Profile of Hannibal

While OP's idea might fix some problems, I somehow doubt it would really balance snipers properly in the end. USF, OKW and to some extend UKF would still not have a good response to them. 3v3, 4v4 and some more narrow 2v2 maps will also not really change due to there being enough screening infantry and flanking being impossible.

If you'd want to stick with the current design, I'd make them slower out of cover and only gain normal speed in cover. That way they are less mobile and you can finally chase them across a field with normal infantry, they positions and moving patterns become more predictable and they are overall less efficient due to increased walking time. The slow down after shooting was an okay start, but in the end did not do an awful lot. It barely allows you to get your normal infantry into max range, at which point the sniper will get next to no damage due to poor long range moving DPS of all early game units.

My overall idea would be to make snipers more affordable 2-men squads and to remove the critical kill but give them higher damage and overall high accuracy instead so that shots can me missed when the enemy is in cover. They can then get recon abilities and be generally moved into recon roles. I'd personally even go as far to make one guy a spotter with long sight and the other one the sniper with the good rifle but less sight, but this is a quite complicated solution that is not obvious to the player, so I understand if that would need to be scrapped. This way they are less fragile, require less micro, can punish badly positioned squads and support and ongoing engagement, but not annoy the living heck out of you. They are more expendable and replaceable when lost, but can act as observers in the late game. Also, the defending player can actively reduce his bleed by positioning his squads well. This interaction is currently missing in the design of snipers which makes them annoying for the receiving side.

You surely have a replay on that?

Maybe it is a bug on my side, but if not can you at least time stamp the video?

-> Shocks have 1.5
-> 1.5 x 1.25 = 1.875
-> Kar98k has 1 penetration
-> 1 / 1.875 = 0.53
-> LMG42 has 1.1 penetration at 28 range
-> 1.1 / 1.875 = 0.58

So basically Rally Defenses turns shock troops into gods walking among men? I never knew it was this good.

Basically yes. But relatively speaking, you'll get more out of it if you use it on Conscripts or Guards.

Also yes I really did have a bugsplat exactly as the t-34/85 died. Absolutely godlike timing.

I was thinking for a second if you edited that in.

Would be a nice touch. Gives you that feeling of actually playing the game instead of just watching a video. True CoH2 vibes.