Doctrine Touchups: Really Long List

So if Relic actually follows through on the community vote, next thing we'll be seeing is some much needed doctrine touching-up for EFA. While I have no fucking clue how that won out over USF mortar and light vehicle meta as "important", might as well role with it. I've collected a bunch of ideas from some of my other posts and compiled them, including WFA and UKF commanders so hopefully Relic will realize its not just the EFA that's screwed. Feedback's appreciated, especially on certain changes like the ISU/Elephant.

Soviets
Show Spoiler

Ostheer
Show Spoiler

Ele/ISU overhaul
Show Spoiler

USF
Show Spoiler

OKW
Show Spoiler

UKF
Show Spoiler

Ostheer Trenches need to be tougher.

Like all these ideas, except the goliath one

I really don't want recon pathfinders to become like airborne. I love the idea of dedicated sneaky scouts. They just have to become actually good at it. Better camo, or a slow moving camo like brits had in alpha would make them much more cool and unique.

Buffing the non-meta things with raw stats can be problematic:
- Buffing some of the neglected stuff enough will make them enter the meta
- This means more variables you need to account for when balancing
- This is already a huge headache right now with non-linear teching
- Not to mention the debate about whether doctrinal stuff should be more efficient than non-doctrinal stuff (to make doctrines more attractive, and more defining), or less efficient than them (to promote an integration of doctrinal stuff into non-doctrinal stuff)

In my opinion, the easiest way to address the vast majority of out-of-meta units is to simply add side-utility to them. Sure, competitive players will continue to shun said doctrines/units/abilities. However, those might still find some use in the hands of virtuoso players (e.g., Redwings).

Or at least, some of those niche units will find use in 4v4, where discovering awkward combinations of units is the only way to remain sane (after you've grown bored of the Arty-Party meta).

Having redundant units/abilities is not bad per-se. As long as the redundant abilities at least have an edge over the more meta abilities.

For instance:

1. Greyhound

If somebody would replace Greyhound's canister shot with a Cromwell-like smoke shell, I would be eternally grateful. Sure, the greyhound would remain a crappy combat unit. USF has already so much smoke in their hands. However, now the Greyhound can maybe, be used to subtitute Riflemen smoke to provide it for the Paratroopers (which lack smoke).

2. Anvil Churchill.

Stats-wise it's solid. However, it's still useless. Reduce/remove the smoke projector moving penalty and suddenly the Churchill becomes a tank-tactician's tank. Rework its grenade so that it's less wipey, but it can fire on-the-move, and now, suddenly, you have a reason to rebuild that tank for the late-game.

3. Paratroopers.

Both doctrines revolve around the availability of team weapons in a faction that has to make a choice between the MG and the AT gun. Make it worth it: allow paratrooper-manned weapons to reinforce near beacons. Boom; fixed.

4. Recon paras (special mention)
Make them drop earlier (4 CPs; it's paras and an AT gun ffs), but without weapons. That way you can pre-plan your army composition. No need to let a dice roll determine that for you.

5. WC-51
The unit is crappy for a purpose; it's the withdraw and refit cheese. Get rid of the ability (which is only ever useful in conjunction with WC-51), and reduce the price. If it's performance becomes an issue turn the MG into a munitions upgrade. Presto.

Most of the other stuff is about adjusting the cost of those abilities to mirror other factions. That's trivial to do.

The big puzzles for me though are:

1. UKF Sextons vs base howitzers

What to do with UKF arty doctrine. In theory, UKF has non-doc base howitzers artillery. In practice it's more cost-efficient to tech Mills bombs and start throwing them blindly in cover, hoping you will kill a stealthed sniper. Even then, you will have more chance hitting something.

If the arty becomes viable (maybe hiked in price too), that will probably make Sextons even less desirable (since they cost so much popcap). Then it also becomes a question of what the Arty Doctrine is supposed to help with.

My idea for base howitzers (I've already implemented this, but I will release it as part of a bigger package in the QoL mod.

Stats:
- QF25 explosive stats mirrored to Sexton (this means both AoE and penetration)
- Delay between flare and firing increased to 15 seconds. This is to guarantee that both howitzers will perfectly synchronize their shots.
- Airburst shells reworked so that they pepper their damage around (in a random fashion) rather than either completely wipe everything, or completely miss everything (same as demo charges in my mod in the currently released version)
- On the topic of airburst shells. They now fire at irregular times (between 5 and 15 seconds) and with big scatter (20 or so), to make them unpredictable to dodge.
- Scatter reduced slightly. Moreover, scatter no longer depends on whether you retain vision of the flare (ffs!!!)
- After the barrage (which lasts 6 shots - or 45 seconds after the first shot), The hotizers will fire some smoke shells to cover an advance.

The way to launch this
- 60 munitions
- 45 range (innacurate, fired with a flare gun)
- No longer available to the sniper (can only launch it with Tommies or forward assembly)

On the topic of the 15 second delay:
- This is absolutely necessary so that both howitzers always perfectly synchronize their shots. When they do, and there's also an airburst shell dropping about the same time, it looks absolutely scary.
- Scatter is big and the barrage takes long. Now, with decent damage it will be an excellent area denial tool
- Moreover, if you expect an enemy push, you can fire the flare preemptively behind, say, a sight blocker. The howitzers will open fire long after the flare has vanished from the map. That way you can use it to surprise your enemy.

On the topic of smoke shells:
- The ability depends on the tech level of the player. There is no way 6 shells will ever be worth 60 munitions. Nor will it ever be fair that the amount of firepower given should ever cost than 60 munitions when the player is fully teched.
- Smoke is there to, primarily, make the artillery worthwhile when using it for early (pre-cromwell) infantry pushes

On the topic of 45-range:
- With huge scatter, the only way to make the ability useful in an offensive push is to fire it BEHIND the enemy's first line of defence. Thus, the buff isn't that big
- I changed the launcher to a flare gun, because a 45-range nade toss would look ludicrous

2. Vehicle crews gimmick vs Elite Vehicle crews

Vehicle crews get all the utility they need when they hit Vet1; super-glue repairs and back in. Ironically, they vet so fast that hitting a mine will give them half the XP needed to get to Vet1.

Before we even begin thinking of making elite vehicle crews useful, we should consider how to make vehicle crew meaningful:
- Give them a higher vet-cap (same as stuart, for instance)
- Turn superglue into a 4-second cast
- Make their vet revolve around decrewing (e.g., faster jump out at vet2, more criticals repaired at vet3)
- Give non-vehicle-crew drivers (e.g., RE's) an XP penalty when driving the vehicle (to prevent powerleveling).
- Maybe give crews a high popcap (e.g., 9-10 to prevent USF decrew cheese). The latter provided officers/ambulance cost less popcap.

Then, the way for Elite Crews to be useful is as follows:
- Adjust the munitions cost to make it affordable, but not too affordable (e.g., 60 munitions)
- Ability should give XP boost to vehicle crews (carries over to vehicle vet), on the order of 10-20%, while inside the car
- While outside the car, the ability could give a very big XP gain (on the order of 100%); vehicle crews can't fight a prolonged fight anyway, and thompsons are short-range

3. KV-1

The Soviet armoured roster is extremely highly-populated as is.

Stock armour needs to perform well to keep the faction afloat. At the same time, their stock armour is already generalist enough. Thus, doctrinal armour only has room to add flavour. Thus, KV-1 really struggles for some breathing room:
- IS-2 is the best allied meat-shields atm. It's also pretty manouverable. There's no room for #2
- KV-2 is a great mobile howitzer. It needs a bit of help with its artillery calculation, and then it will become a huge menace
- ISU-152. Long range AI death machine; provided there's no elevation. Tweaking the right parameter on the projectile of HE shells will help fix that
- T-34/85: T-34/76's beefier brother. Fast, reliable, generalist. Also, underpriced.

I don't think there's much space left for KV-1 as is. What's worse I can't really think of any utility KV-1 could bring to the table so that it could even, remotely, fullfill a niche role. The commander's ability roster also doesn't help:
- B4; which is meant to be an ML-20/Pak-43 hybrid (even for B4, I have some ideas how to fix)
- For Mother Russia, which is a very respectable infantry buff for a faction that now got penals

To me, KV-1 looks like a lost cause. What was this tank supposed to be good for, IRL, provided Soviets can access IS-2 at the same time?

To make the long story short, if something looks exotic people will still use it, and they will love using it. That is no matter how unviable a unit/build-order is.

Penals were still quite popular until their satchel charge bug, even though they were notoriously inefficient. Only when their charge broke (and thus, their only unique ability) did they completely begin to whither. Even before their buff, Partisans were still used, if only to get cool points.

Maybe make it a KV-1 command tank?

UKF

Show Spoiler

--fixed

The permanent recon plane for the UKF command vehicle should have a cost or cooldown.

Best solution for soviet defense tac would be combining Tank traps and mines into 1 ability (wierd how OKW has in one ability plenty of passive upgrades) and giving it KV-2.

Defensive tacts with KV-2 would make sense at least.

Give the poor Riflemen their flamethrowers!

Anything that is going to make that narrow meta wider is good for the game and welcome, even if that means faction imballance