Profile of Mr.Smith

Could you use the larger hull down animator, such as hull down xl. This size is meant for a tiger.

I trust I have to import this animator from a tiger or something at the abps file? If I recall correctly, I got the current version from the ostwind and it was something ending with _m.

Please note my concern about Penals being able to punish cache building much easier than other factions - later in games commandos with their demos will provide a quick hit and run on these expensive caches. The concept is good though - much more decision making about where/when to build caches in team games with a distinct penalty to your fighting ability when doing so early and haevier blow when they are destroyed

That's Penal's niche. If Penals had no niche people would never build them; they would build Conscripts instead.

Don't build caches too early (you can't anyway), and you will be OK.

Late-game harassment should be encouraged; not discouraged.

Call Ins: if the tiered building associated is destroyed, cost rollbacks or stays with the discount. I ask what you have in mind for OKW T4. All in all, i think it's fine.

Cost discounts remain; they are a permanent upgrade awarded to the player that finished constructing the relevant buildings (sorta how OKW teching works)

Conscripts: this is gonna be a pain in the ass to get it right but worth the effort.

It is. That's why we aren't going to modify other types of infantry (e.g., Volks) until we're sure about Conscripts.

Anecdote: it might not be worrisome due to now having only a single available ability which affects acc (FHQ aura been removed) but doesn't this make things like FMR (for mother russia) irrelevant at some points? Basically if you are not engaging high vet low size squads, the bonus is not doing anything? (Just like Valiant Assault).

FMR gives the fastest sprint in the game, technically. It goes up to 11!

Flavour: i like been able to maneuver early on with Cons while using Hoorah. It's kinda prohibiting if the cost is increased. I mean, if the numbers presented are right, you are not increasing by much the close DPS, molotovs are only faster thrown at vet2 and nothing crazy has been done in other aspects.

Close DPS was indeed upped by 5%; that's only to make the curve less retarded (live Cons trade best at range 25).

The biggest buff was far DPS which was upped by 25%. That & the vet bonuses (and green cover, of course) make Cons the go-to defensive infantry for Soviets.

-Does this apply to booby trap like demos or timed ones? Probably not, but worth asking.

It doesn't. However booby trap has had its OHK radius reduced

-Does this have any weird effect on emplacements?

We'll worry about emplacements when we get to Brits. This is an EFA-only mod for now

Reduce cost is nice. Revealing cloak too OP ? Both sniper and mortar.

Let's see how Soviet sniper fares vs OST sniper now that incendiary rounds is fixed.

Guards Troops:
My approach. I still think they are losing some value, even if they get a mp cost decrease since they lose the capabilities of fielding both light AT (which it wasn't bad AI defensively) and AI (DPs) and now they even have to buy back the PTRS.

Option "l33t" piñata dudes:
-Keep the current live version status quo. 360mp-4slots-PTRS on spawn-Drop rate
-Apply mosin/nade changes
-PTRS with old pre WBP performance
-Hit the dirt > changed to "Hold the line" or any cheesy defensive like name. IF anything this goes more to the old "Defensive Stance" approach
Only activable while outside of combat. Can the range bonus be increased to slot weapons to +5 (what Pathfinders, JLI and Falls get). NVM just increase the range to +5 in all since it's a defensive ability mostly (not passive or WOWSHITTOGGLE it during combat)

Basically a slight improvement on their current state.

That could kinda work. The question, though, is why would you pick a generalist squad that's meh-ish, when Shocks are so sexy now. Being forced to start with a PTRS kind of gimps you.

It appears that pre-nerf Guards really worked because of their ultra-high received accuracy & the speed they were attaining that. Low casualty rates meant the squad didn't have to juggle 4 slot items among them.

On other hand, if we reduced their firepower instead of RA, then all squads in the game would just a-move walk up to them.

Option EFA Revamp 2.0
-Cost to 330mp (old cost)
-MAYBE: weapon slots to 3. I think it might cause issues but i can't let it go♪ ...RIP piñata dudes with stuff.
-Spawn with mosins.
-Double weapon upgrade. Either double DPs or Double PTRS. Drop rate to 0.1 or middle ground.
-DPs keep the button effect, the pseudo CC/Snare.
-PTRS gives a different ability. First 2 shots applies a RoF reduction. From the 2nd volley (3 shots onwards), it applies the turret lock crit (you can still shoot). Keeps refreshing if the target stays on target.
-"Defensive stance" see point before.

We though about making guards start with 0 guns and have 3 slots.

However, the thought of 3 DP's kinda scared us. We could make Guards come with 1 forced PTRS to have a middle ground between uniqueness, customisability and good performance. However, we're going to wait and see how the upcoming improvement to Guards will make the unit feel.

Soviet PM-42 Mortar
Popcap from 6 to 5. How does this work? Crew also to 5? Didn't fraction popcap cause issues?
PD: same with other units which have 6 man crew and now pop of 5.

The mortar entity has -1 popcap. Thus, if you're soviets and have 2 guys manning the mortar it takes 1 popcap.

Urban Defense Tactics:
Option 1 which is more likely to be accepted by Relic:
Reduce cost and remove damage modifier. Keep def buffs.

Option 2 more interesting:
Let it be built on bunkers.
Replace armored detection with defensive emplacements (this is a combined change with Defensive commander abilities). Tank traps + bunker

We -will- give the doctrine the ability for engineers to build their own FHQ, in case everything has been wrecked etc. ATM, we're just waiting for people to come up with a suitable model for it.

E.g., would FHQ looking like soviet T1 (tent) or soviet T2 (trench) seal the deal?

I want to think that these have been forgotten, any ideas to improve?
HTD, Tank traps, AT grenade assault, Personal AI/AT mines

Feel free to brainstorm.

I wouldn't want to buff HTD yet. This is because how much better Conscripts are at long-range now (they beat G43 grens with Vet). The fact that you no longer have to close in that much means that they might already be able to take MGs down frontally (I haven't tried it!)

PPSh might require nerfs. It's too early to decide though (we want to fix the Mosin first).

AT nades and AI/AT mines, I've absolutely no clue about

Call in specifics + Techings

RIGHT NOW:
Show Spoiler

-From BP2 to get all tech, it requires 660mp/220f.
-Getting only T3, it's 360mp/120f
-Skipping T3 to T4, it's 400mp/145f
-EFA Patch to get all tech, 560mp/170f (also discount on call in)

PERSONAL CHANGES v1:
Show Spoiler

Call in discount requires BP3 (it's hard to make it free without purpose IMO).
Tiers 3-4 are independent from BP and BP from Ts. BP unlocks units.
T3 gives Stugs. T4 gives PW. BP2 gives PIV and Ostwind. BP3 unlocks Brumbar, PV and Call in tank discount.

-Getting only Stugs, 260mp/60f
-Getting T3 complete, 360mp/120f
-Getting PW, needs Stugs, 460mp/135f
-Getting T4 complete, n. stugs, 560mp/160f (which also gives call in discount)
-Unlocking only call in discount, 200mp 85f
-All tech 660mp/220f

TBH i don't want to expand on this cause it was already a mess of swapping values to present this "simple" idea which doesn't mess with current timings too much.

That could help.

ATM, we're trying to non-linearise OST tech again by throwing costs around.

We didn't think of BP unlocking specific units, so that would actually be a good idea.

Spotting scopes/Smoke Tactician:
I thought they were mostly fine. Smoke been countered by attack ground. Keep cost, decrease delay. Increase cost, remove delay.

Smoke could use a small delay from live version to prevent AT guns from losing lined-up shots. It probably doesn't have to be as long as currently.

Spotting scopes are OK in WBP. It's a nice defensive ability that you can use to cover flanks, and get some intel for your Elefant Airburst barrage. It's got 70 range.

About other forgotten things:
Smoke bombs: make them not require LOS
Sector arty: ???
HT riegel: 222 deploy ?
Defensive doctrine: combined trenches with tank traps and give some love

Those could be nice ideas.

Thanks for the response - I think something like 75 Muni might be fair for 4 G43 if it keeps current performance. If anything they are hella fun to use.

I'm curious - any chance the Call-In Cost change could affect all factions? I know you are at the mercy of The Scope but if not I can't help but feel that EFA would be handicapped against the current Pershing/Command Panther meta otherwise. It's really one of those changes that shouldn't be done piecemeal.

There's no scope. This is our own personal project, (Miragefla's and mine; with a lot of feedback from TheMachine), and Relic has no involvement in it.

The reason you haven't seen consistent changes to WFA factions are that:
- Not all changes are easy to copy-paste (Brit trench and WASP veterancy was easy; smoke delays is more involved)
- We want people to focus on exploring EFA core interactions. We don't want to pin OKW to Soviet levels and then realise that OST has no chance vs new Soviets.

Once we have nailed Conscript DPS curves and veterancy pacing, we can move to OKW revamp with greater confidence. However, touching other factions is further down the line (but it will come!).

While I really like the idea behind this change due to current G43 Panzergrens not being worth it at all I feel like they might be a little too strong when you consider the relative quickness with which they can be fielded combined with the fact they will be a unit with a low target size and high moving accuracy - it just begs to be YOLOed into low vet squads for easy wipes with no tactics needed. It definitely needs tweaked IMO

If it's absolutely necessary, we can tune it down to 3 G43s, or increase the cost. We can't delay the CP requirements, since that will affect grenadier G43's (in the world of EFA revamp Grenadiers absolutely need their upgrades to survive post a certain cons vet level).

In the worst case, we might as well make the upgrade non-doctrinal and make it require a certain battlephase to delay it.

The issue with the upgrade is that it is already in all of the must-use commanders, and Grenadier G43's are already damn good.

For the time being, since our mod only includes EFA armies, 4 G43's is OK, since you now you have a pure AI squad with no shred of AT utility. In the future, when we begin to include WFA armies and their infantry needs to be taken into account, something might have to give way; if necessary.

4. Some kind of different route - X1 or X2 G43 but they get Jaeger Light Infantry Version!? (dare to dream!)

That's actually the first thing we tried when we were preparing WBP. 1 JLI sniper rifle & 3 STGs = all squads melt at any range