Profile of Aerohank

First of all, I never mentioned a cost differential. Anywhere. So dunno where you got that from.

Second of all, t2-3 build would result in ZiS/SU76/T34.

Third of all, a doubled potential for indirect fire, and who even cares about T34, when you instead just callin T34/85s, as usual, and as is the case now. The ZiS/SU76 combination is far more versatile than a ZiS/T34 combination.

You aren't thinking hard enough about the meta repercussions.
The change has enormous repercussions. Its not a small simple change. Its a huge difference.

Yes the ZIS+SU76+T34/85 call in is extreeeemely OP. This is why everybody is using this combo now.
Oh no, wait, nobody does that. At all.
The combo can also be used with the KV-1 (Zis+KV-1+SU76), and guess what, it's not that hard to deal with. The SU76 is 70 fuel, and its barrage is easily dodged. 70 fuel is a lot, that's almost 1 less T34/76 you need to deal with. 1 less T34/76 that can attack you and flank your armor.

You are severely overestimating the impact of this change. The SU76 is not that great of a unit, it fails utterly against heavy armor because it can't flank, it's easily killed by AT guns that share its range. As said, the barrage isn't that great either.

Saying that the change has a huge effect on the meta is true, but it will make it better. Unless of course you prefer a 1v1 meta where soviets can only build 1 type of tank or go for call ins; because we all know how exciting it is to play against infantry spam into T34/76s or T34/85s every game.

I don't agree with the topic. I think retreat works fine. Just because your soldiers are running away doesn't mean they are immune to getting killed. If your squads are getting wiped on retreat it's a sign you should adjust your playstyle and retreat a little earlier.

I'm gonna go with what other people have said to me in game:

2 units is spam, and it doesn't need to be at the same time.

Thanks Katitof, I was going to write something similar but you have saved me a lot of work.

As to swapping T70 and SU76, you need to think a bit larger to understand why that doesnt work.

First of all, it places T70 way outside its already narrow window. Even with stat/cost changes, it would be crazy to field it in a T4 AT heavy environment. Nobody would buy it, when they can get SU76 instead to do the job arguably even better at an earlier tier.

Of course people would buy it. The T70 has perfect synergy with the SU85. Likewise a SU76 has perfect synergy with a T34/76.

What do you get when you buy a SU85? Long range tank killing power on a low mobility (no turret) platform. What do you lack? Mobility and anti-infantry killing power. The T70 complements the SU85 perfectly, while the SU76 does nothing to help the SU85. The SU76 can't hit infantry and the barrage is only useful against stationary support weapons, for the latter a katyasha is a better option. The SU76 primary attack is long range AT, which the SU85 already does. There is no reason to ever get a SU76.

Now look at soviet T3. What do you get when you buy a T34/76? A medium range all round tank with plenty of AI fire power. What does it lack? Long range anti tank. There is no reason to get a T70 after you get a T34/76 because everything the T70 does, the T34/76 does better. A SU76 would complement the T34 perfectly, it could add long range AT support and use the barrage to soften up weapon teams. Soviet T3 does not contain any other, superior, artillery so the SU76 would be an attractive option to make if you are looking for a way to soften up enemy positions before going in with your tanks.

T70 swap with SU76 would be the best thing to ever happen to soviets. It would make getting T4 worth it again and open up more options other than T34/76 spam or call-in spam. You could actually use combined armor forces because each tier would contain units that supplement each other, rather than units that do the same thing at different price tags.