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Here are some of the ideas people have been suggesting on all the other threads about the UK faction. I thought I'd condense them into one post and put my own spin on them.
1. Remove Bolster. Yes, Bolster used to be unique but, it isn't anymore so there's no need to keep it. Just make UK infantry units 5-man squads and be done with it. Leave the cost of the units the same and spread the Bolster cost over the other tech upgrades (Weapons Rack unlock, Grenade unlock, UC upgrade, T1 unlocks). 280 mp for a 5-man Infantry Section is the same as the 5-man US Rifleman and it's not unreasonable.
Sure, the Axis factions have 4-man units that cost 300+ MP but, they're armed with StG-44's as stock. The Infantry Sections start with bolt-action rifles only and they're designed to fight from static positions. And, while it's true that the Grenadiers are only a 4-man team, the Ostheer faction has 3 different stock infantry units plus a couple of 5-man doctrinal units which can be bolstered to 6 men. The UK has only 2 stock infantry units and only 1 doctrinal unit which isn't just a variant of their stock units.
I would leave the Cover Bonus/Movement Penalty mechanism intact because, it is still something unique to the faction - even if it does make it harder for the Brits to attack. I would fix that problem another way.
2. Make the Royal Engineers a true close-quarters combat unit. The RE's are armed with a CQ weapon, the Sten, but it's too weak to allow them to perform this role to any great effect. To address this, the RE's should receive a Thompson upgrade (gain 2 Thompson's, lose one slot). This would boost their combat potential and give the faction a true close-quarters unit as stock. Of course, their cost would have to be raised because, they would now be a 5-man squad with serious combat ability from the start.
Furthermore, if the UC Wasp was removed to doctrine, as has been suggested, then it could be swapped with the infantry flamethrowers in the 2 doctrines that have them and the RE's would receive the flamers as another stock upgrade. These two mutually-exclusive upgrades would make the RE's quite versatile as a combat unit, fit for either close-quarters or garrison-clearing work.
The RE's might be subject to mission overload, given all their abilities, but I believe their new strength would be sufficiently attractive that players would be willing to build more of them. A player could kit them out to suit the role they intended them to fill.
3. Give Pyro Sections a WP Smoke Barrage. The UK faction needs more smoke options in the early game. This would fix the issue. The Brits also need better ways to de-garrison and de-crew in the early game, given how weak the Wasp is (especially without smoke cover) and the limited range of static mortars. This would help fix that issue also.
Using the Barrage requires the Pyro upgrade and unlocking the Company CP before it can be used so, it isn't as cheesy as some people allege. Additionally, until the Battalion CP is unlocked, only one gun can provide fire so, the barrage would be quite limited during the early game. It would only become truly effective once both guns were operational.
4. Buff UK vehicle MG's. It's pretty obvious from other posts that British vehicle MG's are considered the worst in the game and fixing them would help balance the faction in the later stages of games. The UK faction doesn't get any pintle-mounted guns but, there's no reason why the MG's they do have should be worse than other factions.
I admit I'm no expert but, I do play the faction regularly enough to be aware of its deficiencies. These are just some ideas about how those deficiencies might be addressed. I'm not interested in discussing whether or not this faction is balanced compared to other factions but, I am open to thoughts about how these suggestions might affect the balance of the game. Cheerio.
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This thread is long on complaining and short on possible solutions to the problems with the UK faction. So, I'm going to have a go at offering some ideas to fix the issues, even though some of these ideas have already been floated and none of them are mine.
First, I'll say that the new Lend-Lease commander is a pretty good choice for 1 v 1 games because, it specifically addresses many of the problems with the faction - especially those relating to early-game play. The Assault Section upgrade addresses the lack of a good close-quarters unit. The mortar solves the faction's lack of mobile indirect fire. The Half-track adds mobility but, it's real value lies in the AA upgrade. This weapon gives the Brits something of similar anti-infantry potency to the MG-42 but with a lot more mobility. Finally, the Wolverine provides a cheap, mobile AT unit that nicely fills the gap between the 6-pdr and the Firefly - both in terms of price and timing.
However, the release of this new doctrine has only highlighted how broken the faction is, now that the recent changes have forced it away from its original design. So, the question is: how can it be fixed (without gutting the new doctrine for stock units)?
Regarding infantry units, it's unlikely that any new units will be added at this point. So, there is probably no reason to suggest any, such as a new parachute squad similar to the US version (5 men, with upgrades to either Thompson's or LMG's). Likewise, changes to the Infantry Sections are also unlikely because, this would gut the upgrade from the new doctrine.
The only unit that makes sense to upgrade is the Royal Engineers squad. It is already a close-quarters unit; it's just one that lacks the necessary potency to be used in that role. To address this, the RE's could receive a Thompson upgrade (gain 2 Thompson's, lose one slot). It wouldn't lock-out the minesweeper but, getting the minesweeper would use up the remaining slot. A fully kitted out combat version of the RE's might look like this: 5 men, 2 Thompson's, 2 Sten's and 1 Bren.
If the UC Wasp gets removed to doctrine, as has been suggested, then it could be swapped with the infantry flamethrowers in the 2 doctrines that have them and the RE's would receive the flamers as another stock upgrade. These two mutually exclusive upgrades would make the RE's quite versatile as a combat unit, fit for either close-quarters or garrison-clearing work. It would neatly plug one of the holes in the UK's stock roster.
Another hole in the roster is the lack of indirect fire options. Currently, before a doctrine is selected, only the Mortar Pit and the Base Howitzers are available for that role. They are quite good units in some ways - the pit offers double the firepower at less than double the price and the howitzers are essentially free and have unlimited range. The problem is that the pit is fixed so the mortars can't move to where they are needed and the method of calling in the howitzers is awkward and risky, lending itself best to defensive uses and being a comparatively poor offensive weapon.
Fixing the pit by splitting it into a single mortar, with the second mortar as an upgrade, has some merit but, it may not even be possible. So, I'm not going to consider it at this time. Another suggestion is to change the mechanics of the unit such that the range of auto-attack is slightly reduced while the range of its barrages is slightly increased. I think this is quite a good idea on its own but, I would take it even further.
I think a timed, munitions-based "Supercharge" boost to the barrages is another way to tackle the problem. Purchasing the boost before selecting the barrage would increase its range (perhaps by as much as 50%) at the expense of all the usual downsides that increased range brings (possibly including a lower number of shells in the barrage). Additionally, a player would have to be careful not to waste the boost by selecting it and then picking a target within normal range. This wouldn't completely fix the problem but, it would make the pit a lot more attractive, especially in 1 v 1 games.
The issues with the howitzer are hard to fix, which is why so many British doctrines include indirect fire options. The method of targeting the howitzers and their inability to improve their accuracy by gaining experience leaves a lot to be desired. At one point, I suggested that mortars should be given the veteran ability to lay artillery flares but, that idea never gained any traction and I don't think it will ever happen.
Instead, I believe the only change to the howitzers that can and should happen at this point is the addition of a smoke barrage to the Pyro Sections kit. It would plug the lack-of-smoke hole in the UK's roster, covering both the deficiencies of the mortar pit and the complete lack of infantry smoke for this faction. It requires the Pyro upgrade and unlocking the Company CP before it can be used so, it isn't as cheesy as some people allege. Additionally, until the Battalion CP is unlocked, only one gun can provide fire so, the barrage would be quite limited during the early game and it would only become truly effective once all the CP's were operational.
These ideas would go a long way toward improving the UK's early-game play, particularly in 1 v 1 matches, but they're not the only things that need alteration. They are just the ideas that involve re-working the relevant units. As far as buffs go, British MG's are the only weapons in real need of a buff, especially their vehicle MG's. It's pretty obvious from this thread that British vehicle MG's are considered the worst in the game and fixing them would help balance the faction in the later stages of games.
I admit I'm no expert but, I do play the faction regularly enough to be aware of its deficiencies. These are just some ideas about how those deficiencies might be addressed. I'm not interested in discussing whether or not this faction is balanced compared to other factions but, I am open to thoughts about how these suggestions might affect the balance of the game.
Sorry it's such a long post but I had a lot to say. |
Australia
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cblanco ★ 
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VonManteuffel 
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