What exactly is the Asymmetrical balancing anyway?

On this forum and others I see the term: "Asymmetrical balancing" a great deal. It seems to be the be all end all in discussions. My question here is what exactly does it mean for the balance between Soviets and Germans in game? I'm still struggling with its ramifications.

It basically means that things are balanced out not by their mirrored version, but in other facets of the game. Arbitrary example: Germans have better tanks than the soviets, this would be asymmetrically balanced by soviets having better infantry/artillery.

It's also a way for people to sound smart when they have no clue what they're talking about. The simple fact that the game is so complex that you can't simply quantify balance changes means that you're almost always just arguing opinions.

I'm still struggling with its ramifications.

If this was intentional, love it

Posted this from my phone at work. Hope this made sense... :/

Divorcing the idea of asymmetrical balance from COH2 and applying to to StarCraft 2, we see that there are few if any direct comparisons you can make in terms of unit roles or effectiveness at those roles, or methods of carrying out those roles.

Zerglings are light swarming and harassment units, while Zealots are damage dealers and soakers, and Marines are general purpose damage dealers. Zerg have a tier 1/2/3 that allows them to unlock units within that tier, while Terrans are forced to build Barracks/Factory in that order to get to Starport, and Protoss have their t1 and can then choose air or heavy armor. There are analogs, like tier systems and buildings that unlock different unit types, but each faction deals with them uniquely, in a way that provides balance without making all factions behave the same.

For symmetrical balance, look at Planetary Annihilation. There's (atm at least) just 1 pool of units, and no real difference between each players' tanks, bots, planes etc.

in CoH2, factions commanders behave differently, tiers behave differently, and units have different roles. The t70 doesn't really have a direct comparison for the Ostheer, for instance, or the Ostwind, or how the Soviet scout car behaves differently from the Ostheer. Likewise, soviet commanders tend to have access to more AoE, like the SU76 or Katyusha, while the Ostheer has units like the Artillery Field Officer.