Time to Expand Halftrack Capabilities? - Support Weapons

Modded games allow for this, and even then the half track gets melted by basically any armour

Sure, but that's not the point. It is weak, it should die against basically any armour. But currently it is either you can reinforce your troops which is meh because in the heat of the battle most (not top 100) players are not able to micro refreshing everything at once, keeping your troops in cover and also keep your halftrack moving to dodge shots without making it turn 180 degrees OR getting flamers.

The flame halftrack currently has a very very short timespan where it is effective. If I build it then I do that to get Brits out of houses or to burn down emplacements. But usually at the same time as the flame halftrack is upgraded, the first AECs or a USF captain arrive. Against sovs it is useless either way because of their large squad sizes.

So if I have a flame halftrack that survived minute 10, I usually forget about it, because if I tried to burn anything, it would die in seconds because of all the AT inf and armor. But its other use, refreshing troops on the front (which is needed as Ostheer because of no front retreat points) is not possible once you upgrade the flamers.

I've often wished halftracks could be used more (especially on big maps) to actually transport troops. I wonder if reducing the time it takes to enter and exit HTs could be decreased without it being abused somehow.

Not sure if this is is doable but what if they made troops take longer to unload in combat, like usf vehicle crews? And then they could make load and unload times out of combat much shorter.

Well unload times are pretty much instant in my experience so I doubt the need to be shortened. Load times however can FEEL like a long time, especially in the heat of battle and also make the Halftrack stop momentarily.

An update on my efforts to expand my Halftrack tactics. I have used Support Weapons for the Wehrmacht Halftrack and it certainly makes a significant difference to have more freedom to move. However, there are still the set up times for MG42s that can be a limiting factor.

I would recommend placing Panzer Grenadiers in the halftrack with it for reasonable support. Though it would be nice if it had three slots since it has no open top on it and Ostheer squads are small.

Mortars, especially when there's two, certainly do benefit more than the MG42 does since you'd want to unload at a good distance as opposed to close to the fight. Though this means the Halftrack will be their only support so vigilance is required to make sure the enemy doesn't get too close.

As for open top Halftracks, I find the British can utilize them better than their Allied counterparts. Their regular infantry can fire faster and accurately, even on the move, when garrisoned inside. Bren Guns obviously benefit a lot too from this.

Not to mention that Royal Engineers are not only capable close quarter fighters, they can still equip two Vickers MGs (Three is you go Heavy Engineers). Unloading them close to enemy weapons teams can be extremely deadly. Couple that with their ability to repair the Halftracks and build forward emplacements and they make a must have unit on board.

I have also tried using them with Hammer Tactics and they are still potent then too since you have Emergency War Speed to close in faster or get away. It has also gave me more opportunities to use the Gammon Bomb and... Sigh... It's a waste of 75 Munitions... It not only has a long fuse but lacks any real punch against emplacements and Resource Caches. There's also the issue that unloading Infantry Sections (Even with Brens) close to the enemy and using a Gammon Bomb isn't as effective as Sappers with Vickers equipped. But then, I haven't tried it against a Garrisoned enemy yet.

All and all though, I have a great appreciation for Halftracks now. I would love to see more people use them.

Sure, but that's not the point. It is weak, it should die against basically any armour. But currently it is either you can reinforce your troops which is meh because in the heat of the battle most (not top 100) players are not able to micro refreshing everything at once, keeping your troops in cover and also keep your halftrack moving to dodge shots without making it turn 180 degrees OR getting flamers.

There is a solution for those with Gamer's Mice (Like me). I have a button that's on the side of my Mouse that I have registered as the hotkey "U". I just press that and then click on the direction I want to go and it will reverse every time. I recommend it since it decreased my pathing headaches by a lot!

Something I've been thinking about: Just because people don't use HTs doesn't mean they couldn't be used effectively, both for on-field reinforcement as well as transporting/supporting troops around the map. Think of the halftrack as a vehicle like the T70 that has more utility and less direct combat effectiveness: It still lets you win fights on the flanks, but also can support your main force better than a light vehicle in some ways.

I suspect the issue is there is an APM burden that might, frankly, go beyond the skill level of even the best players in the community currently. Hell, I see many of the top 10 players not using control groups, even when they have multiple vehicles. I don't think there can be any debate that having to click or drag select units in battle is far less than ideal. I don't know if any professional RTS gamers in any popular game would ever play without control groups (unless you were playing Zerg in SCBW).

Indeed, I understand what you are saying. You really can't expect to pull this strategy off well enough unless you can use control groups and know some hot keys. But I took time to learn it and I'm glad I did.

On a related note, it would be nice if the hotkeys for each ability were simplified. They are a total mess right now.

If playing the UKF or USF, "D" would normally let you throw Grenades for your Infantry. Yet if you play the Soviet Union, "E" would be the Hotkeys for your Guard's or Shock's Grenades, Penel Battalion's Satchel Charge. Move to the Conscripts and their Molotov Cocktail is at "V".

Or you take AT Options. Conscripts AT Grenades is set to "E", Ostheer's Panzerfaust is set for "F", UKF's AT Grenades (From Special Weapons Regiment) is set for "N", far from the other keys!

Those are just some of the things that come to mind. It would be nice it we could get a patch that assigns Hotkeys based on where they are in a unit's toolbar as opposed to the mess we have now.

Hey, just discovered something pretty cool! It seems that when you use Commandos with the Unupgraded Universal Carrier, their Ambush Bonus kicks in upon disembarking. Makes for some nice, quick assassinations.