3.0.0.10701 Patch, New DLC Commanders, and Case Blue launch

In addition to the Case Blue Mini Pack launch (read more about that here), Relic has dropped another patch onto our beloved COH2. This patch, dated September 24, 2013, includes a major reworking of Intelligence Bulletins (say 'goodbye' to the MG42 insta-pin bulletin), minor tweaks and bug fixes (no more invincible ghost sandbags), and two new maps, Road to Kharkov (2-4) and Faceoff at Rostov (6-8)!

Four new commanders are now available as DLC, which are not part of Case Blue. Relic has said that they are trying to "improve the entire commander system by making each commander more unique and making sure that each commander has some sort of unique gameplay purpose". As a result, the new commanders contain quite a few heretofore unseen abilities, including new units.

Check them out on the Steam store:

• Soviet Counterattack Tactics
• Soviet Urban Defense Tactics
• German Osttruppen Tactics
• German Mechanized Assault Doctrine

All four are 25% off in the Steam store until October 1st.

The Case Blue Mini Pack is available here: http://store.steampowered.com/app/231479

If you did not catch the developer livestream, watch it now on the Relic Twitch.tv channel: http://www.twitch.tv/relicentertainment/b/464472290

Check out the changes in the new patch below:

From http://community.companyofheroes.com/forums/company-of-heroes-2-discussion/topics/CoH-2-Changelog?page=2

Update September 24th, 2013

Animation

• Addressed repairing issue clipping treads
• HMG reload animation added
• Fixed jittery animation when coming out of the multiplayer setup screen

Audio

• Fixed several speech bugs
• Added smoke defense sounds to the 250 mortar halftrack

Campaign Changes

• Addressed issue where some players were unable to access the campaign when starting from a fresh boot
• Added M08 Tiger portrait
• Fixed crash bug in M08

General

• AI improvements
• Made unfinished sandbags more vulnerable to attack
• Set the armour of barbed wire and sandbags to 0 while objects are being constructed
• Added territory requirement for the single player version of the flame halftrack upgrade
• Added shared ability timer to accessory weapon abilities so if the entity that throws the ability is killed the cool down is not skipped
• Addressed issues with the “Button” ability
• Fixed spelling issues
• Added new map content – Road to Kharkov (2-4) and Faceoff at Rostov (6-8)
• Added fixed starting positions
• Localization updates
• Bug fixed on map sorting list
• Edited Scenario Dropdown to be the same size as its style and not extend off the bottom of the screen
• When viewing the battlefield after a game the fps is locked at 30
• Minor UI edits
• Fixed Tool Tips for the “Customizer” and “Saved” Game buttons flowing off the screen in Theater of War
• Fixed Loadout rename overlapping scrollbar

Balance

Units and Abilities

We wanted to improve the usability and appeal for abilities which we felt were underperforming. Some abilities were toned down, such as the ZIS Barrage ability, which we found to be too cost effective given its average damage inflicted. Other abilities such as the IL-2 were inflicting significantly less damage per use and therefore were improved to bring them in line with most other elements within the game.

Hull Down
• Now increases unit rate of fire by 25%
• Hull down now increases unit range by 25%

Artillery Field Officer
• Now increases infantry accuracy by 15%
• Now increases vehicle rate of fire by 15%

Weapon Priority System
• Improved the way weapons choose their targets, this should result in more logical target choices and better unit control

General Changes

• Anti-infantry units are going to primarily target infantry and light armor
• User choice will have a higher weight within the weapon priority system

Intel Bulletins

Addressed a number of edge cases where bulletins provided extreme benefits or no benefit to units they modified. Intel bulletins should now provide a 2-4% stat increase to units under their effect.

Artillery

• Blow it All Up! (Katyusha) from +7% damage to +4% penetration
• Wrong Place, Wrong Time (leFH 18 Howitzer) from +5% penetration to +10% experience
• Outranged (ML-20 Howitzer) from +10% sight to -4% reload
• Never Know What Hit ‘Em (ML-20 Howitzer) from +5% damage to -5% ability recharge time
• Long Distance Combat (ML-20 Howitzer) from +3% penetration to -0.5 distance max scatter
• Death from Above (Panzerwerfer) from +4% damage to -5% ability recharge time
• Rocket Siege (Panzerwerfer) from +6% armor to +4% penetration

Assault Gun

• Sturmpanzer IV Specialist (Brummbar) from +5% experience and +5% damage to +10% experience
• Infantry Annihilator (Brummbar) from +5% damage and +4% accuracy to -4% reload
• Nothing Left Standing (ISU-152) from +5% damage to -4% reload
• Destined for Destruction (StuG III) from +8% penetration to +4% penetration
• Indirect but Deadly (SU-76) from -15% ability recharge to -5% ability recharge
• Tank Destroyer (SU-85) from +10% range to +4% penetration
• Recruit Training: Assault (SU-76/StuG III) from +2% damage to -4% reload
• Veteran Training: Assault (SU-76/StuG III) from +2% damage and +6% vehicle rotation to -2% reload and -6% vehicle rotation

AT Gun

• Knife Through Butter (Pak 40) from -10% reload to -4% reload
• Unstoppable Force (Pak 43) from -10% build time and +4% penetration to -10% build time
• Pak 43 Specialist (Pak 43) from +5% experience to +10% experience
• Penetrating Performances (ZIS-3) from -5% reload and +4% damage to -4% reload
• Recruit Training: Anti-Tank Gun (Pak 40/ZIS-3) from +2% accuracy to +2% penetration
• Officer Training: AT Gun (ZIS-3/Pak 40) from +3% penetration to +3% penetration
• Veteran Training: AT Gun (ZIS-3/Pak 40) from +2% accuracy and +3% armor to +4% penetration

Heavy Tank

• Elefant Frenzy (Elefant) from +7% experience to +10% experience
• Even Heavy Armor Cannot Withstand Fire of this Magnitude (Elefant) from +3% penetration to -4% reload
• One Tank Army (IS-2) from +5% damage to -4% reload
• IS-2 Specialist (IS-2) from +5% experience to +10% experience
• Sibling Rivalry (Soviet) (IS-2) from -10% reload to 4% penetration
• KV-8 Specialist (KV-8) from +7% damage and +10% experience to +10% experience
• King Tiger (Tiger) from +4% health to +2% armor
• Sibling Rivalry (German) (Tiger) from +5% experience to +10% experience

HMG

• HMG Hero (Maxim) from +3% health and +2% accuracy to -2% cooldown
• Brotherly Love (Soviet) (Maxim) from +5% range and +5% rate of fire to +4% rate of fire
• Shooting Gallery (Maxim) from +5% suppression to +10% experience
• Brotherly Love (German) (MG42) from +2% damage and +2% accuracy to +4% rate of fire
• MG42 Specialist (MG42) from +3% health to -2% cooldown
• Tougher Meat (Maxim/MG42) from +10% penetration to +3% penetration
• Officer Training: Heavy Machine Gun (Maxim/MG42) from +2% health to +3% accuracy
• Veteran Training: Heavy Machine Gun (Maxim/MG42) from +3% damage and +2% accuracy to -10% reload
• Hit the Deck (MG42) from +10% suppression to +10% experience.

Infantry

• Never Make an Engineer Mad (Combat Engineers) from +5% damage to -5% cooldown
• Oorah! (Conscripts) from +5% damage to -5% cooldown
• Sniper Hero (German Sniper) from +10% armor to +4% armor
• With Extreme Difficulty (Grenadiers) from +4% damage to -5% cooldown
• Heavy Weapons (Guards) from +5% penetration to +2% penetration
• Stealing the Spotlight (Guards) from +5% health to +3% accuracy
• Commando Style (Panzer Grenadiers) from +5% accuracy to +3% accuracy
• Panzer Grenadier Specialist (Panzer Grenadier) from +9% experience to +10% experience
• Torched (Penal Battalion) from 3% health and 2% damage to 3% accuracy
• Hold the Line (Bunkers) from +3% health and +3% armor to +7% health
• To the Frontline! (Shock Troops) from -5% received damage to +3% accuracy
• Recruit Training: Infantry (Conscripts/Grenadiers) from +2% accuracy to +3% accuracy
• Officer Training: Infantry (Conscripts/Grenadiers) from +3% health to -3% reload
• Veteran Training: Infantry (Conscripts/Grenadiers) from +2% accuracy and +3% health to -2% cooldown and -2% reload

Light Vehicles

• It’s Super Effective! (222 Scout Car) from +5% accuracy to +4% accuracy
• Sniper Hunter (222 Scout Car) from +10% range to +5% armor
• Mobile Bombardment (Mortar Half-track) from -20% ability recharge to -10% ability recharge
• M3A1 Specialist (M3A1) from +5% experience to +10% experience
• Now That’s What I Call Recon (M3A1) from +8% armor to +5% armor
• More than Just a Personnel Carrier (M5) from +2% accuracy to +4% accuracy
• Outrun and Outgun (T-70) from +4% damage to +4% penetration
• Up Close and personal (T-70) from +6% armor to +5% armor
• Veteran Training: Half-track (M5/251 Half-track) from +2% health and +6% max speed to +5% vehicle rotation

Medium Vehicles

• Not Simply Anti-Air (Ostwind) from +8% accuracy to -5% reload
• Armored Assassin (Panther) from +10% max speed to +5% max speed
• Tank Hunter (Panther) from +3% armor and +2% damage to +3% armor
• Invulnerable (Panther) from +3% armor and +5% experience to +10% experience
• Panzer IV Specialist (Panzer IV) from -8% build time to -10% build time
• Evenly Matched (Panzer IV) from +5% experience to +10% experience
• Light Snack (Panzer IV) from +5% damage to +4% penetration
• Multi-talented (T34-76) from +5% damage to +4% penetration
• Recruit Training: Tank (T34-76/Panzer IV) from +2% accuracy to +3% vehicle rotation
• Officer Training: Tank (T34-76/Panzer IV) from +3% armor to +4% armor
• Veteran Training: Tank (T34-76/Panzer IV) from +2% accuracy and +3% armor to -4% reload

Mortar

• Target Practice (German Mortar) from +3% damage to -10% ability recharge
• Mortar Hero (German Mortar) from +3% increased health and 5% increased sight to -0.5 scatter
• Kinslayer (German Mortar) from +3% health and +6% sight to +10% experience
• Bigger is Better (120mm Mortar) from -5% dispatch cooldown and -5% reload to -10% dispatch cooldown
• HM-36 120mm Mortar Specialist (120mm Mortar) from +5% damage to +10% experience
• PM-41 82mm Mortar Specialist (Soviet Mortar) from +5% experience to +10% experience
• Officer Training: Mortar (Soviet/German Mortar) from +3% penetration to +4% penetration
• Recruit Training: Mortar (Soviet/German Mortar) from +2% damage to -0.35 distance max scatter on auto-fire
• Veteran Training: Mortar (Soviet/German Mortar) from +2% damage and +3% penetration to -0.5 distance max scatter

What do you think about the new changes? Have the new commanders allowed you to develop a new playstyle? Let your voice be heard in the forums, and upload your replays from this new patch here at COH2.ORG!