Tips for an Experienced Noob

Hi!

I feel like I'm kinda cursed. I really like strategy games and I love CoH. I've played thousands of CoH games (inc many ranked, not just Scheldt wankathons), and although I cant say I was every awesome at it, I could stand my ground. My last account was over 1:1 win:loss. I know that people talking about balance or whatever need to have experience behind them else they're probably biased, but I feel like I have at least put the hours in to have a valid opinion.

Thing is, I really want to like CoH2 but so far playing it is like running at a wall face-first. I play mostly as Germany so far (an arbitrary choice but thats that). I'm having trouble getting on-board. I've played many ranked games of all sizes and yet to get near winning. In fact I have yet to even begin to get a vision of what winning would even begin to look like*. I mean I obviously know how the game works. I'm not a moron.

Firstly most often the Russians somehow have FAR more experience than ours. Maybe I'm unlucky, since german players outnumber russian ones by a few times. I don't get how that even works. But whether they are more or less experienced they seem to, with few exceptions, destroy my team in every game, sooner or later, often winning by 400+ points. I assume the game can't be that unbalanced. I'm sure if I switched to russia I would be no better. I don't want to be that guy, that assumes the game is unbalanced because I'm crap. But surely, by chance alone, I should have won by now.

Secondly so much of what I like about CoH seems to have been obfuscated. Like, I really can't grasp the point of blizzards. I don't see the point in the whole map being a deathtrap. I don't see why mortars are even in the game since everyone has them. They're just boring. I don't get why killing a russian weapon team is a weekend project for grens, while conscripts can take a burst from an MG in the face and force a retreat with a molotov. I get flanking and placement. I played mostly as USA later in CoH. I like the technology of LOS visibility but combined with blizzards and weird terrain it encourages indirect fire spam. And feels kinda arbitrary... when a randomly parked tank shoots a shell from two screens away and ruins a tank I am trying to micro against some infantry.

I am trying to phrase this in a constructive question other than WTF?? but I'm struggling. Is this normal? Am I supposed to get hammered by the world (who all seem to be innate experts) for ages then something will just click? What is that thing?

*with 2 exceptions. My first game was 2v2. We dominated for most of the game and then lost. Probably mostly by my exasperation at what was happening. I concluded that in order to win we would have had to have literally murdered them and destroyed their base as soon as possible (kinda like playing against Wehrm in innihilation in CoH), which kinda makes me wonder what VP is for. The other exception is a game where we did win, but I got kicked because of a lag vote made possible by one of their team lagging throughout the game (which used to happen in CoH).

Try playing russian as well, that way you get to know tactics and their way to counter them

Tenshi, you are in fact me. This is exactly how I felt.

I'm afraid for me it was back to watching replays and, yes, playing as Sovs to immerse myself in their innate cheesiness.

The Russians really have it all: they can tier switch much easier than Wehr (who in turn have to react to the Sovs - for example if they make weapon teams you pretty much *have* to go T2 to get an AC to drive around them) and their infantry is more impressive in scope and utility. They can easily go T3 T34 spam, then augment it with a call-in supertank. Or they can do that annoying campy thing with ZiS, MGs and SU-85s, easily the most OP unit in CoH2. Oh, and they can transform their 'conscripts' (they are the ones with the modal fireup and fireball powaz, right?) into supermen with SMGs and 'Summon Green Cover' spells (aka 'Hit the Dirt').

Let's face it, the Soviets were designed by Chuck Norris.

So as a Wehr player of average skill you have to adapt and... get your ass kicked.

Some tips:

1. Gren spamming into a clean T3. This can work if your micro is up to it. Mine ain't.

2. Straight-to-T2 / fast AC / attempt at map control. As above.

3. Map control on a small vector with key resources. Requires intimate knowledge of mapping and a potion of luck.

4. HMG in buildings for early lockdown. Tricky, and vulnerable to 'conscript' fireball powaz but I've had some luck with it.

Lastly, seeing as your views suggest that you in fact live *in my head* please PM me, I will Steam Friend you and we can lose together while posting increasingly bitter comments about balance in this game for those of us who cannot achieve 10000 APM.

Best regards!

BFW

Send me a private message and add me up i would like to find people to play with and work together with even if it is losing a lot!

Tenshi, you are in fact me. This is exactly how I felt.

I'm afraid for me it was back to watching replays and, yes, playing as Sovs to immerse myself in their innate cheesiness.

The Russians really have it all: they can tier switch much easier than Wehr (who in turn have to react to the Sovs - for example if they make weapon teams you pretty much *have* to go T2 to get an AC to drive around them) and their infantry is more impressive in scope and utility. They can easily go T3 T34 spam, then augment it with a call-in supertank. Or they can do that annoying campy thing with ZiS, MGs and SU-85s, easily the most OP unit in CoH2. Oh, and they can transform their 'conscripts' (they are the ones with the modal fireup and fireball powaz, right?) into supermen with SMGs and 'Summon Green Cover' spells (aka 'Hit the Dirt').

Let's face it, the Soviets were designed by Chuck Norris.

So as a Wehr player of average skill you have to adapt and... get your ass kicked.

Some tips:

1. Gren spamming into a clean T3. This can work if your micro is up to it. Mine ain't.

2. Straight-to-T2 / fast AC / attempt at map control. As above.

3. Map control on a small vector with key resources. Requires intimate knowledge of mapping and a potion of luck.

4. HMG in buildings for early lockdown. Tricky, and vulnerable to 'conscript' fireball powaz but I've had some luck with it.

Lastly, seeing as your views suggest that you in fact live *in my head* please PM me, I will Steam Friend you and we can lose together while posting increasingly bitter comments about balance in this game for those of us who cannot achieve 10000 APM.

Best regards!

BFW

Laughing.....out....loud!!

OK, I'm exaggerating. It was four Maxims.

I feel your pain buddy-Been there done that but lately I've got a grip of it somewhat to the point where I have forced a few to surrender early/mid game.

I've only played a few hrs of CoH and only really started playing it day and night when open Beta Coh2 came out and have read and watched a lot of CoH2,That being said I cannot confidently say there is a hard and fast rule on how I play it because I am never sure I'm gonna win till I do lol-

Like the others are saying play Russian for a bit-At the moment I'm playing campaign (Mission 09) when on the go and don't have an internet connection,this has allowed me to know more about my opponent-