This update features a global restructure of AI difficulty scaling, further improvements to the game lobby, unit and faction balance and design tweaks, the return of in-combat repairs and camouflage, campaign improvements, new infantry skins and more!
User Interface
Company of Heroes: Back to Basics offers 8 possible CPU Player difficulty levels:Easy → Normal → Hard → Adept → Expert → Master → Brutal → Insane
Due to game engine limitations these are bound to the 4 available slots inside the game lobby. Each CPU player slot contains 2 possible AI difficulties that interchange depending on the Win Condition that is selected. [AI+] win conditions enable the more difficult CPU player difficulty inside each player slot.
Previously, [AI+] win conditions were listed as default. This meant that without changing anything, players would face the higher range of AI difficulties, with CPU - Adept being the lowest difficulty. These are designed for competitive play and are meant to offer a real challenge for even the best players out there. When more casual and slow paced games are desired, playing against the lower range of AI difficulties is therefore recommended.
Starting from Update 5.3, [AI+] win conditions are no longer the default. The default settings now mean that players will face off against the lower range of CPU player difficulties, with CPU - Easy being the lowest available. [AI+] win conditions remain available for you to select like before.
Game Modes
We decided to remove the very high VP ticket count options. Really long drawn out games with many AI opponents tend to have subpar performance in team games. Offering these game modes thus adds a risk of yielding subpar gaming experiences. As developers we rarely play beyond the 500 VP count, which regularly turn into long games when playing against suitable AI opponents.- Default Win Condition: [AI+] VPC 400 → VPC 300
- [AI+] Win Conditions are no longer the first listed alternatives.
- Removed the following Win Conditions: VPC 1500, VPC 2000, [AI+] VPC 1500, [AI+] VPC 2000
AI
We continue to read concerns on the overall CPU player difficulty, and we hear them. Starting from Update 5.3 we have shifted the bonus baseline from CPU - Easy to CPU - Normal.This means that from now on CPU - Normal will have no bonuses at all, and that CPU - Easy is penalized compared to the player. CPU - Easy will thus receive less income and starting resources than the player, and will also scale slower throughout a game due to producing units at a slower pace, receiving less experience, and having higher unit upkeep costs.
Additionally, due to new AI functionalities, general improvements, and bug fixes we tweaked and tuned down most AI bonuses across the board.
- AI max resource bonuses:
- Munition income addition (after multiplier): 12 → 9
- Starting manpower addition: 350 → 300
- Production rate multiplier: 2.19 → 2.0
- Munition income addition (after multiplier): 12 → 9
- AI min resource bonuses:
- Manpower income multiplier: 1 → 0.88
- Munition income multiplier: 1 → 0.86
- Fuel income multiplier: 1 → 0.96
- Upkeep penalty: 0% → +2%
- Starting resources multiplier: 1 → 0.94
- Starting manpower addition: 0 → -50
- Base munition income addition (after multiplier): 0 → -2.0
- Base fuel income addition (after multiplier): 0 → -0.5
- Production rate multiplier: 0 → 0.84
- XP gain multiplier: 1 → 0.95
- Command Point gain multiplier: 1 → 0.96
- Repair rate mutliplier: 1 → 0.97
- Manpower income multiplier: 1 → 0.88
- Reduced sniper base demand and its randomness.
- Slightly reduced cover search radius.
- Increased enemy avoid radius when searching for cover.
- Tweaked distance and other modifier values for searching for cover.
- Adjusted team weapon setup and safety thresholds.
- Reduced calliope base purchase demand.
- Disabled USF WSC first opener build order as it sacrificed too much tempo for the AI.
- Reworked AI targets-choice-logic-related aggro toggle:
- Will now depend on current AI total military strength as compared to the opponents'.
- The duration of one state before toggling to another is now much shorter.
- The non-aggro part of will also reduce AI's aggressiveness.
- Slightly reduced how much the aggro portion of the functionality increases AI potential recklessness (to prevent situations where it pushes enemy base quite early).
- Will now depend on current AI total military strength as compared to the opponents'.
- Further reduced AI structure demand and duration of the effect if a spawner structure was purchased recently.
- Fixed a reference issue with Wehrmacht Improved Equipment
- Updated several grenade ability references
- Added PE personality builds:
- "T1 → T3"
- "T2 → T3"
- "T1 → T4"
- "T1 → T3"
- Removed certain unfavourable command tree progressions from all factions
- Tweaked PE suggested command tree progression paths
- Tweaked PE T1 and T2 class ratings
- Increased base demand for Incendiary Grenades, Anti-Tank Grenades and Defensive Operations
- Fixed incorrect reference for Improved Equipment in tech purchase rules
- Fixed incorrect reference for Anti-Tank Grenades in tech purchase rules
- Lowered base AT value for Sticky Bombs, Anti-Tank Grenades, Improved Equipment
- Fixed AT values for squads that no longer have access to AT capabilities at all
- Added CCKW Truck to AI & enabled call-in ability
- Fixed a critical bug with the Hummel barrage ability that caused the AI to continuously dump its munitions without actually barraging.
- Improved Kettenkrad/Universal Carrier usage
- Improved mobile artillery unit usage (Mortar Halftrack, Nebelwerfers, Stukas, etc)
- Added USF Armor Skirts upgrade to tech purchase rules
- Fixed an issue where AI would spend ability munitions before abilities were actually used.
- Optimized ability monitor functionality slightly, now using squad events functionality instead of checking for unit state every tick.
- Optimized AI script data structures with to be much better packed in memory.
- Optimized average grid cell position cache:
- No longer rebuilding the table every tick (expensive operation), now reusing existing allocated space instead.
- Reserving table size preemptively, table no longer resized dynamically.
- The cache is now valid over multiple ticks (for up to 0.375s).
- No longer rebuilding the table every tick (expensive operation), now reusing existing allocated space instead.
- Implemented artillery demand rules for pack howitzer call-in. Lack of munitions will now result in reduced demand to purchase the pack howitzer.
- Fixed an issue where two point abilities did not work if AI couldn't find a second concentration point near the first one. The second point will now be chosen arbitrarily in such circumstances, as intended.
- Implemented a potential fix to barrage control script which could help AI properly determine when units start their barrage abilities. Previously, AI was considering units which were only moving to their AI destination as units which have already started their barrage.
- Minor refactors and performance improvements.
- Reenabled AI's forced reinforcement functionality (this will enable AI to reinforce on-field and generally speed it up).
- Default unit reinforcement functionality now executed once every second rather than 8 times per second.
- Reworked barrage control functionality considerably, now utilizing the game's ability event system and generally more solid methodology for determining unit states during barrages.
- Updated various barrage control unit parameters concerning their safety evaluation. Barrage units should stay closer to combat and retreat less.
- Reduced min threat required to use mortar, nebelwerfed and pack howitzer barrages.
- Implemented a new priority queue optimization where base unit priority values are calculated only once per game.
- Implemented captured Pack Howitzer usage for AI
- Tweaked barrage control settings
- Added Suppressive Fire usage for Infantry Halftracks
- Base safety required to retreat value: 2.5 → 3.5
- Increased the overall danger requirements for AI to pullback or retreat units. This should result in AI being more willing to commit to engagements.
Global balance changes
Anti-Blob Mechanic
- Enabled and updated visual indicators:
- Up to 4 "levels" are visualized, but anti-blob penalties are not capped beyond this.
- Visuals now include a colour scaling to better represent the intensity of stacking penalties.
- Only the inner radius of anti-blob is visualized. Outer radius has no visualization.
- Up to 4 "levels" are visualized, but anti-blob penalties are not capped beyond this.
- Developer note: Since the anti-blob mechanic is central for how combat pans out in Back to Basics, a visual indicator was implemented to inform the player about the mechanic's existence and rough functionality.
Repair mechanic
- Reenabled repairs during combat.
- In-Repair penalties:
- Received accuracy: 1.2 → 1.5
- Received damage: 1 → 2
- Received accuracy: 1.2 → 1.5
- Repair rates:
- Repair: 5 → 6
- HQ repairs: 3 → 6
- Basic Repairs: 3 → 5
- Advanced Repair: 6.5 → 7
- Advanced Vehicle Repair: 6 → 7
- Repair: 5 → 6
- Repair station engineers will now properly reduce manpower income during repairs (Bunker, Pioneer Halftrack, Armour Command Truck). HQ repairs remain free of charge.
- Developer note: While repairs during combat can be problematic for game balance reasons, disabling it proved to be very clunky and inconsistent. All-in-all it caused more player frustration than it did good. As a result the functionality is reverted to its original state that players will be familiar with.
Regeneration mechanic
- Healing percentage of missing health per tick: 0.2% → 0.15%
- Developer note: The automatic health regeneraton for Infantry allows players to keep squads on the battlefield for longer without having to force a retreat back to the base sector even for tiny health reductions. However, the healing rate was high enough that the mechanic proved to make traditional healing options somewhat redundant, especially on larger maps. This in turn allowed players to skip such tech entirely and instead focus on fielding late game units as fast as possible. A reduced regeneration rate should ensure the importance of regular healing options.
Resourcing & Economy
- Base munitions income (munitions/minute): +7 → +10
- Developer note: Munitions income was deemed too scarse which led to players often prioritizing squad upgrades over expensive abilities such as off-map artillery and airstrikes. Additionally, squad ability and artillery barrage usage was slightly too restrictive. A global income increase should ensure that abilities can once again be used at a more reasonable frequency.
- Fuel upkeep costs:
- Light Tanks (Staghound, Stuart, Tetrarch, T17, M8 Greyhound, Puma): 0.72 fuel/min → 1.5 fuel/min
- Light Vehicles (Armored Car, Recon Halftrack, Light Anti-Tank Halftrack: 0.72 fuel/min → 0.9 fuel/min
- Light Tanks (Staghound, Stuart, Tetrarch, T17, M8 Greyhound, Puma): 0.72 fuel/min → 1.5 fuel/min
- Developer note: Light vehicles are a dominant unit class and proved to be too easy to mass compared to tanks and over heavy vehicles. An increased fuel upkeep should ensure that massing such vehicles prevents players from quickly transitioning into other tech.
Capture rate modifiers
- HMGs: 1 → 0.75
- Armored Infantry: 1.5 → 1.25
- Riflemen: 1.5 → 1.25
- Grenadiers: 1.5 → 1.25
- Stormtroopers: 1.5 → 1.25
- Obergrenadiers: 1.5 → 1.25
- Jägers: 1.5 → 1.25
- Panzergrenadiers: 0.75 → 1.25
- Assault Grenadiers: 0.75 → 1.25
- Panzerpioneers: 0.75 → 1
- Tank Busters: 0.75 → 1
- Normalized various campaign squads to have similar capture rates as their multiplayer counterparts
Small arms
- Suppression multipliers:
- Light cover: 0.5 → 0.6
- Heavy cover: 0.4 → 0.5
- Light cover: 0.5 → 0.6
- Moving accuracy of small arms weapons which had moving accuracy of >0.5 (infantry weapons) reduced by 12.5% across the board (in most cases 80% to 70%).
- Reduced overall durability of recon units vs small arms (Jeep, Motorcycle, Schwimmwagen, Kettenkrad)
- Increased the overall durability of the Sd.Kfz. 250 Halftrack series vs small arms (Infantry Halftrack, Mortar Halftrack, Recon Halftrack, Light Anti-Tank Halftrack)
Handheld launchers
- M18 Recoilless Rifle:
- Scatter angle: 4.5 → 6
- Distant range base penetration: 0.7 → 0.6
- Scatter angle: 4.5 → 6
- M9 Bazooka:
- Scatter angle: 5.5 → 7
- Distant range base penetration: 0.7 → 0.6
- Scatter angle: 5.5 → 7
- Panzerschreck:
- Base damage: 90-100 → 80-90
- Scatter angle: 4.5 → 7
- Distant range base penetration: 0.7 → 0.6
- Damage multiplier vs Universal Carrier: 1.5 → 2
- Base damage: 90-100 → 80-90
- PIAT:
- Scatter angle: 5 → 6
- Distant range base penetration: 0.7 → 0.6
- Scatter angle: 5 → 6
- Developer note: Infantry Anti-Tank Weaponry was deemed too effective at max ranges, allowing infantry to successfully trade against most vehicles. With these changes infantry will need to close the distance a bit more for optimal effectiveness against vehicles and tanks.
Vehicle combat
- Reduced tank gun damage RNG from ±10% to ±5%
- Main gun range brackets:
- stationary at: 24/43/51/60 → 17/29/40/60 (88mm Flak 36, 17-Pounder, 3" M5)
- at guns: 24/41/49/57 → 17/29/40/58 (Pak40, Pak38, 6-Pounder, 57mm M1)
- tanks 1: 24/38/43/48 → 17/25/33/48 (King Tiger, Marder III, Nashorn, Geschützwagen)
- tanks 2: 24/36/41/46 → 17/25/33/46 (Firefly, Jagdpanther, M3 GMC)
- tanks 3: 24/33/39/42 → 17/25/33/42 (Sherman, M4A3(76)w Sherman, Pz IV, Pz IV IST, Panther, Tiger, M10 Wolverne, M18 Hellcat, M36 Jackson, M26 Pershing, Puma, Achilles, Bofors, Flakvierling, StuG IV)
- light vehicles: 19/26/33/40 → 17/25/33/40 (M8 Greyhound, T17, Staghound, Stuart, Armored Car, Sd.Kfz. 234, Recon Halftrack, Light Anti-Tank Halftrack, Ostwind, Wirbelwind, Crusader AA, StuH 42, Assault Sherman, AVRE, Hotchkiss)
- stationary at: 24/43/51/60 → 17/29/40/60 (88mm Flak 36, 17-Pounder, 3" M5)
- Developer note: Vehicles and tanks had very little penetration and accuracy fall-off over distance due to the range bracket distribution. This change is aimed to making vehicle combat more dynamic and also prevent tanks from sniping infantry too effectively at max ranges.
Camouflage detection
- Infantry base camouflage detection radius: 7 → 12
- Vehicle base camouflage detection radius: 0 → 9 (excluding detector units that have a much higher base detection radius)
- Building base camouflage detection radius: 3 → 9 (excluding defenses such as sand bags, barbed wire, mines, that have 0 detection by default)
Mines
- Changed construction functionality; mines are no longer automatically constructed in a line (like sandbags/barbed wire), and are now placed individually. To queue the construction of multiple mines, it is possible to queue construction orders by holding down the SHIFT key.
Off-Map Artillery
- Initial delay: 5s → 4s
- Affected abilities: Rocket Artillery, Airburst Artillery, Firestorm, Howitzer Shoot, Long-Tom Barrage, Light Artillery Barrage, Land Mattress Bombardment, Railway Artillery
Airstrikes
- Plane flight speeds: 120 → 160
- Initial delay: 5s → 3s
- Affected abilities: Typhoon Airstrike, Strafing Run, Rocket Run, Stuka Bombing Strike
Cover mechanics
- Vehicles are now affected by smoke cover:
- Received damage: -50%
- Main gun scatter: +100%
- Main gun range: -85%
- View range: -5
- Received damage: -50%
Veteran squad cost multipliers (campaign only)
- Veteran Rank 1: 1.1
- Veteran Rank 2: 1.25 → 1.2
- Veteran Rank 3: 1.5 → 1.3
Sniper (Americans, Wehrmacht)
- Base range: 54 → 59
- Initial firing delay after movement: 5.5s → 4s
- Fire aim time multipliers (short/mid/long/distant): 0.25/1/1.75/2 → 0.25/1/1.25/1.5
- Added visual UI to indicate when rate of fire is decreased/increased (moving/stationary)
- Reimplemented Camouflage:
- Minimum detection radius: 12 → 1 (fixes mines and other played owned objects spotting snipers)
- Reveal time: 9s
- Reveal time on detection: 9s
- Revert time: 9s
- Revert time on detection: 9s
- Minimum detection radius: 12 → 1 (fixes mines and other played owned objects spotting snipers)
MG42 Heavy Machine Gun (Wehrmacht/Panzer Elite)
- Setup time: 2s → 3s
- Base accuracy (short/mid/long/distant): 0.425/0.385/0.168/0.085 → 0.42/0.39/0.17/0.11
- Cooldown multipliers (short/mid/long/distant): 0.7/1.1/1.3/1.4 → 0.7/1/1.1/1.2
- DPS change (short/mid/long/distant): -1%/+5%/+8%/+38%
- multipliers vs suppressed targets:
- Accuracy multiplier: 0.5 → 0.6
- Damage multiplier: 0.75 → 1
- Accuracy multiplier: 0.5 → 0.6
- multipliers vs pinned targets:
- Accuracy multiplier: 0.25 → 0.4
- Damage multiplier: 0.5 → 1
- Suppression multiplier: 0.3 → 0.5
- Accuracy multiplier: 0.25 → 0.4
- multipliers vs suppressed targets:
M1917 .30 cal / Vickers Heavy Machine Gun
- Setup time: 2s → 3s
- Armour-Piercing Rounds ability:
- Munition cost: 35 → 25
- Munition cost: 35 → 25
- Base accuracy (short/mid/long/distant): 0.56/0.5/0.215/0.115 → 0.57/0.32/0.23/0.14
- DPS change (short/mid/long/distant): +1.5%/+3.5%/+7%/+21%
- multipliers vs suppressed targets:
- Accuracy multiplier: 0.65 → 0.7
- Damage multiplier: 0.75 → 1
- Suppression multiplier: 0.6 → 0.7
- Accuracy multiplier: 0.65 → 0.7
- multipliers vs pinned targets:
- Accuracy multiplier: 0.35 → 0.4
- Damage multiplier: 0.5 → 1
- Accuracy multiplier: 0.35 → 0.4
- multipliers vs suppressed targets:
Suppressive Fire (Riflemen, Schützen, Infantry Halftrack)
- Duration: 15s → 20s
- Added an additional suppressive bonus at 10s after activation
- Cooldown multiplier: 0.5 → 0.3
- Accuracy multiplier: 0.4 → 0.1
- Reload multiplier: 1 → 0.5
- Developer note: Suppressive fire proved to be very inconsistent, often not inducing enough suppression when not all squad members were firing at the same target. With these changes, suppressive fire should now work as an effective tool to suppress infantry.
SquadAI
- Reenabled and tweaked overall infantry squad AI behaviour:
- Infantry may once again go prone at the start of, and during skirmishes.
- Infantry will no longer randomly fall back to cover (to prevent anti-tank weapons from becoming unresponsive)
- Snipers will leapfrog significantly less for the initial shot.
- Infantry may once again go prone at the start of, and during skirmishes.
Americans
Throw Grenade (ability)
- Now a requires Supply Yard to be built once.
Mortar Team
- Free-Fire delay between shells: 4s → 5s
- Minimum range: 25 → 30
Command Squad
- Observed Fire:
- Munition cost: 80 → 60
- Barrage salvo: 8 → 6
- Barrage radius: 15 → 13
- Adjusted barrage UI constraints to better represent the barrage area.
- Munition cost: 80 → 60
57 mm M1 Anti-Tank Gun
- Base damage: 65/70 → 70/75
- Range: 57 → 58
- Inner range brackets: 17/29/40/57 → 17/32/46/58
M3 GMC
- 75 mm M1897A4 Field Gun:
- Range: 42 → 46
- Inner range brackets: 24/33/39/42 → 24/36/41/46
- Base penetration (s/m/l/d): 1/0.85/0.78/0.67 → 1.1/0.93/0.82/0.73
- Base damage: 60/70 → 70/80
- Base accuracy: 1/0.9/0.79/0.58 → 1.1/1/0.9/0.85
- Fixed weapon coordinates
- Significantly improved penetration capabilities vs heavy armor
- Range: 42 → 46
M8 Greyhound
- Hitpoints: 300 → 350
- Armor Skirts hitpoint bonus: +100 → +70
T17 Armored Car
- Hitpoints: 300 → 350
- Armor Skirts hitpoint bonus: +100 → +70
M3 Halftrack
- M16 MGMC Maxson M45 Quadmount:
- Base penetration (short/mid/long/distant): 1/0.71/0.45/0.25 → 1/0.75/0.45/0.4
- Base accuracy (short/mid/long/distant): 0.425/0.385/0.168/0.085 → 0.42/0.39/0.17/0.11
- Base cooldown: 3.5-4.5 s → 2.7 s
- Cooldown multipliers (short/mid/long/distant): 1/1.4/1.5/1.5 → 1/1/1.2/1.3
- DPS change (short/mid/long/distant): +15%/+13.5%/+70%/+162%
- Scatter angle: 3 → 5
- Max scatter distance: 2 → 7
- Penetration modifiers:
- Sd.Kfz. 234 Puma: 0.1 → 0.6
- Sd.Kfz. 22x: 0.1 → 0.7
- Sd.Kfz. 251: 0.1 → 0.7
- Marder III: 0.2 → 0.5
- Sd.Kfz. 234 Puma: 0.1 → 0.6
- Base penetration (short/mid/long/distant): 1/0.71/0.45/0.25 → 1/0.75/0.45/0.4
M36 Jackson
- Fixed invisible shell projectile (bad shell marker)
- Scatter angle: 4.5 → 5.5
- AoE inner radii: 0.5/1.5/2/2.45 → 0.5/1/1.5/2.45
- Damage multiplier vs Infantry targets: 1 → 0.9
M4A3(76)w Sherman
- Hitpoints: 760 → 860
- Base penetration (s/m/l/d): 1/0.87/0.72/0.67 → 1/0.91/0.78/0.69
- Penetration multipliers:
- Panther: 0.8 → 0.9
- Tiger: 0.7 → 0.85
- King Tiger: 0.6 → 0.75
- Jagdpanther: 0.7 → 0.85
- Panther: 0.8 → 0.9
M26 Pershing
- Removed default Tank Commander
- Added Tank Commander upgrade.
Smoke Discharges
- Recharge time: 75s → 30s
- Minimum range: 10 → 4
- Smoke projectiles: 4 → 6
Commonwealth
Throw Grenade (ability)
- Now a requires Mills Bombs upgrade, available in Company Command Truck
Platoon Command Truck
- Added Expert Engineers upgrade
Requisition Company Command
- Fuel cost: 40 → 50
Company Command Truck
- Removed Expert Engineers upgrade
- Added Mills Bombs upgrade (unlocks Grenade ability for Sappers, Tank Hunters, Vanguard, and Highlanders)
Heavy Machine Gun Section
- Population cost: 3 → 4
Universal Carrier
- Manpower cost: 180 → 200
- Vastly increased durability against small arms
- Added Wasp Carrier upgrade:
- Replaces the hull-mounted Bren LMG with a powerful Flamethrower.
- Increases hitpoints by 10%
- Cost: 60 munitions
- Disables troop transport
- Replaces the hull-mounted Bren LMG with a powerful Flamethrower.
- Added Mortar Carrier upgrade:
- Mounts a 2" light mortar to the vehicle, capable of free-fire, barrages, and smoke barrages.
- Cost: 75 munitions
- Disables troop transport
- Mounts a 2" light mortar to the vehicle, capable of free-fire, barrages, and smoke barrages.
Captain
- Observed Fire:
- Munition cost: 80 → 60
- Barrage salvo: 8 → 6
- Barrage radius: 15 → 13
- Adjusted barrage UI constraints to better represent the barrage area.
- Munition cost: 80 → 60
- Artillery Strike (requires Forward Observation Officers):
- Munition cost: 80 → 60
- Barrage salvo: 8 → 6
- Munition cost: 80 → 60
Lieutenant
- Observed Fire:
- Munition cost: 80 → 60
- Barrage salvo: 8 → 6
- Barrage radius: 15 → 13
- Adjusted barrage UI constraints to better represent the barrage area.
- Munition cost: 80 → 60
Staghound Armoured Car
- Hitpoints: 300 → 350
- Armor Skirts hitpoint bonus: +100 → +70
Mortar Emplacement/Mortar Section
- Free-Fire delay between shells: 4s → 6s
- Minimum range: 25 → 30
Creeping Barrage
- Munition cost: 110 → 80
Counter Battery
- Ready aim time: 0s → 1s (delay before the first shot is fired)
- Fire aim time: 0s → 2s (added delay in between the two shells of the salvo, including reload the delay is now 3.5s → 5.5s
- Max scatter distance: 7 → 8
Forward Observation Officers
- Now also boosts officer sight range (+5)
Air Supremacy
- Fixed several bugs that would limit the amount of planes being spawned (this fix effectively doubles the amount of planes participating in the overwatch).
- Removed planes with machine guns only.
- All planes now target all visible enemy targets with RP-3 Rockets.
- Total overwatch duration: 40s → 45s
- Overwatch area radius: 30 → 32
Wehrmacht
Wehrmacht Quarters
- Manpower cost: 180 → 160
MG42 Heavy Machine Gun Team
- Population cost: 3 → 4
Mortar Team
- Free-Fire delay between shells: 4.6s → 5s
- Minimum range: 25 → 30
Stormtroopers
- StG44 mit ZF-4:
- Reload time: 4.9-5.1 s → 3.6-3.8 s
- Base damage: 15/16 → 16/17
- Base cooldown: 1-1.2 s → 1.2-1.3 s
- Cooldown multipliers (short/mid/long/distant): 0.8/1.3/1.7/1.9 → 1/1.2/1.5/1.7
- Tweaked accuracy parameters
- No DPS change
- Reload time: 4.9-5.1 s → 3.6-3.8 s
75 mm PaK 40 Anti-Tank Gun
- Range: 57 → 58
- Inner range brackets: 17/29/40/57 → 17/32/46/58
Sd.Kfz 234 Armored Car (Puma)
- Vastly increased durability against small arms (most notably rear armor).
- Manpower cost: 250 → 280
- Fuel cost: 25 → 35
Blitzkrieg Tactics
- On activation, Infantry will now sprint for 10s.
Panzer Elite
Kampfgruppe Kompanie
- Manpower cost: 180 → 160
- Added Light Anti-Tank Halftrack
Panzer Support Kommand
- Fuel cost: 50 → 70
- Removed Light Anti-Tank Halftrack
- Added Hotchkiss Light Tank
- Advanced Support Kommand upgrade:
- Fuel cost: 60 → 40
- Fuel cost: 60 → 40
Panzerpioneers
- Default weapons: Gewehr 43 → Kar98k
- Squad DPS change (short/mid/long/distant): -20%/-18%/-5%/0%
- Added Gewehr 43 upgrade:
- Cost: 60 munitions
- Unlocks Volley Fire
- Equips the squad with 3 Gewehr 43 Rifles
- Increases squad DPS (short/mid/long/distant): +25%/+23%/+5%/0%
- Volley Fire now requires Gewehr 43 Package instead of Veterancy Rank 1
- Cost: 60 munitions
Panzergrenadiers
- StG44 mit ZF-4:
- Reload time: 4.9-5.1 s → 3.6-3.8 s
- Base damage: 15/16 → 16/17
- Base cooldown: 1-1.2 s → 1.3-1.5 s
- Cooldown multipliers (short/mid/long/distant): 1/1.3/1.7/2.1 → 1/1.3/1.6/1.9
- Tweaked accuracy parameters
- No DPS change
- Reload time: 4.9-5.1 s → 3.6-3.8 s
Fallschirmjägers
- Reimplemented passive camouflage (enables automatically in light, heavy, and garrison cover)
Jägers
- Added active camouflage ability
Breakthrough Tactics
- Field Craft:
- No longer applies to Heavy Machine Gun Teams.
- Panzergrenadier/Assault Grenadier/Panzerfüsilier capture rate bonus: +67% → +20%
- Panzerpioneer/Tank Buster capture rate bonus: +67% → +25%
- No longer applies to Heavy Machine Gun Teams.
- Removed Scavengers
- Added Advanced Repair: upgrades Panzerpioneers and the Kettenkrad with Advanced Repair
Luftwaffe Tactics
- Hotchkiss Rocket Launcher call-in removed
- Hotchkiss Rocket Launcher now unlocks Wurfrahmen 40 Rocket Launcher upgrade for Hotchkiss Light Tank
Mortar Halftrack
- Minimum range: 25 → 30
- Fuel cost: 20 → 30
Infantry Halftrack
- MG42 Light Machine Gun:
- Rebalanced weapon profile.
- DPS change (s/m/l/d): -14%/-25%/-16%/-28%
- Rebalanced weapon profile.
- Funkwagen upgrade munition cost: 50 → 35
- Observed Fire:
- Munition cost: 80 → 60
- Barrage salvo: 8 → 6
- Barrage radius: 15 → 13
- Adjusted barrage UI constraints to better represent the barrage area.
- Munition cost: 80 → 60
- Removed Radio Interception ability
- Added Suppressive Fire:
- While active, the MG42 LMG induces strong suppressive capabilities, at the cost of accuracy and vehicle mobility
- Cost: 35 munitions
- While active, the MG42 LMG induces strong suppressive capabilities, at the cost of accuracy and vehicle mobility
Pioneer Halftrack
- Renamed from Supply Halftrack
- Advanced Vehicle Repair removed
- Set-Up/Mobilize Repair Station added:
- Once deployed, specially trained Pioneers will automatically repair vehicles within the vicinity of the Pioneer Halftrack
- Once deployed, specially trained Pioneers will automatically repair vehicles within the vicinity of the Pioneer Halftrack
- Healing and Munition resupply now requires the vehicle to be set-up
- Updated vehicle icon, symbol and unit description
Light Anti-Tank Halftrack
- Removed Focused Firing ability.
- Fuel cost: 30 → 40
- 37 mm Pak 36 weapon range: 46 → 40
- Stielgranate 41 ability range: 40 → 36
Hotchkiss Light Tank
- Manpower cost: 300 → 260
- Fuel cost: 35 → 40
- Stuka Zu Fuss and long-barrel upgun upgrades no longer come by default
- Updated long-barreled 37 mm SA18 tank gun stats; performance-wise it is now similar to the Puma's 50 mm main gun.
Nashorn
- Base damage: 100/110 → 90/110
- AoE inner radii: 0.5/1.5/2.5/3.25 → 0.5/1/2/3.25
- Reduced shell explosion FX size.
- Damage multiplier vs Infantry targets: 1 → 0.8
Group Zeal
- Radius: 10 → 12.25 (matching outer radius of anti-blob).
- Changed visual indicator to a white outline.
Henschel Overwatch
- Fixed several bugs that would limit the amount of planes being spawned (this fix effectively doubles the amount of planes participating in the overwatch).
- Total overwatch duration: 40s → 45s
- Overwatch area radius: 30 → 32
Bug Fixes
- Fixed duplicate tank traps for Engineers when defensive operations is unlocked.
- Fixed several scatter bugs with scoped StG44, causing the weapon to underperform significantly
- Fixed Kettenkrad being able to repair itself.
- Fixed a bug that caused the Kettenkrad to take excessive damage from small arms
- Fixed Hetzer gun traverse arc misaligning with the animation limits.
- Fixed Raiders (Blitzkrieg Doctrine) capture rate bonus for Grenadiers.
- Fixed Flakvierling 38 vertical placement inside the emplacement.
- Fixed missing sound cues for Wehrmacht Skirmish/Assault/Battle phase upgrades.
- Fixed leFH18 firing animation (bouncing barrel).
- Fixed leFH18 and M2A1 Howitzer vertical placement inside the emplacement.
- Fixed an issue with M1918A2 BAR pick-up weapon that resulted in broken weapon visuals and firing animations.
- Fixed leaderboards "Rank/Name" UI.
- Fixed Commonwealth tank trap construction time to 12 s (was 9 s), now matching other factions as intended.
- Fixed that Road Blocks could not be crushed by the Sherman Bulldozer.
- Fixed broken MP40 SMG tracers
- Fixed For The Fatherland cooldown (0 → 100 s)
- Fixed game lobby faction flag graphic size.
- Fixed Panzer Elite captured Pack Howitzer UI.
- Fixed several issues that made it impossible to complete the Commonwealth tutorial.
- Fixed deployed veteran squads being able to repurchase additional weapon upgrades (campaign only).
- Fixed engineer units not stopping repairing reenabled strategic points after completing scorched earth repairs.
- Fixed an issue where some base structures were lacking a reinforce radius altogether (Triage Center, Supply Yard, Kampfkraft Centre).
- Fixed M26 Pershing shell spawning marker.
- Fixed coaxial MG42 tracers.
- Fixed Supercharged Artillery Shells not applying to the Mortar Emplacement free-fire weapon.
- Fixed bugged infantry models during Panzer Elite campaign M01 cutscenes.
Changed files in this update