Will Coldtech be in automatch again?

It was a shame to see it go, because it was really fun when this was only a 2 faction game on the Eastern Front. However I do not know if it fits in the game any more with the addition of the WFA

I have some nostalgia for when this game was only on the Eastern Front, including the Blizzards, but I also really enjoy the addition of the other 3 factions to the game so idk. I just don't see blizzards coming back because that was supposed to be balanced around this game when it was Eastern Front only. Also Ostheer still thinks they are fighting the soviets no matter which faction they face, which is kind of disappointing from an immersion stand point

It was as close to universally despised as a mechanic as almost anything in COH2. It will not be coming back if Relic/Balance team are remotely sane.

Eg: Adding insult to injury, volkschreck blobs could effortlessly blow up your vehicles in the middle of blizzards whilst your inf huddled around weak fires. (Cold Package upgrade gave them insulation and the schreck)

Not close to universally, just vocal minority. Especially competitive well known coh2 figures complained about it being in 1v1s.

Most players are not competitive enough to care, fact. Then you have competitive 4v4ers and team players who don't post on forums. Then you have the vocal minority.

I including a lot of folks like coldtech.

So just to counterbalance the vocal minority:

YES YES YES BRING BACK COLDTECH NOW WE WANT IT NOW.

I bought Relic's CoH2, not the tears of crybabies from the community. I want Relic's design and games cuz I like Relic, and I paid for that, what they advertised and made. I bought deluxe edition way back for Soviets, coldtech all that..

I don't really care about what crybabies want, most players (people who just play and don't post on coh2.org all day, maybe sometimes on reddit or official forums or steam (yes they are players too) i.e. 85% of the playerbase) just want Relic's game and it to be better and cooler than vCoH.

I'll keep it short:

GOD NO

I'll keep it short too:

YES BRING IT BACK

Don't listen to vocal minority, most players like myself were pretty indifferent and haven't expressed much for or against. Can say lots of players don't mind it coming back especially if it means more maps. You just don't see it cuz most players don't post on forums.

BTW, most importantly I want to point out and make clear MOST OF THE PLAYERBASE did not ask ColdTech to be removed. For most of the random anonymous players you never heard from, one day ColdTech disappeared and patched out out of nowhere.

You will be surprised at what the casual posters on reddit, official forum, and steam forum say about coldtech. You know,, the folks COH2.ORG like to derogotarily reference as if they don't generate most of the money for Relic. Not to forget the 70% mute fan base that never post.

https://community.companyofheroes.com/discussion/210935/cold-tech-gone

Ever heard of this guy? Probably not. I haven't either. Just some random dude who stopped playing after coldtech removal 5yrs ago. Obviously more extreme case. But my point is random Joe is not complaining about ColdTech. 38 posts, very minimal. Then you got giant crybabies littering the forum for the past 7 years or community figures that get their voice heard.


https://community.companyofheroes.com/discussion/221646/is-there-a-chance-we-can-get-our-cold-tech-back

https://amp.reddit.com/r/CompanyOfHeroes/comments/3lfvm0/was_i_the_only_person_who_liked_the_cold_tech/

But nah, crybabies need to cry so hard and loudly while the rest of us see the game we bought get changed. Unfortunately many of the well known communiry figures either were crtbabies themselves or were influenced by them. So coldtech got gutted.

When CoH3 comes out, (pro tip for people who like Relic's games) make a note to play the heck of out of it in the beginning before crybabies get things cut out of the game cuz Relic listens to them too much. Ans before community "balances" the game. There needs to be like a freeze game mode that let's you play the original releases, that you know, people paid $$$ for.

https://steamcommunity.com/app/231430/discussions/0/2860219962091012363/

Yes agree, putting coldtech back in automatch is good.


As some suggested, putting it back, means we can relook at the issue and improve the implementation. Removing features is lazy.

We need to tweak coldtech and not delete it.

With good weather effects that works in pvp, it makes future Coh more innovative and differentiated.

[...]

i won't dismiss that you have a point in the general sense that those who cry the loudest aren't always the ones with the best arguments. still, i'd argue that doesn't apply here and referencing those people who put a lot of effort into improving the game as 'crybabies' doesn't really give you the moral high ground either... but that's another story altogether.

quite frankly, i'd rather have a vocal minority influence the balance process based on informed opinion than listening to 10x the people who may not fully understand or simply don't care about the impact of their suggestions. dismiss this as elitism if you're so inclined, but listening to the advice of experts in any given field is how society works as well, and for good reason.

regarding cold tech in particular, the idea behind it was most definitely great and it added a unique atmospheric element to the winter war scenario. but it also had several gameplay-related flaws, as pointed out by others already, that would have required a complete overhaul of the mechanic itself. now it is debatable if relic choosing the easy way of outright removing it from automatch was the right call, but it is certainly understandable given the resources they had available at the time.

in addition (and to point out the obvious once again i guess), cold tech isn't even gone for good at all. you can still enjoy it in custom games all you want, which is what the majority of the playerbase is playing anyway.

would i enjoy a revised and balanced version of cold tech making a comeback? absolutely! but in its current form i'm rather glad it stays out of automatch.

I would like to see Coldtech brought back but revamped differently.

Rather than just snow I would like to see it have a true weather system with things like rain creating mud, Sandstorms along with the snow. Also the one thing I didn't like about Cold Tech was that they split the maps into Summer/Winter Versions. It should have been one map and the weather would have been more random. Maybe some games you get snow, other rain or whatever.

I'm glad to see Blizzard return. But I'm afraid that won't happen. Modern CoH2 is not the same CoH2 when it was at the start, now there are too many gentle players with MLG 360 noscope sight. Accustomed to playing sterility. The return of the Blizzard will lead to a wave of whine on the forums.

I've played some games with cold tech with my friends before. Really not that bad. It simply requires a slightly different playstyle. I think some people forget that infantry in houses warm up and in cover don't lose heat. During a blizzard, things are a little bit slower, but it's still possible to be mobile with infantry carriers! You know, those things people build and usually just upgrade to be unable to hold infantry shortly after they get them. You actually have a reason to use them now! Transporting warm infantry to frontline cover!

Coldtech has the issue of taking control away from the player. During the blizzards in particular, you effectively cannot mount an assault on a position. Your attacking units die rather quickly, and your vision is worse.

If a blizzard happens with few VPs remaining, your loss is all but guaranteed, and even if it doesn't: It provides your opponent a massive window to dig in, and to get rid of cover/fires that their opponent could have used to protect themselves from the biting cold, making subsequent assault attempts even harder.

Apparently units also die on retreat due to the cold, so a failed assault (Which is likely) often results in wiped squads.

Coldtech should not return, though I wouldn't be opposed to visual blizzards returning, so long as they don't have a gameplay effect. It's kind of too much of a "Win More" mechanic, and it takes too much control away from players.

Coldtech has the issue of taking control away from the player. During the blizzards in particular, you effectively cannot mount an assault on a position. Your attacking units die rather quickly, and your vision is worse.

If a blizzard happens with few VPs remaining, your loss is all but guaranteed, and even if it doesn't: It provides your opponent a massive window to dig in, and to get rid of cover/fires that their opponent could have used to protect themselves from the biting cold, making subsequent assault attempts even harder.

Apparently units also die on retreat due to the cold, so a failed assault (Which is likely) often results in wiped squads.

Coldtech should not return, though I wouldn't be opposed to visual blizzards returning, so long as they don't have a gameplay effect. It's kind of too much of a "Win More" mechanic, and it takes too much control away from players.

Disagree. For actual tournaments and stuff sure, but for automatch it's not really a big deal. Not playing for money or anything. You, in fact, *can* mount an assault on a position during a blizzard. However, it takes a slightly different playstyle to do so. Blizzard assaults require infantry carriers to bring troops to the frontline where they can take cover from the cold and prevent loss of heat.

Firepits aren't necessary for staving off freezing to death, they just return heat to soldiers. Cover protects from the wind which halts loss of heat. Also, infantry carriers provide heat.

Blizzard combat is mostly mechanized besides units who upgrade to have resistance to cold or have it by default, like snipers.

Disagree. For actual tournaments and stuff sure, but for automatch it's not really a big deal. Not playing for money or anything. You, in fact, *can* mount an assault on a position during a blizzard. However, it takes a slightly different playstyle to do so. Blizzard assaults require infantry carriers to bring troops to the frontline where they can take cover from the cold and prevent loss of heat.

Firepits aren't necessary for staving off freezing to death, they just return heat to soldiers. Cover protects from the wind which halts loss of heat. Also, infantry carriers provide heat.

Blizzard combat is mostly mechanized besides units who upgrade to have resistance to cold or have it by default, like snipers.

yes well said. blizzards just open up another path of plays, some like it for the extra branching

while the past presentation, blizzard is too mechanical with the countdown timer and all

i been saying, randomized the blizzard and shortening the time a bit, add it back to automatch

I joined since the end of 2015. Where Blizzard gone. I wish I could play a few match onl with Bliz.

May be just make it a thing in Dec? To celebrate xmas?

I joined since the end of 2015. Where Blizzard gone. I wish I could play a few match onl with Bliz.

May be just make it a thing in Dec? To celebrate xmas?

you can play custom game and add blizzard.

Disagree. For actual tournaments and stuff sure, but for automatch it's not really a big deal. Not playing for money or anything. You, in fact, *can* mount an assault on a position during a blizzard. However, it takes a slightly different playstyle to do so. Blizzard assaults require infantry carriers to bring troops to the frontline where they can take cover from the cold and prevent loss of heat.

Firepits aren't necessary for staving off freezing to death, they just return heat to soldiers. Cover protects from the wind which halts loss of heat. Also, infantry carriers provide heat.

Blizzard combat is mostly mechanized besides units who upgrade to have resistance to cold or have it by default, like snipers.

Lets take this hypothetical situation here where you've built a half track (Oops Brits, USF, OKW can't do that non-doc) and are attempting to push a point. First if your opponent has an AT gun or snares. Your HT either need to leave and your push has failed immediately due to being zoned or just dying (Along with half your infantry too probably). But lets say it doesn't happen. So you've spent 30 Fuel on a halftrack to ferry units into battle against an enemy who has hunkered down and is in prime defensive mode. So you still lose probably in the infantry fight, but your opponent has also built an LV and is currently kicking the teeth in of your infantry who have no support because you drove out of range of your support weapons because it's a blizzard and you're attacking.

Okay, okay. Lets say they didn't build an LV, and they had a light defense and you pushed them off. Great! So you've built a HT that doesn't do anything outside of blizzards and now your opponent has a 1:20 advantage on his first medium tank that he's going to use to kick your teeth in later... Well shit.

Cold tech doesn't work. You can't be aggressive. You have to hunker down and wait or you just lose and that absolutely sucks to play. For all the visual thematics of it. If the mechanic feels like garbage to actually experience it's not a good mechanic. Slowdown feels awful and makes defensive play stronger, blizzards lowering vision makes accidently wandering into a defensive position easier, the random application of it nullifies aggression and punishes players who are winning. Everything about it is bad apart from that fact it looks cool and that's not a good enough reason to have it.

Hey folks. We don't have any plans to bring cold tech back to automatch. That doesn't stop people from using it in custom games or tournaments.

Disagree. For actual tournaments and stuff sure, but for automatch it's not really a big deal. Not playing for money or anything. You, in fact, *can* mount an assault on a position during a blizzard. However, it takes a slightly different playstyle to do so. Blizzard assaults require infantry carriers to bring troops to the frontline where they can take cover from the cold and prevent loss of heat.

Firepits aren't necessary for staving off freezing to death, they just return heat to soldiers. Cover protects from the wind which halts loss of heat. Also, infantry carriers provide heat.

Blizzard combat is mostly mechanized besides units who upgrade to have resistance to cold or have it by default, like snipers.

The problem is that building multiple infantry carriers is not terribly viable as a strategy, and this leaves you open to your carrier running over a mine/being hit by AT fire, which can potentially result in further squad wipes. They are generally very vulnerable.

You "can" mount an assault, but you are /severely/ disadvantaged to the point where it is all but non-viable.

yes well said. blizzards just open up another path of plays, some like it for the extra branching

while the past presentation, blizzard is too mechanical with the countdown timer and all

i been saying, randomized the blizzard and shortening the time a bit, add it back to automatch

I wouldn't call them alternate plays, I'd call them acts of desperation. The fact of the matter is that coldtech makes defensive play much too strong.

Blizzard required a full rework for it to be good for automatch. It doesn't help that there was 0 interaction between blizzard, deep snow and ice.
And IIRC, deep snow had 0 player interaction and was badly placed in most maps.

Additionally i would say that the game required the ability to let you choose a loadout once you knew which map you were gonna play.

It's already bad enough that we have to choose to bring only 3 commanders between either 9 or +20 for any map layout. Blizzard component just also killed the functionality of several other abilities.

Hey folks. We don't have any plans to bring cold tech back to automatch. That doesn't stop people from using it in custom games or tournaments.

Awesome. One of the best changes the game had.

Novel idea, but imo absolutely frustrating.

Blizzard required a full rework for it to be good for automatch. It doesn't help that there was 0 interaction between blizzard, deep snow and ice.
And IIRC, deep snow had 0 player interaction and was badly placed in most maps.

Additionally i would say that the game required the ability to let you choose a loadout once you knew which map you were gonna play.

It's already bad enough that we have to choose to bring only 3 commanders between either 9 or +20 for any map layout. Blizzard component just also killed the functionality of several other abilities.

i did make another topic about freeing up commanders customisation.

imo for coh3, we can look into more freer user inputs and branching game plays. while not too locked into the competitive balance, which is a smaller sphere to be honest when coming from balance pov

Disagree. For actual tournaments and stuff sure, but for automatch it's not really a big deal. Not playing for money or anything. You, in fact, *can* mount an assault on a position during a blizzard. However, it takes a slightly different playstyle to do so. Blizzard assaults require infantry carriers to bring troops to the frontline where they can take cover from the cold and prevent loss of heat.

Firepits aren't necessary for staving off freezing to death, they just return heat to soldiers. Cover protects from the wind which halts loss of heat. Also, infantry carriers provide heat.

Blizzard combat is mostly mechanized besides units who upgrade to have resistance to cold or have it by default, like snipers.

I agree with Pip's assessment. It created terrible gameplay.

It was also so anti-historical and anti-realistic that it made me wonder if the developers were Neo's. IIRC, the only units that were upgradeable were OKW. The Soviets should have had cold immunity by default. The "terrible" Russian winter was the winter that the Russians had been surviving since the beginning of time.

Also:
Armored vehicles were unaffected by blizzard. They should've been affected more as both visibility and traction get much worse. Deep snow would be impassable to any type of AFV. Instead, the game had Ostwind's chasing and wiping Penals in deep snow during a blizzard. I know the game doesn't try to be historically accurate (and I don't care that it isn't) but at that point, they may as well have shown the Penals being wiped by unicorns.