Profile of drChengele

Your right, I am not debating your point.

Because having half a sniper would just be silly.

Exactly, and since there is two the cost should be increased proportionally.

Axis mortar : better stats, 4 guys, 240mp.
Soviet mortar: worse stats, 50% more guys, same cost

Axis MG : some stats better, some worse, 4 guys, 240mp
Soviet MG : some stats better, some worse, 50% more guys, same cost.

Axis sniper : better stats, 1 guy, 360mp
Soviet sniper: worse stats, 100% more guys, same cost.

One of these is not like the others. Can you spot it?

This is a prime example of what a BALANCE patch should be. No messing with tiering systems, squad loadouts (sov sniper anyone?) etc. For example, I would be tempted to change T34 costs and stats and squad loadouts to better fit my "vision" of the game. Cruzzi didn't do that. He just took the existing game, completely respecting the developer's vision of it, and applied much needed balancing, but not too much.

All the changes seem more than reasonable (on paper at least). Even if some prove be a bit too much, that's easily rectified by finding a sweet spot.

There is RNG and then there is RNG.

A good commander should be able to adapt around battlefield setbacks. But some things do have a huge impact on how the game turns out. Squad wipes have such an enormous impact. Losing the first four riflemen sets you back 28 manpower apiece, losing the fifth one sets you back 168 manpower and all the veterancy. Sometimes losing the fifth guy hinges on a few rifle shot rolls. However, every player can skill their way around this by retreating in a timely manner or staying in cover when faced with tanks. Or, enemies can cut off a retreat path with sturmpios and get rewarded etc. The point is, RNG alone cannot screw you over - skills, micro and battlefield awareness will play a role.

However, certain things *COUGH old ISU* ignore this "RNG alone cannot screw you over" rule. Single-shot wiping a single vet5 squad is a game-turner event, but one that comes with no warning, nothing your skill or micro can do about it.

The correct way to go about this is not to remove RNG completely but to design the game so that the RNG deviations operate within reasonable limits, and remove bullshit unfairness from the game.

For example, if abandoned tanks also got the immobilized critical this would go a long way to removing the unfairness of a single dice roll (Amis repair critical is a problem etc. - just putting forth an example).

One of the problems the 85 faces is that its forte, 60 range, has been made much less important over the course of this year. It used to be matched (and outranged) only and exclusively by the Elefant (not counting PaKs of course), and could have at least sniped stuff from afar.

Now Panthers are seen every game (except Wehr 1v1's), and they have 50 range, which gives much less margin of error than the usual 40. JagdpzIV have 60 (and huge ambush bonuses). I won't mention the Jagdtiger in light of recent changes, but it was a huge part of the meta.

And there are long-range allied units that are part of the meta (like Jackson, b4, ISU) so the Su85's one strong point is all but unneeded.

Looking forward to the new meta with nerfed ISU and JT.