CoH - Balance Playtest!

[Relic]

Hi everyone,

We are pleased to announce the Company of Heroes – Balance Playtest! Some things we plan on introducing throughout this Playtest are:

1. Host Proxy support. The network layer has been re-written to support host relayed traffic. What does this mean? Essentially, if you can connect to the host of the game you can connect to everyone else!
2. Map Contest. The top community submitted maps will be added to the PlayTest! These maps will be part of the auto-match loop as well as random play. The winners will be announced at the end of the beta, by you!
3. Bittorrent Downloader. In order to assist with the delivery of patches and additional content, an opt-in bittorrent system will be tested to help distribute data to you much more quickly.
4. Daily/Bi-daily Gameplay Changes & fixes. As with the last beta we will be iterating very quickly making the Company of Heroes gaming experience even better!

NOTE: The Company of Heroes - Balance Playtest will not modify any of your existing Company of Heroes or Opposing Fronts game files. This installer will work for all locales.

Below are the installation and requirement details on the Playtest:

Download the installer from here: http://thq.vo.llnwd.net/o10/CoH/play...test_Setup.exe

Update:
Get a more recent version of the installer with all the patches till 2.500 here

The only patch you will need then is this one: 2.500 - 2.508

Playtest Requirements:
- Company of Heroes and/or Opposing Fronts installed and patched to version 2.301
- 8gb available hard drive space.

Enjoy!
The Relic Team

[The_Fell-Hand]

Intro

Hey, I'm The Fell Hand and I will be here to address your concerns for balance during this Balance Playtest. The goal of this feedback system will be to address balance concerns via polite discussion. However to note first and foremost this will be done through a dedicated e-mail address. Do not post here - I will ask for this to be stickied and locked.

Where we're coming from - A short blurb

While I am wary and weary of angry game forums (all of them pretty much ), it's easy to remember being one of those guys praying the devs would hear some of the cries about overlooked issues. Loafing around being dissatisfied with "less than ideal" balance changes made to the game - I've been there. Hopefully we can achieve some peace of mind and some balance improvements over the next while.

To alleviate a few concerns out there I can easily say that we do take the time to read the forums. We play 1v1's as well as teamgames and I believe most of us do so under anonymous names.

The plan

While I can't read everyone's mind (the balance team included), I'd like to think some overarching issues could use some looking at this playtest. Artillery is obviously a big issue in Opposing Fronts so I'd like to see a lot of feedback on this area. Map fixes are also on the table, particularly some of the team maps. I get a bit tired of watching mortar pits controlling the lion's share of the resources on maps like McGechaen's. Other than that, the obvious issues could range from anything like Wehr vs Brits or the slippery slope of Americans vs PE. It's an open field for now(other than the few focuses mentioned above), but as problem areas get identified I may ask for more feedback in certain areas.

The appropriate course of action

Fellcares@gmail.com

Send your concerns here in the format below or risk being ignored. I will get back to you as soon as possible. Please be curt .

I will lead off with an example. Fill it in appropriately with your pertaining information


_______________________________________________________
Balance issue

British Overrepair is too good.

Issue occurs when

Mid-to-late game, both in 1v1 and team games. Both Wehr and PE have issues.

Reasons

I believe it causes certain units to exceed their role designations. Overrepaired Cromwells render less mobile anti-vehicle counters (mainly panzershreck infantry) ineffective. Combined with Flanking Speed, Cromwells are too forgiving. Overrepair is never a requisite, as Stuarts and Fireflies can fulfill their roles without relying heavily on Overrepair. Emplacements also become an issue with Overrepair so perhaps that is the correct way to go about reducing Overrepair's efficiency.

Name : Your name (online, I don't care who you are inside )
Date : The date of your submission
Game Experience with CoH : 1) 1v1 player - rank #15 2) 2v2 player - rank #22. I play mostly Brits and PE. I have been playing since Vanilla Beta but I took a break when OF was released. I have since been playing for 3 months.

Suggested Fixes

Increase the time it takes to Overrepair - A modest nerf in the right direction
Decrease the overall effect of Overrepair - Limit it to less HPs
Increase the cost of Expert Engineers - At the moment it is the defacto upgrade
Disable Overrepair on Buildings - It would help with Artillery Spam.

I believe decreasing the overall effect of Overrepair is the best solution. Expert Engineers already increase repair speed, which is important to the British Faction. Overrepair is an added bonus I would like to see as a bonus, not a staple of British gameplay.

Thanks Fell You're the Best Please Accept This Money In Advance