OKW Safe start

Is there such thing? I seem to lost allot of games right at the beginning... sometimes all it takes is Soviet plopping MG into my cut off

I would really like tips for the early game

Tips in the early game vs Russian and American or just Russian forces?

Here's my BO vs Soviets:
3 Volks, Kubel somewhere in between if I see a conscript heavy strategy. Stick your units close by, so that they can support each other, though don't blob. Always be capping, but don't overextend. Utilize TrueSight to spring ambushes/flanks on Lone Squads and MGs. I almost exclusively go Luftwaffe for the MG34s. I get 1 of these before I tech to T1 for healing. I generally get the ISG if facing support heavy strats. From there adapt; Get raketens when you feel the opponent will roll in with vehicles. This varies from opponent to opponent. Once I have the fuel, I tech T3, deploying my truck on a point from where it can support the main action while being relatively safe. Get Luchs/Obers depending on situation. It's good to have a squad of Obersoldatten around while waiting for fuel for Panther.

For me, 3 volks then MG and Puma is the best safe opening. You can virtualy deals with riflemen or conscript/penal spam in early with mgs and garnizoned/sandbag volks. At 7, the puma can counter any M15A1 or stuart opening.

Peer into the fog at their base to figure out what tech they're going, you can tell by the shape of the dirt patch. For t1, get a puma. For t2 probably ig into obers. For no tech, probably get a puma.

3 volks, don't waste your time getting a kubel vs Soviet in 1v1

CieZ, against maxim spam, you prefer ISG or Stuka?

Stuka is going to come too late to be your 1st counter to maxims, you will want an ISG, which even that comes kinda late, but if you can hold onto a corner of the map then get a flak HQ to further secure your territory, Obers will kill maxims quite well at max range.

I dont like the new ISG. Before, with sturm off and old stat, the ISG was decent. Now its a overpriced piece of crap. I prefer 2 sturm flaking squad or/with AT HT or special op nades.

CieZ, against maxim spam, you prefer ISG or Stuka?

Definitely ISG into fast Obers.

Something along the lines of:

Volk, volk, volk, healing truck, IG, flak HQ, Obers.

Your healing truck MUST be behind a house, or in your base or they can get a ZiS and kill it. For the early part of the game just be patient - camp houses, camp green cover try to force the maxims to push into you as opposed to you pushing into the maxims. On some maps this might be really hard but your goal is to hold ~3 strat points, 1 muni, 1 fuel, 1 VP. If you have this, there's no point in leaving your green cover - odds are a maxim will force a retreat.

During this time your IG should be putting in some good work, just make sure you keep making it shoot at maxims. Your Obers, on flanks or in green cover, will evaporate maxims.

The one thing that is trick still for me is predicting the Soviet tank timing. You can keep looking at their base in the fog to check for T3 or T4, but you'll probably have to settle with either mass schreck + 1-2 Raketen into a Panther or picking up a Jp4, you'll have to base this entirely on your fuel situation... which could be difficult since you won't be able to transfer muni-->fuel without the puma truck.

Peer into the fog at their base to figure out what tech they're going, you can tell by the shape of the dirt patch. For t1, get a puma. For t2 probably ig into obers. For no tech, probably get a puma.

3 volks, don't waste your time getting a kubel vs Soviet in 1v1

Pretty much this, and dont go luft vs soviet , mg34 are pretty useless against them if you ask me and the rest of the doc is rather subpar compared to breakthrough / scavange.

Also when you see t2 coming get a 2nd sturmpio and be agressive in the earlygame . if you actually manage to flank maxims they will go down rather quickly . you prevent being cutoff by playing agressivly - however it is important to not run into maxims that force your retreat , as this will then result in a counteroffense.

However ciez' build is also solid , you can try to stall vs maximspam quite easily too
not a fan of the ISG past nerf tho

The one thing that is trick still for me is predicting the Soviet tank timing. You can keep looking at their base in the fog to check for T3 or T4, but you'll probably have to settle with either mass schreck + 1-2 Raketen into a Panther or picking up a Jp4, you'll have to base this entirely on your fuel situation... which could be difficult since you won't be able to transfer muni-->fuel without the puma truck.

Are there any factors other than fuel that you would use to make the pick between Panther and Jagd? If so, what?
EDIT: I'm thinking about 1v1 v. Soviets, but get expansive if you like

Are there any factors other than fuel that you would use to make the pick between Panther and Jagd? If so, what?
EDIT: I'm thinking about 1v1 v. Soviets, but get expansive if you like

Fuel will always be the primary factor, secondary being the map. For example, the Jp4 is pretty strong on maps like Langres, Crossing, Minsk - where you have a lot of open ground that you can use to leverage your range advantage. These maps also tend to be devoid of roads (for the most part) which also helps you kite.

On the other hand there are maps like Kharkov, Kholodny, Semos where there are so many roads/shotblockers/LoS blockers and general flanking routes that give the Panther an edge because it just becomes too easy to either avoid the Jp4, or worse, to flank it.

If you're in a situation where you are in desperate need of AT, you could consider grabbing the Jp4 over the Panther, regardless of map, but in terms of cost the Panther only costs 40 more.

It also depends on what you're fighting against. The Panther has considerably more penetration than the Jp4, as well as a HP advantage, making it better for fighting IS-2s, KV-1s, KV-8s, etc. However it has less DPS than the Jp4, which means the Jp4 is normally better at fighting off medium tanks.

and 9 times out of 10 with maxim spam your looking at T34s.. so maybe Jagd's are best in most cases so long as you give them a nice base of Rakketens and shreks to protect them.

Is there such thing? I seem to lost allot of games right at the beginning... sometimes all it takes is Soviet plopping MG into my cut off

I would really like tips for the early game

1vs1 OKW are by far the weakest faction in the early-mid game if the soviet/US player know how to capitalize on OKW weakness. It's a fun faction to play but dont expect to win many games against good players.. Until relic fix this, no "mentally sane" good player are going to voluntary play OKW in Esport.

Go with a doctrine that give you early-mid game pressure.

On closed maps;
1) Fortifications doctrine is good because of mgs + s-mines combo to lock down the map and using the pak43 to save fuel for heavy tanks or stukas. The pak43 is situational and depends on what kind of arty they have or call-in arty. Once you learn where the retreat paths are, S-mines are amazing and will give some squad wipes. Most soviet players want to upgrade their first pios with flamers so it'll slow them down to build a new pios just to clear mines.

I want to emphasize that you need s-mines to prevent your mgs getting flank in the mid-game and then remember to use your mgs vet1 ability. I also heard that trenched at-guns should be good.

2) Scavenger because infiltration grenades give volks more early-mid game pressure. Then mass shreaks + puma + 1 ostwind. Late game you can try saving 500 munitions for call in artillery and place it on their retreat path or base, if timed right it can potentially give multiply squad wipes.

On open maps;
1) Breakthrough doc excel here beacuse of all the long range units/buff and jadgtiger is the only reliable hard counter to soviet ISUs or to less degree US jacksons. Though, the jadgtiger need a fuel decrease to make it more accessible in 1vs1. Or alternative the jadgtiger should be weaker with the fuel decrease.

So far I've been going 3 volks, early truck (t1 against soviet for attrition battles, t2 against USF for fast puma). That and an early fight gives you 1cp for an mg34. 1-2 mgs depending on how much infantry spam and how open the map is. Save munitions for at least 1 shrek, preferably 2, always float a little for abilities when you need them, then have your pios dump mines whenever you can afford it. Support gun is situational and random - it can kill a blob for you, or do nothing all game. Use it to put fear into blobbers and campers. Puma is basically mandatory against an American going fast captain, but can come out a lot later against soviets. That's served me well in my few games so far.

Jagd vs panther is basically just fuel. I can't think of anything that comes out early enough that schrecks, rakatens and a puma can't counter, so an early jagd isn't really needed. Getting lots of early vet on a jagd, on the other hand...

1vs1 lacking safe builds vs Soviet?
I think even Helpinghans has almost given up on OKW so doubt there is any build (except maybe a few) that is "safe" vs soviet players that know how to capitalize on OKW weakness.
Imho best chance to win vs OP Soviet sniper/guards or mg spam openings? Pray to the RNG gods and go with "all-in" builds (the cheese of Scavenger Doctrine) such as stuka spam or pz2 spam and then arty the soviet base once they retreat alot of infantry. Save up to 500 munitions and anything he retreat (forcing retreat with either stukas or pz2 spam) will most likely die. So all in or nothing

Pumas are not a reliable counter vs guards spam and against mg/shocks openings they will spam mines/demos everywhere so its very risky using pumas offensively without babysitting from a sturmpionier to clear mines. Also demos on VPs/key strategic points (which give line of sight) will make it even more difficult for OKW to get any map control.
The panther is even worse as it has no smoke to counter guards button + mark target..The Ostwind could be good but come at least 1 CP to late.
All OKW armor have left that dont "suck" in the midgame-late game is PZ2, stukas and Jagdpanzer IV (situational and also suck on some maps).

Personally i dont blame players for abusing soviet OP builds. Please dont vent your anger and frustrations on the soviet players as its not their fault. We just have to wait until relic has done some tweaking to OKW or we can expect more players abandoning OKW as Soviet learn to master these OP builds..

Balance - temporary fix to WFA marketing failure
All Relic had to do as "temporary fix" was allowing ladder players to veto Western Front Armies if they play Eastern Front Armies and the other way around. With a bit more foresight marketing WFA and this game would be much more balanced and encouraging more casual players to play multiplayer or watching games/Esport. Its just bad marketing that Relic need to fix and its pretty bad they did not do it right the first time with all the past marketing failures with COH1 expansions..
So maybe its time for live and learn?

Future potential
But Relic deserve alot of credit for making fun and innovative games. Theatre of war also has potential expanding into new play styles that attract players outside RTS oriented play styles. COH2 are more fun to watch than SC2, so COH2 eSport/streaming could potential attract new casual players to the game from SC2 etc.