Shouldn't the T-34 be stronger than the Panzer IV?

It seems like the T-34 is really weak to anyone else?

What strategies do I use for T-34 to be effective?

Buy two, use one to ram.

Don't expect the T-34 to be very strong against tanks. It won't beat any German tank other than the Ostwind in a straight fight. Use its ram ability, numbers and flanking to defeat German tanks if that's all you've got. Otherwise, avoid German armor and go around picking off infantry with it until you can use them to support more powerful AT.

If you want to build a tank that's "I win" vs. other tanks, get the SU-85 instead.

I mean historically, shouldn't the T-34 be much stronger than it is represented?

Luckily this is a video game and not a history lesson.

http://www.coh2.org/topic/4603/t-3476-feels-plain-pathetic

here, I've posted something similar and some proposal

T-34 myth-busting:
http://operationbarbarossa.net/Myth-Busters/MythBusters2.html

Despite all possible factors being in their favour and despite massive German operational losses during 1944, the Soviets still managed to loose around three AFVs for every German AFV destroyed, or around four tanks (mostly T-34/85s) for every German tank destroyed.

Luckily this is a video game and not a history lesson.

It's actually both.

T-34 myth-busting:
http://operationbarbarossa.net/Myth-Busters/MythBusters2.html

That's all true but the stats on paper showed T-34 as superior to the Panzer IV. The only explanation for why the Soviets lost so many T-34s to every Panzer IV is that the Germans used their tanks better at the tactical level (radios would have been influential early in the war but later on the radio usage was more balanced).

I'm not necessarily asking for 100% historical accuracy because that would require an absurd amount of work and overhauling of mechanics and the game works just fine just the way it is. I'm not even asking the T-34 be made stronger than the Panzer IV, just that the gap be made a little closer than it currently is (so apologies for the misleading thread title as it's not exactly what I'm asking). The T-34 just feels weak in general, and saying you need 2 of them, one for ramming, for every Panzer IV would make more sense if the costs were more reflective of that. As it stands though, you can't even make 4 T-34's for every 3 Panzer IV's (and I'm pretty sure even if you could, the 3 Panzer IV's would come out on top against the 4 T-34's).

I just think the T-34 should be slightly buffed because it feels really weak right now and not even worth getting as the Panzer IV is just completely out of its league. This is just made all the more ironic considering from a stats perspective, the T-34 was historically superior in almost every way.

I'm not 100% sure really I'm just asking if anyone else thinks the T-34 feels pretty weak atm and makes T3 in general for Soviets the worst tier.

T34 stronger than P4? maybe in your dreams....

PZIV only have its quality edge at 1943( It was upgunned), and at the beginning of
1944, T-34/85 comes.....

T-34 has flaw, but if you can find me a better tank in WWII, I DARE YOU

Actually the T34 was only superior in the first year of the war, against the 50mm P3 and the short 75 P4D. Against the long 75 P4F2, it was about equal and against the longer 75/up armored P4G/H, it was far inferior. The t34/85 was on par with the G/H but vastly inferior to the panther.

Anyways, the t34 is like the CoH 1 sherman. Great for anti infantry...not great for much else.

I typically build 2 anyway though. I find them quite useful for support

If you treat them a bit like a heavy armored car you'll be OK. They do well on the flanks and can move around fast due to their good speed.

I'd like them to do a bit better shooting at rear armor though, I think the game could reward positioning a little more.

In reality the T-34 has many disadvantages on paper, and in use.

For example:

-Poor quality of metals used in its armor.

-Vastly inferior optics for the main gun.

-No radio communications

-3 man crew size.

History:

T34 caught Germans by surprise with ONE real feature: sloped armor. After that, for every technological superiority the Russians brought to the tank war, the Germans had a superior one to raise, except the IS-3 that doesn't count.

Paper statistics means nothing in war. The soldier makes the rifle useful, not the other way around.

Game:

We cant keep using units how we expect them to be. The T34 has a very good role if you bring it soon enough, but I agree it needs a tiny boost in some areas (perhaps a slightly lower fuel cost).

That's the problem with an "authentic" RTS set in a historical period. Everyone starts saying the unit in real life had different this and that. That's like saying Queens in history did not murder every other piece in the battlefield, but they do in Chess. Its. A. Game.

The T34's massive losses late war could be explained simply by AT guns and defense. Since the Wehrmacht was defending, they had static and mobile assets shooting at T34s whereas only Russian tanks were generally shooting at German tanks. And theres the defenders advantage

Personally, I think the T34 has a perfectly fine niche ATM. I think the T34 clinches leads gained by maxim control over fuels. Get a T70 out, cause them insane manpower loss/map control. If you've held the fuels you follow up with a T34 which will come out at the same time as the panzer 4. Your T34 completely shuts down the mobility of the P4 since you can just ram it and finish it with your ZiS. If they don't use their P4 aggressively then you can harass his infantry with your T34.

The T34 doesn't help you come from behind at all. That's what the SU-85 does.

Personally, I'd love to see the SU-85/T70/Scout Car/Maxim balanced out more. I feel like the risk vs reward with those units is very bad. If those units were more balanced I feel like less used units like the T34 could be buffed into being more versatile.

I'm ok with the t34, i think the front armor should deflect A bit more though. What really bothers me is the cost, its it cheaper than the P4 but only by 20 gas? Going by history there was 35,119 T34 76s produced and only 9,870 P4's produced, and i believe that includes all variants of the P4.