Good Job Relic.

I have been highly critical in the past towards Relic and COH2, especially about the DLC commanders and the basic features that were missing for a game of this magnitude.

I think it's rare for, not only a game but a PC game, to change and listen to their fans. The biggest change for me post WFA are not the armies but the business model and decisions.

After a game tonight, I received a new skin through the war spoil and realized that they didn't even had to do this. Most (if not all?) content is now available to everyone at no extra charge. Commanders, skins, faceplate etc...

That is a MAJOR business and design change that rarely happens in any company and this 1 year after release.

Not only that, but they added a Gamy Lobby, features like hovering your mouse over the commanders and bulletins to get information about them, redesign how you customize your armies and added Victory Stikes. Also, since WFA, they have released several patch and been proactive to fix bugs and balance the game.

Now, I still have some frustrations like the old replay system, no spectator mode, the design of the new armies...in my opinion US=BLOB OKW=CAMP and that they could of done all of this sooner but at least they decided to change and like I mentioned before, that doesn't happen that often anymore.

I think that the train might be back on track and I hope they continue to regularly patch the game from now on. I don't if it's the cost and risk of deploying a new patch but I would prefer seeing smaller adjustment balance wise but more frequently.

Let's hope to continue this way.
sovietsgermansusfokw

Kapap

http://geek-news.mtv.com//wp-content/uploads/geek/2012/11/picard-facepalm2.jpg

'features like hovering your mouse over the commanders and bulletins to get information about them' If you mean during the loading screen then I completely agree, I was really impressed by that feature. Sadly it's no longer required, it seems.

It's a little sad to give Relic kudos for stuff like a lobby (which still doesn't work as well as the lobby in the original Company of Heroes) or hovering over bulletings in the loading screen (which they just took out of the game) while meanwhile bugs reported in the alpha are still there and we still have no spectator mode or anything like that.

hovering over bulletings in the loading screen (which they just took out of the game)

That's a bug, in'it?

It was a feature that was added since the WFA Alpha, which is gone now (like more frequent spoil drops). It's very much a case of one step forwards two steps backwards.

That's a bug, in'it?

Honestly I don't know or care what's a bug and what's a feature in this game. Are all the wrecks on La Gleize Breakout that OKW can salvage for fuel a bug or a feature? Is the OKW truck crush a bug or a feature? Is the OKW Puma muni special ability wiping out garrisons a bug or a feature? Is the tank destroyer target priority a bug or a feature? Even if all these things (and the missing commanders on load screens) are bugs, not features, they're in the game, aren't they? And who knows how long they'll be in there. At least truck crush got taken out.

I think it's rare for, not only a game but a PC game, to change and listen to their fans.

It really isn't. Listening to your consumer base is pretty much industry standard by now, which is why companies such as Ubishit and EA are universally shat upon as terrible publishers. I don't think I've played a game in years that doesn't take in feedback from the community and incorporate it into their design process.

Not trying to take away from what Relic has done. They've made some good changes and with WFA I can see CoH2 as the true successor to CoH1, but let's not overdo it here.

With that said, there are so many things Relic should be criticized for. How severely this game was rushed to release that, only until recently, some of the core and basic functions of an RTS were no even ingame yet. And their approach to the development of this game has very little in the way of nuance, and every feature and map feels rushed to design and construction.

I'll give credit where credit is due; Game devs have a tough job, especially on the programming end, and to get a game with the functional complexity of CoH2 this far and well developed is a feat worthy of applause, in my opinion. But again, let's not overdo it. The bugs pale in comparison to Dawn of War 2, which in my opinion is still in Beta stage in terms of quality control.

The irony of the current situation is that it feels like a giant alpha test, but without any of the feedback being taken into account.

Relic has made one of, if not the best, game ever.

It really isn't. Listening to your consumer base is pretty much industry standard by now, which is why companies such as Ubishit and EA are universally shat upon as terrible publishers.

Yet they have the most sales and are the biggest studios and publishers.

They take advantage that most people don't care as much as hardcore gamers like most of us are here on coh2.org

Yes there is still some games who listen to their community but it's one thing to build upon community feedback and another to do a 180 how your business model.

Like I said in my post, there is still a lot of things missing and that I'm still disappointed about but I was surprise to see such a 180 in terms of business model and adding some features.

The Balance team of relic has done a incredible job, no other RTS have changed so much and for the better as fast as coh2 has of what i have played. Most devs just change a few numbers here and there but Relic did a complete overhaul of the combat system half a year after release. I never thought they would do that.

agree with spajn.... but yet relic have a long road ahead