Armor Company
The other buffs have been nice but I think something more needs to be done with the M10 Wolverine. ...
Another idea is to look to add some new ability to give it more utility.
Rifle Company
Combine riflemen field defense and infantry advanced equipment and then add the M3 halftrack. This commander really needs something else added to it and a halftrack would go really well into this role. A forward place for riflemen to heal, reinforce, and get transportation would help amplify the riflemens power which is what this doctrine is intended to do.
Recon Support
This commander only sees modest pick rates across all game modes and imo needs a nudge in it's power level. The greyhound does have a strange timing so an improvement there could help. This commander has also suffered from the pak howie nerf more than other doctrines maybe you could make that call in cheaper? Whatever the change is it would definitely help this commander to get a little bit of extra help.
Armor Company - The M10 needs at least a buff to 50 range and something like target weak point. It makes no sense that it is more expensive than the Stug but shorter ranged. The HVAP rounds should be either a lot cheaper or a timed ability. It bounces too much without HVAP. One of the iterations of the balance team tried adding a barrage during one of the versions of a balance patch but removed it before the final patch. I don't think they would add that back. Historically, the M10 fired more HE than AP and was often used as mobile arty.
Recon Support - This has received several nerfs to a faction that wasn't meta anyway and makes me question the balance team's commitment to balance.
- IR pathfinder arty - It was one of the few reasons to use the commander or IR pathfinders. I understand that the balance team has been nerfing abilities that wiped units but this nerf should've been compensated by something - either a second model that wipes on crits or by making the squad bazooka experts.
- Cluster bombs - These received a previous nerf to their timing which was probably okay. However consider this statement from the balance team:
Previously, there were times it could fail to kill howitzers as the projectiles only had penetration on their AOE, but not on direct-hits.
Penetration adjusted from 0 to 60
AOE penetration to 40
One of the frustrating things about some of the patches is that it seems like there is more statements about Axis abilities "needing" to do something than Allied ones. Since the timing for the cluster bombs has been nerfed, it needs something like this:
Penetration adjusted from 0 to 30
AOE penetration to 20
(TBH - I don't know what the exact values are, but they should be raised enough to damage buildings and howitzers, it shouldn't one-shot anything like the 280 but it should take out about half of the health of a howitzer) Cluster bombs cost 110, plus typically 50 for the recon, so 160 munitions for only a little damage, while the 280 costs 200 plus a teammates 50-60 muntions and wipes most anything.
- Greyhound - Cluster shot used to be OP. It was nerfed into the ground, then received a token buff. It's still more of a noob trap ammo sink than anything else. It takes several seconds to shoot, requires the Greyhound to be stopped, has practically no range, and doesn't do that much damage even when it hits. Infantry can avoid it by simply moving. If it isn't going to be usable, replace it with something else.
- Airdropped Combat Group - With all of the nerfs to the pack howie, this would be much better if the pack howie was removed and the price dropped to 300/0.
Rifle Company - After testing the new Easy 8's, they're close to being okay but still seem like they should have a little bit better AI for their price, which is getting close to a Panther or Comet.
White Phos offmap - I'd rather see white phos replaced with the new improved 240mm arty. USF has a zillion ways to make smoke, but that doctrine will always be more of a liability if it doesn't have some way to deal with howitzers.
Fire Up - Costs 50% more than Assault Gren's sprint. It lasts longer but doesn't seem to give the same boost in speed. It really doesn't feel like it is worth a slot in its present state. A scoped rifle that gave a vision boost, m1919 or just about anything would be better than this.
USF General - It still needs a damage sponge tank. Making the Easy 8 a side tech of the major would go a long way to making it competitive. Rifle company could be compensated by giving it something that helped them stay on the field better like a heal ability and/or a M5.
Relic Entertainment
