COH2 FAQ
I just wanted to create a convenient thread for many of the common questions or misconceptions I've see pop up on this site in my time lurking here, if only so I can provide a quick link whenever I see any of them come up in the Shoutbox in future.
I hope you find some of them helpful!
Index:
Communication with Relic
Patch notes
Bugs
Hacking/Cheating
Performance
Error message/crashing/poor performance
Ping/Lag
Game Features
Ranks
Replays
Censorship
Matchmaking
Gameplay Mechanics
Historical accuracy
Balance
Patch previews
Side armour
Grenades/mortars vs cover
COH2.org
Livestream
Playercard/Signature
Communication with Relic
Q: Where can I find the latest official patch notes?
A: Until Relic restore their official forums, official patch notes are posted on the COH2 Blog. They may be hard to find, but people will often post them in COH2.org and discuss them greatly every time one is released.
You can also find another copy of the complete patch history here in the COH2.org forums.
Be aware that for whatever reason not all changes are always documented. These are often referred to as 'ninja changes' by the community.
Q: I would like to discuss/report a bug. Where do I go?
A: The best place to discuss bugs to understand them better is in the Bugs sub-forum.
Note that if you are a reporting a bug that is deemed to be highly game-breaking and exploitative, COH2.org site administrators may take steps to prevent its exposure until it has been reported to Relic and fixed. More information available in the site rules here.
Q: How can I report/accuse a hacker/cheater?
A: From the COH2.org site rules:
Cheating is absolutely not allowed and anyone found to be cheating, publicly accusing others of cheating, or posting links to third party cheats, will be removed. Please report cheating directly to Relic via email: enforcement@relic.com. If you are not sure about whether or not you should post something on COH2.ORG, it's always best to PM a COH2.ORG Admin to ask first.
Performance
Q: My game is crashing, having error messages, or being slow. How can I fix it?
A: See this guide: COH2 System Performance Guide
Note: COH2's code is heavily dependent on CPU but often can't use more than 30%-40% of a 4-core Intel Core i7. Improving your CPU (Intel, with 4 cores at the highest clock speeds you can afford) is likely to be the best way to improve performance on any modern computer, but you can only do so much until Relic improve the engine. See section 3.1 in the above guide for more information.
Q: Can I be affected by another player's lag or ping?
A: No. COH2 has used dedicated servers (aka Battleservers) for a long time. Any lag or high ping you experience is completely between you and the servers (most likely based in the US).
Q: How can I see my ping to my Battleserver?
A: This is a function found in the excellent CELO (Company of ELO)
Game Features
Q: How can I see other player's ranks at the beginning of the match?
A: Try CELO (Company of ELO) by SturmTigerNeffarion.
Q: The game has been patched and all my replays have disappeared. How can I play them?
A: Depending on how much of the patch changed multiplayer rules, you may be able to still play them. http://www.coh2.org/topic/29774/how-to-make-old-replays-work
Q: This game is rated Mature and the units swear all the time, so why is chat censored?
A: The censorship is not about swearing per se, but rather about limiting abusive behaviour by some players that undermines the fun of the game.
Unfortunately, the integration of Steam chat into the game, while providing many convenient community features, is apparently very hard for Relic to modify. Consequently they say they can't currently add a feature to let you simply hide or 'mute' chat from abusive players.
The censorship is a first step to resolve this limitation. An option to at least disable/enable it for those who desire will hopefully become available in the future.
Q: Why am I constantly getting matched against players with ranks much higher/lower than mine?
A: Note: Relic recently changed how matchmaking works. It will often take longer, but supposedly produce better matches now.
Excellent matchmaking requires an extremely high number of players searching at any one time. Due to time zones and varying game popularity this is rarely possible.
The best time zones to play are likely those that match up with North America and Europe after work hours, or on weekends. Google can help you convert timezones.
Matched against someone of a very low rank? Use this opportunity to experiment with units you might not usually use, and perhaps help them with some suggestions.
Matched against someone of a very high rank? Save the replay and learn from their strategies. You might be surprised at how quickly your game improves.
Gameplay Mechanics
Q: Why is X not historically accurate?
A: This is a game, not a simulation. Fun gameplay mechanics come first, to the extent that even the same weapon will often operate differently on different units.
Q: Why is X unbalanced when you could just fix it by changing Y?
A: Balancing this game is harder than people often realise. The number of values involved are staggering, each with potential flow-on effects that can't easily be foreseen, particularly where creative players are involved. Balance preview mods are Relic's way of testing more radical balance changes before they go live.
You can find a blog post in which Relic explain their balancing process here: http://www.companyofheroes.com/blog/2015/03/31/all-about-balance
If you think a unit or commander isn't very good, try to find a stream or replay where a high level player uses it. You might be surprised by what is possible with a bit of micro, an underrated ability, or a bit of imagination.
Q: Why don't Relic always use Balance Mod previews or betas before releasing patches?
Balance mods use the inbuilt tuning pack mods that anyone can create. This allows anyone to test the changes by downloading only a few megabytes.
Since balance mods only change unit attributes (e.g. movement, weapons) not all changes can be included, particularly when the game engine is changed.
Betas can be used to preview all changes, but given the substantial download size they are not worth using unless many major changes are being introduced.
Q: Relic released a beta, but I don't want to download a whole other copy of the game on my Internet connection. How can I speed up the process?
A:
Locate your Game Directory
- In Steam, find COH2
- Right-click and select Properties
- Go to Local Files
- Select Browse Local Files. This will bring up the folder.
Copy Your Existing Directory
Note: You will need to find out what Relic have labelled the beta's game folder as. You can ask people who have already downloaded it, or try initiating the download briefly and then using the Delete Local Files option once you know the folder name.
Copy your COH2 folder and rename it accordingly.
Then when you initiate the Beta download, it should search for existing files and find most of them.
Verification
Once the download is complete, I recommend verifying the files to make sure the new ones replaced the old ones.
- Right-click on the game in your Steam Library
- Select Properties
- Select Local Files
- Click on Verify Integrity of Game Cache
Q: Do tanks have side armour in this game?
A: No. The front half of the vehicle has one (higher) armour value, and the back half has the lower rear-armour value. Depending on how far forward or backward you hit the side, you'll get one of those armour values. Angle is also not counted towards penetration.
Q: Does cover in COH2 affect explosive weapons?
A: Yes. Mortars or grenades that travel over green cover to hit a squad will do 50% less damage. This means that it is often not necessary to retreat a squad in that situation.
Yellow cover will not have any effect on grenade or mortar damage. In fact cover positions may force your squad to clump up tighter than normal and make them vulnerable to a squad wipe.
Flamethrowers do increased damage to units in green cover and garrisons.
COH2.org
Q: I would like to list my livestream on COH2.org. How do I do so?
A: http://www.coh2.org/topic/13/how-to-add-your-livestream-channel
Q: How do I add my playercard to my COH.org account?
A: You will need to obtain your Steam ID number. This site may help: http://steamidfinder.com/
Then edit your COH2.org profile and insert that number in the box labelled 'Steam'.
People will then be able to click on the player card button below your avatar on any post.
Note: Your COH2.org player ncard is often slower to update than the official scoreboards, which can be found here: http://www.companyofheroes.com/leaderboards
Q: How do I add my player card to my COH2.org signature?
A: For a player card that covers all factions and game modes, use the code here for all your random matchmaking ranks.
If you want to choose which factions and game modes are displayed, use the code here .
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Feel free to leave suggestions for questions and/or answers below.
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cblanco ★ 
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VonManteuffel 
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