I certainly don't speak for everyone, but it seems to me that every competitive 2v2 comes down to an elefant v ISU-152. If either team lacks either of these linchpin units, its an extreme uphill battle to compete with the massive range. I would like to see some opinions on what can be done to diversify the meta without simply nerfing the two units outright, as I see this issue stemming from more than the units imbalance itself.
IMO the elefant is in a good spot as a unit, it only becomes game breaking in 2v2 situations where the critical mass of units and the relatively small map size make any sort of maneuvering to try and take it out not worth the risk. If you throw everything at the elefant in a giant push, and fail, then its GG WP. If you sit back and play passive, you are playing to the elefants strengths. This same situation applies to the ISU-152, and is even more magnified by its back breaking squad wipe potential. This has created a really stagnant 2v2 meta of ISU-152 v Elefant EVERY SINGLE GAME. It's extremely boring and I hope something is done about it. I think the issue has as much to do with issues like 2v2 map size, and armor pushes being extremely risky due to the effectiveness of mines and AT guns, as it does with the units themselves.
Here is a short list of casual observations about the 2v2s I have played this patch. Feel free to comment on them, post your own, and in general try to give constructive feedback about the state of 2v2 as a whole. Lets try to stay away from the blatant bias and/or L2P posts.
- Maps like Semoisky and Crossing in the woods feel too small for 2v2s by the time armor rolls out
- Mines
Mines punish armor pushes super hard, and lets be honest, if you have an elefant or an ISU, your going to be putting some mines down, as the only real counter outside of arty (which as of the most recent patch is no longer viable) is being flanked. Obviously mines aren't going anywhere, and are a viable part of many strategies, but they add to the frustration of trying to counter a 100 range unit, as you can lay them deep in your lines where they are less likely to get triggered by a random infantry unit, or get swept by a lowly pio/engie.
-One shot squad wipes
This only applies to the 152, but its a big one.
-The strength of the ISU makes it a nobrainer every game, which it turn means that every german player must carry an elefant doctrine, and will likely be forced to go w/ it in order to deal with the ISU.
I don't think range reduction or scatter increase will make Elephant any harm. It will still be able to 2 shoot majority of Soviet tanks. The difference is it won't be able to do so across the map sitting untouchable and don't even needing a spotting unit due to scope upgrade.
Of course ISU-152 should be changed accordingly as well.
I always cringe at the suggestion of more scatter or any type of RNG in general. IMO anything that takes the control away from the player and puts it in the hands of RNG is frustrating at a fundamental level. Having your elefant well positioned at max range, and having it miss more often due to this is counter intuitive. We should not be introducing mechanics that force players to work against the inherent strengths of a unit. If you want to nerf the elefants range, that might be reasonable, but please don't decrease its accuracy at range.
IMO the elefant is in a good spot as a unit, it only becomes game breaking in 2v2 situations where the critical mass of units and the relatively small map size make any sort of maneuvering to try and take it out not worth the risk. If you throw everything at the elefant in a giant push, and fail, then its GG WP. If you sit back and play passive, you are playing to the elefants strengths. This same situation applies to the ISU-152, and has created a really stagnant 2v2 meta of ISU-152 v Elefant EVERY SINGLE GAME. It's extremely boring and I hope something is done about it. However, I think the issue has more to do with issues like 2v2 map size, and armor pushes being extremely risky due to the effectiveness of mines and AT guns, than it has to do with the units themselves.
Honestly most of this thread is just whining. The balance is better than ever, the Soviets are fine (albeit a little easier to play IMO) and the Germans are still very viable. It seems like the issues with soviet armor being OP is just German players having to relearn how to react to it. The list of issues with the game is smaller than it probably ever has been, and yet people are still here raging about this or that being op. You guys are boring...
Retry button is a magic system, that put you infantry to run ultra fast to base with no problem...
Even if they were taking bombs and shooting from all sides, surrounded, etc...
Sounds like you should really enjoy the "not one step back" commander, if its ever released. I would strongly consider taking a break from the game and playing something more realistic like ARMA or something, until that commander is released. Because realism ALWAYS equals more fun, and should be the only factor in game design...right....RIGHT!?
Maybe people in other parts of the world don't mind, but I think I speak for 90% of East coast Americans that have other things they could be doing in the middle of the day.
Mostly because I know my skill level isn't good enough to give it a good shot, and I don't have a steady 2v2 partner. I might consider participating in a 1v1 tourney I had enough time to train and really play on a consistent basis, but at the moment I only have time for a few games a day.