Profile of Angrade (Ægion)

One can simply redesign "close the pocket" to something else than very hard to pull off but I do I win the game.
Example:
Now targets a enemy single sector. Enemy units within the sector suffer a +5% TS and -5% armor penalty for each sector bordering that is neutral or enemy controlled. If the targeted sector becomes neutral penalties are doubled but capped at 30%.

My problem with this is when will a sector will be capped while units are still on it? Additionally, target sectors are still too map dependent seeing there are a lot of sectors on some maps that are long and skinny.

Edit: Also This what I thought about before as a "I win button."


(video is still uploading 20min eta)

I would like to get away from I win buttons.

As we all know Encirclement Doctrine is extremely map dependent and extremely heavy on munitions on a faction that is most starved on munitions. For my mod I am working on, I am reworking this doctrine. I have Stormtroopers adjusted to my liking so it is not overlapping with ambush camouflage. The problem is Close the Pocket and how the doctrine revolves around it. This means if I am going to improved Encirclement then I am an going to have to completely change or alter Close the Pocket. While I love the doctrine the most, it has to be changed.

Encirclement doctrine was about pulling off an idea of "encircling." However it was about did your opponent build cashes? Or is your opponent watching? For a rework I would like to focus on doctrine of mobility to "encircle" the opponent. This is what I have so far.

0CP: Vehicle Breakthrough (50 Munitions)
0CP: Ambush Camouflage
2CP: Stormtroopers
-280 mp
-no longer automatically comes with camouflage
-initial spawn allows 30 seconds of camouflage
-can be upgraded with camouflage (research time reduced to 20 seconds from 30)
-can be upgraded with PzB 39s for AT
-(experimental) can be upgraded to a flamer.
-throws a cooked stick grenade instead of a bundle grenade
-Vet 1 allows for tactical assault.
reduces to a walking pace but increases accuracy by 10% and burst duration by 50%


Supply break is crutch for close the pocket and another reason why encirclement is so munitions based so if I am going to removed close the pocket then Supply Break can go as well.

For the last two abilities, we will need to reference the other two doctrines with stormtroopers.
Elite troops has the Tiger Ace so a heavy tank option is off the table.
I have added stormtroopers to Storm Doctrine (it fits so well in) so lefh 18 is off the table as well.
Additionally the anti infantry upgraded is different per doctrine. Elite troops has G43s and the Storm Doctrine I have MP41(r)'s. (PPSHs equal to Thompsons)

Here are some of my ideas:

1. Incendiary weapons
Mortars can fire incendiary barrages
Storm troopers, Grenadiers, Panzergrenadiers, and Pioneers can throw 'OKW' incendiary grenades.

2. Command Panther
it would slightly overlap with elite troops but a tiger and panther are very different.

3. 223 call in
A radio variant of the the 221/222

4. Unique Aircraft Loiter
The JU87 did have a Armament of 4 50 kg bombs so perhaps a loiter of dropping four precise bombs?

If you all have any ideas, lets hear it.

Paras from airborne are still the same. Recon paras never had access to Thompsons. Of course you'd know... if you had played USF.

Old recon paras did have a chance for Thompsons however, it was not the fact that their equipment was randomized it was the fact that the ability was so damn expensive.

This another approach to OKW aiming at retaining to original design of aggressive truck use that has been lost its strength with the change to FRP.

Changes to trucks:
No limit to number of truck
Buy Cost 100/10
Set UP cost 50/5

They set up faster and are less vulnerable during set up. Once set up the about a bit tougher then Ostheer command bunkers.

Once set up the act as reinforcement point and can built the following units:
1 truck set up access to Leig
2 truck set up access to Obers
3 truck set up access to Puma

Aim of changes:
to make aggressive placing of truck a viable option of player while still allowing him easy access to basic tools if he loses 1 truck.

Leig provide indirect fire support, Obers elite infantry, Puma supports the RW.

Trucks can then upgrade:
1) to medic for 50/35 that gives access to 251 variants (AA fuel cost lowered to 40). Once medic truck is unlocked truck HP/armor to 75% of current levels.

Medic truck can be further upgraded with FRP (100/10) increasing HP/armor to 125% of current. Has aura decreasing reinforcement time by 25% does not heal.

Aim of changes:
Make FRP viable but one has to rely on med box for heal. Upgrade add the bonus of a tougher truck.

2)Mechanized 100/55 gives access to Luch and JP.
Mechanized truck can be further upgraded (50/10) with engineers increasing HP/armor to 125% of current.

Aim of changes:
Gives OKW access to 60 range AT weapon that is affordable and mid game specialized solutions.

3) Shwerer truck requiring at least 1 truck upgraded (100/75) giving access to Stuka and PZIV 4. Shwerer truck has no gun.
Shwerer truck can be further upgraded (100/60) that unlocks the Panther and gives the truck the gun. (Gun can use be aimed and has to use a 30 munition ability to engage aircraft).

Aim of changes:
Early access to medium and support vehicles. More tools to better time Panthers.

Once any truck is upgrade medic spawn in base truck.
Aim of changes:
OKW have access to heal while medic boxs remain an option for FRP.

Building a truck unlock Faust and grenades for SP.
Setting up a truck unlock the rest of grenades.
Upgrading all 3 truck gives access to ST44.

KT requires all tech unlock and is limited to 1 per Shwerer truck.

Other option for truck:
Truck in sector can be upgraded to gives access to a timed that increases (or decrease if enemy capture it) sector income at the cost of manpower.


Changes to units:
1)Now starting unit. VG flame-grenade replaced with a sort range explosive grenade. The grenade is a primary defensive weapon with 60 damage that adds suppression (close to 60% of suppress threshold) to target hits. Primary role to stop direct assault from enemy infantries.

Vet 1 ability "aim fire" cost 10 mu increases accuracy (10%) when stationary.

ST44 upgrade locked behind 3 truck, gives access to 5 ST44 on semi auto mod decreasing long range DPS but increasing mid to close DPS.(to M1 levels?)

2) SP 5 men squad armed with MP40. Cost 280 reduced repair speed. Access to flame grenade (pop down to 6-7). Can upgrade with wire Cutters increasing repair speed losing 1 weapon.
Get the ST44 upgrade with 5 ST44 full auto weapon with squad DPS about the current level.(bit lower close?)

3) Obers can now upgrade 1+1 shreck, lmg34. The lmg34 get the suppress ability from vet 0 but does all squad suffers accuracy penalties. (suppression increases with veterancy) (HMG34 becomes doctrinal?)

Ober can upgrade with 4 infrared ST44 about the DPS a SP but get a timed ability that bypass some cover bonuses.

4)JP redesign as 60 range Stug with a cost around 300/100 and cloaked being replaced by TWP. (cloak can actually be moved to stug). Armored is lowered target size becomes even smaller.

5)Stukas fires a single incendiary rocket at time.

Suggested changes are more a direction and numbers might be off.

The direction aim it one where OKW truck become a important part of the faction. In the same time losing trucks become less punishing since the player still has access to basic tools.

Sorry, I have my idea already modded and ready. Once I release the mod, let give it a spin first.

There's one thing I would like to suggest which is a general redesign of light indirect fire. It's cancer. Moreso in team games but random mortar shells wiping squads are just too much for a competitive environment and this shit happens on a regular basis.

I would propose making mortars more responsive overall and changing them as follows (I'm only looking at non doc, so we can get that straight first. As was said before, one problem with the game in general was it's lack of coherent design decisions and the gap filling with commanders which has done a lot of damage to the balance (see doctrinal flamers, M10 vs Jackson etc.).

All Mortars should have their core function in effectively combating team weapons (forcing pack-ups, retreats and repositions) and softening garrisons/emplacements (but not outright hard-countering them). Further, all of them should have smoke.

OST and Soviet: Ost and Soviet both have a mortar in an early tier and rocket artillery in T4, but that's it.
Therefore I'd say these two mortars should have a "quick barrage" and a "long barrage", where the difference between two barrages is that the long one takes longer to get started, but overall has a way longer duration, like 8 shells or something, making it best suited for anti garrison and anti emplacement (softening them up!). The short barrage should be kept very responsive, since it will mainly be used to force team weapons away and thus it consists of about 4 accurate shells.
For flavour we have the vet abilities which can stay as is, I see no big deal here, except make that flare shell work properly please, since it's been bugged since forever.
The late game rocket artilleries on Ost and Sov should be heavy blob and emplacement/garrison killers, but they are not the main concern here so allow me to skip that part for now.

OKW is in a similar spot with ISG and Stuka, but their timing isn't as distinctively spread apart like for Ost/Sov. I don't know how to fix the ISG without making it UP/OP, so maybe give it slightly more AOE first to make it more consistent and appyly similar changes like for the Ost/Sov mortars.

USF are bloated with indirect fire and I would suggest giving the mortar only the quick barrage option and leave it at that, plus smoke obviously. The long barrage should go into the Pack howie, but apart from this distinction it's getting fuzzy, since there's still the Scott which could be/stay a long range squishy Stug-E type of unit?? This is a part in my proposal that could use some more work, but I can't think of anything good right now. Maybe making the Pack howie a doctrinal airdrop and replacing it's role with the Scott would be good like it was already suggested here.

UKF is also in a wird position, but you already have great ideas for it and I'd go with the little mortar pit that you drafted there. Maybe have the long barrage locked behind being inside the mortar pit and otherwise treat it like USF mortar? There are base howies for late game heavy artillery so I don't see much of a problem there.

That's all the factional indidrect fire units covered, but here's the most important change of them all which should be applied to ALL of them:

Nerf automatic firing! Either increase the delay between aiming and firing, increase scatter, decrease rate of fire, decrease auto-fire range or maybe all of that to preserve their role as anti team weapons and soft garrison/emplacement counters. As of now, they add inconsistency by wiping squads randomly and just increase the "explosive noise" on the battlefield.
I'd hope they'd be more micro heavy and thus more rewarding compared to their passive use, which isn't all that worse than microing them heavily as of now. This is my personal pet peeve with this game and I hope It's okay that I post my ideas here, but since this area of the game needs some major work IMHO, I thought it could be done in a mod and you asked for ideas, so there you go!

TL;DR
Make mortars fit their role (anti team weapon + soft garrison/emplacementcounter) more distinvtively and make them more rewarding to play with and against (by rewarding micro and punishing negligence), all by nerfing their auto-fire heavily and splitting the normal barrage in two distinct versions, each sercing a specific puprose each which have been mentioned above.

cheers!

I agree that mortars do need to looked over. Auto attacks need to be looked the most. So here are my thoughts for each faction.

Soviet Mortar is a bit more of a rare sight. Allowing it to be a bit more responsive is a good idea. Probably during a barrage action, I will probably increase the rate of fire in order it to allow to be more effective vs weapon teams and garrisons. Usually the Soviet Mortar when adjusted this should be standard when adjusting other mortars.

Ostheer Mortar. The auto attacks are very strong as we all know. A decrease to their rate of fire for the autos is quite necessary. It is my plan on moving the vickers to make a T0 MG an Ostheer thing only. So there is less need for a early lethal mortar.

OKW. With the Price reduction of the Lieg, I am not exactly sure the current state of the lieg. Though before it I do know that vs infantry it was not that strong. Maybe a further price reduction instead? I try to buff units since it maybe a power grab. With the additions of the Panzer Jaegers in the med truck, Manpower will be a bit thinner.

USF. Do not worry about the USF mortar. I am removing it. The pack Howitzer is coming out earlier and I am adding a smoke barrage to it. Additionally, for garrison clearing tools, I am making the flamer non doctrinal (requires weapon racks) and making a rifle grenade package for Rear Echelon like Miragefla's (requires grenades).

UKF. I am adding a mobile mortar. I am going to make adjustments to the advance emplacements to include my light mortar. For Infantry Sections, instead of the three "big" emplacements, that can build my light mortar pit, MG nests, and CoH1 Slit Trenches.