Profile of Tiger Baron

From a design point of view:
Imo the focus should be to better design the commander themselves and not trying to balance the faction. The aim should be to create viable commander that offer alternatives but not commander that OP to compete with the meta commander that OP themselves and they should be actually redesign to have less a power combination of abilities.

The changes should also follow the there theme of the commander.

When making the changes one could also see them as interim step requiring changes to other commander also.
For instance: interdiction "casualties intonation" make perfect sense for a unit like storm-troopers who actually where military intelligence even if it present to "light infantry training" where it does not belong. It can be removed from there in the next patch if it an issue with scope.

USF.

Armour company.
The theme of the commander implies heavy use of armor and an attempt should made to be followed.

Assault Engineers:
The idea of turning this unit into a "elite fighting" unit does not go along with "Armor" theme of commander. In addition the presence of "elite" infantry before minute 1 reduces from the tactical aspect of the game, since allot depends of the performance of that unit in the first engagements.

Finally 5 men squad being able to equip both flamers and assault rifles have already been proven problematic and should be avoided.

Suggestions:
Reduce cost/move to CP1 make the unit more about utility than raw firepower. Allow flamer for 4 men squad or 2 Thompson+1 entity locked behind officer.

Elite Vehicle Crews:
The Thompson change although an improvement it only leads to cheesy tactics especially in combination with M10 allowing to drive on atgs and disembark.

Suggestions:
Either scrap the ability or make it about veterancy as the name implies and that would also open the way for the reintroduction of "troop training".

Player could pay manpower and fuel making his vehicle more expensive while getting more out of the veterancy of his vehicle. For instance the can either be able to reach vet 4 or they could gain a small stat buff (10%) to the normal vet bonuses.

M10 Tank Destroyer:
Actually this unit does not fit the commander and other armor like the 78mm Sherman, easy8 or Persing seem allot more suitable. In addition the unit should not be competing with M36.

Suggestions:
Make the unit a call-in at an increased price but make it also build-able via major at the current price (this change should probably apply to other unit to increase usability across mode and economy inflation). Move unit to mechanized.

Sherman 105mm Dozer:
Modeling the unit after the brumbar is a mistake imo. The unit is available with no tech or with a cheap upgrade of 80 mu making far more cost efficient. Faction are completely differently designed and Brumbar is there to compensate for the weaker Ostheer infantry.

Suggestions:
One could redesign the unit as:
Infantry support tank similar to Churchill with emphasis on durability and not firepower
Assault gun proving indirect fire support either similar to KV-2 or to priest with sort range small number of shells (3?) and low cool-down.
or one could remove the unit from the commander.

240mm Artillery:
Although the changes are good for the design of the ability (the now make Gustav look even worse)
heavy artillery does not fight the commander so much thematically and lighter version of artillery maybe should be available.

Suggestions:
Replace the ability with a "105mm barrage" modeled after ostheer "Light Artillery Barrage". That would increase the synergy with armor since one could use the ability earlier during armor rushes without risking destroying his own armor. The ability could be moved to another commander.

MECHANIZED COMPANY
The theme of commander implies a heavy use of lighter vehicles and imo the commander should be focused in use of such vehicles.

WC-51:
(in game description does not mention the m21)
The unit's mark target and barrage abilities seem debutante since "refit and refuel" allow the unit to removed in later stages of the game.

Suggestions:
Replace assault engineers as crew to m3 with a normal crew, they overlap with cavalry riflemen and the m3 is way to cheap. Remove med-kits from m3 as unnecessary and exploitable.

Refit and refuel:
The ability suits the commander allot but it is confusing to use since the player does not know what it get back for removing a unit from the map. In addition it is open to exploits.

Suggestions:
Move the ability to the vehicles themselves and redesign the ability so that it allows light vehicles to be swamped with one other light vehicles for the cost difference (+ a taxation?) and maybe some XP. This will greatly improve the use versatility of the commander.

For instance if one can replace WC-51 with an m20 one could go captain and still have access to the unit or if one builds an m20 and he can replace it with a greyhound once can go Lt and still have access to pseudo light tank.

Swaps could either be specif or pop up could be available (allowing more options).

Cavalry Riflemen:
Although a infantry call-in seem a bit off for mechanized commander that already has more access to unit that any other commander it could still become viable with some changes.
Unit is way to strong for "mechanized commander" while it offers to mcuh AI and AT being able to equip a bazooka or a bar.

Suggestions:
Reduce CP 1, USF elite infantry suffer from the fact that a) come too late when player have already produced enough riflemen (and in addition officers will come) b) B are to expensive (and thus strong) in order to compete with the already strong riflemen.
Imo lowering their CP to 1 and reducing the cost/strength to riflemen will make easier to built while the can become more attractive by increasing their scaling and utility.

Reduce cost to 280 have start with 5 grease guns and have the Thompson as an upgrade taking up all slot (locked behind 1 officer). Lock satchel (and smoke?) behind grenades remove engine damage from satchel (maybe tone down damage abit) or replace with stun/daze. Allow access to paratroopers bazooka.
Vet 1 ability "light vehicle training" a passive or active aura providing a small buff to light vehicles like +5 sight -1 target size.

Combined Arms
The ability is nice but seems a bit expensive.

Suggestions:
Reduce cost to 70 and tone down affects.

Reserve armor
The ability is problematic with the current implementation. Thematically superior armor does not fit a mechanized commander. Access to 2 more doctrinal units while the commander already has access to 4 doctrinal unit bring the total to 6 is excessive. Dozer available for 80 munition is too cheap.

76mm Sherman vet bonuses are to high especially combined radio net.

Suggestions:
Replace with M10 as call-in/build-able unit.

76mm Sherman performance price and vet bonuses should not be connected with Soviet version of the unit. The faction and tech cost are different and the unit should be balanced separately. In addition one has to take into account that USF Sherman is already superior since it has radio net, smoke and disembark.

Unit could also be changed to a clone of the normal Sherman with access to AP rounds to differentiate the 2 units.

Btw, I have a suggestion to make for Elite Crews.

Make it a Passive that gives Crews 5 levels of veterancy, like the OKW.

The extra veterancy levels can be made so they give the crews more utility or combat capabilities instead of just combat capabilities and a bit faster repair, and would also make it overall easier on the player since you gotta get the crews out and upgrade them individually right now and so forth, making it a Passive would nullify that.

I do think the current Grenadier model looks good, but it probably isn't historically accurate for the average infantryman to have a full suit of Splittertarn. So I'd be fine with the change you proposed. However, I don't think we're going to see any model changes for infantry, simply because everyone has gotten used to the current models so much.

What would be nice is for us to have summer models of the Osttruppen but with helmets, since I actually prefer their uniforms the most because of the extra stuff on the back.

I think the 1.3 Mechanized Company goes way too far with the amount of call-ins available to it.

Armor Company is feeling good- very happy to see how close it is to my suggestion! I'd switch out the Vet Gain bonus from Elite Crews for Faster Embark, though. This makes them more likely to survive, and it seems that every other Vet Gain bonus has been removed from the game.

Not sure if Shocks were the right thing to add to Urban Defense Tactics; they may be too good with Forward Base, and appear in lots of doctrines already.

Similarly, the Churchill Crocodile is already in enough commanders.

A forward base for Defensive Doctrine would be more interesting than Osttruppen.

The Artillery Officer seems redundant in German Infantry Doctrine, since 5-man squads and MP40 troops are both present elsewhere.

I've thought about it and even wrote it here, the Forward Supply Ability would be better if it was in the German Infantry doctrine since it will synergies with the call in infantry better, while some sort of advanced bunker ability would synergies better with the Osttruppen's build power.

Specifically about Advanced Bunkers, it's going to be basically forward supply station but split up and given as separate things to bunkers to give them more utility. It would be a somewhat cheaper route but heavily time and micro intensive compared to the fuel costing point and click FSS.

I tried out Mech Company some more and I got 4 points to make:

1. The WC51 really loses effectiveness as the match progresses but I still don't think it's worth to even withdraw it to get resources back, especially after you've upgraded it with the .50 cal.

It's 155mm barrage ability has a shorter range even than that of the Major, for whatever reason, and I found myself more often than not kamikatzing it in order to get a barrage off and I lost it 1-2 times out of 3.

What I suggest is giving it another upgrade, weapons carrier, allowing it to drop BARs and Bazookas or the other alternative, "locking" it down, like the Ambulance/Opel Blitz truck, deploying some mini weapon racks so your units can arm in the field, to give it more utility and use after the mid game passes.

Another thing I really liked that someone else mentioned was it capping without any upgrades.

2. Cav Rifles - I suggest making them 300 manpower but them coming with M3 Grease Guns by default and being able to upgrade with M1 Thompsons similar to the Rangers.

The idea is cutting down a bit on the manpower cost since as someone again already mentioned it, the commander is quiet manpower intensive.

3. The M3 Halftrack's med kit drop ability is somehow bugged, for me it wouldn't deploy the med bags anywhere else other than directly under it for some reason, which was a problem since I had to move it each time in order to grab them, I don't remember it doing this before, not sure if the range of the ability was reduced or something.

4. I suppose that replacing the Reserve Armor with the M10 would probably be an option provided that Cav Rifles become a solely AI unit, the M10 will provide them with the needed AT, especially if Combined Arms is made a passive for Cav Rifles, then a slot would be freed up for something else.

I really thought about it and shuffling around the tank call-ins for the USF would make some sense provided that they fit in with the commander and are balanced.

Currently the 76mm Sherman is overperforming due to Combined Arms.

Vipper makes the point that Armor provides both strong AI and AT options with the 105mm Sherman and M10 in Armor.

Another person suggested replacing the E8 in Rifle Company with the 105 Sherman.

I would go a step further and giving Armor the M26 Pershing if the M10 and 105 Sherman are moved to other commanders.

What I imagine is this:

Rifle Company - 105mm Sherman instead of E8. The 105 Sherman is an infantry support tank and would provide the Rifles with cover with their barricades.

Mech Company - M10s instead of Reserve Armor. Would provide Cav Rifles with the needed AT support if they become a dedicated AI unit, especially with Combined Arms (active or passive).

Armor Company - M26 Pershing instead of M10 Sherman and Reserve Armor instead of 105 Sherman, the commander would retain access to bulldozers.

Heavy Cav - E8 instead of M26 Pershing, would help out with Combined Arms, having Rangers as well would probably be a problem tho.

Just for the record, this is a big IF scenario I thought of based on my own experience together with what I've read on here from other people.

I don't think they need smoke to be a CQC unit: Rangers and Thompson Paras don't and they're amongst the best. However, I do think the smoke's good for their role: they're vehicle support infantry and the ability to blind AT guns definitely helps with that.

I can see the difficulty in designing Cav Rifles: make them too weak a CQC unit and they don't get used, make them too good and they'll go off to the flanks to wipe squads instead of supporting vehicles.

What if they removed Combined Arms as a Commander ability and made it a passive on the Cavalry Riflemen? Have them about Assault Engineer effective on their own, but they get buffed up to Thompson Paratrooper performance with a vehicle nearby?

That gives you very efficient CQC infantry but only when fighting alongside a vehicle.

You also keep the highly thematic Combined Arms effect but escape the myriad balance problems of having it apply to anything.

So what you're suggesting is for them to have a sorf Osttruppen/IS type of bonus but instead of cover, they get it when they're around vehicles automatically?

Yeah that could work I suppose, altho vehicles will not be benefitting from it anymore (or will they?) so there's that.

But then again the probably most common question besides will it be balanced springs up, how will the free slot be used then? M8 Greyhound I am getting that probably isn't an option, they already have a Halftrack so adding the M5 is no go as well, the M3A1 Scout Car from the Soviets? It would basically be an even better clown car than the WC51 but there would be a huge overlap probably.

So I think we have exhausted the light vehicle call ins, what about a munition based ability then?

Baker Company in AA had the M1919A6, maybe that could fill the slot? Apart from that there is already Arty on the WC51 so that's out of the question too.

So honestly, thats what I intended for when I proposed the change (now dubbed the "super bundle") to the group.

Current patch mech felt like just a bunch of callins to me, and thats something I didnt think really felt satisfying. In my pitch, I said something to the effect of "Mech is basically a 'I get a bunch of callins' commander. Mech should be transformative and make you feel like youre actually playing a truly mechanized faction with vehicles being a regular part of your army."
(That last part is also why I suggested they be built instead of called in. In my opinion, callins feel "click and forget," while units built out of structures feel like theyre a part of your unit roster.)

I also said that mech gives you a bunch of callins without giving you the abilities or the space to make them shine, which is a reason why we went towards refuel and refit and combined arms.

All of that said, I dont personally believe that having this many abilities is an issue in itself. However, if having this many abilities or units proves to be a balance issue or the sheer volume is overwhelming, then thats definitely something we need to look at.
(A tangent on this point: whether you consider mark, 155mm, or almost anything else separate abilities or not is subjective. Technically the command panther is a command panther AND mark target. Panzer commander is a pintle slot upgrade AND an artillery callin. Officers are a unit AND smoke/artillery/buffs. All of this is much like the wc51 is a vehicle and mark and 155mm.)

There was a lot of "me" and "I thought" in this post, but thats probably because I was the most active in proposing changes to this commander, especially early on in deciding the direction.

I can see your point now I suppose, I never thought about basically having a US "Panzer Elite" so to speak, especially all in one doctrine.

What I wanted, or at least imagined, in general was Baker Company from the Ardennes Assault campaign in Multiplayer really, that's all.

It might be just me but I really liked the feeling of you being some sort of small outfit with just an attached mechanized company to you, instead of being a fully mechanized force, you had guys that had to walk and fight on foot but most you find Halftracks for but there just weren't enough to go around.

Apart from versatility it also probably a lot of mobility, saved time, and time was paid in blood as Patton said, that's also the reason why I vouched for Cav Rifles for such a long time, I could only hope that Panzergrenadiers would receive such a treatment for the Ost/OKW as well.