Profile of Chocoboknight88

I don't suppose we could keep the range on the Croc's Flamethrower but make the damage closer to the WASP's DPS and rate of fire (Not AOE though, that would be overnerf territory)? I mean it is a non turreted Flamerthrower (Like the forgotten Flame Hetzer) and the Churchill Croc is historically known for range.

Looking at the Croc, I feel it's devastating not because of it's range but rather, it can spew flames practically non stop and not in bursts like the WASP. So it really is overpowered in that sense. It's sure overall base damage might need a small nerf too. I just don't want to see it's range match the Turreted KV8. Just as long as it still causes chaos with Support Weapons not being able to comfortably fight it out without moving, it would fulfill it's purpose.

Indeed, I understand what you are saying. You really can't expect to pull this strategy off well enough unless you can use control groups and know some hot keys. But I took time to learn it and I'm glad I did.

On a related note, it would be nice if the hotkeys for each ability were simplified. They are a total mess right now.

If playing the UKF or USF, "D" would normally let you throw Grenades for your Infantry. Yet if you play the Soviet Union, "E" would be the Hotkeys for your Guard's or Shock's Grenades, Penel Battalion's Satchel Charge. Move to the Conscripts and their Molotov Cocktail is at "V".

Or you take AT Options. Conscripts AT Grenades is set to "E", Ostheer's Panzerfaust is set for "F", UKF's AT Grenades (From Special Weapons Regiment) is set for "N", far from the other keys!

Those are just some of the things that come to mind. It would be nice it we could get a patch that assigns Hotkeys based on where they are in a unit's toolbar as opposed to the mess we have now.

Well unload times are pretty much instant in my experience so I doubt the need to be shortened. Load times however can FEEL like a long time, especially in the heat of battle and also make the Halftrack stop momentarily.

An update on my efforts to expand my Halftrack tactics. I have used Support Weapons for the Wehrmacht Halftrack and it certainly makes a significant difference to have more freedom to move. However, there are still the set up times for MG42s that can be a limiting factor.

I would recommend placing Panzer Grenadiers in the halftrack with it for reasonable support. Though it would be nice if it had three slots since it has no open top on it and Ostheer squads are small.

Mortars, especially when there's two, certainly do benefit more than the MG42 does since you'd want to unload at a good distance as opposed to close to the fight. Though this means the Halftrack will be their only support so vigilance is required to make sure the enemy doesn't get too close.

As for open top Halftracks, I find the British can utilize them better than their Allied counterparts. Their regular infantry can fire faster and accurately, even on the move, when garrisoned inside. Bren Guns obviously benefit a lot too from this.

Not to mention that Royal Engineers are not only capable close quarter fighters, they can still equip two Vickers MGs (Three is you go Heavy Engineers). Unloading them close to enemy weapons teams can be extremely deadly. Couple that with their ability to repair the Halftracks and build forward emplacements and they make a must have unit on board.

I have also tried using them with Hammer Tactics and they are still potent then too since you have Emergency War Speed to close in faster or get away. It has also gave me more opportunities to use the Gammon Bomb and... Sigh... It's a waste of 75 Munitions... It not only has a long fuse but lacks any real punch against emplacements and Resource Caches. There's also the issue that unloading Infantry Sections (Even with Brens) close to the enemy and using a Gammon Bomb isn't as effective as Sappers with Vickers equipped. But then, I haven't tried it against a Garrisoned enemy yet.

All and all though, I have a great appreciation for Halftracks now. I would love to see more people use them.

Sure, but that's not the point. It is weak, it should die against basically any armour. But currently it is either you can reinforce your troops which is meh because in the heat of the battle most (not top 100) players are not able to micro refreshing everything at once, keeping your troops in cover and also keep your halftrack moving to dodge shots without making it turn 180 degrees OR getting flamers.

There is a solution for those with Gamer's Mice (Like me). I have a button that's on the side of my Mouse that I have registered as the hotkey "U". I just press that and then click on the direction I want to go and it will reverse every time. I recommend it since it decreased my pathing headaches by a lot!

I can see what you are saying. One could also argue that Soviet Weapon Teams are an exception to the rule involving invisible Heavy Weapons since there are four slots on a Halftrack's Firing Points but the same can't be said if the squad isn't fully manned.

I don't suppose Relic has any unused models of M3 and M5 Halftracks that have the canopy still on them? If so, it could be an upgrade to "enhance" it's transportation capabilities? Certainly interesting to know that a Raketenwerfer fits in the Halftrack. lol. It's a little unbelievable in a realism sense but ah well. Still nice to know.

Though having a Sniper be able to get in would be nice. Stealth can only let you maneuver so far so having some armour plating for protection when moving would be welcome.

I am just coming back to the game after a long break and decided to expand my tactics with something I hadn't used enough. Unupgraded Halftracks. Quite possibly the most underappreciated vehicle of combat. Yes, the ability to reinforce is the main reason we get one but I wanted to try and make it work for me in a more direct role. Such as raiding behind enemy lines or making a quicker flank.

I noted that most Halftracks does have two slots for infantry to garrison them but as we are aware, not all of the squads inside can fire out of it at the same time. Ideally, you want long-range infantry to fire from them. Such as Soviet Guards or any other LMG Infantry. Short Range Infantry like SMG-equipped ones (Such as Conscripts with PPsh41s or Shock Troops) fall short and require you to get dangerously close and blow up your vehicle. So I started to work with that in mind.

The M5 has the nifty ability to speed up quickly with Overdrive, allowing you to quickly close in or even pass by. So I would select the short ranged infantry tab and have him ready to just out when I'm say... Passing behind an HMG or Mortar. This is of course, while I distract the enemy with my main infantry force. The Close Range infantry would be at full health and at prime range to do real damage, while the Half-track, keeps moving with long range infantry still firing from it. Great thing is, infantry can jump out of the halftrack without it needing to stop! Couple that with the fact that Halftracks reinforce and it makes an incredibly potent assault vehicle in less guarded areas of the map.

Now to the point of the thread! We know once a game drags on, people tend to start rolling out Standard Infantry and Tanks, support weapons start losing their usefulness. Mainly because they move slow and are very vulnerable to an enemy blob coming into view when re-positioning. It really is a shame to see people have to give those weapons up when you start to lose freedom of movement on the battlefield you enjoy in the beginning.

So I believe it's high time that Support Weapons such as HMGs and Mortars should finally be allowed into Halftracks. Obviously, they should NOT be able to fire out of them while boarded, nor should they deploy while inside them. If you could make them quickly dismount like normal infantry do, think of all the great enfilade fire you could set up! And Infantry that remain in the Halftrack could support the Weapons Team while it sets up.

I believe this change is long overdue and would help meet Mr.Smith's goal of expanding viable tactics on the battlefield.