Some on the fly ideas from me personally to help make UKF better (even though I think they're not that bad, especially not in teamgames), to fill up some holes and weakness in their early and mid game:
- Perhaps a very small (5-10%) cooldown bonus when in cover, so 4 men Infantry Sections in the early game feel just a bit better, without having much of an influence on performance when they are Bolstered and/or with veterancy and weapon upgrades;
That would help early game but it would have much bigger inpact when they reach 5th men so later stage of a game. I would go for buffs that help more early game but doesn't progress with strength in time.
- Smoke barrage added to Pyro Infantry Sections, to substitute the lack of easily accessible indirect fire. Would help to fight HMGs, but by being a barrage and having a delay and shared global cooldown, would prevent it from being spammed like back when Riflemen all had smoke grenades;
I would say - a must add ability. Global cooldown is a great idea as well.
- Veteran Squad Leader upgraded added as third option for Infantry Sections; replaces one Lee Enfield with a Thompson, gives the squad a small DPS bonus, and removes the out of cover and movement penalties. Basically a way to make some squads more mobile and less vulnerable to indirect fire, with an STG44 Volksgrenadier-like DPS profile;
I would more focus on royal engineers as a more CQC. If anyone i would add them upgrade. Another way is to simply add a artillery officer which is in a game files. Making his performance similar to pgrens would help brits even as exlusive to 1 unit to fight axis more elite CQC infantry squads. Anycase, veteran squad leader for Tommies could work as well, just it would make UKF build almost always into 4 tommies (when with diffrent upgrade they still gonna be IS).
- An affordable medic upgrade for the HQ that adds two medics to help heal up support weapons and engineers, because even though Infantry Sections heal is great for frontline healing, it's usually quite hard to keep all other troops healed up;
Well, brits already has a HQ with medic upgrade. In his form it can work same as ostheer med bunker. Diffrence is that it's more expensive 200 mp 60 ammo upgrade if i remember correctly. Change the cost of it and people can use it like it's axis equivalent.
- Removing grenades tech and making grenades available stock after researching T1, as I don't feel the upgrade is cost effective anymore now that IS spam is no longer a viable strategy. It'd help IS fight elite and CQC infantry without having to invest extra resources;
But lock it behind vet 1. I think it's the least safe solution.
- Assault Sections changed to 0CP call-in infantry, to give UKF more diverse and surprising opening strats, and help them start on certain CQC orientated maps, even if only in one commander.
Yes, as it should be from the begging. Plus add snare ability - that would finally diverse the UKF strat. It's not a strong commander becouse it doesn't have a late game ability so i would afraid of it being overpowered. USF armor commander has powerfull arty with assualt enginners, ostheer with assualt grens has a Tiger. If someone could think about adding a mortar to brits it could be replace by a pakhowi which would make a commander even more interesting.
Ideally Bolstered would be overhauled so it'd become something that's an interesting and strategic choice, rather than being a mandatory upgrade, but I think that would be a very extensive and risky thing to do, so I'm not sure if that'd be possible or desirable at this point.
Although, implementing even 1 of those ideas should bring with it 1 locked weapon slot for pyro IS or a med upgrade (or a boolster upgrade) to not end up with 2x bren 5 men Tommy universal terminator squad that cannot be stopped.