@Ohmwrecker: Not sure who you're talking about. Saw plenty of people complain about it. Perhaps not on the alpha forums because they couldn't access it But even there there was heated debate on the subject.
As for the "It's just a game" argument. That's not one at all. I could argue that CoH ought to be a FPS with RPG elements and then just go "It's just a game".
Yes it's a game. But that doesn't mean that anything can be done with it. And if you're going to pretty much just ruin the WW2 aestethic of it. You might as well not bother with WW2 at all. You might as well not bother with the authenticity.
One of the reasons i really like CoH is for the simple fact that there are no mirror matches. It is fun.
@Naereas: Regarding the MG/Rifleflank. That's not right. If anything learning how to setup the MG would also teach you how to flank one because mastering the MG would not just be about the strengths of the MG but also the weaknesses.
That is why one of the prime suggestions for a new player struggling with one army is to play the other one, to learn the strengths and weaknesses of that one to then apply to their own army
I was watching both, and I was not seeing a majority that was against mirrors. I was seeing a vocal bunch that more often than not consisted of players who hadn't tried the alpha yet. They were pretty consistently countered equally by others, like myself.
Referring to CoH 2 as a game, versus a simulation, is a valid point in my opinion. Multiplayer makes use of units that hardly saw enough production to really put them on the frontline in significant numbers. Soldiers don't go and fire at each other while standing or kneeling for 15-20 seconds without killing a whole squad. V2 rockets weren't wasted on clusters of infantry. I never heard of propaganda leaflets that sent hardened soldiers running back to base. etc. etc.
At the end of the day CoH 2 is a RTS game, in development by a studio that has a proven track record, with a publisher that retains 100% rights to the intellectual property. So yes, they can do what they want with the franchise, even if that means making a FPS, RPG, or even a slingshot style Company of Heroes: Angry Wehrms for the iPad. Relic has the right to design CoH 2 in whatever way they (and now Sega) see fit, they have no obligation whatsoever to fans.
I don't feel that mirrors ruin the WWII feel at all. All of the units shown are still WWII units. The environments shown are still set in the WWII era. Giant robots don't appear out of the ground during play, it's extremely authentic, and lends to a better multiplayer experience.