Profile of comm_ash

I'm just saying it's a clear cut issue when a maxim can be spammed to hell because it has virtually no down sides in comparison to its German counterparts. I realize the point of the German MG is to be used defensively but it can't even do that job well.

Maxims lock down and shut down entire sectors, even more efficiently when they are spammed. German MG's.. eh they are just disappointing. Especially against blobs of infantry.

Often I hear the excuse "You can't expect 240mp MG's to stop 1000mp worth of infantry." Which I feel I rightfully can disagree. That's the entire point of a machine gun, to shut down a sector until it is properly flanked or sniped or destroyed with vehicles or indirect fire. Unfortunately the Maxim has proven extremely efficient in these areas while the German MG's have proven to be woefully outmatched.


Let's compare them shall we?

MAXIM

• Pros
  -Frighteningly high suppression and pin rate.
  -6 man squad.
  -Very fast deploy and redeploy time.
  -More damage at range compared to German MGs.
  -Firing arc increases inside buildings.
  -Can continue firing while suppressed and pinned.
  
  
• Cons
  -Can get trapped in a fatal loop where the carriage runner is killed while on retreat.
  -Smaller arc of fire. (Can be mitigated by using maximum range or garrisoning in buildings.
  -Vulnerable to artillery strikes
  
  GERMAN MG34/MG42
  
  
  • Pros
    -Wide firing arc.
    -Incendiary rounds upon veterancy.
    -Amusing dialogue.
    
    
  • Cons
    -4 man squad. (Easier to wipe)
    -Long deployment and redeployment times.
    -Unable to suppress quickly, especially through "oorah" (Often ends up molotoved or grenaded)
    -Especially vulnerable to artillery strikes due to long redeployment time.
    -Less damage at range compared to maxim.
    -Cannot fire while suppressed and pinned (To my knowledge.)
    
    
  
  
  

One very important factor you forgot to look into is the maxims ability to AOE suppress, or rather, its inability to do so. Charging a single maxim with 2 infantry squads is enough to overwhelm it if they are even slightly far apart. The strength of the maxim is that it is spammable. I will not deny this, but this strength is also an inherent weakness. For example, 2 MG42s supported by a gren squad will always be able to lock down a larger slice of the map in a more efficient manner than 3 maxims. Maxims are currently spammed because they are effective, and that the infantry that are meant to support it aren't good enough to prevent flanks and whatnot, leading to a maxim spam.

The best counter to a maxim spam on narrow maps I have found as OKW is to use your sturmpio in ambush positions to punish aggressive use of maxims. As OKW, stealing even one Maxim will severely punish a soviet player, because by spamming maxims he has for the most part negated his own counters to specific units. If maxims are spammed, remember that the walking stuka (which is easily rushed out) and the sturmpio are great counters, you just have to play more defensively than you may be used to as the OKW.

Obviously this is harder to pull off on larger maps, but these large maps are where maxims have the most trouble. Use the mobility advantage of your forces (and your ability to spawn in ambient buildings) to negate the territorial lockdown of maxims. Remember that maxims don't scale very well at all, and that by denying him a large early game advantage, you have already planted the seeds of his failure. I would very much like to see the game where your opponent spammed 20 maxims, so that I may see where exactly where you went wrong in terms of your army composition.


Edit: Also, i'm pretty sure the MG42 can fire while suppressed, just at a slower rate of burst fire and suppression.

So, last patch I had fallen into a rhythm of using t34/76s because I found them to be a solid tank if well microed. With this new "bug fix," t34s are nigh useless due to the number of at weapons they must fight and the amount of damage they manage to do. I think the best idea at this point would be to revert t34 to their good old super AI tank status that they used to hold a while ago, and then give us the much needed t70/ su76 swap. As the game stands now, t34s are not cost efficient for what they do, especially since they are the only worthwile unit in their tier for the most part.

A good game on Trois point where the OKW player manages to micro a panther to vet 5, making extensive work of the elite armored doctrine. The Panther Ace survives the entire game, even though the Axis lose, he lives on to fight another day!

My friend I were using a very ostruppen-centric strat last week. It basically boils down to using the ostruppen in heavy cover and a forward battlegroup headquarters to make a hardpoint that is nigh unbreachable early game. 3-4 ostruppen squads supported by an officer and 1-2 mg42s make a very defensive position.

My ally, on the other hand would use the enemies' focus on defeating the ostruppen to flank around and generally harass the enemies' other resource points, and we would generally win the early game quite handily, with at least 1 fuel point permanent andd 1 fuel point off-and-on.

The glory of the ostruppen are that they are great vehicle snaress, they have a panzerfaust that has great penetration, as well as a 6 man squad, allowing them to survive more punishment than gren squads. 3 ostruppens, 2 mgs or bunkers, and a pair of paks can handily crush any allied offensive. Late game, I never teched up past t2, and I convert all my fuel to munition, giving my team access to nonstop railway artillery t force retreats. All in all, I believe that ostruppen are very effective as they are now when well used (never attack with them) and that their doctrine comes with very useful abilities.

A well played game by both side, showing the Luftwaffe supply doctrine at its best usage. Features an extremely early KT and large amounts of allied armor. Some cheese at the end when the Germans were getting bled to the bone, but overall a very GG.