Had "the community" really been asking for it?
I'd say so. It's like the most requested feature in coh history that I can think of.
I realize that Relic as a relatively small developer does not have the resources to do everything, which is why I dislike it when those resources are used on a very marginal feature like this.
It doesn't seem marginal to me. I think this is a feature that any modern competitive game is going to need.
Its called immersion and its intended, it was like that in coh1 as well, all infantry units will drop on the ground when why will be in the aoe of explosion. Its together with cover seeking its there to put emphasis on you commanding actual soldiers instead of SC2/C&C cyborgs.
I can't tell if you're joking or not. He means units like tanks and stuff will just stop moving. He's not referring to 'reactions' to explosions and flames.