Profile of blvckdream

2nd game in a row that this happens:

Has somebody experienced something like this before? Its frustrating af to play vs a better ranked opponent just to lose after a really good eraly game

This happened to my teammate almost every game before he fixed it by deleting his coh2 folder (not the main one but the one in documents) and verifying game files. Not sure if that really fixed it but he was fine since then so it might have helped.

FPS on Rzhev seem worse than before.

I played plenty of 3v3 since 64bit and performance seems better except for Rzhev where FPS drop to 15 FPS in late game. Me and mate both had this issue it was almost unplayable. This never happened in 3v3 to me with the 32bit version so not sure what's up with that.

It's suspicious how he managed to avoid getting counter sniped all the time while still using the sniper whenever possible to pick off Grenadier models. Impossible to judge if that was just game sense and luck or hacking though.

There were also plenty of situations where he could have used the Valentine to "accidantally" run over the sniper while moving across the map and didn't, which makes the argument for maphacking even more questionable IMO.

Now that my map has reached automatch I thought it might be helpful for me to introduce the map a little and give some tips on how to play it.


Historical Background

The map is not really based on any actual combat that occurred during WW2. The German Forces aimed to reach the oil fields around Baku during Case Blue (Fall Blau) but never made it there. Due to the oil fields mentioned there is a oil refinery in my map, as well as surrounding mountains (inspired by the Caucasus Mountains through which the Wehrmacht tried to advance). The nature is generally a bit "desert-like" reflecting the appearance of the area's landscape along the Caspian Sea. I hope that the visual aspects of the map add something new to the usual maps we are used to.


General map design

The map is split in two parts by a river. The river gives red cover but I placed bushes and other small objects in it to give yellow cover at certain points. All the retreat paths should be covered by this should not become an area that can be used for easily wiping units.



The roads do not provide red cover.

The northern and southern corners of the map provide a big shot and sight blocker that allows you to flank forces in the middle by taking the longer route around the edge of the map.

I really hate maps where team weapons and later Elefant/ISU are overly dominant so there are a number of indestructible sight as well as shot blockers implemented. The bridge walls can not be destructed and the wrecks south and north of the VP can't either. This should make it harder to spam MGs and kill all vehicle play with Pak walls.


The map is mirrored making it balanced for both sides.



Ressource points and VPs

The map is designed in a way to make it possible for both sides to capture all 3 VPs. This should, at least in theory, make it possible to end games quickly if one team is better instead of promoting endless drawn-out games like on Minsk or Poltawa.

The munition points are located relatively far away from your base which again makes the munition points something that you need to fight over. I predict that this will likely cause the average munitions income to be less than on other maps which should help with late game call-in spam (off-map, loiter planes, etc). The munition point is also quite far from the main combat areas which again makes it neccessary to actively pursue it. Players get to choose between focusing all their units on the fuel points and VP areas or spreading out more and contesting the munition points as well.

Both fuel points can be contested although each side has a "safe fuel". It's not that the fuel points are right outside your base but fighting for the fuel should always be possible even for struggling teams. There are two fuel cut-offs that need to be held to connect your fuel to the base. Both are relatively hard to get to so there will likely not be too much cut-off play happening. That being said, the fuel cut-off right at the river can be used to quickly end games when one player dominates "his side". If you manage to push your enemy off the map you can cross the river and decap the point resulting in the loss of fuel for the enemy.




Garrisons

The map has no dominant garrisons. The only usable houses are the ones at the northern and southern munition point. Both of them are not designed to be used for combat and instead are meant to serve as points that can be used for infiltration units. Spawning units here should work perfectly for ambushing units from the edge of the map.

All the other garrisons are destroyed and can not be used. This also includes the bunkers in the south-west. They can not be used/reached and only serve visual purposes.




Strategies

I am not sure yet what strategies and build-orders could be dominant on Highway to Baku. Ideally the map turns out to be quite balanced in terms of favouring long vs. short range infantry, team weapons vs. mobile infantry, heavy tanks vs TDs etc.

The map allows you to either work as a team and mainly stick to your side of the river or each play on one side. The bridge walls should make it quite easy to switch from north to south without being seen and shot at from the enemy. That way you can quickly assist your teammate and go for 2v1 situations.

Emplacements and OKW trucks can not be constructed in the water but building a mortar pit or a forward HQ along the river covered by the trees and the bridge wall should be a pretty good choice.



Due to the shot and sight blockers on the edges of the map it should always be possible to flank the enemy and attack from multiple directions making it hard to lock down everything with MGs.

If you want to watch a really good game played on Highway to Baku I can recommend AE's cast of Kimbo/Asiamint vs. Noggano/Isildur who played a tournament finals game on the map.

It might be an unpopular opinion but the T70 isn't even OP in the current patch (apart from 1v1 maybe). It's timing and the cost of Soviet tech + side grades means you have plenty of time and resources available to counter it. Teller mines, Pgrens with Schrecks, Pak40s and the P4/Ostwind arriving only a few minutes later is plenty to deal with it. OKW can just get a Puma or 2 raks and the T70's effectiveness goes to shit.

I don't really understand why so many Soviet units get nerfed in this planned patch when they were already clearly the worst faction in the early game as it is. It would have been way better to buff their early game strength and tone down the late-game a bit.