Buff Rear Echelon performance/nerf cost effiency

The current design of the unit encourages them for LMG/Bazooka blobbing, or purely builder/capping roles. This is because:

Low durability yet cheapness encourages using them en masse with equippable weapons. While this in itself isn't bad, it encourages spammy gameplay (not going to call out any individual players here...) and prevents a player from using REs combined with Riflemen because of the conflict in resources. Rear Echelons spamminess lends itself to cheese while not helping the USFs viability when played "correctly", in other words.

The solution? Turning them into a legitimate unit from the first second of the game, with everything that implies.

Squad Changes:
4 men to 5 men at vet 0, decrease close to medium range cooldown on their carbine for mild (say 20%) dps increase at close range and half that at medium range. Inventory space of one as opposed to two.

Entity Changes:
Nerf reinforce of each model to 23 MP; this combined with vet 0 5 men makes the squad cost 230 MP.

Veterancy Changes:
Vet 1 and 3 are fine; Vet 2 additional squad member is replaced by a moving accuracy increase and further buffs close range to medium cooldown on their carbines for faster fire rate.

Ability Changes:
As an ability, Volley Fire combined with these changes it's ultimately fine, however implementation is overly simplistic. Instead of targeting a single target squad, being able to "paint" an area to suppress into just like the Centuars Vet 1 ability would be really cool and promote more micro.

But rifles already exist.

Your changes would completely take the unit out of the game permanently.

But rifles already exist.

Your changes would completely take the unit out of the game permanently.

I don't think so. Right now unless your going for Price cheese/sweeping REs are already out of the game permanently.

They would become a Volks/Cons analogue.

Which makes no sense, because rifles.

Which makes no sense, because rifles.

But currently rifles stats and design force you to win in 10 minutes or lose because of MP bleed. So right now if you want to not be forced to win in 10 minutes as USF you have to spam RE blobs. Making REs more into basic troops offers choice:defensive line squad that needs Racks research and if attacks will bleed, or offensive line squad that required Grenade research that will bleed if you defend.

Would solve USF staleness to a large extent and have opportunity cost, so you can't just invest in both and dominate at all game stages.

Uhm vet 3 rifles don't let you bleed anymore, they hardly die

Uhm vet 3 rifles don't let you bleed anymore, they hardly die

Most lategame infantry kills are from snipers, explosions, and vehicles. The rifle received acc change didn't make them cost efficient lategame, it made them less cost inefficient. Rifles lack the crazy vet and lategame support of Brits, and pure quantity of Soviets. They compensate by being insanely good from game start to roughly 10-15 minute mark.

Nearly 76 % winrate and fanboys still ask for buffs... LEL

To OP:

REs are cheap builder squads, that's their purpose. Combat units are riflemen. USF are designed around them, not REAR ECHELON troops.

Nearly 76 % winrate and fanboys still ask for buffs... LEL

To OP:

REs are cheap builder squads, that's their purpose. Combat units are riflemen. USF are designed around them, not REAR ECHELON troops.

This isn't about the strength of the USF, it's the one-dimensional playstyle. 3 rifle M20/RE spam gets old believe it or not.

Id totally be down for rifles lategame to be nerfed if it meant combined arms and other build orders were actually possible for the faction.

This isn't about the strength of the USF, it's the one-dimensional playstyle. 3 rifle M20/RE spam gets old believe it or not.

Id totally be down for rifles lategame to be nerfed if it meant combined arms and other build orders were actually possible for the faction.

How is it combined arms when two units fill out the same role? All they would be are cheaper rifles, nothing more.

OP is joking, isn't he?

How is it combined arms when two units fill out the same role? All they would be are cheaper rifles, nothing more.

Ones defensive, the other is offensive. A cheaper but less effective rifle substitute= more MP available= more opportunity to use units besides Rifles, which= more combined arms.

Say what you will about my idea, but pretty much every USF 1 vs 1 is riflemen and a light vehicle steamrolling into Sherman, rifles eating up so MP that you can only afford to reinforce them and tech up. Every 4 vs 4 a USF player by lategame for all intents and purposes doesn't have infantry. (Unless you blob RE.)

Buffing Rifle reinforce cost will only further encourage heavy rifle play with no risk, which is bad too.

I like the idea in principle.

What if in addition to the proposed changes that REs had their weapon slots reduced to 1 as well? That would reduce their effectiveness in spamming them with weapon racks but give them additional baseline combat utility to compensate.

Nearly 76 % winrate and fanboys still ask for buffs... LEL

To OP:

REs are cheap builder squads, that's their purpose. Combat units are riflemen. USF are designed around them, not REAR ECHELON troops.

We must buff USF until all their core infantry shoot M203 grenades out their ass at vet 3, this will help them scale better along with volksgrenadiers.

Then, just then they might be a viable lategame faction. But only if all Sherman variants also receive a Tomahawk attachment to one shot any axis vehicles while playing "Freedom isn't free" over the ingame OST to deafen the axis players into quitting the game.

I like the idea in principle.

What if in addition to the proposed changes that REs had their weapon slots reduced to 1 as well? That would reduce their effectiveness in spamming them with weapon racks but give them additional baseline combat utility to compensate.

This would be really good. Adding to OP.

They would become a Volks/Cons analogue.

While I can appreciate this end goal, I don't agree with the changes you've detailed.

While I can appreciate this end goal, I don't agree with the changes you've detailed.

Can you elaborate? I'm receptive to any ideas you may have.

While I'm getting your concept, I think it'll need a bit more work to get it working just right (which, as stated by the others for the potential for a high degree of similarities between REs and Rifles after that, is a dire priority). A Riflemen nerf of some kind would also probably be necessary as well to highlight using REs to spot and hold ground while the Rifles get in position to attack to ensure we don't just buff the USF's starting unit's initial performance a bit and then building more gets ignored, especially since REs won't be as dirt cheap to encourage getting some for more sight and capping.

We must buff USF until all their core infantry shoot M203 grenades out their ass at vet 3, this will help them scale better along with volksgrenadiers.

Then, just then they might be a viable lategame faction. But only if all Sherman variants also receive a Tomahawk attachment to one shot any axis vehicles while playing "Freedom isn't free" over the ingame OST to deafen the axis players into quitting the game.

Your proposal sucks.

It's entirely without bald eagles.