to the coh1 nostalgists here:
coh1 had its own stale meta and build orders everyone used, too
US:
-4rifles bars
-4rifles m8
-early wsc(maybe 5% of games)
Wehr
-T2 grenspam
-multiple snipers
-T3 with a puma
PE:
-AC's
-2x inf halftracks (maybe 10% of games)
Brits:
- a Blob
the metagame was basically about finding the enemy snipers. if you found them--> good chance to win. if not, you were mostly fucked
EDIT: sorry, there was also the "trying to get your medbunker up under howitzer fire" - meta
and for me a lategame which is dominated by heavy tanks is somewhat more logical and enjoyable than a lategame which is dominated by a bunch of snipers like coh1 had.
PE had fast P4 as well as pgren spam, USF had 4e into rangers, there were dreaded snipers.
Thats still much more variations then we currently have.
Sov: shock frontline or GTFO, team games give bit more freedom.
Wehr: T2 into tigerspam.
USF: Ok, here are some options for mid and late game(by some I mean 2, EZ8 spam or normal sherman with jacksons), just a single opening due to how faction is designed.
OKW: just do whatever, don't loose squads, win by vet.