Profile of DerbyHat

Relic addressed the problems of Recon Support with a patch: https://community.companyofheroes.com/discussion/67/coh-2-changelog/p6

My take:
The double nerf to IR pathfinders seems a bit brutal, but we'Il have to see.

The combat group still offers great bang for buck, which is a good thing. The AT gun being changed to a pack howi further differentiates the commander from Airborne and solves the main issue with the previous patch.

Seems pretty good overall.


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The meta is already M20 into M8 spam. Tying it to a motor pool upgrade would result in people skipping the M20 and going straight for the M8's. This would mean Axis has to fight pseudo T70's with far cheaper tech at a far earlier point in the game. Or do you mean something else?

So this commander is op or not? Whats the point of this thread.

The point of this thread is to discuss if earlier timing should come with higher prices for Recon Support.

Some people say that IR pathfinders shouldn't be increased in price, so I decided to do some extra testing. I made 8 test ranges between ranges 0-35 with increments of 5. I let the IR pathfinders fight with grens 3 times over. It seems either squad can win at any range against the other squad, so it mostly comes down to which squad loses a model first. I can make the following observations however:

- Grens seem to have a slight advantage at ranges 0-5, because the scoped rifle of IR's has bad short range performance. The IR's trade well until they drop to 1 model.
- Ranges 10-25 seem to be quite even.
- IR's have a slight advantage at ranges 30-35, because the scoped rifle of IR's has good long range performance and the crit becomes more impactful once dps drops off.
- IR's vet around 30% faster than grens.
- Grens have slightly better scaling with veterancy with 40% more accuracy against 20%. IR's get a relatively better RA reduction and 5 more weapon (!) range instead.
- If both squads are in green cover, this favours IR's, because the crit bonus of their sniper rifle ignores the damage reduction of green cover, saving 1-2 extra shots.

After this test, I see little reason as to why a USF player wouldn't want to get an IR squad in their composition, considering the following:

- They often perform as well as rifles, while being 30 manpower cheaper and having 1 less model to reinforce.
- They come instantly at the start.
- The 50 sight (55 with vet 1) is huge. It makes playing around team weapons much easier and helps with positioning.
- It gives USF another option to fight snipers. They come with camouflage, which gets upgraded to commando camouflage at vet 3.
- The instant arty is very good against team weapons. It forces the opponent to reposition within 3 seconds, which can be hard if he is busy elsewhere. The decoy arty should also be taken seriously. If the opponent waits until he hears the shells, it's already too late for his team weapon to pack up.
- Their beacons allow paratroopers and paratrooper manned team weapons to reinforce on the field and detect units on the minimap within 35 range.
- The performance of their sniper rifle increases further when supported with another squad, making the crit happen more often.

Considering they come at 0 CP now and are only 10 mp more expensive than grens, I still think they're slightly too cheap (and Airborne paths too expensive). Noggano is the only top player that I haven't seen making them.


With that said: it's mostly the combination of the "cheap" AT-gun drop combined with the early m8 that makes this doctrine so strong.

With the earlier timing of Recon Support units, I think cost adjustments are in order. The commander seems to be simply a better and cheaper Airborne now.

I&R Pathfinders
These units are not worse than normal pathfinders, while being much cheaper (250 vs 290 manpower). They trade 1 of their sniper rifles for a carbine, improving their short range dps, but slightly decreasing their damage over long range. This is useful because they can't be bullied around at short range like normal pathfinders, while still having superior long range damage over early Axis units. IR's also drop their slot weapons less often and can call-in arty. IMO, both pathfinder variants should be 270-280 manpower.

Airdropped Combat Group
I assume 2 CP is a mistake, because 3 CP was mentioned in the patchnotes. Still, it's much cheaper than getting the same two things with Airborne (325 mp + 80 muni vs 505 mp + 60 muni). The support paratroopers are also arguably more useful with their mines instead of a timed demo. IMO, the drop should cost more manpower while costing a bit less munitions. This prevents USF from getting too much of a unit advantage if they had a favorable early game (where munitions matter less). I was thinking 385-405 mp + 60 muni. In addition, the cost for paratroopers on Airborne could be decreased slightly from 380 to 360 mp.

Greyhound
I think the cost for this unit is fine. Others might disagree with me.

Let me know what you think.