Corp's Rifle Company Build Video

G'day all.

I've been playing around with trying to make some video guides for builds.

This was my first attempt and I've been trying to learn from my mistakes with it. Regardless I thought I'd share it with the community. the audio quality isn't great so I apologize in advance.

The build revolves around Rifle Company which is free this week.



To outline the build:

• Riflemen
  
• Riflemen
  
• Veteran Riflemen Call-in
  
• Lieutenant
  
• M20 Utility Car
  
• .50 Caliber Machine Gun
  
• Captain
  
• Ambulance
  
• Freestyle! Pick units that are best for the situation:
  --Pack Howitzer
  --57mm AT Gun
  --.50 Caliber HMG
  --Veteran Riflemen
  ... basically use your tech to adapt to the enemy and save fuel. Keep your manpower low!
  
• Sherman 'Easy Eight'
  
• Sherman 'Easy Eight'
  

I've been pretty pleased with the build when playing in my 2v2 AT team.

If you have any questions on the build or feedback on the video I would love to hear it.

Uhm! Listening to myself again my language is a little salty in the video. Keep that in mind.

great guide, thx! ... unfortunately there are few for 2vs2.
so similar, I also tried to play the USF. My question is ...
-Why the M20 and not the AA?
-You use the flamethrower?
-What are you doing against strong Okw blobing (füsilier/shreckgrens)?
-What would be an optimal choice of faction & commander, from mate?

great guide, thx! ... unfortunately there are few for 2vs2.
so similar, I also tried to play the USF. My question is ...
-Why the M20 and not the AA?
-You use the flamethrower?
-What are you doing against strong Okw blobing (füsilier/shreckgrens)?
-What would be an optimal choice of faction & commander, from mate?

• Why the M20 and not the AA
  
  To save fuel mostly.
  
  If you don't get your Captain out at the right time the enemy can bully you with Pumas. The M20 Utility Car is more powerful than many people think. The smoke screen keeps it alive better than the AA Halftrack and it costs much less fuel. This build doesn't really use a lot of munitions so using those munitions to just lay a bunch of mines is pretty good. In theory you could swap the M20 for BARs and you might get a similar effect but I prefer the M20 as it can bully MGs and things that Riflemen can't fight.
  
  
• To flame or not to flamethrower?
  
  I don't like the flamethrower. In the video I suggest the flamethrower if you see a lot of Elite Infantry (such as Obersoldaten) because flamethrowers ignore armor.
  
  I don't like the flamethrower though. Too short range. Explodes too much.
  
  
• How do you stop blobs?
  
  .50 Caliber Machine guns and Pack Howitzers. Also you can counter-blob with Riflemen and your Lieutenant to fight them on a more even footing. Support your MGs and your Pack Howitzer and you'll do fine.
  
  Late game blobs become even easier to deal with. Use the Rifle Company's White Phosphorous Barrage. This will bombard the area with extremely dangerous shells that will make his blob useless. Another option is the Sherman 'Easy Eight'. Engage blobs from long range with your tanks and keep them at a distance and you'll wear them out slowly.
  
  
• Optimal partner in AT?
  
  Good question. Rifle Company's gives you a lot of "meat and potatoes" troops. You get a lot of basic infantry. You get an easily spammed medium tank.
  
  Look for an ally who can provide specialist units to support you. Heavy artillery is good. A soviet player with B-4 Howitzers or an ISU-152 doctrine could be good. He can provide a strong long-range advantage while you hold the line. Alternatively have the Soviet go Tier 4 and get Katyushas and SU-85s to back up your front line. This will open up their options for doctrines.
  
  For a fellow US player I would probably suggest Airborne or Infantry doctrines. Infantry brings good artillery support and long range infantry to support your shorter range infantry. Airborne Company brings elite infantry and the player ca n choose to focus on support armor like M8A1s and Jackson Tank Destroyers to back up your 'Easy Eights' Most importantly though Airborne has access to the P-47 Strafing Run. This strafing run is very strong against heavy armor that is normally a threat to your Sherman 'Easy Eights'. Combine the two and you can knock out even the heaviest German armor.

I don't see any early AT unit. Versus Ost Sturat is a "must-have" unit for me as a counter for sdKfz 221/222.

I've never really fought anyone who has rushed a 222 from the Ostheer but they're pretty easy to control. You have more AT Rifle grenades than other US forces with Veteran Riflemen.

You can pretty easily soft-counter the 222 with M20 Utility Car, Lieutenant and .50 Caliber HMG. You can lay AT mines with your M20 Utility Car pretty quickly and those will one-shot the 222.

Once you get to your Captain you're pretty much golden against it regardless. He comes out pretty quick. Looks like in this game he hits the field before 8 minutes.

222 is pretty awful against US forces in my opinion.

edit: To put the relative timings in perspective;

Captain + Stuart = 150 fuel.

Lieutenant + M20 + Captain = 150 fuel.

You have more soft-counters available to you with this build so it's not as easy to shut it down but quite possible.

thanks I have tested in a few games ... it runs much better!
on large maps I prefer to take the AA and against blobs I'm now well clear .... especially the airstrike is bangin '!
could be difficult if Okw secured with paks, mgs and flak building ... here can give me only my teammates help with referred to commanders

edit and pls more guides...
for example, the Infantry Company or an appropriate sowiet doctrine

I would rather go (saving some fuel when compare to the Lieutenant+Captain) for Half Truck + Bazookas for 1 squad (plenty of ammo).
Waiting for E8 is not always possible due to CP. I had many games where I could get one but did not have enough CP.
That's why I go for Lieutenant/Captain + Major. Major let me make some close retreat point (which is very helpful), Sherman with HE shells (what a AI beast) and then E8 (or M36 if I still did not get 9CP).

The reason that you go Captain + Lieutenant is to unlock the three weapon teams:

.50 Caliber HMGs,
57mm AT guns,
Pack Howitzers,

This gives you the most balanced army and lets you take the game late until CP 9.

M15 AA Halftrack + Bazookas can't match the utility that you gain from the officers and these weapon teams.

I've never had a game with Rifle Company where I didn't make it to the Easy Eight.

With this build you will most certainly be floating excessive fuel before CP 9 but that's by design.

I think if you grab a Major you are wasting some of the potential that Rifle Company gives you. Major is more flexible. Major will give you armor quicker but this strategy will give you more Shermans overall. There are naturally trade-offs.

Major is viable but the Company really shines when you take advantage of the call-in tank's lack of tech requirement.

thanks I have tested in a few games ... it runs much better!
on large maps I prefer to take the AA and against blobs I'm now well clear .... especially the airstrike is bangin '!
could be difficult if Okw secured with paks, mgs and flak building ... here can give me only my teammates help with referred to commanders

edit and pls more guides...
for example, the Infantry Company or an appropriate sowiet doctrine

Glad you're likin' it!

If you're having trouble with an entrenched enemy then the key is a well-supported Pack Howitzer.

In the video you can see that I slowly siege the enemy OKW fortress with the Pack Howitzer for minutes. By the time my 'Easy Eight' Shermans arrive most of his defenses have been slowly battered down.

The Pack Howitzer is an odd unit but quite valuable!

• To flame or not to flamethrower?
  
  I don't like the flamethrower. In the video I suggest the flamethrower if you see a lot of Elite Infantry (such as Obersoldaten) because flamethrowers ignore armor.

This holds for the new "Received Accuracy instead of Armor" system, because the flamethrower is AoE, correct?

Some other questions that occur to me:

-Do you have any specific adjustments for 1v1?

-Do you ever dismount your Utility Car crew to deal with an early vehicle?

-Without grenades, how do you deal with MGs before the Utility Car comes out, or if there's an AT gun covering an MG? Just avoid them until the howitzer comes out?

-Are there circumstances in which you would upgrade grenades, bazookas, or BARs?

-Similarly, are there circumstances in which you would tech Major?



With respect to you request for feedback, I think this is a great format. Written guides are easy to access, but without gameplay to view it's difficult to imitate the author's success. On the other hand, casters generally don't have the spare attention to describe their thought processes and reviewers of other person's games can't always explain the thinking behind particular choices. I'm not sure what you mean by salty - you don't rage and your profanity is somewhat milder than the game audio.

Salty merely refers to me spouting profanity a few times.

I'm not a stats wizard by any means but I'm pretty sure that the AoE of the flamethrower avoids both armor and 'received accuracy'. I know a stats-wizard who claims as much at least!

• Do you have any specific adjustments for 1v1?
  
  I haven't tried it in 1v1. Probably not. Well. I might not get a Pack Howitzer in 1v1s. I dunno, the new buffed Pack Howie is actually pretty solid but the price tag might be hard to justify.
  
  Even in the video you can see that my ally is helping me support it's forward position that allows it to auto-attack so many things.
  
  I'm not a huge 1v1 player but I find my strategies drop weapon teams for more generic infantry to help control the map. This strategy might suffer a little mid-game in 1v1s when you need to lean on the power of your support weapons the most. I imagine it would roar back pretty well around the 'Easy Eight'.
  
  
• Do you ever dismount your Utility Car crew to deal with an early vehicle?
  
  I do! I actually used to really like switching the Bazooka crew with my intial Rear Echelon squad. (this is a great way to get the upper hand on a 222 or Puma)
  
  It is almost always worth it to switch the squads. The only exception to consider is when you're playing against an Ostheer player pretty much.
  
  The Vehicle Crew's repair critical power is just too valuable against panzerfausts. It lets you play far more aggressively with the M20 Utility car. A great tactic if you get caught by a Panzerfaust is to pop smoke, jump out, repair the damaged engine, and then speed away. Most Ostheer players don't go for a 222 so you don't really need an early Bazooka.
  
  Otherwise the Bazooka is pretty good and Rear Echelons are not that valuable.
  
  My use of the M20 Utility car in the video is really poor and a bad reflection of the value of the unit. I messed up and didn't get Armored Skirts ASAP which caused it to die. I didn't swap out the RE squad and Bazooka Boys too. I didn't really need the early bazooka but it would not have hurt.
  
  
• Without grenades, how do you deal with MGs before the Utility Car comes out, or if there's an AT gun covering an MG? Just avoid them until the howitzer comes out?
  
  Pretty much. Doesn't take long for a Pack Howitzer to materialize. You get your Utility car out at like ~4-5 minutes with this build so it tends to be way before any AT guns have arrived to the battlefield. Use this time to the fullest to unseat the enemy and delay any really annoying entrenched positions like the one you've described.
  
  Plain Riflemen can actually fight MGs well depending on the map. Exploit buildings which will usually require mortars to unseat you. This will push the enemy into being less prepared when your M20 arrives. It's all very situational but your M20 will give you a clear advantage.
  
  The M20 has great sight range and smoke so you can always probe for really nasty ambushes and keep mobile.
  
  
• Are there circumstances in which you would upgrade grenades, bazookas, or BARs?
  
  Hm. Tough to say. I have gotten BARs in the past to pump up my infantry. I'm trying to remember why I felt it was necessary...
  
  Honestly if there's a weakness I have as a player it's not really considering these upgrades close enough? I often write off grenades and BARs as I prefer to tackle elite infantry with Shermans and weapon teams.
  
  I usually only get these upgrades once fuel is not needed to get units out at their most crucial timings.
  
  For the purposes of this build that's basically two times: after the Captain (you won't need fuel until CP9 and you can probably spare 15-25) or after your second 'Easy Eight' (at which point you will almost certainly be waiting for fuel before the third and thus can diversify your tech a little).
  
  I would not want to slow down my M20 Utility Car or my Captain as I think these units are cruical to countering specific threats early game.
  
  
• Similarly, are there circumstances in which you would tech Major?
  
  I avoid it as much as possible.
  
  The 'Easy Eight' is a better Sherman.
  
  The M8A1 can be simulated with the Pack Howitzer. It's not nearly as good or flexible but it works.
  
  The Jackson can be simulated with an AT gun. Same as above. Not as good but it fills the same tactical role. The Easy Eight helps with losing this tank.
  
  Yeah... I'm not sure there's any unit that I really think you need Tier 4 to counter. The Jackson is the most crucial unit I'd say and most really heavy armor like the Jagdtiger and the King Tiger can be defeated with overwhelming 'Easy Eights' and some fire support from an AT gun.

My AT partner and I have been doing a Rifle Company / AB company build recently. It works fairly well but we often have difficulty late game. Although I will say that it feels much "fairer" in the late than it used to before we had access to the Easy 8. It's kind of stunning how much the fight shifts in our favor now that we have a somewhat resilient generalist tank to form the core of our armor. Still an uphill slog, but more manageable.

My build is currently:

Rifle
Rifle
Vet Rifle
LT
MG
AAHT

Major + Ambo (not necessarily together but ambo comes out at all sorts of different times depending on how the game is flowing)
Scott
Easy 8 until the cows come home

Basically the major thing is that I'm not getting captain, my AB partner is providing the AT guns. Do you consider this a flaw? If so please explain your reasoning.

Oh, one possibly silly question:

You specify "Veteran Riflemen" down the list in your build order, but not in the first three. The way the timings work, your third riflemen squad could be a call in. Do you recommend not using the call in ability in the early game?

Completely missed that.

You should use the call-in for your third Riflemen. It's worthwhile.

So I've been in a slump right after I was on the cusp of the top 200. I figured I'd try this out since I haven't been teching major much anyway and the previous stuart rush wasn't cutting the mustard.

It feels really nice to have an MG to pin down a blob and a pack howi to lay into it (short autofire range is horrible though). It's also nice to have a strategy that goes beyond spamming rifles and e8s.

Don't really know how to spend all the munitions you eventually pile up though. They're good for upgrading the shermans eventually, but you're still going to be swimming in them.

.50 Caliber HMG still pretty nice even after the bug fixes that nerfed it.

I find munitions have to be controlled using the M20 Utility Car usually. Mines mines mines mines mines. It's hard though because that thing is sort of fragile. They pay off so well though. No one ever expects mines from US forces. Even if they're the smart type that does because of the M20 then you place them more defensively and they will forget ~5 minutes after it is dead and hopefully make mistakes. Or have to sweep for mines under the watchful eye of your .50 Cal/Pack Howie.

BARs and Bazookas can be good too. Pick em' up after Captain Tech and you can use them to better through your Riflemen's weight around.

fantastic guide, as usual, very helpful!

Aswell as this strat, i have also in the past used your airborne (in before the blitz)strat. As i mainly play 2vs2 with a Russian counterpart, do you think one strat should be used instead of another? for example; if your facing double OKW choose the airbourne strat or vice versa?

Or does it largely depend on personal taste and play style? im always torn between which strat i should use, as i like both ^^

The map that you are playing on can make a huge difference for your strategy. I would cater your commander choice around the map most of the time.

"In Before the Blitz" is pretty good on open maps where the Stuart has more room to operate in. The P-47 Strafing Run can struggle on maps with large buildings because it will hit the buildings instead of tanks. Pathfinders naturally work a little bit better on open where their large sight range pays off and they can keep enemies at long range easier.

Rifle Company can succeed in urban fights a bit more. You get access to flamethrowers which can help with mid-game garrision clearing. M20 Utility Car is not better in urban fights but its mines are easier to plant when enemies have to come down roads and alleyways. The Pack Howitzer is really good in an urban fight (just look at the game above where the enemy is cramped in the streets and taking constant barrage fire). Finally the superior armor of the Sherman 'Easy Eight' allows it to enter dangerous urban areas without getting smashed by Panzershcrecks and other AT weapons that excel in those areas.

Making the right selection for the map can really pay off. I lost a match on Rzhev a little while ago because I went Rifle Company. The chokepoints and ice stopped my 'Easy Eights' from really doing any good. The wide open map made my choice to skip a Major painful: no forward retreat point. My Pack Howitzers were torn apart by Walking Stukas so I couldn't fight the long-range battle.

Had I played Airborne I could have gotten my indirect fire from M8A1s and bombarded the enemy easier and safer. Their heavy armor would have died to the P-47 far easier. My infantry would have excelled in the open terrain because I would have had long range specialists like LMG Paratroopers and Pathfinders.

Hate to be a dick but this commander hardly needs a guide/BO.

I've found spamming Vets->LT->Ambu->Cap't->more rifles->E8s to be simple and effective. M2 flamers are musts, BARs optional. (1v1)

tnx

the guide is great!