A mechanic to prevent blobbing

So I've been thinking about this for a while now, and I'm of course not sure how this would play out in an actual game. This idea may have been expressed in the past but anyways: wouldn't it be possible to punish blobbing by giving two (or more) squads that are completely clumped up together some kind of recieved accuracy nerf? When you think of it, it would be pretty darn accurate to a real life situation, units bunched up are simply easier to hit.

Blobbing is generally fround upon, and even if there are ways you can use a blobbers lack of micro to your advantage it sometimes feel that is just isn't enough. It usually takes alot more effort out of you to counter it than it does for the blobber to happily continuing blobbing their blob until you get so frustrated you actually start blobbing yourself, because your so sick of his pudding you don't care how crude it looks, you're gonna garden this gardening puppy up, and give him a piece of hiw own pudding. MOTHERGARDENER!! Sorry, got carried away there.

This mechanic would force players to keep at least some distance between their squads or get cut down very quickly. I know I make this sound like an easy thing to put in the game when it most certainly isn't, but I can't get this idea out of my mind.

Nooo, I want blobbing. I like when my opponents lose all their infantry in 10 sec by one tank crush

The idea was raised and widely discussed on this forum a few times in the past. The main problem with it is that it not only punishes blobs but also defencive lines and coordinated cover to cover pushes. Thats why relic implemented incremental suppression (also called AoE suppression) instead, making blobs easier to counter, but not self countering.

like jap bonzai attacks so this nerf aura would make you lost more models, but to ballance you would have to take out the supression out like they
don´t care dying and go foward like d day. so you have a option to attack a mg nest take it out with the blob, and the same time get enough punish . so you have more strategy opitions.

It's been suggested a few times. Good idea, just it should be 3 or 3+ not only two squads.

Relic probably doesnt want to completely remove blobbing because they would lose a purpose of many units and lots of "wow moments" with blob wipes- other than that, idk why they do things like weapons adjusting and such, instead of that once and for all solution

It's just a bad design. What if you need to keep to squads together? What if your forced into a bottleneck on certain maps? What if your healing? There are loads of legitamate times you need to close together. Bad idea.

It's just a bad design. What if you need to keep to squads together? What if your forced into a bottleneck on certain maps? What if your healing? There are loads of legitamate times you need to close together. Bad idea.

You can't really heal in combat anyways, and as I said this would be a mechanic for clumped up squads, squads that are basically clumped up on top of each other. Too close for comfort. And I don't know any single map that has such a bottleneck that it forces you to do that.

Behind directional cover this would not apply, since what I'm adressing is people A-moving gigantic blobs, not people holding a defensive line.

You can't really heal in combat anyways, and as I said this would be a mechanic for clumped up squads, squads that are basically clumped up on top of each other. Too close for comfort. And I don't know any single map that has such a bottleneck that it forces you to do that.

Behind directional cover this would not apply, since what I'm adressing is people A-moving gigantic blobs, not people holding a defensive line.

Who blobs with units "literally on top of each other" its usually a clump yeah but there is some distance between them otherwise literally 1 tank shell would wipe 10 models. Please show an image of what you believe to be the kind of blob that will be effected by this design.

Vehicle crush, mgs, rocket arty, indirect, demos, mines, strafes.... If you are losing to the blob then play better. It's a low skill strat, but that doesn't mean the game should be dumbed down because you aren't skilled enough to deal with it yet. Work on your own skills before resorting to huge changes to the core mechanics of the game.

I've no idea why people (relic included(seemingly)) are against blobbing received accuracy increase/ROF nerf.

A simple starting point is give each squad a circle around them (invisible of course), the more circles that overlap X squad, the greater the punishment.
Give it a timer so that it doesn't instantly switch to the debuff and tweak it when in cover and you have yourself an anti blob mechanic.

Who blobs with units "literally on top of each other" its usually a clump yeah but there is some distance between them otherwise literally 1 tank shell would wipe 10 models. Please show an image of what you believe to be the kind of blob that will be effected by this design.

I did not say "lirerally" because that's not what it is. If you're gonna quote me then do it right.

Two squads clumped up could be fine, but they could show a visible aura to try and stay out of with your other squads to prevent a recieved accuracy nerf.

Vehicle crush, mgs, rocket arty, indirect, demos, mines, strafes.... If you are losing to the blob then play better. It's a low skill strat, but that doesn't mean the game should be dumbed down because you aren't skilled enough to deal with it yet. Work on your own skills before resorting to huge changes to the core mechanics of the game.

Lol... so much hate. I've enough time under my belt to know what I'm talking about. It's not like I'm trying to figure out how this game works.

If you are losing to the blob then play better. It's a low skill strat, but that doesn't mean the game should be dumbed down because you aren't skilled enough to deal with it yet. Work on your own skills before resorting to huge changes to the core mechanics of the game.

Strategists on this site continue to amaze me with their hostility towards players. The badge is beyond worthless, it's a shame.

I see nothing noobish against the idea. It would fit perfectly with the theme of the game. Such a mechanic has ALREADY BEEN INCLUDED BY RELIC in the form of incremental accuracy for MGs. There was also a similar mechanic included in the form of "negative zeal" to prevent pioneer spam in CoH1.

This idea to apply the same logic to all small arms accuracy (maybe not tank guns and the like) has been mentioned around here before and was given serious consideration. For good reason. Nobody complains about the incremental accuracy for MGs, and with good reason. Literally nobody would lose anything from implementation of this mechanic except the most egregious blobbers. Does that mean we should include it automatically? Not really, but calling people out for being noobs for suggesting it is simply bad. The argument boils down to "There is plenty of antiblob weapons in the game because blobbing should be punished, therefore no new antiblob measures should be included (because blobbing should be... punished... but only in the arbitrary amount of ways it is already being punished AND NOT A SINGLE ONE MORE)"

Or, maybe the argument is "you are a noob for wanting new antiblob measures, that is noobish, instead use the existing antiblob measures which I do and am therefore skilled"? So when you use measures already introduced into the game it's skill, but if Relic would add another antiblob measure then, oh, THAT is a completely different story, it is the complete opposite of skill and an anathema to everything this game is about.

Insulting other players over literally nothing, using faulty logic and non-arguments. Shame.

If people see so much problem in blobs (and personaly I think, that blobs are essential part of CoH series games mechanic), then why not to rise power of their main counter - artillery? That would be more effective and good for game, than nerfing. That's how that game works - everything powerful has it's own counter. And artillery is in pretty bad shape.

Guess would be fair to buff axis rocket artillery, since they are not effective against blobs enough + give buffs to howitzers for to make them more effective against all kinds of spam. Allies artillery is pretty fine for me, Calliope is dangerous, Mattress is horror of volkblob. Katyusha is also fine.

As pointed out, received accuracy doesn't really work since it would mess with defensive positions far too much. IMO, just increase the AoE suppression multiplier a bit (i.e. more than it is). Blobs in the open would get suppressed quicker, units defending wouldn't really be effective due to cover's impact on received suppression.

Lol... so much hate. I've enough time under my belt to know what I'm talking about. It's not like I'm trying to figure out how this game works.

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Not trying to be insulting. I was talking more about all the people who bring this up every few weeks than you specifically.

My point is there are plenty of counters to blobs already, it's not worth it to add some convoluted mechanics to the game with invisible debuffs to confuse the infantry situation.
It's easy enough to counter blobs, it just takes some more effort. I'd prefer some more nuance in giving people counters to a situation than straight up debuffs for going one particular strategy.

As pointed out, received accuracy doesn't really work since it would mess with defensive positions far too much. IMO, just increase the AoE suppression multiplier a bit (i.e. more than it is). Blobs in the open would get suppressed quicker, units defending wouldn't really be effective due to cover's impact on received suppression.

Unfortunately, this isn't how suppression works. It will make suppressing squads in targetable cover more easily.
It would also affect suppression rate on 6 man squads.

As pointed out, received accuracy doesn't really work since it would mess with defensive positions far too much.

Says who? What is "too much", and who is firing at those defensive positions? What kinds of numbers are people imagining here?

I don't think people realize how incremental modifiers work (exponentiating a fixed modifier by a number of entities in a certain radius).

Assuming some nerfs to all squads' base accuracy (to make firing at a lone squad of, say, 5, as accurate as it is currently), another interesting thing this system would bring would be increased survivability for smaller Axis squads (contribute less to incremental exponent; something that had to be implemented through modifiers instead), and squadmembers of lone squads being progressively slightly more difficult to hit as their squadmates die off, therefore providing a sort of lite CoH1 Zeal effect and improving survivability.

A negative side effect is Snipers would be even more slippery in comparison. Eurgh.

This idea to apply the same logic to all small arms accuracy (maybe not tank guns and the like) has been mentioned around here before and was given serious consideration. For good reason. Nobody complains about the incremental accuracy for MGs, and with good reason.

Problem with incremental accuracy for MGs, is that it also affects AoE suppression, which also affects suppression rate for different squads. A 6man squad get's suppressed faster than 4/5 man squads.

Copy pasted from an old post
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Blobbing is so efficient because many factions lack counters against mass infantry spam or those things are simply too bad.
Soviets:
- Maxim (with small firing arc)
- Demo (expensive and gets spotted easily)
- Katyusha (late rocket artillery that requires alot of RNG to be effective, sometimes units can simply walk through the barrage)
- ISU (expensive, doctrinal)

USF
- 50.cal (gets killed easily, locked behind dead LT tier, expensive)
- Scott (underwhelming performance, gets killed easily, delays proper tanks)
- Calliope (doctrinal)
- Sherman HE rounds (short range)
- Bulldozer (like sherman, just without accuracy, doctrinal)

Brits
- Land mattress (doctrinal)
- Mortar emplacement (static, effective against stationary targets only)
- AVRE (short range)
- Vickers (bad suppression)
- Centaur (overall bad)

Ostheer
- MG42 (good for early game, gets decrewed easily by vetted infantry with uprades later on)
- Brummbär (too expensive)
- Panzerwerfer (locked in T4)
- Ostwind (underwhelming effectiveness against hordes of infantry)

OKW
- MG34(doctrinal and bad)
- Walking Stuka (can be avoided with a bit of micro)
- Sturmtiger (short range, doctrinal)
- KT (very late game, gets kited)