Don't forget to add SP and 100mp advantage making 4xvolks start basic vs USF. As I stated before Volks are just the tree that hides the forest of balance issues on this matchup.
Then sandbag completely mitigate the difference in dps at long range and flamnde the difference in dps at close range.
Honestly both abilities make early volks way too good vs vanilla riflemen.
Now i also know that removing those abilities would put OKW in jeopardy vs Soviet...
Right. I'm trying to keep it focused around what other people are arguing though. They argue volks are too cost effective, I try to show that that's not the case. I didn't add the sturmpioneer and 100mp advantage because that's not relevant to whether or not volks are too cost effective.
And that's basically the issue, I think: people ARE factoring this stuff in when they say volks are too cost effective. The thing is, that's a sturmpioneer issue then. That's a starting manpower issue then. That's not a volks cost efficiency issue. If volks cost efficiency isn't the problem, then why mess with it? If sturmpioneers and starting manpower are the issue, then thats what you need to be changing.
As for the flamenade/sandbag point you brought up, I'd argue that can lead you to solutions that create more problems. If sandbags are too good, then make them slower to build or get rid of them. If flame nades are too good, then change them somehow. But if we make rifles 260/26 because "sandbags and flamenades mitigate the dps difference" meaning that the two squads should be similar in cost, then you have rifle squads that are hyper efficient in combat capability to cost ratio. Volks will get murdered in combat any time they dont spend munitions or have a defensive position already set up, against a similarly costed unit with similar upkeep. Beyond that, when certain teching is reached, or with certain doctrine choices, volks dont even have that utility advantage.