Things I don't mention are ones I don't want to contend, or are fine in my eyes.
Feel free to discuss/contend with my opinions. I'm learning from this, as well.
Hull Down
To increase the usability of this ability, the following changes have been made
• Cast time from 15 secs to 7.5 secs
• Offensive bonuses removed (defensive bonuses remain)
Keep the offensive bonuses, or leave it as it is. If you remove the offensive bonuses, anyone can just park an AT gun in front of the tank just outside its range and destroy it.
Elite Troops Doctrine
Damage is being greatly reduced on stun grenades to solidify their role as a stun platform.
• Model 24 stun grenade damage from 40 to 5
As it should be.
MORTAR CHANGES
• Damage to garrisons increased from 0.25 to 0.5
Less merit to use/rely on incendiary/WP abilities to deal with garrisons.
120mm Mortar
The 120mm is losing a member of its crew to make it more vulnerable to assaults and to compensate for its ability to operate at one man.
• Squad size reduced from 6 to 5
• Vet 2 20% increase to barrage accuracy removed
• Vet 3 range bonus replaced by 20% increase to barrage accuracy
• Smoke barrage ranged changed to 120
Alternatively, rather than making a 5-man squad in a mostly 6-man faction, you could just increase the minimum crew members to 2. It would serve the same purpose.
Snipers are being adjusted across the board to be more vulnerable to flanks from infantry; the aim time changes will reduce their ability to snap off a shot and soft retreat against incoming threats. To improve anti-garrison tactics, all snipers now benefit from 100% accuracy vs garrisons.
• Retreat received accuracy modifier from 0.4 to 0.65
• Ready aim time increased from 1 to 1.5
• Fixed an issue where the Soviet sniper would be able to return to stealth fast
• Anti-garrison accuracy standardized to 100% for all snipers
Snipers are already fragile when put in any bad spot. Aim time increase does not reflect the cost needed to field a sniper in the first place. I do not agree with the garrison accuracy bonus. If a sniper is firing on a garrison prior to this change, it's already painting itself as a target by being stationary, while having the chance to not deal any damage, prolonging this state, and allowing it to be countered by a mortar.
A number of units have been given additional boosts to their MGs against snipers, increasing the number of mobile counters to these units.The following units’ hull MGs now have a 1.5 accuracy multiplier vs snipers
• USF: Stuart and Greyhound
• British: AEC
• Soviet: T-70
• Wehrmacht: Puma, 222 Armored Car
• OKW: Puma, Panzer II
Unnecessary. These units can already chase the fragile snipers as-is. If they get up-close, the sniper is likely to already be dead before it can retreat.
222 Armored Car
The 222 is receiving a cost and armor adjustment to make it more viable early-mid game and easier to replace in the later stages should it be destroyed.
• Manpower cost reduced from 250 to 200
• Front armour increased from 9 to 14
• Rear armour increased from 4.5 to 7
222s already have shock value by having an autocannon and machinegun. Adding more armor gives it a role overlap with the OKW Luchs, while having better sight range. It also allows it to extend into areas where it would normally be forced away from using rifles. The cheapness makes it spammable, and the intended armor buffs will make it hellish to fight against as UKF.
Panzergrenadiers
Panzergrenadiers are being given increased versatility; cheaper and more accurate panzerschreck will allow an alternative to the Pak40 that can support assaults with smoke grenades.
• Now have access to the Model 24 Smoke Grenade
• Panzerschreck upgrade munitions cost reduced from 120 to 100
• Panzerschreck far accuracy increased from 0.028 to 0.032
Let's make a non-doctrinal, Ost Shock Troops that, while already having a very wide range of utilities via doctrine choice, will also get accuracy buffs to its already potent AT upgrade1!!!1
It's silly to put the shreks that have superior AT performance to most allied handheld AT at the same cost as them.
Brummbar
The Brummbar is having its scatter increased to reduce its squad wiping potential and allow it to better push back multiple squads grouped together.
• Scatter from 2.5/6 to 4.8/7.5
• Bunker buster (vet1 ability) scatter from 2.5/6 to 6.4/7.5
Scatter won't push back multiple squads grouped together. It's the fear of losing a squad. Doubling/tripling its scatter without increasing either its range or rate of fire would just make it underwhelming for the investment needed to field it.
In the first place, a Brummbar will only be built to counter infantry blobs. Increasing scatter would be detrimental in this regard.
Sniper
The Soviet sniper is becoming a 1-man/woman squad similar to the Wehrmacht and British snipers to allow more counter-sniper play from Wehrmacht players and reduce frustrating misses from the Soviet sniper.
• Squad size reduced from 2 to 1
• Camouflage combat reset time from 16 to 10
• Camouflage revert time from 3 to 6
• Hitpoints increased from 64 to 82
• Population increased from 8 to 9
• Ready aim time changed to 1.5
• Cooldown changed to 3.5 (min) - 4 (max)
• Reload duration decreased from 5 to 4.5
• Reload frequency increased from 4 to 9
• Population from 8 to 9
• Out of cover camouflage decloak time increased by 2 seconds
Alternatively, you can choose to increase the price tag of the squad to 400MP OR increase the reinforce cost to 110MP. Losing the 2nd man is equivalent to paying for almost half of a new squad, so this prevents reckless play and spam.
This would keep its identity as the only 2-man sniper squad without changing how it's played.
Katyusha
Reload time between salvos have been increased to give more time for players to react to Katuysha volleys.
• Reload time increased from 2.5 to 3 (delay between each volley in the barrage)
Already the slowest rocket arty to finish its salvo (Excluding the doctrinal land mattress). Dies to a single tank shell, too. This change makes it even more vulnerable to tank dives and counter-artillery mid salvo.
Conscript PPSh
Conscripts are now only upgraded with 2 PPsh’s per squad to reduce their close range lethality, improve counter play and increase reaction time for the opposing player.
• Number of PPSh slot items awarded from 3 to 2
And comparatively make them worse than a Volksgrenadier squad that costs the same amount of munitions and a similar amount of MP for a far better close-medium weapon? To get into CQC range, they already have to approach and take damage. During this, they're vulnerable to machineguns and any CQC weapons Axis has.
PTRS (all variants)
We are lowering the PTRS’ deflection damage to reduce their impact against heavy armoured vehicles when attacking from the front.
• Deflection damage reduced from 20 to 10
PTRS rifles already cost 70 munitions to unlock, unless they're Guards and take up both weapon slots they're purchased for. They hardly do any damage to anything that isn't a light vehicle, too.
Even when spammed, they aren't as efficient as other handheld AT.
Penal Battalions
Given that the AT Satchel no longer cancels when units exit its range, we are reducing its range of activation.
• Targeted satchel charge range reduced from 10 to 5
AT satchels only really work to punish bad tank micro. They're already easily countered by backpedaling any tank. Halving its range is silly when you consider that you have to first unlock the ability for 70 munitions, then pay another 45 munitions to use it.
And, assuming it does land, a smart tank player can just stay close to the squad that threw it and kill some members or wipe the squad out entirely, because it can damage friendly units. Halving the throw range makes using it plain suicidal and anything but economic.
Literally every other faction has far more efficient and far less risky handheld AT options for the same munition price. Just leave it alone.
IL-2 Loiter
The IL-2 Attack Loiter is having its damage reduced to lessen its ability to wipe infantry squads at full health.
• Damage from 5 to 3
• Loiter time for each plane reduced by 3 seconds
One or the other. Alternatively, increase the muni price by 30-50 and retain as-is.
P47 Rocket Attack (Loiter)
We felt the P47 rocket attack was causing too much damage for its cost.
• Damage from 80 to 65
Or just increase the cost.