The design of the map for any size game 1v1 2v2 3v3 4v4 is of utmost importance. Its just as important, if not more important, than any system for making larger games more fun. Thats one of the biggest reasons the current patch for 1v1 and 2v2 is so good. The maps got patched and are so much better than before. One of the big, still unadressed problems is maps arent made for a SPECIFIC game mode (1v1 only, NOT 1v1/2v2) hybrid maps are a terrible idea and i know it scales to matches with more players.
If coh2 was an excellently balanced game but all the maps were terrible, the game would suck. Maps drive strategy, the game system as a whole, faction balance, etc.
Im not disagreeing with anything you said, i just dont care all that much about 3v3/4v4 (although they can be fun). But the map design in any COH2 conversation isnt less important. Its one of the most important aspects to make the game FUN.
Rant end.
That's true, I edited my post to remove the "less important".
I play mostly 2v2 and I don't have enough vetoes for unbalanced maps. I can't imagine a 1v1 tournament on maps like Road to Kharkov (first version)or Minsk poket. |
This is not the tipical thread talking about nerfs or buffs, I just wan't to throw some ideas that will make you think... and the final purpose is to balance the game in all modes (1v1 to 4v4). These ideas could be implemented in a private beta test. And at least I need someone from Relic Staff to read it or write here [Kyle my friend, you are my namesake!]
1-Map resources limit/scaling:
It is well known that 1v1 maps usually have less resources than 4v4 maps(as well as 2 fuel and ammo points, most of the maps are limited to 10 standard points specially 1v1 maps).
10 std points (arnhem,angoville, semosky,moscow,rails and metal,etc)
11 std points (steppes)
12 std points (angermuende, ecliptic fields, hill, lanzerath,etc)
13 std points (refinery)
14 std points (General Mud)
The problem in bigger maps and team games are that the time from early to late game comes much faster than 1v1 games. Caches in 1v1-2v2's are risky, in 3v3-4v4 are safe income. It should be interesting to rework the amount of std points from bigger maps, and / or limit the amount of caches that a map can have. That will make early and mid game much longer in team games, while remaining the same in 1v1 games.
2-Handheld rocket weapons aim time (Bazooka,Panzerschreks).
I think the role of the rocket weapons was not to seek for tanks and destroy them, they were used for deffending from vehicles. Right now, either USF ,WERH and OKW (or RUS with partisan) can blob a big amount of squads and Attack move. This "strat" works great against light and medium vehicles making them useless in mid late-late game. P2 Lucht suffers from captain, medium tanks suffers from volk blobs with shreks. some AI tanks can't deal with blobs or require a high amount of micro when the blob requires no micro.
What I think it should be done is, increase the aim time of a bazooka and reduce other reload values to make the time between rockets the same as it is now. You can increase the far acuracy to compensate for that but this will make A-move blobs much easier to kite while remaining the same in case of tanks penetrating your territory. adding aim benefits when green cover or garrison could be fine as an ambush benefit.
I think light ,medium and AI tanks will benefit from this feature and will make blobing more useless requiring to combine arms (raketen, AT guns, jacksons, Jagdpanzer) will be needed to "hunt" tanks.
3-Suppresion:
There a few issues regarding this:
3.1- mines:
I think mines should have a suppresion radius for infantry as it had in coh1. This will also stop a flanking attack giving you the time to relocate your mg's , and stop the damaged squad avoiding to trigger more mines in the path with the result of a full wipe.
3.2 Mobile arty weapons should have suppression as Pwerfer does (I'm not going to talk about Pwerfer damage, just the suppresion). This will help to stop blobs, in case of OKW stuka when missing the target it'd be nice to deal some suppresion in a radius, (at least yellow suppresion) same with Kat, that will make the units more prone to retreat because right now after the first salvo, hey can move freely out of the rockets area. (UKF base arty can benefit from suppresion sice it's damage is not significant so it can be used for creating a suppresion area to stop infantry pushes)
3.3 Grenades range when in suppresion.
It is not fair to be naded when a units comes frontal to you MG , got suppressed and it nades you or throw smoke. I think that all the yellow suppressed units should have a 50% range reduction in grenade/smoke, this will avoid single units raiding an MG frontally. You can still throw smoke to help a second squad to approach but you won't be able to smoke the MG to nulify its position.
4- The design of big maps.
Most of the big maps are designed much more long than width, that makes flanking less possible and OKW faction can have an early game retreat point supported with a strong structure that can be placed behind a wall/house making the faction not getting affected by the long retreat distances. USF/UKF have retreat points but they come mid-late and with a single raid you can destroy them easy. I'm not going to talk about if the medic OKW truck shouldn't be placed outside the base sector, Designing more wider maps will nulify that big advantage. A good example could be the map steel pact from Coh1, it was a fun map with a lot of battle actions due to the short retreat paths. |