Profile of Inverse

Strategy is a plan.

Micro is an execution of this plan.

This thread is weird.

When discussing an RTS, "strategy" generally refers to a player's execution of a gameplan on a macro scale (building the correct units at the correct times, efficiently spending resources, upgrading at correct timings, etc.), and "micro" generally refers to a player's execution of a gameplan on a micro scale (positioning units correctly, focusing the proper targets, utilizing the units you have created in the correct manner, etc.).

All RTS games require a combination of these two elements. A game like SC2 puts a ton of emphasis on the strategy/macro element; it requires insane micro as well, of course, but at high levels of play those with better macro skills are generally more successful because they can draw games out longer, and a longer game generally favours the more mechanically-sound player because there are more decisions to be made and therefore more opportunities to outplay the opposing player.

On the other end of the spectrum are games like Men of War and DoW2 and CoH2, where the macro elements of the game are, relatively speaking, incredibly simplistic. When you have a simple game on a macro scale, it's far easier to outplay your opponent on the micro scale because that's the arena where you can differentiate yourself the most. When the strategic, macro element of the game is relatively easy to master, high-level games are decided on the precision of a player's micro capabilities. Somewhere in the middle of these two extremes lies vCoH, which emphasized micro but did so to a far lesser degree than CoH2, and left room for macro players but rewarded them to a far lesser degree than SC2.

You can't really make a value judgement about the two styles without it being an extremely subjective one. Some people like the SC2 style, some people like the CoH2/DoW2/MoW style. vCoH was unique because it bridged the gap between the two fairly well, and catered a little bit to both styles of players.

Commenting more directly at the OP, which I didn't get a chance to do in my first post, I don't really think CoH2 becoming more APM-intensive is a bad thing. Company of Heroes has always been an extremely easy series to play from an APM perspective; forcing top players to play faster is not a bad thing. It's not difficult to learn to play faster, and I don't think increasing the APM requirement means CoH2 suddenly has more focus on micro and less on strategy. That shift in focus has been there since the game's release, and it's caused more by the design of the factions and the layout of the tech trees than any increase in required actions during a game.

They've taken a lot of ideas from Brits it seems. Trucks for HQ buildings, the LT/Captain system for teching, trenches, slow infantry movement (through deep snow), etc.

Nothing good is going to come from this thread. Locked.

Also @Ami and others - just to clarify a bit better what I was saying before - coh2.org is an amazing site and you guys have done a wonderful job running it. I just wish the people that hate on CoH 2 simply because they prefer vCoH - and the people that scream fanboy in every thread would stop bringing down the overall quality of the site with their shitposts.

The irony is, you're screaming "fanboy" in the opposite direction - calling people who dislike CoH2 vCoH "fanboys" constantly and dismissing their arguments based on that fact alone. Your attitude is just as toxic, only in the opposite direction.

Back on topic, I don't really get the obsession Relic has with NDAs in this day and age. I mean, if you're proud of your product, shouldn't you want people to be talking about it prior to release? Isn't that essentially free marketing? Like, you can call it an alpha all you want, but software like this is not changing one month prior to release. You don't look too confident in your product as a developer if you're trying so hard to stifle discussion and downplay software issues (through the NDA and alpha naming respectively) so close to your launch date.

But how about that lag grace thing we had back in vcoh? It would help a bit on those random internet hiccups. Why isn't that at least in coh 2...

How do you know it's not in CoH2? It was in beta, just because it's not being displayed doesn't mean it isn't being recorded internally. I doubt they would drop you from the game the moment you get a minor connection hiccup.