Covering fire was also overnerfed, is it really worth it to lock down your squad for 35% penalty for enemy?
I tried to use this ability but I cannot work out any scenario where you'd want to render the squad combat ineffective in exchange for slowing down another squad a bit and reducing its combat effectiveness by a third. In any 1v1 scenario the ability makes you worse off for using it and in combined arms the only use I could find is to try and prevent a squad from closing in fast enough to get off a snare. All other infantry combat scenarios you again are worse off for using the ability, at least it seemed so for me :/
Can the ability be used on retreating squads? I mean there would be a use there to try and get a wipe by slowing it but then again, you need other units nearby to do damage.
No, the thing that determines whether something can be crushed or not is the crush flag the vehicle has and the "impass" values of the structure. The dozer has heavy crush. (all information assumes that there is nothing weird going on in the cheat mod and that I looked up the correct unit and structure in the game files)
Back on topic: I also looked at the game files for the panther. While there was no answer as to why it should have heavy crush, it is interesting that it is actually not flagged as a heavy_tank but a heavy_vehicle and a medium_tank, just like the dozer or all other medium tanks for that matter. So it doesn't seem to be following the logic that the game classes it as a heavy_tank and that's why it has crush.
That's all I can and am willing to contribute to the question as it seems to devolve into a balance discussion.
I know "heavy crush" ability is there or not but I am still under the impression that KT can crush them. Haven't checked though.
Checked in game and it does not crush tank traps, unless there is something weird going on with the cheat mod. The classification "super heavy" does not exist in the game. A KT is just a heavy tank like the elefant. I also checked the game files and the tank traps are flagged as impassible for heavy crush, so unless I looked at the wrong entry no tank crushes tank traps.
Some "super heavies" can crush tank traps if remember correctly but suffer a speed penalty.
There is no distinction between the heavy crush of the panther and that of a tiger or elefant. I even quickly tried it in game. An elefant cannot crush usf tank traps.
Panther does not seem able to crush tank traps either.
No, it does not. Heavy crush does not allow to crush tank traps apparently. I seem to have mixed it up with okw tank traps/barbed wire, which can be crushed. Corrected the original post.
And USF's M10 has heavy crush, but it's a Tank Destroyer
No, the M10 has medium crush, meaning that it cannot break hedges and similar environmental obstacles.
As to the question of the thread, I sadly do not know the answer but the panther also used to have heavy crush in coh1 (if I remember correctly), so that might be why. Due to its armour and the health bonuses at vet 2 it comes very close to a heavy tank.
The pershing is another medium tank with heavy crush.
Comet, oddly, even though it is somewhat similar to the panther doesn't. So there is no clear distinction as to what medium tank does get heavy crush.
It would also be long overdue that the sprint has its debuff removed. It is still the only sprint in the game with a debuff, is tied to a commander and effects only one unit.
The debuff could also be added to all other commander sprint abilities but to have it only for one faction, for a commander ability that is inferior to all similar commander abilities (without factoring in the debuff) seems odd.
In the patch the Soviet ability is superior in micro since it does not need infantry to set it up but inferior in damage.
All booby traps abilities would be allot better designed if the explosion turned incendiary and the left DOT fire.
The micro argument is a red herring. The ability could be given to engineers. The delta in damage is also of second nature. It's the instant kill radius that is pretty much the major culprit. There is also an argument to be made for the fact that one requires a doctrine and the other does not, this restraint itself, more than makes up for the alleged difference in micro since you're locking in a commander with little late game.
Last but not least, the question was directed at people familiar with the patch and who are able to provide insight into the thought process that lead to the decision and who may comment on whether the okw/ost booby trap is being looked at as well or not
I had a crucial mistake in my sentence structure, where I forgot to point out which trap was compared to which. I have since corrected the mistake. My apologies for any confusion this may have caused.
The soviet booby trap and the and the okw (and now also ost) one are different. The OKW booby trap is non-doctrinal (obers), costs 50 munitions, causes 160 damage, its area of effect is 0.5-2-4 (near-far) and the damage multipliers are 1-0.4-0.2 (near-far).
With the new stats of the soviet booby trap (tied to a commander) the okw equivalent will not only outperform it in damage at any distance, its radius within which it can squad wipe is double that of the new booby trap. Are there any plans to adjust the okw(/ost) booby trap as well to bring it in line in terms of performance?
Critique:
We had the precision shot for artillery in the game for soviets and it was a terrible design with the potential of just cheesy free squad wipes on capping squads. 50 range does little to mask the fact that this is a cheesy squad wipe ability trying to make its way back into the game.
The soviet booby trap and the and the okw (and now also ost) one are different. The OKW booby trap is non-doctrinal (obers), costs 50 munitions, causes 160 damage, its area of effect is 0.5-2-4 (near-far) and the damage multipliers are 1-0.4-0.2 (near-far).
With the new stats of the soviet booby trap (tied to a commander) the okw equivalent will not only outperform it in damage at any distance, its radius within which it can squad wipe is double that of the new booby trap. Are there any plans to adjust the okw(/ost) booby trap as well to bring it in line in terms of performance?
Critique:
We had the precision shot for artillery in the game for soviets and it was a terrible design with the potential of just cheesy free squad wipes on capping squads. 50 range does little to mask the fact that this is a cheesy squad wipe ability trying to make its way back into the game.
Developer Comments: Increased LOS to allow the M36 to better kite, locate and hunt enemy armor without boosting its firepower any further.
LOS from 35 to 40
Tank acceleration increased from 2.5 to 3 Veterancy 2 sight radius bonus changed from 30% to add 5
total sight for vet 2 M36 45 pre-patch, a bit more with bulletin.
I know the patch notes, pretty sure he meant a vet 0 jackson since at vet 2 jackson would get also -20% reload
Since I love exercises like this, I ran the numbers. With the results I'm pretty sure he couldn't have meant a vet 2 jackson, since the difference in time to kill is 1.1 second, which is far to close to call since the p4 needs to bridge the distance to a jackson that is probably also starting to reverse. This is not a bet I would like to make since it can go either way, especially considering the p4's lower moving accuracy.
I have to wait and see to tell whether the jackson is too strong. The sight reversal might have been what was needed.
Relic Entertainment
cblanco ★ 
