Profile of sluzbenik

I know, but it's just less intuitive than ever, I've been playing since beta.

I miss the old days - look at this low health gren squad take a molotov. Today that would have just instantly killed the entire squad I think with that health level.

[youtube]AvuQ9XQBdRA?t=290[/youtube]

Do you format youtube links without the initial URL? it takes it out automatically.

https://youtu.be/AvuQ9XQBdRA?t=290

First, saying I should just go play COH1 isn't an argument. This is the Company of Heroes franchise after all and if you think COH2 is better in its suppression mechanisms you can explain why.

I don't think it is because it does require more micro on the part of the Ostheer player to retarget the MG and to micro their other squads, when all the Allies player has to do is space his units apart, without even really needing to completely flank from the rear. If you think this is fair, then I really don't think there is any point in discussing this any further. I'm sure data would show that the defending player has a higher CPM than the Allied player at those points. Furthermore it's far easier to accidentally cause an MG to pack up by targeting a squad that's just about to move outside the arc. The margin for error for the defender is simply much lower, and again, this isn't balanced or fair. Making suppression effective across a wider area would balance this out, the way it was in COH1, and I do think the suppression mechanisms in COH1 remain superior.

I urge you all to have a thoughtful, flame-free discussion of these ideas.

1) Retreat defensive bonuses should be higher. Playing for (and avoiding) retreat wipes discourages single-unit harassment and encourages blobbing for safety in numbers.

2) Infantry combat when the attacker charges a unit in cover should be much more consistent. RNG is too high a factor here, one should be able to know exactly what will happen 90% of the time when an SMG unit charges a long-range unit in cover (so players can judge whether it's worth it or not). These outcomes are way way too random currently, not in terms of the final result (SMG unit usually wins) but in how much DAMAGE will be taken by the charging unit. This dice roll is incredibly frustrating for both the defender and attacker.

3) Consider some very manpower heavy late game call-ins as was the case in early COH2 and COH1. While the call-in game was much derided, if properly done it could add some strategic spice to the game, with clear trade-offs between more late game field presence and getting the call-in unit. At current manpower income, say, 1100-1200 manpower minimum. Also, call-ins can reward skilled play by helping the clearly winning player close out a game faster, instead of allowing it to drag on and on and reward him with something to use his manpower on.

4) Stop giving every faction a damn mobile suppression unit. The fact that 3 factions (4 if you count the British Centaur) have them and they're near copies of one another is evidence of uncreative and boring faction design. Hey, remember the nebel? Artillery units that suppress an area for some factions is a good solution.

5) MGs should suppress everything in their cone of fire from the time the first bullets hit. Switching targets should substantially decrease time-to-pin and then damage to the targeted pinned unit, but mgs should not have to constantly be microed to simply suppress units in the cone of fire. Enough with blobs walking up to mgs and simply targeting the gunner #makesuppressiongreatagain!

6) But game design should be sophisticated enough that not every faction needs to have its own damn MG. Again, find other creative ways to cause suppression (ie., bar suppression! RE suppression that works!)

7) Some supply yard type upgrades for all factions that allow for a strategic choice between greater manpower/fuel/ammo income over the course of a game. This type of choice, if substantial enough, could make for some new creative gameplay.

8) More aiming off-map abilities (ie., the old COH1 strafe). But artillery pieces should target areas and no one should have to draw a line for a barrage from an artillery unit (the OKW stuka is just too stupid, inconsistent and easily dodged.)

9) Map buildings should all generally be wood with rare, super durable stone buildings, and let's not make any more "GG buildings" on cut-offs ok guys? It's just not fun. Alright, you can give the 4v4 players some urban maps and they can have fun shooting MGs at each other.

10) Following that, garrisons made of wood should have substantially less damage reduction. It should never take 5 mins for three units to dislodge one unit.

11) More creative abilities like the puma's aimed shot. This is one of my favorite abilities because it's creative, looks cool, and isn't a simple snare. How about some "dummy" abilities, such as making a unit look like it's somewhere it's not?

12) It might be nice if there were no more than five useful, well-thought out and always available commander choices. Five is about the number all these stupid DLC commanders have boiled down to anyway in practice. Just make five good ones from the get-go.

13) We need a capping system that's a compromise between the COH1 capping (with one unit combat ineffective while capping) and the blob-capping that is the current system. Capping should be another tactical choice, like in COH1, not something you just automatically do once you win control of an area. Capping circles should be much, much smaller. Units should be able to be pushed off caps by vehicles.

14) I'd like to see base rushes be a thing again. Tactically attacking an opponent's base to achieve some goal (kill a production structure, or take out some high value unit) should be less risky than it is. We should all have a think about this and throw out some ideas (ie., really cheap transport vehicles, stuff like quick mines (bring back the M8 mine to stop the puma rush!) or map design.)

The game is so substantially different across all modes and for different skill levels that it's never going to be balanced enough for everyone.

Brits are borderline OP in 2v2, but in 1v1 they suck. Why? Not because of the units, but because of how the resource income ends up working out for a faction that only does well in cover or hiding in garrisons. Players facing defensive Brits in 1v1 can just go cap the map somewhere else until they can dislodge them. That's not the case in 2v2 or larger game modes. Hell, 3v3 and 4v4 could even be balanced if the maps were twice as big with far lower resource income per point, but the game engine would no doubt have to be completely redone to allow that.

As it is right now I notice from my own horrible Axis ranks, and those of other players in top 200 2v2, that it seems to be a LOT easier to win as Allies. That's because at intermediate-upper intermediate skill levels, Allies are just easier to play, with fewer wipes and micro that doesn't require as much skill as Axis. I can't get MG or raketen micro right, and that's what causes me to lose a lot of games. I see plenty of other people with the same problems and who I would otherwise say are competent players and that's a different form of imbalance. The old 4-man vs 5 or 6 man squad problem is also still an issue in game modes where there is a ton of indirect fire, ie., Axis squads just end up losing health faster or getting RNG wipes, and you have to retreat a lot faster and be smarter about picking your battles when playing as Axis.

But for the top 25, I suppose it's balanced? I don't know, I tend to think top 2v2 teams would still rather play Allies than Axis if they want a sure victory, primarily because of how much less dependent Allies are on infantry preservation late game.

I can understand obstacles and all that, intense micro solves those issues.

My biggest problem is that the system does not seem to respect multiple waypoints, if the engine decides it's shorter to ignore your intermediary waypoint, then it takes the shorter way. If queued waypoints are too close for any unit, the system always ignores them. Just as bad, the units pause at the waypoints and for vehicles this means a really bad delay as they have to get back up to speed from a stop again.

This just makes everything harder than it needs to be, you can't execute a wide flank with a single unit ever without babysitting it.