Why WFA is the best thing to happen to COH 2

Hey guys, I've seen a lot of mixed feedback regarding WFA and the future of CoH2 this week. I wanted to take some time to lay out my thoughts on this issue in one place, instead of trying to respond to like 50 different threads on different sites. I've also been considering starting up a YouTube channel for coh2 (and perhaps other gaming content) so I figured this might be a perfect opportunity to do both of these things in one go.

In case you don't want to watch the video (ended up being ~10 min) the main points are this:

* Relic is listening to community feedback more than ever.
* The design of the new armies is amazing.
* The depth of the new armies far surpasses Ostheer and arguably Soviet.
* New metagame to be explored.
* Game mechanics are better than ever (except for LOLTRUCKCRUSHING bug which is already gone).

Since this is my first youtube video I'd really love people to give constructive criticism. I'm new to this entire thing so any help you guys have to offer is highly appreciated - just make sure it is actually constructive... saying "lol video sux" doesn't help me improve on anything in the future.

Anyways guys, hopefully we can get some good discussion going!

Will watch it later, cool CieZ

I have to agree, I am having loads of fun learning the new armies and mechanics. OKW is ridiculously hard for me and I love it, I find myself playing Allies a lot more now.

Before anyone says anything about video/audio being out of sync I think I figured out how to fix it - I think I should just turn on my webcam mic instead of using my headset mic. Will have to test for the future.

For these podcast type videos, as handsome as you are, I think you should just put a random clip of gameplay on screen as opposed to just your face, even though I usually put these kinds of videos on a separate tab minimized while I listen. If recording on the side is too much for your system while you play, just rip a video off of twitch archives since you stream a lot. Entirely up to you though.

But in regards to what you actually said in the video, its good that we have some really passionate people such as yourself in this community. I admire that you were motivated enough to stick through the whole testing process of WFA to help Relic design the game that CoH2 is now, despite the initial builds in April being horrible as you said.

Ever since CoH2's release I've tentatively been on the sidelines, playing here and there but never fully investing myself into the game like say I was into CoH1, but I think Relic are really shaping up the game into something amazing and CoH2 seems to possibly be something worth taking seriously. There's a few features I'd still like to see implemented, like in-game ranks/leagues and to a lesser extent an in-game section rebind hotkeys (lol), observer mode, but having heard what you said about Relic really listening to the community now makes me confident that CoH2 is making a turn for the best.

When will upload your first Minecraft Let's plays?
just kidding, nice vid

I love you, Relic!!!

I love you, Relic!!!

Wow, I also think that WFA is pretty cool but in my opinion it doesn't count as an excuse for all the bad decisions they made the last year and a half.
Though they might be on a good way.
I raise my hat to you Relic. Go on.

Yeah I pretty much feel the exact same way. Relic does really seem to be trying to listen to us as shown by the fact that they stopped releasing payed DLC commanders a long time ago.

agree with your sentiment and it will be very interesting and fun to watch you do some sort of guides or informative videos of coh2. i don't think there is enough of it. although a lot of written guides are popping up.

+1 I think WFA is fantastic and did for COH2 almost everything that was needed. I am baffled by the marketing though.

heya ciez, can you tell us what the massive problems with the WFA alpha was?

please? you can PM it to me if you're worried about NDA (

sad to say, I really want to enjoy WFA but I'm not.

Imo the play style is totally different then what I usually like from COH. I really like flanking mgs, supporting my advancing troops with a mortar and keeping an mg between my troops and the mortar etc... with the new armies, and maybe it's just me but the support weapons really don't seem as important anymore. It's more about blobbing mass infantry of almost all of the same kind.

Good for Relic and the fan base if the majority is enjoying it.

One thing that I'm happy about is the polishing of the game. No more DLC commanders for now, Public game rooms and YOU CAN FINALLY HOVER YOUR MOUSE DURING LOADING TO VIEW THE DIFFERENT COMMANDERS AND BULLETINS! That was way overdue though :|

I prefer critical and cynical analysis, to bootlicking and apologetics.

Sorry, but that is my constructive critique.

I agree, new armies are amazing, OKW is my favourite, I love Luftwaffe GF and Kubelwagen

I prefer critical and cynical analysis, to bootlicking and apologetics.

Sorry, but that is my constructive critique.

i take it your a glass half empty kinda guy then.

i take it your a glass half empty kinda guy then.

I dont think the vid is a "glass half full" kind of thing.

Most of it is based on maligning those who, for reasons of their own, equally valid, have a different opinion, mostly on the basis "i a, right, I think you guys are wrong". It miscontrues other peoples balance, process and design positions by presenting them as "negative", when infact they are morally neutral and related only to, and directed at, the goal of a better game.

Its false, and essentially negative, to demonize people with a different opi ion, based on a superficial attitude that, "because I use hyperbole to hype the product", you are somehow being positive. You arent.

Positive attitude would be accepting, recognising and respecting the positions of others, and that can infact be done even with a critical and cynical quality.

This vid pretty much sums up to namedropping, trying to state that "I am right, because I agree with how things worked out", and the rest of you, to whom this vid is directed, are wrong, because you didnt blatabtly agree with and rubber stamp the process the way that I did.

Yputube is filled with similar opinion vids as "responses" the other vids.

I dont think its positive, or glass half full, at all. Its just a vid demonstrating OPs perspective on people whom disagree with thim, and guess what, that position is quintessentially and completely negative of them.

IBasically, it adds up to the sentiment that "You are wrong, because you dont like the things that I like", and makes it a farcical and superficial attack on the supposed "attitude" of antagonists, rather than focusing on the actual details of the process, which are all that actually matter, and completely impersonal in nature.

Ive said this before, and it is a common problem in all testing/alpha environments. The job of participants is not to fawn on the developers, pat them on the back, be their "friends" etc. It is to test the living hell out of the design, without mercy, and to be as critical as possible and justified, inorder to provude the Devs with a counterpoint and necessary awareness of potential problems with the product. Devs are paid to do their jobs. Its the companies onus to motivate their employees. Testers are there to strain the system to its limits and challenge the Devs on what they have overlooked.

My advice and constructive feedback to Ciez, is to take an example from Ami. He is the single most enthusiatic fan of this game, bar none. Nobody can question his essential optimism/positivity in regards to this games development. But, he is also extremely critical and demanding. Especially, and to my opinion, extremely importantly and to his credit, when he gets his hands on a Dev for a live interview. Sometimes he has pushed them so far for answers that its gotten almost awkward. Yes, he may not be a stat wizard, nor the best of players, but his love of the game is equally matched by his desire to see things "done right". Imo, a perfect example of optimism and positivity, counterbqlanced by critique and demand. Acceptance of differing opinions, and even more importantly, representing opinions of community he has read to have weight, even though he may not entirely understand or agree with them, to the very last when he has the chance to bite into a Dev.

Everyone involved with Alpha, testing, and the game, overall, loves it and wants to see it work. Discounting them as "negative" is superficial, and ignores that core shared quality. They love the game just as much as you do. Never forget, or discount that, nor do them the injustice of presenting them as if they did not.

I think the game is really fun to play now.

..... give constructive criticism. I'm new to this entire thing so any help you guys have to offer is highly appreciated

Hi there,
I completely agree with what you write in your post. This is a pretty cool expansion. Lots of interesting ideas, well done....

a hint for future videos:
as it is supposed to say what you like about CoH2, get to the point, and get there really fast!
after 1:30 you still talk about other stuff,
after 3min you are still at the first point "they listen"

hoping for more. Good to see this.

I love how Relic took the things that worked from the coh1 brits, such as trucks, no easily available MGs and no snipers counteracted by really strong infantry. I really like the way they are going with coh2