Profile of van Voort

I feel like the OKW should have no AA at all since the ALlies dominated the skies by late 1944

Short version:

You buy good AAA BECAUSE the enemy dominates the skies

+++++++++++++++

Longer version:

Well, the Germans had good AAA in 1940, this freed their own airforce for offensive operations rather than force protection.


In Russia they found that the Luftwaffe simply did not have the numbers to be everywhere, despite overwhelming individual superiority where they were. This is analagous to trying to fight 10 conscripts with 1 obersoldaten squad


Because Il2s will ruin your day and the fighters cannot be everywhere good AAA became even more important, but, right to the end, the Eastern Front was a place where otherwise obsolete planes could continue to be used


In the West the Allied airforces were numerous and competent enough to have total air supremacy most of the time, and when they didn't have it (Arnhem and the early Bulge), things did not go well for the ground troops.

German Forces in the West soon learned camouflage and to move by night; and that you absolutely do not shoot at the recon planes. Apart from the fact it gave away your position, shooting at the guys with the direct connection to the Field Artilley was not a good idea.


/History

President Bear may of course define bearishness at his pleasure.


Can we have a ruling please on:

Nandi Bears

Red Pandas

Water Bears

Well then:

Blitzkrieg

Very good vanilla option to learn the faction and one I am using a lot myself.

Anything with Panzer Tactician gives you the get out of jail free card for your armour, combine with Blitz and you see why Allied players get frustrated with Axis armour and why mines are important


Recon is good, especially in team games and it is something that OKW totally lack


Command Tank will stack with your panthers and provide a little better AI

37mm strafe is a handy cap stone


Lightning War

G43s will be a revelation

Tigers are cool as noted


Mobile Defense

Pass on this for now, it can supplement T4 build, but often you will find Panthers out before Pumas so it's a bit meh for team games and changes too much from core

Spearhead

The Mortor Half Track is excellent for urban battles and versus static Soviet T2 play

Panzer Tactician + Recon + Tigers + Bombs

There is nothing in there that you won't want

Storm

Bit meh, avoid


Festung Armour

Has smoke and Command Tank.

Hull down can be useful but is static

PAK 43 is not so hot in team games

Railway Artillery is powerful but often random and easy to dodge

Festung Support

Has the MHT, and call in smoke

On map artillery not so hot

Sector Artillery is apparently very good


Fortified Armour

Is good even without the elephant, which now doesn't do anything that a Jagdtiger cannot

However, you don't have to call in the elephant and the rest of it is handy without it; plus it is nice to have the option.

Jaeger Armour

Has in built counters to the things that counter elephants, ie: On Map Artillery.

Not to be sneezed at against Soviets who are using B4s for example

German Infantry

Go with this is you want heavy infantry play. The Artillery Officer goesvery well with mortors and even better with Panzerwerfers

Lacks recon however

Mechanised

A collection of mediocre abilities that are available in better commanders and one that is bascially rubbish


Joint Operations

This is vanilla, but that's fine, vanilla is classic

You can get good mileage out of Recon + Artillery Barrage

Artillery Officer can be very good, the other two abilities give you options

It doesn't have Panzer Tactician, but that will at least ensure you don't use it as a crutch

+++++++++++++++


I would certainly take Blitzkrieg, then probably Joint Operations, rest as to what fits your style

Edit:

Jaeger Armour is the only thing there with Recon + Bomb Strike to counter B4s, so you should consider having the option just for that

Other commanders have recon + strike, but their strike will not be as good versus Artillery

In 4v4 what you are doing now as:

T1, T2, T4 is perfectly viable

Indeed I would recommend you do that, possibly including some T3 at some point so you can see what they are like.

This is on the grounds that you should know the core before you mess with call ins

++++++++++++++++

I don't play much of the smaller games, but there there is less fuel and less time, so it will take you longer to tech up to Panthers, you won't be able to build as many, and you won't get as much use out of them as you would in 4v4


4v4 though you will can get your first panther out way before the 11CP mark you need for Tigers, especially if you are playing with OKW.

++++++++++++++++

Tigers are very good though, they are a sturdy, useful, generalist tank and the skills you learn from using other tanks will apply.


Panthers are not so hot versus infantry, and especially Zis and are best viewed as a tough tank destroyer rather than a tank per se.


The other great thing abut Tigers, is that they are in several doctrines and all of them are good. IS2s are only in two doctrines and one of those is not so hot.

Tigers however are in:

Assault Support

Lightning War

Mech Assault

Spearhead


All of which have something going for them, you could equip 3 of those doctrines and nothing else and have a good choice of options



As noted above though, I'd suggest you start out without call ins, let us know what commanders you have and we can make suggestions.

I honestly don't think the Germans have a bad commander in 4v4, it's a question of what fits your style

So, from our two previous instalments we have:

Builder Unit: Sturmpioneers OKW 58%

Core Infantry: Grenadiers Ostheer 32%


http://www.coh2.org/topic/25090/fantasy-faction-i-builder-units

http://www.coh2.org/topic/25222/fantasy-faction-ii-core-infantry


Now we move onto the elite infantry

Elite Infantry will be all infantry available from CP1 or later, 1st or 2nd buildings

So some units will be in both lists

Units will have all abilities and upgrades available to the unit (eg Grenadier LMGs)

Upgrades that must be unlocked before purchase (eg: Molotovs, BARs) will be on the third list and will be available to all infantry in the faction but only one can make the final selection.

This means for example that conscripts, should they be voted in, will have access to only one upgrade so will only be able to have Molotovs or ATGrenades not both


OKW units will have their fuel or upgrade costs adjusted into "real" terms


PS:

I have also realised that technically snipers should have been an option last time around, never mind

PPS:

Pathfinders don't even get to be an option this time around as they got no votes last time