Trouble playing as Soviets on Langreskaya Winter

On open maps like this and Moscow Outskirts, my typical strategy is to go T1 for a flamer car and 1 or 2 snipers and choose a doctrine with Guards when it's available. If I see a big T2 investment by my opponent, I'll go T3 for a T70 to counter it. Otherwise, I'll go straight to T4.

This usually does pretty will on vanilla Langreskaya, but I'm getting owned on the winter version. I think I've lost all 4 or 5 games I've played on it. I think it's mostly as a result of the lack of mobility and getting pinned constantly.

Any recommended strats or replays?

I usually go 3 conscripts > engineer > 120mm mortar > tier 3 Doctrine= one with guards / mortar / t34/85's. The idea behind the 3 conscripts is pretty straightforward, capping and harassing. I try to use the buildings as much as possible due to their current strength to stall my opponent.

When my first engineer hits depending on where my current one is (like if he's in a nice flanking position) I'll upgrade one of the engies with the flamer upgrade. Once this hits I attack or go for either my opponents fuel or munitions or a cutoff if I can completely route him. Or divert his forces away from his cutoff. I build T2 because I like having one maxim to defend either my resources or use it to attack his resources / claim his resources.

I then try to get the 120mm mortar. You've now got a pretty nice army and I then start laying a lot of mines, this doctrine isn't munitions heavy so you can really spam the crap out of mines as long as you have flamethrowers on both engineers wreacking havoc. The mortar will be your key pivotal unit, defend it well with mines. There's tons of places to hide the mortar and the range is huge. Use it to wreck the enemy Mg's or garrisoned units and then advance with conscripts / flamers.

If you encounter a tier2 flame halftrack lure it into mines, if you need get at grenades and disable it then shoot it with guards or get an AT gun, you've got a few options. If you see a lot of panzer grenadiers maybe another maxim might be helpful or another engineer with flames since they take good damage to flame crits (and like i said the faction isn't munitions heavy so you can really SPAM mines).

I prefer to go tier 3, but I'm sure tier 4 is completely viable, it really depends what you like. I like the mobility of the t-34. The map is already slow paces so I want stuff to reward flanking and aggressive play. With the mortar throwing off defenses, 2-3 flame engineers and conscripts using merge to keep the engineers on the field, you'll probably push your opponent off at some point. Just the key to this strat for me is mines galore. I think I have a replay of a game I JUST played using this so it may be my temp replay. Let me dig it up.

•  
  

  0

  VS

  Knoxxx

  ThumbsUp

  lang winter

  by: ThumbsUp map: Langreskaya Winter

  1

  -

Edit: Obviously this is just a general guideline and there are things that I could've changed like not losing my engineer, getting tier 3 out faster, playing a bit better but hopefully this gives you some ideas .

in the snow version, i suggest get 2-3 M3's with different units inside. That way your army is really mobile and you can just run past the mg's, but watch out for the grenadiers. Another way to deal with this is to get 2 snipers + a mortar combo, you just basically scout for your mortar and try to catch squads that are down to a few guys. Further more, i've had success with katyusha, so going t4 isn't a bad choice either as it locks down heavy t2 play. There are different choices, so by any means, use what you can.

Study the map. The snow can really slow things down. I had some success throwing wire up around my cutoff, and diverting the enemy into more difficult routes. Well worth the cost of a few seconds. The munitions points are strong - good defensive locations from which to launch attacks. Raid and harass to open up the cutoff points. Ownership of that road via the middle VP is crucial... but don't sit there for long. It's a deathtrap.