Start game it's the only point where OKW is advantaged, because of kubel.
From Middle game the fuel problem begins to be serious untill late-game and end-gam.
Virtualy, in early game you don't need vehicles, you're doing fine with good infantry and kubel.
In middle game you will begin to lose the race related to tank building and you will have to compensate with infantry and team weapons as raketen. Now those from you who played vCOH know that infantry in COH2 it's not vCOH infantry, no matter the faction. When the map begins to be filled with tanks, infantry will be torn to pieces. Volksgenadiersw with a single schreck plus raketen cannot compensate enough the lack of AT as pzgrens and PAK 40 can compensate for Ostheer. A Puma must be added. But with every vehicle you build, you delay your teching and building of others (more powerfull) vehicles. Puma it's ok, but it's not for late game. Cannot realy fight with IS2, SU-85, T34/85 and so on. So you struggle untill late game to build one or two vehicles and (remember!!) keep them alive! I can lose a T34, I will build other in 2 minutes. I lose a Puma I will build other in 5 maybe 10 minutes.
More than this choises you make are particulary more important for THIS faction because flexibility it's not its strongpoint! Which makes it quite predictable on the battlefield.
Since beginning I have to make a choice: build T2 or T3? What should I do? If you make the rong choice that will cost you dearly. No T2 start (by T2 we understand the leigh + searchlight + jgdpanzer building) will keep you safe from a tank storm. On the other hand, if you chose T3, you will have some great options good for all but your infantry will suffer because you cannot heal it. T4 it,s usefull no doubt, but you have to put it somewhat in an advanced position (this is its purpose) and therefore exposed to all kind of artillery weapons and AT weapons. I don't want to mention here how efficient is soviet howitzer or katiusha against any OKW build. Or how B4 can kill your havies or buidings from such a safe distance whithout the possibility to retaliate.
Your heavies will be expensive, verry expensive. Panther is still possible but if you manage too build 2 you are a champion. However, by the time you do that, your opponent will most probably have 4 T34/76 plus one IS2 or plus 2 T34/85.
If you want to build a KT you will wait forever while not building vehicles at all or building just one which is VERRY RISKY from reasons stated above.
So yes, OKW it's a verry nice faction to play and it's quite hard not to like it due to it's elite units, but make no mistake related to difficulty. If you are a soviet or american only player and didn't try OKW yet, you will have a shock when you will try it for the first time. I remember what a (soviet only) guy said on this forum not verry long ago. Something like: OMG begun to play today with OKW and I found myself in middle game with to few infantry and with almost no vehicles, wtf?!
As a conclusion, the specific of this faction it's "high reward - high risk" and it was like this from the beginning. That is why it's so addictive and special, and not because it's "easy to play" as some people said here. Au contraire, I realy think that only truly skilfull players can be good with this faction. The rest of players if you want to reach the top, play soviets
.On a more serious note, a faction comparable to OKW as difficulty (though totally different) it's currently USF, but it wasn't allways like that.
_Hiena_
xingyuguan
Relic Entertainment
