I mainly play 3v3+ with 2v2 trailing closely behind. I don't play 1v1. I also enjoy watching casts and because most casts are 1v1, I mainly watch 1v1 casts.
I can help but notice various improvements on maps like Langraskya, Kholodny, Kharkov, Minsk and I am pretty sure I am missing more. I also cannot help but notice some serious attention to balance issues that afflict anything but 3v3+.
With ESL 1v1 tourney bestowed upon us, my question is this:
When can 3v3+ players expect some love? no map fixes, which is unbelievably easy to implement is nowhere to be seen and obviously other glaring issues.
When should I start to expect something from you Relic in regards to 3v3+?
Maps are one of the bigger issues, with ones like Lazur and Lanserath (sp?) being very asymmetric. Other maps like General Mud favor axis because of slowed movement and long sight lines favoring generally longer range units of the axis. Also, the lack of a forward retreat point for Soviets really handicaps them on maps like this.
However, there are other problems that affect 3v3+ just as much. Compare OKW's Breakthrough with American Airborne. Pathfinders are something like 8 or 9 popcap for a unit that even at vet 3 is still pretty wipe-able and cost 37mp per model to reinforce. PF's cost 25 to reinforce and are quite good at vet 5, plus they give excellent spotting for the JT's. Throw another JT or an Elefant into the mix and it pretty much shuts down allied mediums. The prevalence of long sight units (OST sniper, 222, 222 with scope, anything else with scope, JLI, PF) mean that on some maps, Axis usually fires first, and firing first most often wins engagements when the units are relatively balanced. Stated another way, Jacksons firing first usually own mediums, while Jacksons firing second are cannon fodder.
Also, units like the JT and Ele have much more of an effect on 3v3+ than they do on 1v1's. I play about the same number of 1's lately as I do 3v3+ and rarely see either of them. In order to support either of those, you probably need to keep another 30 pop cap near them, which means most of your force is in a big, slow moving group. It might work on some maps but not that many.
I hope that relic doesn't buff British armor back to what it was on release. The Crocodile was one of the most broken units ever. Some of the things that I think would help would be: a forward retreat point for Soviets, a little buff for UKF indirect (without making it OP), balance both IR pathfinders and regular pathfinders to be more equal to JLI's or PF's (and fix other abilities in Recon commander and Airborne Commander).