The more straightforward to remove the necessity for the Stug is to do what VindicareX indicated.
Moving Stug to 2.5 could be an option only if Ostheer is no longer allowed to skip tiers anymore.
Otherwise, everyone is going to trivially skip T3 and rush T4 for their Brumbarrs:
- The Stug is the star-unit of T3; that's literally the only reason why you want to have T3 up in the end-game (P4? Ostwind? lol)
- The Brumbarr is the star-unit of T4. I don't need to explain to anyone what it does.
Speaking of which, it is now, incidentally, a lot easier to skip tiers as Ostheer.
Before the patch, if you had BP2 researched it used to take:
- 75 fuel to get T3 up
- 150 fuel to get T4 up, if you skipped T3
With the new patch (which reduced the price of the BP upgrades, instead of the buildings themselves), it takes:
- 75 fuel to get T3 up
- 120 fuel to get T4 up if you skip T3
Which means that, currently, it is entirely possible to do this. However, with the current system, skipping T3 means you are going to lose access to Stugs. (and it's not easy to spam Panthers AND Brumbars)
it's 120 fuel after getting t3 (bp2), that's more than enough for all three allied faction to access their tank destroyer and including the brummbar price, get their tank destroyer.
the brummbar and stug are a pretty powerful combo, but all three faction should have access to their TD by then.
and isn't providing flexibility a good thing? wehr late game isn't as spectacular as before.