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British AT options in 1v1 suffer from one major problem above all- the extreme strength of the 6pdr.
6pdrs come early in the tech tree without need for upgrades, and two 6pdrs are enough to carry the faction all the way through the lategame with mine support. Piats, AEC, Bofors, 17pdr, Firefly, even the Comet, don't provide sufficient advantages in many situations over the cheap and early 6pdr to be worth buying. Fuel is better off spent on anti-infantry (centaur, croc, etc) backed up with 6pdr walls. |
Thread: Centaur29 Sep 2015, 07:05 AM
Having used and abused the Centaur in automatch a little, there are two problems I can see with its current implementation.
1. DPS. DPS is extreme and garrison clear is broken, which leads to it being extremely lethal against its own counters such as the Pak40 and Raketen, moreso than any other unit of its type (Ostwind, T70). Lowering lethality and increasing speed in exchange would fix this issue, but everyone already knows that.
2. British tech design. Tank tech was dropped to 280MP / 115F in the last major patch. This cost is lower than any other faction's ability to get comparable units (Ostheer T3, Soviet T4, Major), and is perfectly fine in its own right. This was to be counteracted by the fact that the British player would need to obtain fuel upgrades and dead-end tech units to maintain map presence- the trade offs being the core of any strategy game. These are- Universal Carrier, 5-man squads, Weapon racks, Grenades, Hammer + AEC, and Anvil + Bofors.
This is similar to how T2 works for Ostheer- the 222 slows down T3 speed through unit cost + T2 cost. However, the 222 is invaluable to keeping map control and pays off more than a straight T3 rush through constant counterharrass, as an anti-sniper soft counter, etc.
However, in my experience with the Brits, the solid core of Sections, Snipers, Vickers, Royal Engineers, the 6pdr, and the very effective Vanguard Glider / Commandos are more than enough to hold sufficient ground for fast tech to be by far the superior alternative.
This is particularly due to the linear tech structure of the Brits- Ostheer T1-T3 can be punished by a fast light vehicle, for example, which goes uncountered without investment in T2 for a Pak. However, the Brits will never lack access to their core units due to their straight T1-T2-T3 progression. Of special note is that they will never not have access to very effective antitank, which due to extremely high accuracy and low cost is much stronger versus light vehicles than any other AT gun. The 6pdr is enough antitank to carry a Brit to the Centaur and well beyond, into the lategame, so much so that the 17pdr, Piats, Bofors, and AEC are totally unnecessary.
On top of the sufficient strength of the British core, the dead end tech + units and upgrades often do not have enough impact to justify their purchase. The UC is underwhelming with the Wasp nerf, the AEC does not punish overinvestment into infantry in a meaningful way unlike the Quad, T70, M20, AAHT, and Stuart. Bofors is not necessary, Bren LMGs, and 5-man squads are useful but not necessary, and the Mills bomb is just bad, especially since Sections are bad flankers and are never spammed in the first place.
I believe that a readjusting the strengths of these mid-tier upgrades, making them more viable alternatives OR making these upgrades necessary for the survival of the Brit player against certain builds will go a long way towards making the Brits more multidimensional and interesting to play, and to play against.
Postscript- I do not deny that the Brits crutch on the Centaur vs competent opponents quite heavily. Other unit adjustments should probably be considered (Section ROF out of cover, reinforce value adjustment, Universal Carrier performance). These changes, in conjunction with the above suggestion, would be, imo, ideal. |
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