Answering questions regarding 1v1

Just as a heads up for any new/medium level players I will be answering some questions over on reddit.

https://www.reddit.com/r/CompanyOfHeroes/comments/a9qc6w/ask_1v1_related_questions/

Good stuff.

well done

What about nuubs?

Could we ask you questions on this thread too? I’m too lazy to make a reddit account.

Could we ask you questions on this thread too? I’m too lazy to make a reddit account.

Sure!

Sure!

Alright here goes then:

Just reading a bit on the reddit thread, I saw you think pretty highly of the USF AAHT. I don't tend to build it a lot just because I feel like it's a little clunky to use in 1v1s and I would guess it's because I'm more used to stuff like the stuart and t70 and luchs and aec (so light tanks I guess). Do you have any tips on just general usage in terms of how you position it and what you're doing with it strategically?

How do you make conscripts function most effectively in infantry fights? I guess that's a pretty broad question so any advice on conscripts use would be great.

Thanks for taking the time to do all this.

I got a good question, but it's subjective I suppose. I know a good chunk of unit stats, and I know how most things work, or should because this game is RNG based. After playing for a few years, I cannot really determine what separates the absolute top players from top 150. Sure there's better micro, faster reaction time, and things like that, but there isn't anything that pros do substantially better than those in top 150. The counters are there for both parties, and many of them know how to handle multiple engagements.

Top players like Luvnest, when you watch them play via twitch are very quick around the map and that's how they maintain their engagements. Other top players like yourself and VonIvan are rather casual checking around the map, but you still maintain dominance over your opponet. I simply conclude this as you knowing how to support your army very well and are very good at macro game. Keeping your resource use at optimal and taking the best engagements possible.

So my question is, where would top 150 players learn types of things such as this. How do you know when tactical blobbing is appropriate, instead of proglonged 1 on 1 engagements with infantry. Do you cease all capping with a squad when a nearby sqaud becomes enveloped in a 2v1? So you can turn it into a 2v2?

These are very detailed concepts that I almost never see talked about. It happens everygame, but I'm sure most people answer this question subconciously instead of ever talking about fine details such as this.

Alright here goes then:

Just reading a bit on the reddit thread, I saw you think pretty highly of the USF AAHT. I don't tend to build it a lot just because I feel like it's a little clunky to use in 1v1s and I would guess it's because I'm more used to stuff like the stuart and t70 and luchs and aec (so light tanks I guess). Do you have any tips on just general usage in terms of how you position it and what you're doing with it strategically?

How do you make conscripts function most effectively in infantry fights? I guess that's a pretty broad question so any advice on conscripts use would be great.

Thanks for taking the time to do all this.

Use the reverse button on the AA HT and if you need to focus a specific squad down use the hand break and click on the squad just remember to be ready to quickly remove the hand break if you start getting shot at, ill admit that the vehicle is in general pretty clunky to use. Strategically you just want to be sure to always be using it around and popping it up on spots in which either AT is missing or to secure fuel points in general.

It is a hard question to answer in general but I would say conscripts are very dependent on cover play, coming from multiple angles and having higher numbers, because they are so cheap and you usually will be ahead in unit count since you are not building a structure especially if you go for 4 of them. So use the extra number advantage to always keep a squad on an angle in which denies his cover, so for instance say you have 2 conscripts on green cover fighting two grens that are also in green cover you want that extra unit to tip the balance by neglecting that cover with another angle, if he switches focus to that squad then rush in with the other two. So it's about juggling the damage on the different squads as well since they are 6 members you have more leeway than the 4 men gren squads. Always try to prioritize engagements over capping unless that engagement is a fight that isn't going to win anything in particular such as fighting for a manpower point when you could be capping a fuel point.

Other than that it's really hard to mention how to use them since it comes down to prowess on unit movement and unit positioning that there's no easy guide or tip I can give

I got a good question, but it's subjective I suppose. I know a good chunk of unit stats, and I know how most things work, or should because this game is RNG based. After playing for a few years, I cannot really determine what separates the absolute top players from top 150. Sure there's better micro, faster reaction time, and things like that, but there isn't anything that pros do substantially better than those in top 150. The counters are there for both parties, and many of them know how to handle multiple engagements.

Top players like Luvnest, when you watch them play via twitch are very quick around the map and that's how they maintain their engagements. Other top players like yourself and VonIvan are rather casual checking around the map, but you still maintain dominance over your opponet. I simply conclude this as you knowing how to support your army very well and are very good at macro game. Keeping your resource use at optimal and taking the best engagements possible.

So my question is, where would top 150 players learn types of things such as this. How do you know when tactical blobbing is appropriate, instead of proglonged 1 on 1 engagements with infantry. Do you cease all capping with a squad when a nearby sqaud becomes enveloped in a 2v1? So you can turn it into a 2v2?

These are very detailed concepts that I almost never see talked about. It happens everygame, but I'm sure most people answer this question subconciously instead of ever talking about fine details such as this.

Can only talk about my experience on getting to that point, its a combination of mindset,game experience and theory crafting/replay watching. First and foremost when I was trying to break the top 100/50/10 it was always a matter of watching the replay from my opponents perspective, see where he was exposed, see what type of gameplay would annoy him the most (running around the map decapping, fighting him straight on) can't stress enough how valuable this is, picking apart what made you lose the game, each game is a different case but there's a good chance you will encounter that situation again.

Then comes game experience, patches change metas, each meta you learn new things, say there's a meta in which you can only win a certain match up by blobbing your units up so you can hold the early game then later on in a different patch since you already learned the value/cases where blobbing is beneficial you instantly identify that it would be well used there.

Then the mindset is equally important, there's always something to improve, dont blame RNG, in 99% of the cases RNG wasn't enough to make you lose the game, you had to make tons of mistakes before hand.

In general you also improve much more by just playing two factions at the same level (one axis one allied) since you get to be on the "seat" of what the other player was experiencing when playing against your main faction this not only helps you improve that main faction but you start catching yourself thinking stuff like "had he moved that squad on X place he would have screwed me but he didn't, I should look into doing that next time Im with his faction".

These are all general things Im saying so I will try to end on a note that helps you out more directly next game you get in, numbers advantage is a big hidden rule in company of heroes and small squad positioning mistakes can snowball a lot, so 3 minutes in if there's a big fight and you happen to you have your pioneer there while his is not it can be the difference that lets you win the engagement and win the map control back, and what comes hand to hand when you talk about this is game knowledge (the problem many players have is associating the two), what I mean by this is you always need to be wary of the match up you are in, so if Im USF early Im looking into getting those 2v1 fights/non prolonged fights and NOT stall the game ,with the numbers advantage you can usually gain by early picking squads, however later on into the game most of the time you will identify that flanking with riflemen and winning over a cohesive force of grens plus MGs will be difficult so you change your playstyle to be a stalling one and wait for the unit that can untangle the mess that is his army composition, HOWEVER say that he overextends with a gren squad and you somehow manage to make it retreat then you have numbers advantage in the field and can make use of it so that even if your game knowledge tells you that in theory you shouldn't be winning those mid game engagements you now will. Im trying to explain this the best I can haha, but the problem many players top100/150+ have is sticking to just game knowledge. Try and stop capping less early ( just the essential high fuel point) and use the squads primarily to overwhelm lone squads and THEN cap, you will start seeing better results. If you check some of my USF replays for instance you will see that I try and have the units capping points that are nearby the frontline so that if an engagements start every unit is ready toi jump on that.

How do you deal with blobbing? How or when do you see it coming from a player that didn't seem like he would blob through this whole game.

I mean "intelligent" blobbing, that one okw players who surprises you with an immense ober, volks and raketen blob when you dominate the whole game.

After playing for a few years, I cannot really determine what separates the absolute top players from top 150.

Top players get 4 retreat snipes in a row. Typical L2P issue tbh.

Top players get 4 retreat snipes in a row. Typical L2P issue tbh.

How do you deal with blobbing? How or when do you see it coming from a player that didn't seem like he would blob through this whole game.

I mean "intelligent" blobbing, that one okw players who surprises you with an immense ober, volks and raketen blob when you dominate the whole game.

Blobbling shouldn't really be an issue if you do this properly:

-Dont let it wipe squads/quickly identify that you are not going to win the engagement on that particular place since he has all his forces there. Usually if your army is split you are more prone to losing a side to a bigger amount of units so you just adapt and retreat the troops you know wont win the engagement against 10 enemy squads and decap his other side of the map with a small amount of units or just one.

-Plant mines and move MG's around.

-Use combined arms, say you are trying to fight a OKW blob with conscripts that won't just cut it, you need a little bit of everything and a key counter to infantry is good vehicle play you just need to be sure to flank the rakketens and decrew them.

It's hard to give more advice since I don't know which faction in specific you play or since I dont have a replay of yours but it seems to me your problem is not necessarily the blobbing but struggling to find the right units to deal with his, otherwise its usually not a problem.

What do you do if every shot is penetrating? Or for example when your opponent is so lucky every time you play him that you just want to quit and play foxhole?

What do you do if every shot is penetrating? Or for example when your opponent is so lucky every time you play him that you just want to quit and play foxhole?

You uninstall CoH2

Also on the topic of the AAHT, how do you screen for raketens while using it? I always feel like even if I have rifles in front of it it’s hard to keep it from taking a hit (and having to retreat it) because they can be a little more creative and ballsy with positioning since it can retreat and camo. I also have problems with paks sometimes but not as much since they’re more predictable.

Also on the topic of the AAHT, how do you screen for raketens while using it? I always feel like even if I have rifles in front of it it’s hard to keep it from taking a hit (and having to retreat it) because they can be a little more creative and ballsy with positioning since it can retreat and camo. I also have problems with paks sometimes but not as much since they’re more predictable.

You are right it's pretty hard to screen for it, in a situation that you are insanely ahead you can just harass with it to bait the rakketen and flank with the riflemen on a normal situation all you can do is harass points where its really unlikely for him to have a rakketen there or if you harass a side and he moves the rakketens there you move to the other and use the movement speed to out maneuver them.

You are right it's pretty hard to screen for it, in a situation that you are insanely ahead you can just harass with it to bait the rakketen and flank with the riflemen on a normal situation all you can do is harass points where its really unlikely for him to have a rakketen there or if you harass a side and he moves the rakketens there you move to the other and use the movement speed to out maneuver them.

So you tend to use it as security for points where single squads are capping? Do you still use it in combined arms attacks and bigger conflicts?

Also, on your reply concerning conscripts, you mentioned that you don’t build a tech building at first, but I’m guessing you eventually build t1 or t2 right (most probably t2)? If so, when? I was usually going t2 right off the bat and getting a maxim after the first conscript, but I definitely see the advantage behind immediately building all your conscripts one after the other. Also, when do you get Molotovs, medics, and at nades?

So you tend to use it as security for points where single squads are capping? Do you still use it in combined arms attacks and bigger conflicts?

Also, on your reply concerning conscripts, you mentioned that you don’t build a tech building at first, but I’m guessing you eventually build t1 or t2 right (most probably t2)? If so, when? I was usually going t2 right off the bat and getting a maxim after the first conscript, but I definitely see the advantage behind immediately building all your conscripts one after the other. Also, when do you get Molotovs, medics, and at nades?

Yes I still use it on bigger conflicts if Im planning on doing them.

T2 usually comes after the 3rd or 4th conscript as a counter to light vehicles and support for the conscripts with the maxims. I get molotovs after I have a decent number of conscripts in the field so about when I have the 3rd one out and usually on maps with a lot of green cover/buildings and if Im planning to be more aggressive. Medics and AT nades are a bit different since it's more about when they are needed or I can budget them, on a perfect scenario you get medics with the 4th conscript but in reality you will probably get them either the zis gun on T2 is out or even after the zis gun and a maxim is out since getting those out is more important most of the time, it's very hard to give you a straight answer since it depends if you feel like you can upgrade it and still get the T2 units built in time for a potential flamer HT/222 (which against top players always comes in very soon). The AT nades I upgrade when I know a light vehicle is coming out (mechanized/OH T2) and its about at the same time of the zis gun or before so you can support it/buy time for it to come out.

If you're still answering questions:
@DevM

How do you correctly guess, or make a safe guess, about where your opponent will attack if you're relying on highly defensive play?

For instance, what is your mindset when you place AT guns somewhere in the map to anticipate a light tank rush or any other tank?