In both vCoH and CoH2 I prefer to play the Germans - just a preference. Not ideological. Not alignment of philosophy.
Part of it is the Tanks as well. They are truly legendary and even if I only get them once a game, it's exciting.
As well, regardless of balance and with the exception of a few patches, I feel like because of the numbers in the infantry units, the Germans are more complicated to play (but that might just be me).
Elite Armored Doctrine but in the context of the OKW army the p4s, especially since they're vetted up to 2 or higher for great armor values, can be quite powerful, especially when enhanced by all the doctrinal abilities. And you get TWO of them, which is great. Considering the fragility of american armor and the insignificance of bazookas once any decent armor value is involved I can see these giving a force of 2 or 3 american tanks a run for their money, tank destroyer or not."
Played them in the Aplpha and they were great. Still tanks, still vulnerable but great. The Spoils system was much higher in the Alpha - guess to test things out. Here, it seems to be taking longer but I guess I'm ok with that.
... even if it's true, the man asked for help, it was not a balance discution.
In my opinion, any strategy against this combo-abusive tactic has a 50% chance to fail, but maybe you won't get unlucky.
What me and my team mate used in EARLY GAME:
Player nr 1 - A lot of grens and nothing else. If the map allows you, you will achieve some flanking with them, while M3s cannot really close in. If you cannot flank efficiently or the map doesn't allow, add a mortar. You need actively use buildings and micro your grens. If you cannot reach some buildings before he does, always engage maxims with grens from green cover - they will get supressed realy late that way. 2 gren squads in green cover concentrating fire on a maxim will make you smile. If you didn't cap an amo point, don't use amo for rifle nades. You will need it for pzfaust when the time comes.
Player nr 2 - grens, quick T2, quick SC, even 2 SCs - depends on situation. A SC in this combination can realy ruin his day if maxims are on the field because snipers + maxims need to retreat. If they don't they will be eaten eather by SC eather by grenadiers comming from behind.
Unfortunately, it's only about micro here.
Usualy in such situations guards will apear soon enough so don't be to cocky with your SC. Hopefully you managed to upgrade at list one gren squad with lmg and you will do just fine against guards. If you catch out of guard a sniper squad, follow it untill into the base if you can and kill it. A smart sov player will put mines on reteating path, so you need to be careful.
Sometimes, depending on situation, one of us or both are going mortar ht doctrines if we delt with the m3s. They are efficient agains static spam (zis spam, mortar spam, HMG spam).
Good luck.
Some very constructive feedback on a good question which, on this site, is all too infrequent these days. Thank you.
I would love to see some other changes - things that basic UI seems to be missing.
1) Random Army button (as post indicated)
2) Default selections for Computer difficulty
3) Have CoH2 match armies when creating a Comp Stomp / custom game, and default to the opposite army for the other selection (never understood why Russians are on the left side, and even if I select Ost, the next computer option shows up as Russian)
4) Be able to select original or Workshop (or both) map options.
5) Have the option to send maps to partners who haven't downloaded a custom map
Yeah ISU-152 is a game changer and is almost unbeatable if it is supported by AT guns as it makes it difficult to flank and the howitzer is devastating against infantry, and if something is spotting for it the range and firepower on 1v1 maps becomes overwhelming,
ive posted a game above i played today where the power of the ISU is demonstrated, i did manage to counter 3 ISUs that were supported and win the game but only by the skin of my teeth, for all intensive purposes i probably should have lost
That is a very rare instance from what I've seen and experienced, particularly in 1v1. I do notice that you mentioned "by the skin of your teeth" which is the key part of the statement.
I think it's always interesting to see the new strats that people develop that the game testers don't. That's where the problem comes - from trying to predict the unpredictable.
That's all dandy and fine on paper, but on some maps (Semois, Kharkov) you can't really go someplace else, since the FHQ will be ideally located to cut you off or to force you into an engagement.
Regular mortars just don't deal enough dps in order to take out a fhq defended by a soviet mortar so if you don't get the MHT you're gonna be outgunned and will loose so much map control that the FHQ will have paid off, even if you manage to avoid manpower loses.
Played against this on Crossing in the Woods in 2v2. He did a FHQ just outside my base on the bottom left side, across the bridge near the munitions point. Tough to take out - partly because I didn't know he made one, partly because I was going for fuel. By the time he spammed out conscripts and I took out the building with my mortor and Flame Pios, the right side of the map was lost and we were pushed back into our base. Not sure if it would work again but I was shaking my head after that one.