Blobs of the past

I just got back into company of heroes with two geriatric friends. After a couple of months playing we are now reasonably competitive winning a little less than half the matches we play.

Now we're totally bias, we play exclusively as allies. In fact we each play just one faction and only 2v2 or 3v3. So we have a pretty narrow view of this balance patch.

Being old people we really don't mind losing, we'd rather lose and have a competitive game than win easily. I'd say we're our win/lose ratio is about the same since the balance patch. So what's the issue?

The game is utterly boring now, it's all about trying to control marauding blobs of infantry, because that seems to be the most valid strategy to win. At least at whatever level we're playing at. It sounds like axis players face the same issue which must be equally boring.

Recall piospam back in coh1? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't fixing issue by penalizing pio squads in close proximity to each other.

To me this seems like something that would fix blobbing for both axis and allies and ultimately force players to use a wider variety of units.

The current balance seems to have had the opposite effect, it's just a blob-off. (type of map seems to effect how bad this is) It was like that before the patch, but before the patch we found we could force players to abandon blobbing. Not now.

Build MGs to stop blobs "marauding" around and build rocket artillery to punish them

Calliopes, Panzerwerfers, Stukas, Katushyas, Land Matress, Sturmtigers, Scott Mortar Carriage are all efficient at punishing blobs

Cheers medhood, we do pretty well to counter this blob style play using a range of units and abilities. Like i said, we're not really doing any worse than before the patch. I was more trying to make a point that blobbing is a very viable way to play the game at the level which we play at. The intention of the patch seemed to be designed to make blobbing less viable, or at least increase the viability of mixed arms, but games seem to be even more reliant on blobs of mobile infantry now.

If that's what they were trying to achieve then perhaps what was used to reduce the old piospam phenomenon should be looked at as a better solution for discouraging blobbing in the future. Making the same types of units clumped in close proximity receive penalties.

Build MGs to stop blobs "marauding" around and build rocket artillery to punish them

Calliopes, Panzerwerfers, Stukas, Katushyas, Land Matress, Sturmtigers, Scott Mortar Carriage are all efficient at punishing blobs

If you would like us to help you get better at the game I recommend posting some replays so the strategists and other players here can give you advice.

Thanks for the offer. Let's assume I'm not a complete novice for a moment. How to win wasn't what I was asking.

I wanted to engage with the community to pose the question, is the game more fun to play after this balance. Are blobs a fun aspect of the game for players or are they a result of poor balance.

Blob control is core to the multiplayer experience now. The fact that both axis and allies experience blobs and there is negative sentiment in the community indicates that it is used by players because it is a viable strategy.

We certainly have room to improve, but we're not complete novices. I mentioned we haven't started losing dramatically more games since this patch and still play relatively competitively and usually control the blobs. But it certainly doesn't feel as fun or varied now. If that was the intention, then our feeling is that it failed.

And the real question. If blobs aren't fun and this patch hasn't managed to encourage a more diverse usage of the available units would the same trick they used to control piospam all those years ago be a valid way to make the game more varied and fun to play.

If you would like us to help you get better at the game I recommend posting some replays so the strategists and other players here can give you advice.

Blobbing is a shit mechanic and a complete display of lack of skill, best thing is, its endorsed by the devs themselves, they said such in a comment IIRC.

This patch has certainly exacerbated it. Nothing better than beating blobbers, but before the patch if you played well you could force blobular opponents to play a mixed arms game.

If the devs support it I wonder if they understand the appeal of the game... which is swiftly eroding.

Blobbing is a shit mechanic and a complete display of lack of skill, best thing is, its endorsed by the devs themselves, they said such in a comment IIRC.

In CoH1, blobbing is almost certain way to victory, but also certain way to lose. The reason would be capping and sizing. Capping require you set back one squad to cap, and big map size force your troop to spread out to attack/defend more point.
Back then, cut off is more rewarded. Strategic points serve no purpose, but have to be protected to access other resource.

In CoH2, Capping system is no longer require squad to stand still, and does not need to be near. Just walk by with your blob and it will be yours.
Cut off is no rewarding, it's suicide mission except for early vehicle like kubel. Nobody need to cut off their main force=>Further blob encourage.

Blobs are a thing for a lot of reasons. Notice that the only two factions that can not realistically blob are Sov and UKF, take a gander at where the issues lie.

Devs didn't exactly supported it. They only said that in RTS in general blobbing will always be a viable tactic to some degree.

Think about it - it is obviously better to concentrate you DPS in one place and try to fight enemy squads one by one with full force.

For me it is easier to fight blobbers than opponents who don't blob.

About "game is boring" - IMO it is much more interesting now in comparison to no tech stalling into T-34-85/Tiger call-ins or obers/scherk spam into KT.

#adapt

or

#extinct

Not blobbing will ALWAYS ALWAYS be more potent than blobbing. Having three LMG grens A-moving in one control group will always be inferior to three LMG grens slightly spread apart.

The real problem is how effective blobbing is until you get to the at least top 25 in 3v3 mode. Simply, lower the rank, the players are better off investing the unused micro via blobbing into something else.

It is boring yet it pays way better than it punishes most of the time. But not blobbing is always better than blobbing.

- Blobbing exist in every RTS games
- Anti Blobbing tools exist in every RTS games

In Coh2 there is so many ways to fight against blob ... i can make a list if you want

- Blobbing exist in every RTS games
- Anti Blobbing tools exist in every RTS games

In Coh2 there is so many ways to fight against blob ... i can make a list if you want

I thought the same, but in CoH2 there is a problem.

CoH2 by design greatly promotes unit preservation, but some anti-blob tools are also just as good at wiping single squads (demos, sturmtiger, B-4, some rocket artillery, etc.)

I thought the same, but in CoH2 there is a problem.

CoH2 by design greatly promotes unit preservation, but some anti-blob tools are also just as good at wiping single squads (demos, sturmtiger, B-4, some rocket artillery, etc.)

OP is "complaining" about blob, not about the instant squad wiping, but i am agree with you

Does anyone want to engage with the question I actually posed. Yes there are the abilities and units in the game to deal with blobs. Thanks everyone for pointing that out. That's not what I was asking. I wanted to know if anyone recalls piospam and if a penalty for clumping the same types of units together would encourage a more diverse style of play for the vast majority of players.

I just got back into company of heroes with two geriatric friends. After a couple of months playing we are now reasonably competitive winning a little less than half the matches we play.

Now we're totally bias, we play exclusively as allies. In fact we each play just one faction and only 2v2 or 3v3. So we have a pretty narrow view of this balance patch.

Being old people we really don't mind losing, we'd rather lose and have a competitive game than win easily. I'd say we're our win/lose ratio is about the same since the balance patch. So what's the issue?

The game is utterly boring now, it's all about trying to control marauding blobs of infantry, because that seems to be the most valid strategy to win. At least at whatever level we're playing at. It sounds like axis players face the same issue which must be equally boring.

Recall piospam back in coh1? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't fixing issue by penalizing pio squads in close proximity to each other.

To me this seems like something that would fix blobbing for both axis and allies and ultimately force players to use a wider variety of units.

The current balance seems to have had the opposite effect, it's just a blob-off. (type of map seems to effect how bad this is) It was like that before the patch, but before the patch we found we could force players to abandon blobbing. Not now.

I seem to remember some proposed changes from some community members that I found quite interesting and would certainly deter blobbing. One was an ability for an infantry squad to 'follow' a tank (like the British officers from vCOH) while the tank advanced with slower, so that it would provide yellow or green cover for the infantry and encourage combined arms. Another proposed change was to penalize more than two squads fighting next to each other. In general, I agree that just controlling a vetted blob and attacking around the battlefield is not enjoyable. I'd be open to changes that discourage it.

Does anyone want to engage with the question I actually posed. Yes there are the abilities and units in the game to deal with blobs. Thanks everyone for pointing that out. That's not what I was asking. I wanted to know if anyone recalls piospam and if a penalty for clumping the same types of units together would encourage a more diverse style of play for the vast majority of players.

nah. occasional blobbing is a good tactic. what if you have 3 units together along a line to take advantage of green cover? i think that solution is too artificial and will do more harm than good.

I just got back into company of heroes with two geriatric friends. After a couple of months playing we are now reasonably competitive winning a little less than half the matches we play. .....

The current balance seems to have had the opposite effect, it's just a blob-off. (type of map seems to effect how bad this is) It was like that before the patch, but before the patch we found we could force players to abandon blobbing. Not now.

No, not really. The game has a lot of counters for blobbing. I like it when people blob. It's a lot of fun when/if you wreck someone who is blobbing (like seeing a demo get 20 kills, a calliope wipe multiple squads in one barrage, or my all time favorite - having a M10 arrive at someone's battlegroup HQ right as the blob gets there and getting almost 20 crushes in one pass). Do I ever have someone that rolls over me with a blob? Yes, but it's a L2P on my part.

I kind of miss the old shrek blobs. Vetted rifles backed up by mg's and maybe a pack howie dealt with them just fine, and they allowed assault engineers to run rampant as well as the occasional M10 crush. Now it's too easy to lose the M10 and the STG volks just melt assault engineers.

PS - I wouldn't want to see Relic try to code the penalties that you want. They would likely make a stacking bug for it that makes the squads melt, plus it would always get triggered back at the base when units are healing which could ruin some games.

I just got back into company of heroes with two geriatric friends. After a couple of months playing we are now reasonably competitive winning a little less than half the matches we play.

Now we're totally bias, we play exclusively as allies. In fact we each play just one faction and only 2v2 or 3v3. So we have a pretty narrow view of this balance patch.

Being old people we really don't mind losing, we'd rather lose and have a competitive game than win easily. I'd say we're our win/lose ratio is about the same since the balance patch. So what's the issue?

The game is utterly boring now, it's all about trying to control marauding blobs of infantry, because that seems to be the most valid strategy to win. At least at whatever level we're playing at. It sounds like axis players face the same issue which must be equally boring.

Recall piospam back in coh1? Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't fixing issue by penalizing pio squads in close proximity to each other.

To me this seems like something that would fix blobbing for both axis and allies and ultimately force players to use a wider variety of units.

The current balance seems to have had the opposite effect, it's just a blob-off. (type of map seems to effect how bad this is) It was like that before the patch, but before the patch we found we could force players to abandon blobbing. Not now.

exally the meta at 4v4 3 v 3 and even at 2 v 2 is artillery spam mortars into okw legt then stuka and artillery big guns of wehrmacht ... gg wp