Profile of Mr.Smith

I'll rather have they fix it, specially if OKW is gonna get reliable stock suppression. (This is real maphack).

This exact thing has been circling in my head for a while now. Swap Infrared HT with doctrinal MG42 for Fortifications/Luftwaffe. Problem solved. Both doctrines allowed MG34 (doc) + IR HT anyway (non-doc). Now it will actually give people a reason to still pick these doctrines.

Only problem is that you now get early access to both Stuka & IR HT. Oh well...

reinforcement cost for echelons is 25 though

I know! That's why I mentioned that reinstating pre-nerf RE's (was it 16MP per model?) might give USF another avenue. (provided we are careful about which guns the REs have access to, and how many!).

This could be one way of weakening OST sniper dominance vs USF without adding more snipers to the game!

yep, problem here being that WFA factions haven´t snipers, so counter-snipe is not an option for them. And furthermore, fuck rock-paper-sccissor thing for USF as they only have m20 (it has been proven is not a good counter to snipers)


And....cheap Rear echelons (nerfed with one slot for sweepers) are your proposal for USF???? wasn´t RE costs increased because the became really spammables and effective in the late game once racks have been teched? we are going to go back to some months ago with RE and racks because you don´t want to give snipers to WFA Factions??? doesn´t seem too clever, but fuck, I am a noob and you are a pro.

BTW, I didn´t remeber cheap RE a good sniper counter in the past......so, no sniper, cheap RE with verrry low DPS and teching for M20 (that it has been proved as a fail sniper counter tool) is your proposal for USF to figth snipers units?



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The idea is that by using REs you will minimize your bleed. Thus, you will make a very expensive MP unit ineffective against your composition. Sure, you will never manage to kill the sniper; sure, the sniper will remain annoying. Sure, you might lose most confrontations because of that, but you will eventually win the war (because of lower MP bleed/better map control) -- and the enemy won't know if you also plan on fielding an m20 or not; that's the importance of having multiple options.

There are many ways to counter something in this game. From strongest to weakest:
1) 1-shot wipes, no chance of escape: AVRE, Sturmtiger, Tulips vs OST T3/Pak43/garrisons, Stuka Bomb vs Howitzers
2) Have the odds in your favour in an even fight: E.g., AEC vs Luchs, etc
3) Be strong enough to scare something away: All AT guns vs lights, Heavy TDs vs slow-moving Churchills.
4) Make an expensive unit ineffective by presenting low-value targets: Osttruppen/Soviet weapon teams vs snipers.

Yes, weapon racks are an issue. However, what if we made REs only able to pick up one weapon instead of dual-weapons? Or what if we gave RE's inferior versions of the weapons they pick?

If a factions' only counter to a sniper is fielding their own sniper, then you know that game design must have taken a wrong turn, somewhere.

Yes, watching sniper-vs-sniper play, camouflaging each other out for minutes might be OK to watch in an ESL cast. However, it doesn't seem very healthy/interesting to play as, in the long run (IMO, even CoH2 emplacement spam is more interesting than vCoH sniper spam).

The best option would be to make snipers feel a little less godlike:
- Sniper received accuracy
- Give a combat cooldown before snipers can recloak (currently you only get cooldown when firing from stealth)
- Give a speed debuff for cloaking (doesn't have to be 50%, but infantry has to be able to catch up)

Another option would be to reinforce other routes of counter play:
- Give more factions cheap non-scaling infantry that doesn't care about the MP bleed (like Ostruppen)
- Decent, affordable scouting vehicles for all (like Kubelwagen, unlike UC)
- Vision-obscuring abilities
- Reducing the availability of AT to allow vehicle counter-play

However, once you do that, make sure that the faction that relies entirely on snipers to get by (*cough* OST *cough*) actually has other options available against its enemies (*cough* USF *cough*). Otherwise, it is still going to be (nerfed)-sniper spam.

Smoke Raid Operation
- Does this really need to come no sooner than 4 CPs? Vanguard has the same ability without any smoke, but it's cheaper and also lets vehicles capture points. And that ability comes at 1 CP. I think this ability should be reduced in CP cost. Yes, it hides your squads, but your enemy knows this because the smoke alerts him that they are hidden.

This one is my FAVOURITE ability in the entire game (all factions/commanders etc). What the ability does is:

For every unit you own that is in friendly territory, give them a buff that:
1) Gives them the ability to stealth ANYWHERE on the map
2) Allow the unit to decap faster

The affected units retain both bonuses even if they move on enemy territory. The ability is best used offensively on units that can actually hold fire (i.e., Commandos, Snipers), when you want to pull off a nasty flank.

(If a squad was not on friendly territory when you activated the ability, it doesn't receive either bonus).

Otherwise, the only issue with this commander is that the only non-munition-costing ability is overpriced. Do as Svanh said, basically.

Anti-Building Flame Mortar Support
- I've never seen this ability do anything, not even sure if it works, and I think the concept sucks in the first place. Why should it only be able to target buildings? Make sure the ability actually works and then remove the building requirement. If it's too weak or too devastating (again, never seen it so don't know) then adjust its power.

Currently, there is one and only single use for this ability. It's for 4v4 when your opponent is emplacement-spamming (bunkers, Pak43, caches), and is foolish enough to place many such emplacements next to each other (e.g., command & healing bunker next to a Pak43). One single application is good enough to destroy OST bunkers in one go.

I would rather that this ability drop flames on all buildings, even ungarrisoned ones.

Demolition Specialist "AVRE"
- Why does the Sturmtiger come at 11 CPs but the AVRE which has both less range and more importantly much less one-shot ability of tanks come later than it at 12? especially considering that the AVRE is the main appeal of this commander. I would lower the CP cost to 11, maybe 10 unless that's too powerful. It does have to be noted that the AVRE will receive an indirect buff against tanks when the next patch hits, as the tulip rockets will immobilize them for it, so I think with that and the CP decrease this unit will be in a great spot where it's worth getting but not OP.

AVRE is one of the best support-gun negaters in the game. If the AVRE comes any earlier than this, this will have an effect similar to an extremely-early KT vs USF (with no Jacksons); OST will simply have nothing to counter it with (yes, Stugs; but Stugs are nothing without support).

With an early AVRE, the following can very-well become a very valid strat:
- Royal Engineer spam
- No T3
- Stall with Pak wall and/or PIATs and wait for AVRE

The best counter to REng spam is support weapon spam. However, an early AVRE will throw that counter out of the window. Basically, this is going to be the CaptainSPrice UKF strat on steroids.

I would say it's the Sturmtiger that needs some toning down, instead.