Firstly: I am still new to the online scene for CoH2. So, I am not aiming to tell players what to do and when to do it. I am also not saying this is the right or wrong way to play. These are just merely observations.
Secondly:I'm new to CoH2.org. and i thought it would be a good chance to exchange some knowledge here on the forums
Thirdly:There is criticism and there is flaming. I'm more than open to critiques of this post, but please, don't flame me or anyone else who have posted here. Not saying you guys will or something, but just as a note. I just want this to be a pleasant learning experience for those who are maybe starting up.
Lastly:Once again, these points are open to constructive criticism, if something doesnt seem right, or a bit silly, just say something, preferably without flaming. XD
OKAY!
With that done, lets get to it!
To begin: THERE IS NO SHAME IN RETREAT. SAVE YOUR SQUADS.
if you notice a squad that is about to die, or is low on numbers/hp, retreat them immediately!
Especially to an Ostheer player. PRESERVING YOUR UNITS IS AN ABSOLUTE MUST. VETERANCY (the stars above a squads icon) WILL GIVE YOU THE BEST CHANCE OF WINNING THE GAME. PREVENTION IS KEY. SAVE AS MANY UNITS AS YOU CAN AND REINFORCE THEM AT THE HQ OR ELSEWHERE.
NOW with that out of the way I will mention this at the VERY beginning. I've noticed that building a bunker next to your HQ and upgrading it to a Medic station will GREATLY increase your unit preservation. To build a bunker is simple:
*Select either an engineer squad or a grenadier squad
*press B, or click the yellow shield
*then press B again or click on the building that names as "Bunker"
*Place bunker next to HQ
*when you have a spare 60 munitions (The orange ammo icon), click on the bunker and click on the *dude with the red helmet, or press H. This will upgrade the bunker
Observation number #1: *This one goes for all factions too, not just Ostheer
The startup: Firstly, During the loading screen, I have found it helpful to be aware what you are getting yourself into. by this I mean; instead of just "waiting" for the game to load, read up on your enemy(s)commander load outsand intelligence bulletins. This will give you insight to their play-style of sorts.
Observation #2:
Now you're probably wondering why I also mentioned the Intel bulletins. Simply put:
PERCENTAGE MATTERS. From what I have seen, Company of Heroes 2 is heavy on the RNG (Random Number Generation). In turn, RNG is everything that decides most everything in the game. These things include, but are not limited to:
Unit performance:
How effective your units are during battle. This means it affects how your unit essentially kills stuff.
Grenades/Rifle Grenades:Have you ever shot a rifle grenade directly in the middle of enemy units, only to find it has only killed one person in the squad? I believe (open to criticism) that this maybe due to the Random Number Generator giving you less than optimal results for your 20 munitions. Of course, This is also affected by the cover of the enemy. However, I have seen it is uncommon for a rifle grenade to well...perform less than expected.
ARMOUR PENETRATION: Haha, yes I did say Penetration. Laugh it up. XD but seriously, Notice how a shot from a PAK-40 AT gun deflects off an enemy T-34/85 or a M4 Sherman? This (once again open to criticism) could be due to the fact that the number generated from the AT gun is less than that of the tank it is firing at.
To break it down; say you have a shooting contest with your mate; You,(the AT gun) scored 90% of the targets while your mate (The tank) has scored 100% of them. percentage-wise, you scored 90%, While your friend scored 100%. which means they would win the contest. same sort of principle applies to this.
Just a quick note on this: I would greatly appreciate if you guys could give me feedback saying you did or did not understand what the hell it was i just said. XD
Early game:
Observation #1:
Unit Lineup.
After entering the game, I, personally would recommend building and infantry barracks. This means selecting your engineers, pressing V then B then selecting a spot to put it.
Or you could do it manually, by clicking on the engineers, selecting the yellow-house looking thing, and pressing the only lit up building, which is named "Infantry Kompanie(?)"
One of the greatest advantages of the Ostheer, I believe, is their ability to crank out all sorts of different infantry and support infantry at the word go. After building an infantry barracks, you have access to Grenadiers, Heavy Machine gun crews, Mortar support and snipers. Pretty good for a start, right?
However, Be warned: When up against a soviet army,most times, you WILL BE OUTNUMBERED IN THIS STAGE OF THE GAME. reason being, soviets can deploy conscripts and engineers from their HQ.
Moving on: from what little bits of experience i have had, ive noticed it is difficult to keep the early troop numbers of the americans and soviets under control with a single, maybe two Grenadier (Grens) squads and an Engineer squad.
The Fix:
If you struggle like me: Deploy a HMG crew first and move it along with your engineer squad(s). this will help you keep suppression fire on those seemingly infinite troops.
Furthermore: Ive also found its a great idea to build at least 2 grenadier squads after your HMG Squad. so, what I mean is;
build:
*An Infrantry Barracks first with your engineer squad
*Straight after the building is complete, start deploying a HMG squad
*move your HMG squad with your Engineer squad(s)after it is on the field
*When the Manpower allows it, build a grenadier squad
*once again, When the manpower allows it, build another grenadier squad
Observation #2
Controlling your squads:
So, controlling squads...simple right? well yes...it is simple.
however, being EFFECTIVE with those squads...a little different.
Each unit has its own range effectiveness. This means, some units will be better at closer ranges,and other units, at longer ranges.
For this, I will be expressing the importance of range control. (sounds fancy ;D)
Say,your HMG squad has been shooting an enemy conscript squad. And then you notice the enemy squad has a yellow exclamation point on them;
__
\!/
So it looks kinda like that. This means the enemy is beginning to get suppressed. if an enemy is suppressed, they lose effectiveness. You want to capitalize on this opportunity. if you have an engineer squad nearby, its a good idea to move them right up and close to the enemies' suppressed troops.
I say this because an engineer do their most effective combat close to the enemy, due to their sub-machine guns.
So to clear this up:
*After a Heavy machine gun crew has been shooting at an enemy squad for a while, it will begin to suppress them, reducing their effectiveness.
*If you see an enemy squad with a yellow exclamation point (!), it means they are suppressed.If you have a squad best suited for close-range combat (Engineers) nearby, move them up as close as you want to the suppressed squad, and rain down a blanket of lead on them.
quick tip:
Probably one of the, if not the best time to use a Rifle grenade or grenades is on a suppressed or pinned squad. shooting a rifle grenade or throwing a grenade against a squad that is suppressed will ensure a much greater result. As well as this, Pairing an MG squad with a Mortar over watch will also display impressive results. This is due to the fact that; after a squad has been supressed or pinned, they move slowly, or not at all. Making them "Static", or not moving. A target that doesn't move, or moves slowly is the best target for a mortar crew.
Lastly, Observation number #3:
A great tactic that yields surprising results is capturing cautiously, but aggressively.
This means capturing territories "Beyond your half" of the map. If you've ever looked at your tactical map (Press 0 to open it and esc or 0 again to close it) you will notice that sometimes, you and your enemy will share 50% of the map each. it does not need to be that way. Take a calculated risk, pushing into enemy territory may be risky, but establishing dominance over the map is often essential to winning an online game. more points captured means more resources for you and less for them. so don't be afraid to push forward. If it goes to the PAK (see what i did there?) you can always retreat your units back to base.
In addition to this:
Aim for supply cut off points.
Now you're probably wondering "whats a supply cutoff?"
A supply cutoff point is a capture point that joins two or more territories together.
To clarify; if you control almost every single capture point and resource point on the map, but your enemy controls every point just outside of your base, you dont get the resources from your territory.
simply put:
if an enemy controls territory that connects your base to the rest of the map, you dont get any extra fuel or munitions, because your enemy has "cutoff" your supply line. it sounds complicated and confusing but after you wrap your head around it, its as clear as day.
I hope you guys enjoyed this post, and i apologise to the Admins of this forum if this is in the wrong place, truth be told i was not aware how this would fit in with everything.
If you guys liked this, please tell me
Vicea versa if you hated or not liked it
Feedback is welcome
I hope to continue to post my observational experience as i play, depending on how things go.
Last thing:
I am, by no means, Saying that this is the right or wrong way to play. I am simply sharing my experience in hopes it will help someone get a better understanding of the game, and maybe assist in the growth of play styles. Thank you kindly.
-Mons7erz
.
mate. 
Relic Entertainment
