(Mr.Smith's) Quality of Life mod

Sadly I have no British faction to test it.
I found out when i re-crew Raketten with pioneers sometimes it won't camouflage (need to rapid toggle ability for re-cloak again).

Were the pioneers/raketen recently in combat when you recloaked?
While the ability is active (and the crew is still visible), do you still get the movement debuff applied properly?

It happen after successful ambush and after combat ended. Take a longer time than OKW one for re-cloak.
Sometimes it won't cloak but still receive movement penalty when in camouflage mode

It happen after successful ambush and after combat ended. Take a longer time than OKW one for re-cloak.
Sometimes it won't cloak but still receive movement penalty when in camouflage mode

That's "kind of" normal, then. Every time either the gun or the crew fires from camouflage, that guy (and possibly the entire squad) enter a cooldown before they can camouflage again (even if you click the ability).

What is very possible that has happened is that sturmpioneers (the model) have longer recloak times than Volksgrenadiers. I can have a look at that, and I'll let you know if that was the case.

At the very least, I could make it so that the gun/crew only receive the movement penalty while the gun is actually camouflaged (also applies for JP4/Luchs/Soviet ambush).

Thanks for bringing this to my attention!

v0.107 update

This short update aims to address the following issues:
- Tank crush cheese
- OKW Truck pricing rework
- Light vehicle cheese
- Call-in meta cheese

Some smaller changes are:
- Making the bulldozer finally relevant
- Vehicle flamer damage upped a bit (from the last version)

Tank crush rework

Vehicles can be partitioned into 4 categories, according to how they behave with respect to crushing.

Light-crushers

Those are the ultra-light vehicles that can break down fences.
- These vehicles
- Panzerwerfer and M8 Scott infantry crush removed
- AEC medium crush removed; now it's a light-crusher (like Puma)

Medium-crushers

These vehicles have medium crush, which means they can crush heavy cover.
- When these units run over medium cover, they suffer from a 50% speed debuff for 1.5 seconds

Most of those vehicles will also run over humans. Exception:
- Valentine (human crush removed)

Human crush penalties (per model):
- -45% max speed
- -60% rotation rate
(stackable)

for 1.5 seconds

Advanced-medium crushers

The tanks in this category include most tanks that have between 700 and 1000HP. Exception:
- Bulldozer (it's a heavy crusher)

All of these tanks can crush walls etc. They all receive the same -50% speed debuff when running over walls/etc.

Some of these tanks also have heavy crush:
- Brummbar
- Panther

These tanks suffer from a -50% penalty when using their heavy crush.

Human crush penalties (per model):
- -26% maximum speed
- -37% rotation rate
(i.e., they accumulate penalties twice as slow as medium-crushers)

Heavy Crushers

Tanks in this category can destroy all obstacles possible. While crushing humans or obstacles, none of the tanks in this category receive any speed/rotation penalties at all.

I wanted to give all crushers a veterancy penalty when crushing humans. I found out how to do it, but it won't work with USF Vehicle Crews

OKW Truck Rework

Truck pricing:
- All truck setup costs changed to player upgrades (reachable at the SWS trucks)
- This means that setting up a replacement truck comes for free (except for the SWS call-in costs)
- Replacement trucks do not retain the sidegrades you bought for them. Thus you will have to rebuy medics/pioneers/flak-gun

MechHQ:
- Manpower cost increased to 275 (see light-vehicle changes to see why)

FlakHQ:
- The Flak gun comes deactivated
- To activate the gun you need to pay 280 MP / 50 FU / 10 popcap
- You can manually target the gun on enemy squads
- FlakHQ projectile will clip terrain to reach the target
- (unfortunately I cannot give the gun attack ground)

Call-in de-cheese

(Miragefla's way is more graceful. I'm too lazy to implement it that way, though)

UKF
- Mattress/Sexton/Churchills require Anvil/Hammer
- Valentine requires AEC/Bofors

OKW
- Ostwind replaced with OST version
- Ostwind requires T4
- All other OKW call-in tanks require all 3 tiers to be up (same requirements as the King-Tiger)

USF
- M10 requires major
- Greyhound/MortarHT/Halftracks require Lieutenant or Captain
- Priest/Calliope/Pershing/Bulldozer (it has been buffed) require all tiers

Soviets
- Sherman/KV8/KV1 require T4
- All heavy tanks require all tiers up (including T1/T2)

Ostheer
- Puma replaced with the OKW version
- Puma requires Battlephase 3
- Command P4/Stug-E (it has been buffed) require EITHER: T3 or Battlephase 4 (not Tier 4)
- All heavy tanks require both T3 and T4

The rationale for the P4/Stug-E disparity is to give players the ability to better utilize OST's non-linear teching structure.

Light-vehicle decheesing

(most of the fixes drawn from Miragefla's mod)

Ostheer

Ost sniper
- Incendiary rounds now has same accuracy as normal attack

222
- MG given tracking (i.e., now it also shreds infantry)
- Cost up to 220MP/25FU
- Veterancy requirements beefed up; a lot
- Spotting scopes changed to +25 sight bonus (down from 2x increase)
- Vet2 bonus changed to +15 sight bonus (same as before, but now is additive)

Puma
- Now calls in the OKW version

StugE
- Now has a projectile that can clip terrain

Stug
- Popcap increased to 10
- Stun shot damage reduced to 80
- Stun critical duration reduced to 8 seconds
- Stun applies even when the shot deflects

UKF

AEC
- Treadbreaker given projectile
- Scatter pattern reworked; now matches that of Stug
- Immobilise critical lasts for 8 seconds

USF

Stuart
- Shell shock requires vet1

OKW

FlakHT
- Concealing smoke at Vet0
- Munitions cost: 10
- Cooldown 30

Luchs
- cost reduced to 260MP 65FU
- (note that MechHQ cost increased to 275MP/50FU)

Puma
- Scatter pattern now matches Stug
- Aimed shot accuracy reduced to 100% (down from 1100%); this means it can now miss infantry

OKW Ostwind
- Now calls in OST OSTwind

Soviets

T70
- Vetrical scatter increased by 40%
- Cost increased to 240MP/70FU
- Still pretty accurate when stationary
- Very inaccurate when firing on-the-move

Bulldozer rework

- Damage per shell mirrored to Brummbar levels (damage/penetration/deflection damage)
- Scatter profile changed so that the Bulldozer is more accurate up to range 25, and less accurate in other ranges
- Given a Vet1 free barrage ability with 60 range that can be used on-the-move. (Brummbar gets an 80-range barrage ability)
- (don't neglect Elite Crews and the changes to crushing)

Vehicle flamer changes (again)

I doubled the damage done by dots for all tanks. Now, direct/dot damage should be at 2/3rds of that done by the Kv8 in the live version.

Damage vs garrisons decreased to remain at a sane level.

Base defence changes

- OKW base defences replaced with bunkers
- USF donut-base bunkers turned inactive

The reasons for this are self-explanatory.

Honourable mention

OKW doctrinal flak emplacement:
- Can attack ground
- Uses a projectile that clips ground
- Still sucks really hard

A sign of things to come

- Bofors fuel cost increased to 50FU

OKW Ostwind
- Now calls in OST OSTwind

Wait, there's actually a difference between them after all? Well, that explains why the OKW one can actually kill stuff. It doesn't explain why you would want to inflict the Ost version on people though

- USF donut-base bunkers turned inactive

It is great news, because it gives many problems on some maps. There is any way to remove bunker to give more space to the base?

Wait, there's actually a difference between them after all? Well, that explains why the OKW one can actually kill stuff. It doesn't explain why you would want to inflict the Ost version on people though

1. Both versions use exactly the same gun
2. Ostwind has actually received a bona-fide buff in the previous version:

(Taken from v0.106)

Anti-infantry tanks & Terrain

There's 3 kinds of anti-infantry tanks in the game:
- Those with howitzer-type of weapons that go over obstacles
- Those with an accurate flak attack that only care about the cover infantry is behind (e.g., luchs/centaur)
- Those with a scatter-based attack, that will collide with everything, including terrain contours.

As an experiment, to see what happens when we take the territory restrictions out of the last category of tanks, I have made the following projectiles able to ignore ground elevation:
- Ostwind
- Sherman HE
- ISU HE
- Centaur vet1 ability
- White Phosphorus/Smoke shell

(Note that the projectile can still collide with other obstacles, such as sandbags, etc)

Depending on how this change feels like, I might further change accuracy-based vehicles to also benefit from this feature:
- Luchs
- Centaur
- FlakHT
- FlakHQ
- Bofors

(Now the Ostwind is extremely reliable at murdering stuff)

The only differences are:
- Vet4/5
- The Vet1 ability is different (Blitzkrieg vs Combat Blitz)

For most tanks, the OKW Vet1 ability is insanely better than the OST version. For Ostwind, the OKW ability is still better, but not by insanely much:
- The OST version is the only of the two that gives bonuses to acceleration
- OKW's bonus to accuracy is completely useless for the Ostwind
- OKW's version gives better bonuses to received accuracy/speed

It is great news, because it gives many problems on some maps. There is any way to remove bunker to give more space to the base?

I couldn't locate the creation of the USF bunker anywhere in the files. Thus, I don't think I can change what the donut base looks like.

Ah, touche

Command vehicle

Universal carrier command vehicle is super cheesy. So is free recon. Everybody knows this. At the same time, using the command vehicle for any other role is prohibitive due to the speed debuff.

To address this:
- Universal Carriers can no longer be turned to command vehicles
- Recon now costs 40 munitions
- Command vehicle given a toggle ability to disable the command vehicle bonuses, along with the speed debuff

Command vehicle toggle

Toggling out of the ability has the following effects:
- The sight of the recon airplane drops to 0
- The speed debuff is gone
- The received-accuracy debuff is gone
- All aura bonuses are gone

Note, that even if you switch out of the command vehicle mode, you will forever retain the following debuffs:
- Cooldown/Reload debuffs to your vehicle

- The ability has a 5-second delay between toggling (while toggling the tank is affected by the speed penalty)

If you don't mind me asking, what's so cheesy about the UC Command Vehicle? It isn't as fast as an AEC Command Vehicle, will be killed by a single Volks/Grenadier squad, and loses any protection its smaller target size would provide against AT weapons. In addition, the Command Vehicle ability is available at 2cp. The UC is the only practical vehicle to use it on at this point in the game and the ability provides a reason to buy a UC throughout the game.

Also, the toggle ability seems to over-complicate the situation. The reload and cooldown debuffs are the main deterrent to creating a Command Vehicle since most UKF armoured units are not especially nimble (Centaur, Firefly, Churchill variants). An ability that only alleviates the speed penalty won't change much. Why not simply remove or reduce the speed penalty and further nerf firepower (by increasing the reload and cooldown debuffs or just disabling the main gun)?

Sorry to bring up an older change but it looked a little odd to me.

Suggestions:
I think plane of 'UK Command vehicle Recon' should be one free round plane and 180 second(or more) cooldown instead of costs 40 munitions. Perhaps (40MU) is expensive in 1v1

Valentine and HTInfrared beam should be 60 seconds and 'x' cooldown


But I still think 60 seconds in recons/maphacks/flares is too (excessive in designing of relic)

If you don't mind me asking, what's so cheesy about the UC Command Vehicle? It isn't as fast as an AEC Command Vehicle, will be killed by a single Volks/Grenadier squad, and loses any protection its smaller target size would provide against AT weapons. In addition, the Command Vehicle ability is available at 2cp. The UC is the only practical vehicle to use it on at this point in the game and the ability provides a reason to buy a UC throughout the game.

You make a good point. However, hear me out!

The command vehicle benefits are some of the most powerful buffs in the game. The aura is seriously good, especially for LMG infantry. At the same time, the free recon is the cherry-on-the-top. To counteract this, the player should be forced to give up something.

Normally, the debuff of this ability, is one of the most debilitating debuffs in the game (even worse than suppression). If you apply this debuff on a unit that would, otherwise, be a viable fighting unit, then you have the your trade-off right there.

Normally, the kind of decision the player should make is between applying the buff on a vulnerable but cheap target, or a more-beefy but expensive tank.

The UC option allows the player to completely bypass any decision making in this part. As you correctly point out, the UC is already completely redundant the moment the ability becomes unlocked. Both because of its low damage output/survivability and because of the wide availability as hardcounters. Why not extend its life as free Fog-of-war dispeller.

This is the equivalent of spotting-scope 222 cheese we see in the live version currently. (Spotting-scope 222's have also been hard-nerfed in this mod).

For the reasons outlined above, keeping UC + free recon is not an option:
- UC-command vehicle + munitions-cost run is one option.
- Non-UC vehicle + free recon is another option.
- However, I went ahead with a more conservative option: Non-UC & munitions cost.

The reason for this is that, unlike other aura-unit commanders, the command vehicle is not the focal point of the respective commanders; AVRE and Artillery Cover are.

Also, the toggle ability seems to over-complicate the situation. The reload and cooldown debuffs are the main deterrent to creating a Command Vehicle since most UKF armoured units are not especially nimble (Centaur, Firefly, Churchill variants). An ability that only alleviates the speed penalty won't change much. Why not simply remove or reduce the speed penalty and further nerf firepower (by increasing the reload and cooldown debuffs or just disabling the main gun)?

A Churchill with the speed debuff penalty is slower than a damaged-engine King Tiger. Of course, additional snares can add additional speed penalties on top. That's beyond useless, and there's no need for it to stay that way.

You are right that the main barrier when it comes to choosing a command vehicle is the loss of offensive strength. However the greatest barrier of all to using a command vehicle for its aura is its lamentable speed.

Low speed means that you cannot relocate the command vehicle where it is really needed. At the same time, the 2x received accuracy penalty and low speed means that the command vehicle will immediately die to anything that decides to go for a yolo-flank.

Since, once again, the aura bonuses are very potent, the command vehicle toggle seemed to be the only pragmatic choice I could think of:
- If you want to relocate/stage an attack, toggle the aura off and relocate
- When you decide that an engagement is favourable, you toggle the aura back on. However, make sure that the vehicle is well protected

This is not foolproof, yet, though, as the debuff doesn't affect offensive abilities:
- A command-vehicle AVRE is going to be a king
- Ditto for a grenade-spamming Churchill

I could make it so that all offensive abilities take 2 times more to recharge, to keep this fair, and I probably will in a future version.

Sorry to bring up an older change but it looked a little odd to me.

This was very good feedback. Don't worry about it!

Suggestions:
I think plane of 'UK Command vehicle Recon' should be one free round plane and 180 second(or more) cooldown instead of costs 40 munitions. Perhaps (40MU) is expensive in 1v1

Valentine and HTInfrared beam should be 60 seconds and 'x' cooldown


But I still think 60 seconds in recons/maphacks/flares is too (excessive in designing of relic)

I don't really like free abilities that much. Especially if the potential gains for them can be reaped immediately. For instance, it takes one single plane sweep to be able to target an ability/foil an incoming flank.

IRHT/Valentine are even worse since you cannot shoot down the maphacking ray. Since both vehicles are very easily-replacable, it is also prohibitely expensive to stage a flank to take them down. That has to change.

I haven't released this yet. However, in the next version I am changing IRHT/Valentine/Kubelwagen maphax. From memory, the changes look like this:

Valentine/IHRT scan ability:
- 25 or 30 munitions
- 30 second duration
- 60 second cooldown (i.e., 30 secs after the ability finishes)
- Both units given a "handbrake" option to prevent unvoluntary movement (e.g., having your vehicle pushed which would cancel the scan)

IHRT:
- Cost lowered to 75 MP/5 FU (since you now actually have to pay for it to be used)

Kubelwagen Detection:
- 25-30 munitions cost
- 10 second duration (you can't turn it off though)
- 60 second cooldown

Kubelwagen changes:
- Detection unlocked when MechHQ is set
- Smoke grenade (30MU, 15 range) unlocked when MedHQ is set
- Vet1 no longer does anything (used to be detection)

The reasons I haven't released the newer version yet is that is because it is not possible to animate a smoke grenade launched from the kubelwagen.

In COH1 constructions can be rotated before starting to build (as a bunker), I think can do it in coh2 for WER/SOV. It would be a great improvement.


Thanks

You make a good point. However, hear me out!

The command vehicle benefits are some of the most powerful buffs in the game. The aura is seriously good, especially for LMG infantry. At the same time, the free recon is the cherry-on-the-top. To counteract this, the player should be forced to give up something.

Normally, the debuff of this ability, is one of the most debilitating debuffs in the game (even worse than suppression). If you apply this debuff on a unit that would, otherwise, be a viable fighting unit, then you have the your trade-off right there.

Normally, the kind of decision the player should make is between applying the buff on a vulnerable but cheap target, or a more-beefy but expensive tank.

The UC option allows the player to completely bypass any decision making in this part. As you correctly point out, the UC is already completely redundant the moment the ability becomes unlocked. Both because of its low damage output/survivability and because of the wide availability as hardcounters. Why not extend its life as free Fog-of-war dispeller.

This is the equivalent of spotting-scope 222 cheese we see in the live version currently. (Spotting-scope 222's have also been hard-nerfed in this mod).

For the reasons outlined above, keeping UC + free recon is not an option:
- UC-command vehicle + munitions-cost run is one option.
- Non-UC vehicle + free recon is another option.
- However, I went ahead with a more conservative option: Non-UC & munitions cost.

The reason for this is that, unlike other aura-unit commanders, the command vehicle is not the focal point of the respective commanders; AVRE and Artillery Cover are.

Thank you for explaining your reasoning. I think the issues with the UC Command Vehicle are issues with the UC (becoming instantly obsolete) rather than the ability to make it a Command Vehicle. Since you are trying to avoid significant balance changes in this mod, completely re-balancing light vehicles (Kubel, UC, M3, 222 etc.) isn't practical so disallowing UC Command Vehicles is the best solution for now. Regardless of what you end up doing, adding a munitions cost to the recon plane was a very good change.

It would be nice if Relic had made the aura effects and debuffs depend on the vehicle used. Balancing for edge cases (UC or Comet Command Vehicles for instance) would be much easier.

I couldn't locate the creation of the USF bunker anywhere in the files. Thus, I don't think I can change what the donut base looks like.

that is because it is a pre-placed entity in the worldbuilder, you would have to create a new entity in the worldbuilder and have that call the models and other things, I would look for several separate buildings/units in the mod tools and reference the USF base, if you were to do this. The models have to come from somewhere (and with them their functionality) but I am not entirely sure where it would be in the WB, let alone if it would work, since it seems they removed the ability to de-group the base.

The arrangement of the USF base is saved in "DATA:\art\stamps\aefbasestamp.stamp", and I don't think that can be modified. How about constructing each base building manually? It's not even necessary to use infantry squads for that.

Bug Reporting:
- LT BAR and Captain Bazooka upgrade pop-up informer (left side of screen, just above the minimap) is bugged.
- Tiger call-in requirements say "Requires T4, T4 built."

Ideas:
-OKW Doctrinal Flak: why not make it cost 150MP 60MU? Same cost as a WM MG42 Bunker, but it trades grenade resistance for a 360-degree fire arc.

The arrangement of the USF base is saved in "DATA:\art\stamps\aefbasestamp.stamp", and I don't think that can be modified. How about constructing each base building manually? It's not even necessary to use infantry squads for that.

A stamp is another way of saying object entity group, but it can include everything from height variations, splines, stamps, fx markers... like I said (poorly) there is no known way to unpack a stamp from my knowledge, unless you yourself have made it.

A stamp is another way of saying object entity group, but it can include everything from height variations, splines, stamps, fx markers... like I said (poorly) there is no known way to unpack a stamp from my knowledge, unless you yourself have made it.

But it is possible to make a new one and include it? That might be an option then - if it can be included in a Tuning Pack, that is.

A stamp is another way of saying object entity group, but it can include everything from height variations, splines, stamps, fx markers... like I said (poorly) there is no known way to unpack a stamp from my knowledge, unless you yourself have made it.

What if I could find which entities the Stamp spawns and then invoke a /delete critical on these entities the moment they spawn?

I can very likely do this for the spawned MGs. However, I am not sure what the names of the donut wall sections are. Any help?

Bug Reporting:
- LT BAR and Captain Bazooka upgrade pop-up informer (left side of screen, just above the minimap) is bugged.
- Tiger call-in requirements say "Requires T4, T4 built."

Ideas:
-OKW Doctrinal Flak: why not make it cost 150MP 60MU? Same cost as a WM MG42 Bunker, but it trades grenade resistance for a 360-degree fire arc.

I'll have a look at the Tiger issue as soon as I can (I'm a bit busy this week). The requirement for the tiger should be having both T3 and T4 built (no skipping tiers, that is).

I'll also have a look at the LT/Captain informer thing. This is very highly likely because I copy-pasted stuff to create the Lieutenant upgrade.

I will, at some point try to figure out a fix for the doctrinal flak. First, however, I want to focus on giving players the tools to break down lockdown (e.g., emplacements) before I buff lockdown tools.

Nevertheless, the unit seems doomed:
- It has poor range, meaning that MGs can probably snipe it
- Buff it too much, and it will lock out too much territory from light vehicles
- Keep in mind that out of the 3 factions, Brits is the only one without a mobile mortar. If the doctrinal flak actually becomes decent brits will greatly struggle vs it.

Thx!

I'll have a look at the Tiger issue as soon as I can (I'm a bit busy this week). The requirement for the tiger should be having both T3 and T4 built (no skipping tiers, that is).

I noticed that you needed to build all of the tech structures, it seems to be a simple typo.

I will, at some point try to figure out a fix for the doctrinal flak. First, however, I want to focus on giving players the tools to break down lockdown (e.g., emplacements) before I buff lockdown tools.

Here's an idea to make anti-emplacement play easier: (kudos to Planetsmasher)

- Make the emplacements able to be abandoned. The crew shouldn't be easily hit by direct fire, i.e. small arms, tank cannons, AT guns, but they should be very vulnerable to explosives dropping directly on their heads (artillery, airstrikes) or incendiary munitions, but the emplacement (and the gun) itself would require much more punishment to be destroyed.

- To counteract this, allow British emplacement crews to be able to "De-crew" their emplacement, much like USF vehicle crews can "Bail Out" of their tank. The idea is, that when you come under artillery fire or air attack, you decrew your emplacement, and afterwards, you hop the crew back into the emplacement, and repair the emplacement with your Royal Engineers.

- Also, to avoid "The Joys of Overpopulation," make "Heavy Weapon Crews" take up a large amount of population cap. They could have just 3 men, yet cost 9 population. Also make them as durable as USF vehicle crews (very squishy).

- To make capturing (stealing) British emplacements viable, allow every other faction to do the same thing.