...and this game doesn't have more limits?
if i want to skip to t2 i can. if i want to mass conscripts i can. doctrines are more flavor and soft strategy changes rather than revolutionary changes to play like original.
i'll admit it's hard to explain why, but i never feel like I HAVE to tech/play a certain way. coh2 does not take one mistake and murder you for it. vcoh amer vs pe, if pe went TD, you'd be mad not to fully upgrade supply yard and go airborne.
let's take russians (since i think most people think russians are the most tech locked):
t0: you have engs with demos (buildings/bridges) and conscripts (soft AT & aoe dot molotov)
now i can go t1 for a fast aggressive play with m3's, penal attack squads, and snipers. this focuses on map control and attacking. yet i could play defensive with m3 flanking my opponents attacks while i use buildings, mines, and barb wire to hold.
t2 asks for more static play with mortars, maxims, and at guns. you get more firepower out of this tech but with a higher fuel cost meaning later tanks. at guns are good against vehicles and have arty for ai. but even this tech can be used for attacking as maxim spammers have shown us.
t3 (one area i'd like to see tweaked because of t-34) you can use HT which is just as useful for staying power of inf as the german HT. it doesnt get a flame upgrade, but does get quads which make it a moving suppression with good damage. t-70...do i even have to explain this one?...t-34 has ram disabling powerful german armor and decent AT and good AI (would like to see munitions upgrade for this tank making it a more powerful AT tank).
t4 has awesome tank destroyer, a rocket arty, and seige unit that gives you a mini arty with decent ai standard fire for a cheap fuel cost and no ammo cost.
i know this is wordy as hell, but the point is I can pick and use whatever i want and there may be "better" ways to use each tech, but there's usually only one wrong way to use any particular unit in the game (i.e. sprinting your sniper right next to a gren). this is all without even a commander in play to supplement the play style you want to use. vcoh said if you pick this tech or this doctrine, you must play this way or an equally skilled opponent will destroy you. hope i made so sense, this is very general