December Balance Preview

Locking it behind medics is a no-go, as it got already shot down hard during WBP. As a result, FlakHT, which costs 55FU, currently has one of the longest building times in the game.

The hidden cost of rushing FlakHT is that it takes incredibly longer for the player to tech medics. Maybe a soft nerf to FlakHT arrival time is also nerfing the research time of the medic upgrade?

Alternatively, we can make it that the FlakHT setup time is reduced at Vet0, but make it cause less damage at that vet level (e.g., 20-33%). Then, the player would have to reach Vet2 to be able to enjoy the same amount of firepower as old vet2.

Exchange the defensive smoke with the setup time?

A lower setup and less damage sounds appropriate. As long as It can't get out dpsed by vehicles it presently kills 1v1 when setup I think It will improve the units usability.

ex. if aa ht or a scout car with ptrs guys in it can walk up and kill it, the unit will be too weak, but other than that it will be able to help win fights more easily while not inflicting as much bleed

Exchange the defensive smoke with the setup time?

removing the defensive smokes would be too fat of a nerf.

What smith said, decrease setup time and nerf the damage (and re obtain the firepower through vet) seems like a good idea

and the damage on explosvies and offmap are better for cost on allies than axis grenades and commanders why...??

Bugs
-The para supports when upgrade with bazookas do not have hold fire
-The un-upgrade WC51 still is called w/ 50 cal
-The WC51 gunner appears when the truck is garrisoned while un-upgrade
-The Sherman (76) is missing skins. 11, 12, 13, 15, 16

Suggestions
Ostheer's Supply drop
Instead of a PaK 40 how about a Pak 36. I made a quick demonstration to show what I mean


It is exactly the same as the M42 but both receiving some buffs.
Damage increased to 120 from 80 (a bit different in the video)
-this would make 400 health units die in 4 hits while 640 health die in 6.
-The veterancy one ability as shown would snare an engine like a faust but only doing 100 damage does not change the number of hits till dead afterwards.

USF's Mechanized
Overall the changes were good but I do not like a couple things. The added utility of the WC51 mark target and the desired 155mm off map just feels out of place and a way to add more commander ability past five. Additionally, the M3 is still competing with the ambulance while a sturdier option I think I have a good alternative to both. Why not make the WC51 more similar to Ostheer's 250 call in?

WC51 Assault Group
One WC51 with a loaded Assault Engineer is called into the battlefield
The WC51 can be upgrade with one of two upgrades
-50cal
-Forward OP

• Removes the ability to garrison units
  
• Gains additionally utility abilities
  
  • Mark target
    
  • 155mm?
    
  • Smoke?
    
  • resource gather/steal?
    
  • Forward Reinforce?
    
  • Medpacks?
    
  
  
• Uses the canvas animator
  

this could for the allowance of adjusting the 250 call ins as well

With the lack of skins for the Sherman (76) and the mortar half track in the experimental stage, I have an even more experimental idea that could replace both.


M7 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage
This is different than the M7B1 Priest for this is a direct fire support unit and is historically accurate. Or at least accurate enough for CoH2. The unit should preform similarly of a combination of a SU 76 and the Brumbar. It has good anti-infantry while still able to damage medium tanks with at least direct hits.

The main gun is similar to the Brumbar except for the following.

-Range is increased to 55 from 40
-Unable to fire on the move

The MG damage is equal to the M20 to provide additional fire support
The armor is the same as the priest (60) but the health is increased to 400 from 320 for increase resilience.

M7 105 mm Howitzer Motor Carriage
This is different than the M7B1 Priest for this is a direct fire support unit and is historically accurate. Or at least accurate enough for CoH2. The unit should preform similarly of a combination of a SU 76 and the Brumbar. It has good anti-infantry while still able to damage medium tanks with at least direct hits.

The main gun is similar to the Brumbar except for the following.

-Range is increased to 55 from 40
-Unable to fire on the move

The MG damage is equal to the M20 to provide additional fire support
The armor is the same as the priest (60) but the health is increased to 400 from 320 for increase resilience.

It is confusing. Why not using M4A3(105)?

It is confusing. Why not using M4A3(105)?

Just to make it different, so Armor and Mechanized feel different as well as making it more thematically correct. Why make them have the same destination for when it can be different? The two units would have pros and cons. One has more range while the other has more armor. M4(105) would be a an smg, the M7 would be a sniper, and the M7B1 would be a mortar if were to give it a "relative infantry comparison."

Do you prefer a s-mine-laying-like ability, or do you prefer the detonate-on-landing variant that we have? We can also make it half-and-half so that explosions will alert the opponent that a minedrop happened somewhere around that area.

Cluster bombs currently lack a proper AoE and act like mini-stuka-dive-bombs from the live version (aka, all or nothing).

Having it as a area denial mine carpet would be much more interesting and useful. But ideally it would need to have some kind of tell, so that it isn't too frustrating to play against.

Would it be possible to make one or two of the mines visible? So that anyone paying attention could notice them. Or like you say perhaps have a very loud sound alert when being dropped, to give some warning.

Mechanized Company is certainly a lot better. But the lack of a call-in makes it feel fairly limited in certain situations.
Maybe swap the mortar halftrack for an artillery call-in?

Mechanized Company is certainly a lot better. But the lack of a call-in makes it feel fairly limited in certain situations.
Maybe swap the mortar halftrack for an artillery call-in?

Remove Mortar HT and give back the 155mm.

The main gun is similar to the Brumbar except for the following.

-Range is increased to 55 from 40
-Unable to fire on the move

The MG damage is equal to the M20 to provide additional fire support
The armor is the same as the priest (60) but the health is increased to 400 from 320 for increase resilience.

I like the idea of having this as a replacement for the mortar ht. However, there might be too much overlap with the scott, which would have identical survivability (actually 10 more armour but at that low level it does not matter), more range and better mobility.

Remove Mortar HT and give back the 155mm.

Or go with AE's idea and have the sherman 76 be a muni upgrade for the normal sherman that increases it's pen to 150 and the rate of fire to the level of the 76 in exchange for the HE shells. Make it cost 70-100 munitions. That way the doctrine still has some muni sinks with the two upgrades to the sherman.

Or go with AE's idea and have the sherman 76 be a muni upgrade for the normal sherman that increases it's pen to 160 and the rate of fire to the level of the 76 in exchange for the HE shells. Make it cost 70-100 munitions. That way the doctrine still has some muni sinks with the two upgrades to the sherman.

While the 75 and 105 are the same entity with different animators the 76 is a separate entity so this is not possible.

I like the idea of having this as a replacement for the mortar ht. However, there might be too much overlap with the scott, which would have almost identical survivability, more range and better mobility.

It would overlap with the scott. Speaking which, the scott just comes out way too late. Moving it to a doctrine for 5-6 cps could actually be a buff to it for a better timing.

While the 75 and 105 are the same entity with different animators the 76 is a separate entity so this is not possible.

Shame, but I feared that that might be the case, then again, the upgrade could be non-visual then and just provide the stat improvements suggested. Maybe there are some additional objects, similar to the way the t34s now have them, that could be added to separate versions visually somehow.

Shame, but I feared that that might be the case, then again, the upgrade could be non-visual then and just provide the stat improvements suggested.

There is a possibility of different ammo such as heat or sabot, but the Jackson already has that. Anyways the Sherman main gun is actually quite good. When fighting armor it has identical stats to the Cromwell gun and the Sherman 76/M4c pen is only 10 more.

There is a possibility of different ammo such as heat or sabot, but the Jackson already has that. Anyways the Sherman main gun is actually quite good. When fighting armor it has identical stats to the Cromwell gun and the Sherman 76/M4c pen is only 10 more.

That actually surprised me the first time I went to to coh stats to look it up, made me realize the real issue is that the sherman needs an actual armor upgrade that costs munitions. Would reinforce its role with the jackson to. Sherman for medium battle tanks Jacksons for heavies only.

There is a possibility of different ammo such as heat or sabot, but the Jackson already has that. Anyways the Sherman main gun is actually quite good. When fighting armor it has identical stats to the Cromwell gun and the Sherman 76/M4c pen is only 10 more.

I kind of like this idea of giving Shermans HEAT ammo better than giving Mechanized Lend-Lease copy-paste. The new commander just feels cumbersome when you're choosing between two different tanks with bulldozer upgrade vs. M4C when both have similar roles and stats. I honestly don't know if 10 more pen and better(??) Vet would ever justify building M4C and sacrificing HE shells. I mean, Bulldozer Sherman with HEAT ammo might be pretty OP (5 hits to kill AND better damage) so the HEAT ammo might have to be mutually exclusive with the bulldozer upgrade but I think it makes for a better commander if balanced.

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but how many playercards?

There is a possibility of different ammo such as heat or sabot, but the Jackson already has that. Anyways the Sherman main gun is actually quite good. When fighting armor it has identical stats to the Cromwell gun and the Sherman 76/M4c pen is only 10 more.

Definatley didn't realize that the Pen was so close but the reload on the M4c is much better

at vet 0 its 4.5~ seconds on M4c and M4a3 is 6~
at vet 3 its 2.4~ seconds on M4c and M4a3 is 4.6~

Basically the M4c fires almost twice as fast at vet 3, which is why its good vs armor. Its also incrementally faster. That is with soviet veterancy and not including radio net.

It would be nice to have a 76mm variant but i think the stats could be adjusted to better differentiate them if both stay in mechanized.

Bugs
-The para supports when upgrade with bazookas do not have hold fire
-The un-upgrade WC51 still is called w/ 50 cal
-The WC51 gunner appears when the truck is garrisoned while un-upgrade
-The Sherman (76) is missing skins. 11, 12, 13, 15, 16

We'll try to fix those issues. What can we do about skins though? I'm not familar with them. Which skins are those?