First, thanks to the developers for the exciting addition to my favorite game.  I am impressed with a lot of it, but the awe is tempered with some frustration. 

I'll start with my first idea, and add replys for any other's that occur to me, because my text window tends to bounce for some reason as the message gets longer.  Pain in the ass.

ISSUE

1 - unit preservation, and it's reduced role in the russian   
    faction, current weapon's upgrade system

->Suggestion:  Upgrades remain global, upgrades only affect
                      existing units, munitions costs for upgrades
                      reduced by at least half, rebuys would be   
                      possible, giving all new units the upgrade,
                      and charging weapons of units that already
                      have the upgrade

->Reason:  Mollify critics(like myself) who would like to see 
                incentive for keeping units alive, and who have a
                philosophical problem with globals being paid 
                for with munitions. 

->Biproduct: upgrade timing and unit building
                  decisions would be affected in a way that would
                  make choices more interesting, with obvious
                  trade-offs (vanilla mixed forces vs.  lots of 
                  upgraded blah-de-blah, or mixed forces with an
                  expensive upgrade for one or two of them



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Issue

2 -  Loss of retreat and recrewing mechanic. I like the idea of
      no retreat, especially early game.  But for all russian
      units at all times to lose this, I think it reduces choices
      on the battlefield.  Those who have this complaint do
      not seem to be interested in its affects on balance, but
      on COH flavor.  The Recrewing issue is an unfortunate
      programming roadblock, so I will only say that weapons
      should be recrewable(if ever possible), and unit sizes
      should be adjusted accordingly

->Suggestion:  Either limit the no retreat to only ingenery,
                    partisans, conscripts(and possibly the
                    command squad), or create an extremely long
                    retreat timer - unit must survive 5 minutes
                    before it is active, and another 5 after use
                    before it is available a second time. 

->Reason:      Retain the ability to make hard choices on
                      the battlefield, i.e. should I finish capping
                    that point, should I try to take out that last
                    mortar before I die, or should i send my unit
                    home to fight another day
                   
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Issue

3 - Teching is too linear, very few decisions to be made on
    where to spend fuel. Teching to tanks is no brainer.

->  Suggestion1: First, I suggest a mixture of your current
                        tech tree and the wehrmacht teching system.
                      It would mimic the Wehrmacht, in that
                      there would be a global tier tech cost.  It
                      would be distinctive from the wehrmacht in
                      that all buildings would be buildable from
                      the get-go.  It would borrow from your
                      current model in that each building would
                      produce 3 to 4 tiers worth of units, but tiers
                      above 1 would have to be unlocked by
                      teching globally(all buildings would have     
                      their tiers unlockedm once you unlocked
                      them by teching gloabally.
                   


->Reason:      This would diversify teching options.  One
                    could build all 4 buildings for a spread of t1
                      units, or else, build a couple buildings and
                      tech for the higher units available in them. 
                      Choice is reborn
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->suggestion2:  Spread units among 4 buildings.  Only Brit
                      has 3 buildings, and while I'm in the
                      minority in liking them, their strategic
                      options seem thinner than the other factions

->reason:  Having a 4th tier would be an added tax in 
                teching towards higher end tanks, because less
                units would be unlocked to hold territory in the
                mean-time if one chose to build that building
                over others.  Also, a 4th building  would add one
                more consideration to the russian player, when
                investing fuel in different buildings.

->example:  below is a sample tech tree(not really
                  thought out on balance)

Tier 1 to Tier 2 : 200 mp,  35 fuel
Tier 2 to Tier 3:  200 mp, 50 fuel
Tier 3 to teir 4:  200 mp,  65 fuel
 
(without a way to op, this fuel cost will certainly be too prohibitive.  I think russians should have some op option, unique to itself, but in keeping with that optional focus other factions have)


Building 0: -starting hq- ingenery(cost hike), conscripts

building 1 - 200 mp, 10 fuel
    Tier 1: command squad, conscripts(pour out conscripts)*
        Tier 2 :  tank hunters
            Tier 3 : medical supply truck

Building 2 - 200 mp 15 fuel
      Tier 1: Sharpshooter, conscripts
          Tier 2: stelky
                Tier 3: Guards

Building 3 - 250 mp, 45 fuel
        Tier  1 :mortar, AT gun
                Tier 2 : t-90
                    Tier 3: su-85

Building 4 - 250 mp 65 fuel
        Tier 1 : T-70
                Tier 2: ? Maybe nothing
                      Tier 3: t-34
                            Tier 4: IS-2             


* conscripts at t-0, as well as t-1 might be overpowered, though bear in mind, the command squad would only be buildable from t-1, and ingenery would be much more expensive.  Conscripts are supposedly too powerful now, so I would suggest a nerf to cost

Last edited January 26, 2010 at 11:25 PM by Joshua9