Profile of SURPRISE ATTACK

Hello,

I've been playing CoH for a while not, then DoW2 for a bit, and I have begun to play CoH2 more frequently in recent days. If Swiftsabre is still prowling these forums he should recognize me from Elite mod(hi swift).

Just from playing for a few days I've found that there are a few common sense(at least to me) tips that I should pass along to newer players, in hopes that team games go more smoothly for all involved. Some of these are general, others are faction specific. Some of these might be very obvious to experienced players, but considering that I see a lot of people not doing these things, don't feel offended.

Enjoy!

General Tips:

1) Build repair units late-game with spare MP.

- A lot of people I've played with(and myself included before I realized) would somewhat fixate on their tanks and vehicles and keep 1 pio/engie around even as they start to pump these tanks out. This is particularly egregious for OKW considering their MP float.

Having fast turnover for damaged vehicles is game changing, and plus, you can repair allied vehicles too.

Aim for having at least 2 repair units towards late game, and if you have more float, put caches down if possible.

2) Learn the name of the player next to you.

- In team games things can get confusing. I had a fellow yelling at me for not doing what he wanted me to do, and it turned out that he was on the other side of the map and was trying to communicate with another player.

3) Don't build FU/MU caches at the beginning of the game.

- The early game should be devoted to locking down the map and seizing important territory. If you begin the game by putting down a FU cache before you've even made your second unit, you are really handicapping yourself and your team.

4) Don't expect your ally to do things for you.

- Keep your expectations low and you will always be pleasantly surprised. In addition, positive reinforcement always goes a long way. After complimenting a somewhat irascible player a few times we ended up bonding over killing an early Panzer 4 and became a great team.

German Specific Tips:

1) The best way to prevent a bofors from being set up is to be less aggressive.

- This is especially true for Ostheer, because they have no fwd retreat point. If you overextend your forces and are forced to retreat, this leaves a huge window for the Brit to lay down emplacements in a really inconvenient location for you.

Instead, stay in a position where you are overlooking the VP/FU, skrimish, don't push, and whatever emplacements they set up will be more defensive in nature simply because of your constant presence near their front lines.

2) Stop trying to attack the bofors when you don't have anything to deal with the bofors.

- The Bofors doesn't bleed, and you're just potentially causing yourself lots of problems. Ultimately, the Bofors is like a troll. The worst thing you can do to a bofors is to just ignore it completely and go somewhere else on the map.

3) There is NO rule that says OKW has to set up T2 truck next to the front lines.

- Ever since British was released for vCoH, players have witnessed this problem with ultra-aggressive truck placement(should really be aiming for passive aggressive). As long as the truck saves you time, it's fine. There's no reason you need to put it directly behind the VP/Fuel PT.

4) The best way to deal with British mortar pit is by attacking it directly.

- The mortar pit, to the best of my knowledge, outranges the Gr.38 mortar, and like all emplacements, it does not bleed. Unless you are capable of moving your Gr.38 mortars between barrages, I highly recommend that you just not build mortars to counter British mortars entirely.

Consider taking the Mortar Halftrack, which for 40 FU is superior to the mortar pit, much more mobile(aha joke), and too, does not bleed.

If you do not want to take the MHT, building counter batteries will just tax your micro and cause bleed. Instead, attempt to flank around vickers mg, or use a light vehicle to force the enemy off.

5) The Panzer IV is not a Sherman/T34/Cromwell.

- It is the tankiest and slowest of the all-rounder medium tanks and should be used as such. Furthermore, the Ostheer version doesn't really shine until Vet 2, when it becomes uparmored and gains HP.

If you are looking for a good AT platform, the Stug III is an infinitely better vehicle. It fires and moves very quickly and is accurate. Good use of stun-shot will prevent any attempts from allied vehicles to flank.

The Pz4 is much better if you already have the advantage and wish to press the advantage.

British Specific Tips:

1) As a general rule, the Centaur AA is a waste.

- At 100 Fuel, the Centaur does more harm to the average british army composition than any good at all. It doesn't actually kill infantry that well, and it only really shines when you unlock the vet 1 ability. The only time you want a Centaur is when you are exclusively facing Ostheer. Stuka loiter and Panzerfausts can ruin a Cromwell's day very quickly, especially since Cromwell's AI ability depends on vehicle crush. Even then, you generally want a Cromwell BEFORE you make that Centaur.

Instead, what you really want is the Cromwell, which, when used properly, is far better versus infantry blobs than the Centaur is. Below you can see just how ineffective the Centaur is versus a small blob of Volks compared to a Cromwell. Granted I mismicro the Centaur, but I was also expecting my ally to push his infantry up(which he did not).



2) Please do not build a Bofors to defend your Forward retreat point.

- Doing so is a huge waste. The Bofors should really be used only when you are "winning" - or, you've locked down a crucial area and are waiting for the enemy to counterattack. Putting a Bofors behind the front lines is really kinda useless and a huge waste. You are much better off with an AEC, especially against Luchs/222.

The AEC also scales well and becomes UKF's only vanilla source of vehicle snares later on.

3) The Comet is not a Sherman Firefly.

- If you are on the defensive and in dire need for a heavy AT platform, do not reassure your allies by saying: "Don't worry, Comet coming!"

A Comet is an excellent AT platform and, when properly microed, is arguably one of the best medium tanks in the game. However, that does not make it better than a Sherman Firefly for taking out a Tiger I/II. A fully upgraded Firefly or two will make short work of a German heavy tank(TD's aside, but then again, TD's usually don't push).

4) Put Vickers MG in a building.

- Vickers at Vet 1 are incredible in buildings, just do it. Covered by a brit mortar pit, they will also be unlikely to be subject to lots of mortar fire.

Soviet Specific Tips:

1) Don't forget about conscript merge.

- This ability is free and incredibly powerful, but people don't use it. Suppose you have 3 squads of conscripts at base, with 4, 4, and 5 men in each squad. Merging 4+4, then 2+5 gives you three squads of 1, 6, and 6, respectively. Reinforce the remaining squad(+5) and send the other two back to fight instantly.