Frustrated player needs your help!

I'm a big fan of both CoH and EF and have been watching this forum for some time with hope of picking up some hints for gameplay.

It's really starting to piss me off that, even though I've been playing this game for a few years now, I don't seem to be getting any better. Maybe I'm just trying out the wrong tactics or missing something really obvious (maybe I'm destined to be crap forever...)

Here is a link to download my recent excursion as the Wher against the Americans (Normal diff) in a 1v1 and I get thoroughly raped - http://www.mediafire.com/?g4t4mowmztj

If anyone could have a watch (it's not all that long) and tell me how I can improve and actually start beating anything other than an easy, that would be fantastic!

Try watching some broadcasts as you'll see what players are doing in real time...works better than a replay...you'll get some nice tips

http://broadcast.fulltimegeek.de/

I watched the replay, there are few points:

- AI in EF is stronger so starting with High resources you give PC strong kick-start boost and bigger advantage, try playing normal resources (not to mention that Sturzdorf north player=PC in this case, has advantage in resource points closer)

- from begin your game was solid but later you seemed to loose "overwatch" - general view of battlefield, I don't know how to name it - means you focus on one part and you get beat on other part of map where you don't pay attention, this results in poor unit preservation which is important, try pressing Spacebar everytime when your units yell something - your view will just jump right on to that event

- in VP match you don't have to control VPs from 1st second of game, try to cap resources first and establish some defence and then cap VPs

- territory control - go for high fuel and hold them with priority, always cap or decap enemy territories, if you are outnubmered just retreat fast - there were many idle units, try to use Shift+commands to queue orders, it helps a lot, you seemed like you wanted to control quickly the whole map, try to focus on one map part (preferably with fuel and some VP) and defend it - only when this part is secured go for new territories and raid

- use mines - you got MP40 for Volks, IMO 2x mines would be better investment (or at least some bunker + upgrade)

- put MGs in buildings, if sniped or bombarded retreat them fast

- tactical - when I see that opponent is getting Barracks AND Support centre (+BARs later) means he didn't tech to Motor pool, you should go for fast Pumas and spam them around even raid his base + later some Stug to help destroy the base

- Pumas would help you also to control territories, when you see some enemy decap your points just send Puma nearby, on such big map fast units have more advantage

- when US got M8 you should have at least 1 Pak preferably 2 - but this you could prevent with fast Pumas raiding his base and destroy Motor pool or Supply yard (if you were lucky you could catch engineers just building those - kill engies and destroy those buildings)

Remember that VP matches are about fuel and fast tech to gain advantage so focus on fuel, cap fuel with priority, hold fuel points, decap enemy's fuel, destroy any units which costs fuel with priority and same for buildings (Supply yard costs 50 Fuel, Motor pool 45).

EDIT: Check this thread too, in my reply there is one .zip file with 1vs1 500VP Angoville match versus Expert PC [1.11]:
http://easternfront.org/forums/index.php?topic=3568.0

Last edited May 31, 2010 at 6:17 PM by wordsmith

Thanks for the tips guys, had some more successful games since then!  :)

Another good tip is to use "." and ","

. takes you to the next idle infantry unit, very useful in beginning game.

, takes you to the next idle vehicle, good for a quick group of pumas.

Hope it helped!

hmm I for one did not know about '.' & ',' please can someone explain what key is used to cue , Its irritating trying to figure it out in the middle of a game.

Set a clear objective. dont just attack the enemy at random. Pick an area you want to control, like a town, or a crossroads.

Dont get over-extended. Dont take so much territory too early, it gives you a false sense of security.

Protect your flanks. If your troops get flanked and cut off, you'll find yourself in a rather sticky situation.

Build up. Build up an attack force of combine units of tanks and infantry. Dont just send in one unit at a time, they will almost always get killed.

Even though strategy guides say "Wear the enemy Down little by little, don't just throw everything you have at them" (Use Saruman & Isengard as an example)
But I tend to have tactics like Saruman in the end. :)

I tend to secure a front line in the map, defending key locations like Bridges and other choke points, or in 1v1 maps, high fuel and ammo points.

Once I have a secure line DOWN Pat, I begin to build up an assault force.

As soon as I send that one in, I begin to build another.

Meanwhile, the tanks group up and go hunting for more tanks while infantry take points near the tanks, so if they get attacked the tanks don't have to roll far.

Tactics for easy Base Destruction:
(Without mass assault)
US of A:
-Scout Plane over the base and then airbourne infantry to land and use stachel charges, this is a VERY risky tactic though.
-Upgrade your engineers to hold Demo Charges. Flame throwers optional. Send in a full halftrack of engineers, and get them to get out and set demo charges on EVERY building. They can hide from enemy fire behind buildings.
-Use the 105mm Battery to strike from far away, very inaccurate tactic but good for putting start dents in the enemy.
-Under Used, the M4 Crocodile is GREAT VS Enemy Buildings. Crocodiles can take bunkers out in seconds, and quickly take out base buildings. (Takes longer for the HQ, but that's expected)

Wehrmacht:
-Panzershreck Grenadiers (2 to a squad) While expensive, these things are GOD LIKE VS tanks, and good VS buildings.
--Good combinations are:Blitzkrieg assault, reload goes up, and;Terror's assault power up, giving more brutality.(Personally, Blitzkrieg is more effective when squads are in groups.)
-I can not STRESS Nebelweffers, especially more than 1. I love these guys, and they do extremely well at level 3 vet with a 50 second reload and near supersonic movement on the battlefield. In combonation, these guys are really good at smacking the enemy emplacements silly with their fire.
-Halftracks are good for taking out emplacements with their flamethrowers, and if you send pioneers with flame throwers in they get rid of nasty MG nest and small barracks like Barracks or Support Center.
-Stuka upgrades are like the Nebelweffers, although I do not use them much.
-Piss the enemy off with an early puma, you can kill the infantry and irritate the enemy. Watch out for AP MGs and AT guns, not to mention Rangers.
-Combining Halftracks with Grenadiers is also a deadly one.

I played a match vs Ai (with the 1.04 mod) soviets.

I was beaten back pretty bad early on my mg nests were useless against them and i was a little rusty with the game.
Then a combination of my friend spamming Hetzers and me building halftracks with Grenadiers/volksgrenadiers in them seemed to stump my Ai opponent, as i could fly past his Mg bunker defences at the enemy base i could put a tap on new enemy units.
Also and this applies to the New mod now i've played it, the AI still spams Katusha rocket launchers if it picks urban doctrine. while yes it does still have massive damage effects, when the enemy is cranking out panzers and panthers the katusha's are of no use, leaving me to pick up the pieces with desperate defence.

Mad wrote:
I played a match vs Ai (with the 1.04 mod) soviets.

I was beaten back pretty bad early on my mg nests were useless against them and i was a little rusty with the game.
Then a combination of my friend spamming Hetzers and me building halftracks with Grenadiers/volksgrenadiers in them seemed to stump my Ai opponent, as i could fly past his Mg bunker defences at the enemy base i could put a tap on new enemy units.
Also and this applies to the New mod now i've played it, the AI still spams Katusha rocket launchers if it picks urban doctrine. while yes it does still have massive damage effects, when the enemy is cranking out panzers and panthers the katusha's are of no use, leaving me to pick up the pieces with desperate defence.

You mean Propaganda?
1.1 is out, try it.

However, CPUs spam Katyushas because they can not make any more units.

How?

When you buy upgrades for a units, lets say NKVD Conscripts, and you start making a Conscript squad before it finishes.

The NKVD Upgrade finishes, but the Conscripts are still being made. Eventually, when they are ready to deploy, it will become frozen, and CAN'T produce UNLESS you cancel that production.

The CPU does not understand how to cancel production, therefore, bringing their productions to a complete stop.

ohhhh And then using call-ins since they have no other option?
I always wondered what the problem was with the AI.

If you have downloaded the EF mod, and you wants some tips on playing as the Soviet union, here are some;
1: With the release of V1.10, you want to invest manpower into building outpost to secure resources and allow a place for your units to refill on men after each skirmish.
2: Get the tank hall quickly, and get t-70s/T-90s to prevent the enemy from using a Puma rush effectively. The T-70/90 are powerful against light units and infantry, but have them avoid AT units at all cost.
3:Once you have a good amount of pop count, start buying t-34/85 (get the upgrade of course), and start rushing the enemy. The T-34 is an excellent tank, and when properly used, it can kill entire platoons of infantry and three panzer 4 before needing repairs.
4: Go for either the propaganda strategy or the breakthrough strategy. Prpganada gives you acces to Mg emplacements, slit trenches, and Katyusha rockets, which are effective for stopping a player from rushing. Breakthrough gives the option to go either offense or defense, with Sherman tanks available as a call in to allow you to get tanks on the filed before anyone else. The ISU-152 is also recommend to get, as it is needed to kill Panthers and Tigers/KT without losing too many units. Urban assault is OK, but it is heavy on anti-infantry
5: If you begin to face a large number of KCH or vet 3 Fallshrmjager, build guard units to crush them. They can absorb a lot of damage while dishing out even more of it.

For a quick idea:
try for a quick land grab first. I personally don't build the heavy weapons until after the armor depot. Purchase a few of those anti air vehicles (suffering a massive mind blank) to help you hold your territory from the enemy. Once you can, pour out the t34s and get enough xp so you can use the heavier command abilities. Then sit back and enjoy! Hope it helped.

Glory to the Red Hoard!

Select a few resource points , high preferably nearby your base , set up adequate defenses on them , with resources secured , start mounting an offensive

try to grab atleast 2 resource points of fuel an munitions each , setup mg nests near the points which potentially seem to be disconnecting your territory , once u have secured the resources bring out the heavy armor and crush those hun bastards

AbhMkh wrote:
Select a few resource points , high preferably nearby your base , set up adequate defenses on them , with resources secured , start mounting an offensive

try to grab atleast 2 resource points of fuel an munitions each , setup mg nests near the points which potentially seem to be disconnecting your territory , once u have secured the resources bring out the heavy armor and crush those hun bastards

No offense but these are some really bad suggestions.

Why so might i ask??

Because what you describe is turtling.  While you run around and build up defenses and MG nests your opponent has capped the rest of the map and is going to far out tech you.  The most effective Brit is a mobile one.  Camping/Turtling/SimCity'ing, is easily countered by a good player.  As Brits you should:

1) Use your early game strength to your advantage
2) Attack his cutoff if he has one.  Use a trench at his cutoff as early as possible since it costs at least 50 munitions to counter.  In other words, get up in his face.  Dont play passive and lounge around building MG nests and defenses.
3) Build a Mortar if you feel an MG rush coming
4) Get a Bren if you start seeing piospam
5) Get Cromwells and Arty if you see infantry spam or camping
6) Get Fireflies if you see T4.
7) Get a CCS within the first 5 minutes for healing and free Tommies.
8) Always always keep your officers alive.  If your LT dies, get another.  Tommies are useless without an LT.
9) Never spam emplacements.  It is destined to fail.

Last edited August 7, 2010 at 4:11 AM by Budwise

Well thts not the whole of the strategy , what i mean to say is build a limited no of defenses , say 2 or 3 mg nests , and later on 17 pounders supporting them , this is done by only one part of the force say usually the recon squad , whereas , bren tommies followed by a lt and a bren carrier go on capping the rest of the map , what i'm trying to implicate is majority of the forces are forward elements but defenses should be made to protect crucial resource and capping points on the map , now do you get it?

@budwise, do you have any tips on how the brits can counter the heavy german armour?
i find the AT nest ineffective, Piats seem more effective up close and arty only does so much.
Fireflies are okay vs armour but a bit too soft.
I struggle as Brits.

The key to armor as Brits is in the Button.  Button + PIATS or Button + Fireflies or even better Button + PIATS + Fireflies = dead german armor.

lol , its very simple to say , considering the field reliability of sappers , very hard to do ;)

Sappers are good troops. Budwise is correct, button is the key.

You shouldn't really build many emplacements at all as the Brits. You might build an MG/mortar at your HQ to prevent base rushes or one near his cutoff and you might get maybe a bofors or 17lber in a contested area to provide a safe zone from vehicles/tanks. That's pretty much the limit. A good Brit player either builds a vet stacked Brit blob or goes for a fast crom and is constantly attacking.