Deep Snow and Frozen Water

as an answer to another person on this tread.

http://www.coh2.org/topic/10707/what-the-pro-s-think-of-coh2/post/96460

I like the idea of deep snow being an additional environmental element to the existing vcoh mechanics. Its like water, which slows down infantry movement and gives red cover. Vehicles can cross it and creates a breach, where infantry now can follow without limitations. Also a artillery strike can remove this kind of obstacle.

This deep snow can be a nice tool for creating new maps in world builder by using it as removal obstacle similar to hedges, trees and other stuff.

If its placed at flanks to a important map object, such as VP or high ressource point, you have the choice to either go for full frontal attack and loose alot of units or use artillery to remove the deep snow for flanking.

Blizzards should readd removed deep snow. Maybe decrease line of sight and weaken the combat performance of infantry (taking more damage, creating less damage because of cold), but never kill infantry.

Environmental mechanics such as water, cover or streets just change modifiers for the guns by gaining or loosing an advantage, but never kill something.
Thats what the players weapons are for.

did they removed deep snow?. yesterday i got moscow snowmap. and loh behold. no deep snow anywhere. the problem with deep snow is the same as ice. the concept is nice but the implementation is just plain wrong. snow is a disadvantage all game. snow only provides camouflage under storms. and if you want to use it your units will freeze to death. if you put a pyre then you are giving away your position (so much for camouflage), since its a disadvantage it should be something clearly visible (like roads) so you know when and when not to go there. but instead you get this white patch. and you only know its deep snow when you are struggling to walk. you either learn the deep snow patches by memory or hope that your units don't cross there.

how i think they should have fixed it?

i could have gone with deep snow giving concealment when units are still even outside snowstorm. (if a player does not see that the footprints are half the way and gets ambushed its their problem). and make them give a half yellow (or full yellow) cover bonus when standing. (so you trade mobility for slight durability) during snowstorms i would make deep snow give full concealment even on the move to all infantry. the cover bonus is only granted while standing still (being prone on deep snow should conceal an infantryman´s body). so moving your units on deep snow would still make them freeze. but keeping them still would give you a window of opportunity to make an ambush. it would make going into deep snow a choice not a mistake. i would also make deep snow patches to be more clearly visible. perhaps it having a strange outline of crumbling snow. or making low snow more greener.

the same goes with frozen water. right now frozen water provides more cover than open roads (kills immersion to me being standing on frozen water is safer than on a road on a shooting engagement) the problem is that frozen water is very map dependent to implement. and it should work as an alternative road mildly safe from danger and should be used by players as an alternative flanking route on a map. making summer|winter versions of maps simply wont work. winter maps should be something of their own.

i like winter mechanics and i think they should use some polish.

i mean clever mechanics like true sight in other games with good mapping give chances to nice plays by players like this:



and so terrain mechanics. just look at wargame airland battle fast travel making tanks prioritize roads over normal terrain, and units using jungles to conceal themselves

maps should be made taking this into account to implement this mechanics and enhance the game not make it worse.