[WBP] UKF Command Vehicle

"Designate Command Vehicle" is a doctrinal UKF ability for the Royal Engineer Regiment and Tactical Support Regiment commanders. It is available at 2cp and allows a player to add a 30-radius aura which affects that player's UKF units to a selected UKF vehicle for 75 munitions. The vehicle chosen receives significant nerfs to its combat ability and speed as well as gaining a free recon loiter. Only one Command Vehicle can be designated at a time.

The aura grants -30% received accuracy, +35% accuracy (exclusive), -30% reload time, and -30% cooldown time to all player-owned UKF units in its radius except the Command Vehicle. While the Command Vehicle is designated, it also reduces the recharge time of the player's doctrinal abilities by 25%.

The Command Vehicle has its reload time, cooldown time, and received accuracy doubled as well as its accuracy and speed halved. All offensive modifiers both from the aura and on the Command Vehicle apply to hardpoint_01.

The previously mentioned recon loiter lasts for 90 seconds with a 30-second recharge time. Its lack of a munitions cost has previously been seen as a balance issue.

The Winter Balance Preview makes a single change to this ability; it removes the ability to designate the Universal Carrier as a Command Vehicle. This change was made because the Universal Carrier was the only unit players were designating as a Command Vehicle due to its general expendability.

I think this solution is overly simplistic and doesn't take into account Relic's intended use of the Command Vehicle, which should arrive as infantry support sometime after 2cp. At the same time, the ability needs to encourage its use on vehicles other than the Universal Carrier.

The Proposal:

- Increase the cost of Designate Command Vehicle from 75 munitions to 100 manpower & 20 fuel

- Reinstate Universal Carriers as Command Vehicles

- Remove the speed penalty

- Add a 30 munition cost to the recon loiter


Using a fuel cost instead of a munitions cost helps already munitions-heavy doctrines while turning the ability from a vehicle upgrade into a teching decision. The reinstatement of Universal Carriers allows players to decide to go for heavy early-game firepower while the removal of the speed penalty (and the new fuel cost) adds a reason to use the ability on a unit other than the cheapest available vehicle (losing 100/20 to a Volks/Grenadier squad isn't fun). The recon loiter change has been coming for a while.

What do you think?

A 2CP ability of course should be able to use on an early vehicle. Idk what lelic is thinking. But 100 mp 25 fuel is still too expensive unless the command vehicle dont receive any debuff. And I do agree the munition cost on reacon which is the most simple solution to fix the free reacon concern in WBP, but I dont know why are they so lazy and solve it in such an indirect way.