Ægion's Experimental Balance Changes MKIII

Hello everyone. Here is my new mod.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=1162546960

The purpose of this mod primarily to level out factional differences and enable alternative strategies to allow more unique a different game play from game to game. There are a lot of doctrinal and non doctrinal changes in-order to buff/neff/reworked abilities to actually useful and reasonable. I would like to hear yours all feed back.


General
Show Spoiler


Soviets

Show Spoiler


Ostheer

Show Spoiler


USF

Show Spoiler


OKW

Show Spoiler
UKF

Show Spoiler




Standard Infantry
While everything is still rough, I attempted to level out scaling with all infantry in mind
-Soviets now has the Commissar and penals have been nerfed so thier pacing should be good.
-USF's BARs are now doctrinal so their long range damage spike has been quelled while Thompson will still allow good damage up close
-Ostheer's Grenadiers with G43s will no longer A move everywhere and enable them to fight at mid and close range more effectivly
-OKW's Volks will have to rely on their veterancy to help carrier them to the late game instead of the poorly implemented STG upgrade.
-UKF's Infantry section's Target Size has been reduced so and five man squad upgrade has been redone which this should bring them more in line with the other factions

Engineers
-Ostheer and Soviets Engineers were once weak and not impact outside of cheese but now they are.
-Rear Echelon can no longer be LMG carriers but now five man squad is back at Vet 2 and their price reduced they can be SMG carriers now.
-Sturmpioneers are no longer the starting unit so these guys can not rush into optimal positions
-Royal Engineers can now get their own medic so now they can do some on field healing on themselves and on teams.

Initial Light Vehicles
With Snares range reduced and the 222 no longer comes with the auto cannon, Light Vehicles should be able to see more play
-Thier health is 240 and their armor is more normalized to around 3 so they are more reasonable to fight rather than RNG penetration.


Forward Retreat Points
While I do believe there needs to be adjustments for now I added FRP to Ostheer and Soviets. Additionally with the general long Range damage changes, MGs should work better against any blobs
-The Commissar has the same retreat point like the Major but this means not being able to use his other abilities
-The Ostheer Command Bunker has the Forward Retreat point but costing 100 of their valuable munitions now is a big strain.
-Lieutenant tech now researches faster and a little cheaper, making the M2BH HMG more accessible making blobs easier to deal with
-The same can go for OKW with how the initial research works. This will all MG34s to come out sooner




If you spot any bugs or I forgot to add anything please let me know. Please post the bugs here: https://www.coh2.org/topic/64205/%C3%86gion-s-experimental-balance-changes-mkiii

Some interesting changes. OKW truck upgrade look good and I like the idea of officer for UKF which fit them even thematically.

So other fast comments on other changes.

Snares
Snares range is normalized at 10 to allow vehicle more freely on the field

This actually give an advantage to soviet since they can use "ourah"

It also make armored car and and light vehicles allot more difficult to counter giving an advatage to allies.

I personally find light cars play bad because the can disrupt early infantry balance allot. (for instance m3 with flamers or WC with flamer in your mode).

Imo this is a bad change.

T1
Penals
In the current state, Penals are over performing with their timing. Their range DPS per model is about equal to a USF's Riflemen and with the New Commissar they would be over powered. I decided to make them more into a Riflemen clone to Match Performance with other factions.
-Squad size decreased from 6 to 5
-Cost Changed from 300 to 270
-Target Size changed from 1 to .97

Making Penal riflemen clones solves little issues since they still have allot more powerful vet bonuses and the faction is complete differently designed. As a mainline infantry riflemen are designed to be OP and other faction should not have early access to such powerful infantry.

ISU 152
-HE rounds Removed
-AP rounds are now equal the Elephant
-Secure Mode Removed
-Vet 1: World Piercing Round

Imko this is also a mistake cloning elephant will make Soviet OP since axis have less tool to deal with while they are producing more expensive armor. Armor is supposed the stong point of axis nullifying that advantage will make the weak.

T1

Grenadiers
-G43s and LMG 42s have been swapped

This change also messes with design and relative positioning since axis infantry are design to be good long range while allied mid to close.

222
222s then to be instant death with its auto cannon for the initial light vehicles. This lets them be seen less and less so now it comes out un-upgraded.

Having to invest mu on the 222 to counter only light car will make the unit not worth it, especially with puma acess. Shreck would be a better investment

Greyhound
-Damage increased from 60 to 80
-Comes upgraded with armored skirts
-Vet one ability replaced with Valentine Observation mode

Unlimited number of units that can both fight and use mini radar will probably prove problematic. the IRHT is an issues as is.

It also make armored car and and light vehicles allot more difficult to counter giving an advatage to allies.

I personally find light cars play bad because the can disrupt early infantry balance allot. (for instance m3 with flamers or WC with flamer in your mode).

The Soviet Flamethrower requires the "Infantry Package" upgrade at the HQ. (The molotov, AT grenade Combo) This should cut down on M3 scout car combo. If not, I can alawys increase the research time. The effective range of the PPSHs is not that good so they would need to jump out to properly engage.
The WASP Universal Carrier, I may have forgot to mention it requires 2 Command Points, which around this time AT guns may be out or could be out so this should be fine.

Also, I have traded armor for health so these units can be reasonablely be taken down with rifle fire.

Making Penal riflemen clones solves little issues since they still have allot more powerful vet bonuses and the faction is complete differently designed. As a mainline infantry riflemen are designed to be OP and other faction should not have early access to such powerful infantry.

Trying to balance penals can be quite hard. You can not have them overlap with other units or else they would over shadow them. Conscripts act like a reserve unit, guard are long range, and shocks are close range. What my idea is for them is to make them a mid range fighter. Riflemen are an excellent example of a mid range fighter. The penal rifle has not changed so model per model, penals long range damage is similar to a riflemen, but they do not have the same close range damage. I could change back their target size to 1 so they are still weaker than riflemen. Additionally. I could rework the satchel charge as well.

http://www.stat.coh2.hu/squad.php?filename=riflemen_squad_mp
http://www.stat.coh2.hu/squad.php?filename=penal_battalion_mp

Imko this is also a mistake cloning elephant will make Soviet OP since axis have less tool to deal with while they are producing more expensive armor. Armor is supposed the stong point of axis nullifying that advantage will make the weak.

I have been thinking how to adjust armor next. The panzer 4 is probably the smallest of medium tanks. Why not reduce its target size, or for at least the Ostheer version?

And with snare ranges reduced, The ISU 152 can be flanked more easily because the tanks have more room to maneuver.

This change also messes with design and relative positioning since axis infantry are design to be good long range while allied mid to close.

The idea here is to prevent A moving around and to reduce long range damage. Mainline infantry with good long range damage means doctrinal elite infantry, such as commandos and shock troops have less room to work with when fighting making these doctrines less desirable.

Unlimited number of units that can both fight and use mini radar will probably prove problematic. the IRHT is an issues as is.

The main gun damage was defiantly necessary, but perhaps instead of radar maybe mini-map blips of something like the Live Tank Hunter Infantry Section or Increase sight mode like the T70?

Trying to balance penals can be quite hard. You can not have them overlap with other units or else they would over shadow them. Conscripts act like a reserve unit, guard are long range, and shocks are close range. What my idea is for them is to make them a mid range fighter. Riflemen are an excellent example of a mid range fighter. The penal rifle has not changed so model per model, penals long range damage is similar to a riflemen, but they do not have the same close range damage. I could change back their target size to 1 so they are still weaker than riflemen. Additionally. I could rework the satchel charge as well.

http://www.stat.coh2.hu/squad.php?filename=riflemen_squad_mp
http://www.stat.coh2.hu/squad.php?filename=penal_battalion_mp

Thanks for reading and responding to my post.

Imo Penal as an elite infantry is wrong as a concept since since the faction has access to doctrinal elite infantry and one run the risk of the "riflemen syndrome". (although most USF elite infantry are great they see little use due to the effectiveness of Penals)

My suggestion for Penal has been for a cheap offensive infantry which suits the unit thematically and faction factional. One then would have to redesign conscripts as a defensive unit.

Then their will be enough room for both units.

Royal Engineers
...
-no longer have access to destroy cover seeing it can destroy barb wire too early in the game
...

Destroy cover is actually essential since it clears areas for emplacement positioning. The ability is truly OP but unless one find another way of emplacement building not being blocked by word objects it is necessary.

It could require sweepers or have some cost or longer CD but imo it needed or one could make wire immune to the damage.

Wait, how in god's name did you make the USF fighting position be able to take in mortars?

I tried adding mortar teams to it's "inside" option or whatever and it didn't work, or did you find a work-around?

Wait, how in god's name did you make the USF fighting position be able to take in mortars?

I tried adding mortar teams to it's "inside" option or whatever and it didn't work, or did you find a work-around?

Rather than have mortars garrison inside of the position, this is my replacement mortar position for the Mortar Emplacement. Instead of big and power emplacements, I am going for smaller, weaker, and cheaper emplacments so they have less impact but more expendable. This is how I made the Mortar Position

1. Clone the USF fighting position.

2. Add the Mortar Emplacement's crew, and cut out loader/gunner 2

3. Go ahead and add the weapons and abilities to the mortar position and delete the weapon (not the hardpoint) all of mortar 2

4. Change the construction_ext on construction squad to your desired squad

5. Go to and extract the USF Fighting position .ABP file

6. On the .ABP file I added this:
"..\\..\\..\\common\\vehicles\\syncpoint\\syncpoint",
"..\\..\\..\\british\\weapons\\3in_mortar\\3in_mortar",

I think is what I only did, other than editing the weapons. I can not really remember for its been a bit since I made that part for my mod. For Garrisoning the position you may need to add the weapons to the .abp file?

Destroy cover is actually essential since it clears areas for emplacement positioning. The ability is truly OP but unless one find another way of emplacement building not being blocked by word objects it is necessary.

It could require sweepers or have some cost or longer CD but imo it needed or one could make wire immune to the damage.

With the mortar position smaller and the fact that bofors and 17 pounders are out in the open anyways, I figured, I could move the ability doctrinal to the Demolition Engineers.

Rather than have mortars garrison inside of the position, this is my replacement mortar position for the Mortar Emplacement. Instead of big and power emplacements, I am going for smaller, weaker, and cheaper emplacments so they have less impact but more expendable. This is how I made the Mortar Position

1. Clone the USF fighting position.

2. Add the Mortar Emplacement's crew, and cut out loader/gunner 2

3. Go ahead and add the weapons and abilities to the mortar position and delete the weapon (not the hardpoint) all of mortar 2

4. Change the construction_ext on construction squad to your desired squad

5. Go to and extract the USF Fighting position .ABP file

6. On the .ABP file I added this:
"..\\..\\..\\common\\vehicles\\syncpoint\\syncpoint",
"..\\..\\..\\british\\weapons\\3in_mortar\\3in_mortar",

I think is what I only did, other than editing the weapons. I can not really remember for its been a bit since I made that part for my mod. For Garrisoning the position you may need to add the weapons to the .abp file?



With the mortar position smaller and the fact that bofors and 17 pounders are out in the open anyways, I figured, I could move the ability doctrinal to the Demolition Engineers.

Yeah my idea was to have it be a garrisonable emplacement for MGs and Mortars as well as regular infantry, not just as a mortar emplacement as you've done it.

But thanks for the headsup tho.