I think fixing this game will take more than adjusting some damage values and price values here and there. I think the problems in the game are due to how factions are designed. The game feels to be designed in a way to make it as easy as possible for all factions to get to late game, and making sure all factions have fairly equivalent tools for all scenarios.
Fuel is spend to tech linearly for basically all factions. The only choice of what to spend fuel on is either: more shitty vehicles, or tech to better vehicles, or wait to spend on vehicle call ins.
There are not enough options to dump fuel into upgrading existing units. All factions are designed around dumping fuel into creating new units, not making an existing army better.
I think more global upgrades would have multiple benefits:
- add more strategic diversity
- help balance infantry combat
For example, for a game that has been out for 5 years, and whose developers have pushed the "we balance to increase strategic diversity" slogan, why then is the only viable soviet strategy seen amongst people who play this game seriously the same T1 + lend lease?
The only obvious option for soviets is to rush T70, and save fuel for sherman. They can be confident in the fact that their Penal squads will get stronger passively as the game goes on. There need not be any thought or decisions put into how will my infantry scale. The infantry will scale, since vet requires 0 skill to gain (just use the squad in combat, and push T when it's unsafe)
Imagine then, if say, instead of balancing conscripts usefulness as the game progresses by changing their vet and rifle damage, you added a global upgrade. Then at all stages of the game, you could have the option to invest in the performance of your units. Are your conscripts performing poorly? Maybe don't spend 80 fuel on another T34 and instead spend 80 fuel to upgrade all conscripts with SVT40s. As the game is right now, all that can be done is keep your conscripts alive, and buy more tanks.
It is so frustrating to me that this is how the game works. All the interesting fuel dump options have been removed too. Elite troops' veterency ability, CAS's fuel to munitions conversion. These were the abilities that made the game interesting. They added the choice between "okay I made a P4, do I make another, or save for Tiger" to, "do I delay my P4 for 5+ minutes to put LMG42s on all my squads".
The balance team, in my opinion, is completely missing their chance to make a mod that turns CoH2 into an interesting game. I feel as if I'm a broken record, and pretty sure I'm just repeating an opinion that's been floating around forever. But how come literally every RTS (SC2, CoH1, AoE franchise) has global upgrades for units, while CoH2 is stuck with only a few, inexpensive options.
I want more options than "build 4-5 grens, give them LMG42 or G43, and keep them alive". Where is the fun in that? Where is the decision making? All wehrmacht games are just "rush P4" or "stay alive till puma". Imagine if you had the options for more global upgrades, like CoH1 had. Veterency upgrades (basically requesting elite troops to assist your combat), global weapon upgrades, more smaller upgrades (group zeal, vet sergeant, AT nades, incendiary nades, base healing, grenades, increased squad sizes, increased veterency gain, decreased unit upkeep). So many options for play to improve an army, rather than expand it.
I feel as long as the game revolves around purchasing tanks, and having all infantry scale into late game via free veterency, and easy to buy, fuel free weapons, the game will forever be riddled with linear play, and limited strategic depth.
TL;DR: game cannot be fixed by adjusting mosin nagant damage and giving cons -50% accuracy at vet. Give the game more global upgrades to fix unit deficits, to give the player more options, open up strategic diversity, and make commanders more interesting.