Comet White Phosphorus will no longer finish off infantry models, bringing its performance in-line with other White-phosphorus abilities

!This ability will be much less frustrating for everyone involved. Brits are going to get some actually reliable smoke without going for mortar pits with this. Tobis

!The comet can no longer fire supercharged rounds to crisp poor AT guns on another part of the map without any counter. Only true UKF fanboys can be against this change.Hector

British tank MGs
Fixed an issue where the firing arc of coaxial and hull MGs for British faction tanks was smaller than that of other armoured vehicles

This improves the target acquisition of British tank MGs.

Emplacements
To bring UKF emplacements in line with the emplacements of other armies, we are preventing players from building UKF emplacements in the base sector:
No longer possible to construct emplacements in the base sector

!This is a really nice change for the 1v1 players out there (not forgetting the 2v2 of course) where the UKF gets some sort of advantage with being able to make the emplacements almost indestructible this way.Danyek

!A few maps like crossroads, faymonville, and langreskaya allowed for some incredibly cheesy mortar positions in base that could cover 70% of the map with impunity. Atleast now you can drop off-map abilities on them, even if they will be just a little bit further from their base. Tobis

Sappers Flamethrower upgrade
We are addressing several bugs with this upgrade, which will bring this upgrade in-line with other abilities, and other factions that have similar upgrades.

Sapper flamethrower now, correctly, takes up 1 slot
Sapper flamethrower is now mutually-exclusive with the minesweeper upgrade
Fixed an issue where Sapper flamethrower was dealing additional damage vs squads in cover (i.e., above the level of other flamethrowers)
Fixed a bug with Sappers where Veterancy affected the number of upgrades available to them.

!This balance the brits pios to all other pios. Nobody should be allowed to get flamer and minesweeper at the same time. Sturmpanther

Land Mattress
We find that the primary issue with the land-mattress is that it affords very limited avenues of counterplay. To address this, we are allowing anti-tank weaponry (e.g., AT guns and tanks) to target the gun first, and be able to destroy the unit, without having first to decrew it. This brings the durability of the Land Mattress down to static howitzer levels.

A secondary issue with the Land Mattress is that it would unload its payload while affording far too little reaction time for the adversary to avoid it.

• Vehicles/etc will focus fire on the gun, as opposed to the crew (if the player right-clicks on the gun)
  
• The Land mattress gets destroyed when its hitpoints become depleted. This is regardless of whether the crew is still alive
  
• Health reduced from 350 hitpoints to 300 hitpoints
  
• Cooldown between rockets increased from 0.25 secs to 0.375 secs (also affects white phosphorus barrage)

! The Health reduction is no big nerf, so will be no problem. But now you have a higher chance to react, when you hear the sound of the "Death rockets".Sturmpanther

!Just shoot the bloody thing! Literally its weak now, and due to the crappy range on it, they will have to move it up to fire! Also consider putting your forward bases a little farther back to help force the Brits to expose the LM to hit the Med HQ.Finndeed

Artillery cover
We find that Artillery Cover is an ability that is too efficient for its cost. This is despite the fact that this is a generalist ability (affects all targets) and requires minimal input from the player, compared to the final effect.

Therefore, to balance the ability out, we are significantly reducing the effects versus different types of targets, allowing for greater opportunity of counterplay.

General changes:

• The radius of the ability now properly drawn on the battlescape
  
• Delay until the barrage begins increased from 4 seconds to 8 seconds

Anti-vehicle shells:

• Decreased the AoE radius of anti-vehicle shells from 8 to 6.
  
• Reduced speed of anti-vehicle shells, so that it is now possible to dodge them
  
• Reduced the duration of loader-injured critical from 10 seconds to 5 seconds

The changes to the anti-vehicle shells will make it possible for tanks that remain in the affected area to dodge incoming shells, provided they continue to move.

Anti-infantry barrages:

• Suppression vs infantry reduced, so that incoming anti-infantry barrages no longer pin infantry squads, but only suppress them.

!Good changes overall. The reduced duration of the loader-injured critical is nice to see. It is also nice to see infantry only gets suppressed now so you can still cap.Sturmpanther

!The reign of party cover is over. Hey boy, open a champagne for me. Hector

Air Resupply Operation (Tactical Support Regiment)
We find that the mechanics behind how this ability works are not very clear, and players will often fail to make use of the ability properly.

In the live version, for the supply drop to occur, infantry squads need to be present, or enter the highlighted sector. If no infantry squads enters the highlight sector, the ability will cancel with no refund.

To make the ability more straightforward, we are changing it as follows:
The ability can only target captured territory/fuel/munitions points (not victory points).
The airplanes are dispatched immediately, and the supply drop happens at the capture point.