Profile of MilkaCow

I think it is owned by the illuminati and marco.

Trusting the descriptions about what happens is like saying a T34 and a Panther are both medium tanks, they should be equal.


Late game scaling:
Grenadiers:
++ AI damage (LMG42)
+ Rifle Grenade
+ Faust
- High cost/entity
- Squad size
=> Faust gets less effective late game due to the high lethality vs small squad sizes. Against infantry the LMG42 is a major bonus

Riflemen:
++ AI damage (M1919A6, BAR)
+ AT damage (Bazooka)
+ Grenade / Smoke
~ AT Rifle Grenade
~ Squad size
- High squad cost
- High cost / entity
=> This unit has probably the best anti infantry scaling lategame due to dual upgrades and with 5 men is definitely a better chance to get AT nades off. Yet it's also hard to field many of those squads, as they will heavily bleed you if they do not have infantry to fight.

Volksgrenadiers:
++ AT damage (Panzerschreck)
+ Grenade
+ Low cost/entity
~ Squad size
- low AI damage, especially with Schreck
Good lategame scaling by becoming an allround unit, but does not really pack a heavy punch against infantry. It wins most of it's fights simply due to the fact it's so durable, not because it deals much damage, so it is really hard to cause bleed with this unit.

Conscripts:
+ Squad size
+ Molotov
+ AT Grenade
+ Low cost / entity
- low AI damage
This squad does not really deal much damage lategame, neither against tanks nor infantry, but needs to completely rely on it's abilities. Oorah grants good mobility and it's the best AT-snare of all factions due to the survivability. In general, this unit turns more into a support / scout / harasser, than a fighting unit.


Not all of those units need to be the same. Grenadiers are great in their anti infantry role late game, but without that upgrade they are almost useless late game due to the high chance to get wiped when trying to faust. I really like the differentiation, not everything needs to be a perfect fighting unit lategame. Combined with the supportive units (Snipers, Guards, Maxim) they provide nice protection against vehicles and will give vision and protect those higher grade units.

http://www.coh2.org/topic/21121/diversifing-the-dps-roles-of-penals-and-cons/post/189708

Upgrades aren't good for balance, Conscripts are not designed to be a lategame combat unit without PPSh41 upgrade and I'd rather have Penals or another unit take the long range role. Right now the only 'real' long range DPS they have is.. well sniper or Guards

Yes, bug abuse.

Why is it always with upgrades?

First of all, AT on Penals is bad, because that counters the counter to scoutcars. There shouldn't be a unit with AT in T1.

Second - Upgrades are really hard to balance. They increase the scaling and the cost-effectiveness of this unit and usually result in it being spammed. If you keep the unit in a normal position and just give it an upgrade, then that unit will be fielded all the time and upgraded, causing massive spam. If you make the unit slightly too bad without the upgrade, but better with it, then the upgrade becomes mandatory, fielding the unit otherwise is not encouraged. Look at how Grens are at the moment. Normal Grens without the LMG have problems facing Conscripts, but with an LMG easily own them. Keep in mind Grens are slightly more expensive upkeep-wise than Conscripts. This basically makes an upgrade on Grens mandatory.
Giving an upgrade to Conscripts is the exact opposite of what's intended. Instead of encouraging the use of combined arms, it would just result in people spamming Conscripts again. Take a look at PGrens vs LMG-Grens. PGrens itself are price-wise perfectly aligned (might even be a bit too good for cost right now), but they get totally eclipsed by the fact that LMG-Grens can almost do the same thing, but are cheaper and more versatile.

If you suggest such changes, please, gameplay over reality. In reality a lot of the squads were different, but giving a LMG to each and every faction is the worst way to go. It already adds a lot of problems with Ostheer LMG42 and I'd rather work with that upgrade being more of a sidegrade, than introducing mandatory upgrades for other factions as well. Inner-faction unit balance is just as important as intra-faction balance, sacrificing one for the other is not good.