Schwere Panzer HQ does not count as a converted SwS truck until Panzer Authorization is completed. The retreat point on battlegroup hq requires two SwS trucks to be converted but was not purchaseable until after Panzer Authorization was bought even though I had two converted SwS trucks on the field (battlegroup and Schwere)
I think removing the FG42 (IMO their signature) will be bad but giving it the Stormtrooper MP40 or PGren STG44 weapon profile with commando/stormtrooper camo with a "not a nukenade" grenade + demo charge would be both unique and non problematic IMO.
I mean make them the OKW version of UKF commandos with 4 man.
I don't remove the FG-42. They spawn with 2 as usual. In fact, I even buff them a bit IMO. I just don't allow for four of them to be used, since that is where the balance issues start showing up.
Your proposal could work, the only issue I see is that you subtract from the uniqueness of the unit. So many WFA units have 2 weapons that are supposed to deal the majority of damage and the rest of the models being more about durability of the squad than about the dmg. Falls are different with their 4xFG42. Falls are a perfect example of unit performing at 130% with 4 models but deteriorating quickly as the models die. Falls and Pgrens are about the only glass cannon inf in the game. It would make me sad to see that go away.
I just don't think they really work in the current mix; you have a relatively cheap glass(y) cannon with such great DPS; I tend to think we keep the uniqueness of the unit through its camo and all-around utility, as well as the two FG-42 that remain (and IMO are buffed here).
I also found it somewhat annoying that Falls each had a unicorn gun like the FG-42 tbh.
But I understand the concern. I just feel this is a solution that mostly pleases everyone balance-wise.
As part of a personal mod I sometimes play with and work on, I had actually produced a rework of the Fallschirmjäger pre-September patch along my own reccomendations, which I feel allows them to be a potent unit without overlapping too much with Obers or being all-around broken.
I will first give a quick summary of the changes I made and then we will go down through the individual stat changes.
First off, the new Falls are a 5-man unit costing 340 MP, with two FG-42s and three unique profile Kar98ks with 16 damage and decent accuracy stats at all ranges to complement the FG-42 (although grenadier ones could presumably work just as well for the most part, and the stats between them are largely the same)
The squad still arrives at CP-2, but can upgrade to a triple MP-40 (currently Assgren MP-40s, but we can talk about using Stormtrooper ones for a higher price) package to replace the kar98ks for a cost of 30 munitions, with no required tech. This obviously subtracts from total long-range DPS, but works better in an ambush or assault situation.
The number of FG-42s never increases, because the primary issue with balancing this unit is the fact it is currently based around having four of them on a four-man squad. As a 5-man unit with only two FG-42, the primary utility of the squad is its ability to do almost anything, having a smoke grenade, bundle grenade, panzerfaust and camo. With MP-40s it can be a lethal ambush unit, while K98s and twin FG-42 allow it to remain effective harasser at longer ranges. The squad is also much more durable against either AOE or small arms attacks by virtue of being larger)
MODELS:
No changes whatsoever were made the entity RA, which remains very competitive at 0.83. One might notice the price remains somewhat low despite being a 5-man unit, however, and surmise that the entity model cost might have changed. It has. The new Fallschirmjäger model has a cost of 66 manpower and 7 seconds (vs extant 72 and 9.5 seconds), and therefore has a reinforce cost of 33 per model. The reinforcement time, however, is also modified by the in-doctrine airborne assault ability, which reduces the squad reinforcement time by 0.75 (a value of 5.25), allowing it to better reinforce in the field during that ability (done via requirement_action in the squad sbps) Previously the reinforcement time was too long to make effective use of it IMO.
DISPATCH COST:
One might do the math and notice that 66*5 does not equal 340, but 330. The minor difference in MP cost is consistent with other paratrooper units in the game like USF paratroopers (56*6 = 336, actual cost 360), and is IMO justified considering the ability to deploy wherever. I did not want to make the price too high, however, considering the Kar98s they spawn with are ultimately inferior to the Para M1 Carbines at most ranges. 340 seemed like a good fit, though 350 would work as well if this sounds too potent.
FG-42 STATS:
The FG-42 has been reworked, something much easier to do without having the worry of four of them murdering everyone. In general stats have been made somewhat more consistent with the BAR and more realistic. The ghastly low reload count was a major subject for change, as was the very long burst duration, which has been reduced to BAR levels, with the weapon's aim stats and cooldown stats changed to make it feel like a more handy weapon, with fewer delays between bursts, particularly at range. ROF remains higher at 7 as it had higher RPM IRL than the BAR and I wanted to cement that.
I personally consider these changes to be a buff but could see the argument otherwise. May or may not require the first strike vet to be toned down.
Stats are Proposal vs Live
On a more minor note, K98k stats vs current grenadier K98k stats.
Note the squad still has one pickup weapon slot (technically has two, but FG-42s take up one at the moment, could very well be revised to two full slots available). The MP-40 package doesn't require any weapon slot (uses the stormtrooper dummy slot, despite using the same MP-40s as volks MP-40 package) nor does it take up one.
MP-40s are, again, identical to ass grens MP-40s iirc.
Comments on this proposal?
I think this leaves falls a very durable unit good for ambushes, with less bleed but less DPS at most ranges as exists presently.
Also note that MP40s seem to work perfectly fine on the Fall model and do not suffer the same magazine glitch as BARs.
The main problem with maxim is the oversized 6 man squads. My point is with a squad size that large it should not have been buffed without a squad size decrease to at the very least 5 men.
Im sorry you cant decrew it with frontal blobs anymore, but the maxim doesn't need any nerfs and certainly didnt need one to be able to do its job.
I dont really like to annoy people posting again things, but
What about making all flares give the IRHT vision mechanism? It doesnt reveal FoW, it just highlights units inside a circular area for a limited amount of time.
Wouldnt this risk causing the same bugs the IRHT vision does?