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[Chance Hale]

Been a while since I've played Company of Heroes so I'm still getting back into the swing of the basics. Any tips for keeping track of units? There are times where I'll have 6 or 7 basic infantry squads and I sometimes forget which one is which, leading to clicking on the icons in a rush to find the one I need.

 

[Pooya]

it's funny how much better vCoH UI is. Even DoWII had a very minimalistic UI, not sure what happened here. It's both ugly and cluttered. Bad font too.

 

[xXxDieselxXx]

I'm glad we have COH2 players here.

I feel lonely in other video game forums. Strategy games is not for everybody.

I'm done downloading the "Pre-Download".

 

[Sethos]

Been a while since I've played Company of Heroes so I'm still getting back into the swing of the basics. Any tips for keeping track of units? There are times where I'll have 6 or 7 basic infantry squads and I sometimes forget which one is which, leading to clicking on the icons in a rush to find the one I need.

Well, it's one of the things you need to train your mind to do but you could just tag them ( CTRL + a number key ) and then press the number key twice to quickly teleport there.

 

[Tak3n]

Been a while since I've played Company of Heroes so I'm still getting back into the swing of the basics. Any tips for keeping track of units? There are times where I'll have 6 or 7 basic infantry squads and I sometimes forget which one is which, leading to clicking on the icons in a rush to find the one I need.

The only way I find to do it is the unit turns to a white dot/veichle when it is that unit you have selected...

Mine die so often, I am terrible

 

[AndyBNV]

Now THIS is a minimalistic, non-intrusive HUD

I remember playing that, but can't remember the name.

 

[Sethos]

I remember playing that, but can't remember the name.

Good ole' Blitzkrieg 1

The music from that game is like a nostalgia truck ramming into my face. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RIuH6l_nUig

 

[Chance Hale]

Well, it's one of the things you need to train your mind to do but you could just tag them ( CTRL + a number key ) and then press the number key twice to quickly teleport there.

Thanks, that was the kind of thing I was hoping for as a basic aid until I can get that memorization down.

Mine die so often, I am terrible

You and me both pal!


By the way, how is Blitzkrieg 2? Dad recently asked me to buy it for him on GOG, so I did but I haven't bothered giving it a try myself yet.

 

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

Been a while since I've played Company of Heroes so I'm still getting back into the swing of the basics. Any tips for keeping track of units? There are times where I'll have 6 or 7 basic infantry squads and I sometimes forget which one is which, leading to clicking on the icons in a rush to find the one I need.

Hopefully not playing American. You should only have 4 rifleman and 1 Ranger/ Airborne squad at most until you've upgraded the Supply Yard.
You can hotkey squads, and then you just have to remember where you sent them. I think it's something with holding left shift and pressing a number key on the selected squad, though whenever you press that number key again, it won't move you to their location. You'll have to find the white dots on the minimap.

And I don't have much confidence in this game. Relic basically trashed Company of Heroes, and its current state, while relatively balanced, feels like it's held together by bandages and string and is basically a corrupted version of the intended game. They let a nigh-game-breaking bug where Paks would do bonus damage on every single shot and basically invalidated American armor persist for a year.

 

[Sethos]

By the way, how is Blitzkrieg 2? Dad recently asked me to buy it for him on GOG, so I did but I haven't bothered giving it a try myself yet.

Rubbish. Get Blitzkrieg 1 - Much better.

 

[AllenShrz]

And I don't have much confidence in this game. Relic basically trashed Company of Heroes, and its current state, while relatively balanced, feels like it's held together by bandages and string and is basically a corrupted version of the intended game. They let a nigh-game-breaking bug where Paks would do bonus damage on every single shot and basically invalidated American armor persist for a year.

Too bad, that never happened to me playing as wher, but i did get TONS of 5% bugs on greyhounds and useless shreks that always missed or just 5%...

Depending your faction was the ride.

 

[Mr. Luchador]

Hyped. Shame about the £40 worth of DLC already available, even if they are just skins it somewhat makes you wary about what lies ahead.

In an ideal world Men of War would get the userbase CoH has, but nevermind.

 

[Snacks the sober sea lion]

Too bad, that never happened to me playing as wher, but i did get TONS of 5% bugs on greyhounds and useless shreks that always missed or just 5%...

Depending your faction was the ride.

It "never happened" to you because it ALWAYS happened. It wasn't a randomly occurring bug, it was never NOT occurring, so if you didn't know about it, you would think Paks were meant to destroy Shermans in 3 shots from the front, while out of camo. They weren't. And this was even after the previous Pak bug, where the bonuses would stack and the gun's damage would keep ramping up until it could one-shot any vehicle. Apparently the team at the time had no idea how to program the Pak properly.

5% bug applies to nearly every vehicle, even jeeps/ motorcycles sometimes. It's something to do with how critical effects like Engine Damage are applied. Panzershreks also have high penetration and damage with the tradeoff being they have low accuracy. If riflemen picked one up and were destroying your vehicles, it's likely because they had accuracy buffs from their superior veterancy bonuses.

 

[Brazil]

I've been playing this over the weekend, and, wow. It's just so much better than the previous game. It's basically the only thing keeping me away from Animal Crossing.

 

[Sethos]

My friend is, as usual, waiting for his GMG key - Anyone know when these slowpokes send it out? We'd like to get a game in before bed.

 

[firehawk12]

GMG sent their keys out ages ago... it's the same key as the one to get into the beta.

 

[AndyBNV]

My friend is, as usual, waiting for his GMG key - Anyone know when these slowpokes send it out? We'd like to get a game in before bed.

He should check his account on the site, sometimes emails don't get sent even though the key was applied to the account days before launch.

 

[Sethos]

He should check his account on the site, sometimes emails don't get sent even though the key was applied to the account days before launch.

Yeah he checked, nothing =/

 

[lordkosc]

RE: tons of DLC in the Steam Store...

Some of that DLC (skins and commanders) is free if you pre-ordered, the rest I think can be unlocked from leveling up.

All the currently listed DLC is free if you got the collectors edition.

 

[Icefire1424]

Holy hell, I am TERRIBLE at Skirmish in this game. Figured that would be a good place to learn the new mechanics, but every battle I've played thus far has resulted in my ass being kicked back in the general direction of Moscow. I know I'm "new" at this game, but damn!

...still having a blast, despite the amount of failure on my part. Hehe.

 

[AndyBNV]

Holy hell, I am TERRIBLE at Skirmish in this game. Figured that would be a good place to learn the new mechanics, but every battle I've played thus far has resulted in my ass being kicked back in the general direction of Moscow. I know I'm "new" at this game, but damn!

...still having a blast, despite the amount of failure on my part. Hehe.

The AI almost always rushes light vehicles, so build AT guns or some other AT weapon first. Once you survive that initial rush it's pretty easy to win even on Expert.

 

[elementalsin]

The AI almost always rushes light vehicles, so build AT guns or some other AT weapon first. Once you survive that initial rush it's pretty easy to win even on Expert.

Really? I'm going to have to give this a shot because I've been getting wrecked ever since that last update. I don't even think they changed anything on the AI? I just started sucking complete ass.

Love the damn game though. Setting up flag defenses with a friend and then actively using commander skills to hold the line for 30 minutes was/is an absolute insane frantic blast.

 

[Sethos]

Garrison some MG crews, get some cheap troops to capture, AT guns to take all that light stuff and then you are basically in this phase until armour comes out which is the point the AI takes a massive nosedive because they can't micro tanks for shit.

 

[AndyBNV]

Really? I'm going to have to give this a shot because I've been getting wrecked ever since that last update. I don't even think they changed anything on the AI? I just started sucking complete ass.

Love the damn game though. Setting up flag defenses with a friend and then actively using commander skills to hold the line for 30 minutes was/is an absolute insane frantic blast.

They made quite a few changes to the AI: http://community.companyofheroes.co...eroes-2-discussion/topics/Open-Beta-Changelog

 

[elementalsin]

They made quite a few changes to the AI: http://community.companyofheroes.co...eroes-2-discussion/topics/Open-Beta-Changelog

Oh wow you're absolutely right. That helps ease the wounds a little at least. Some of these latest defeats have been just embarrassingly bad!

 

[shrapnelmagnet]

The AI almost always rushes light vehicles, so build AT guns or some other AT weapon first. Once you survive that initial rush it's pretty easy to win even on Expert.

On the Soviets, the T70 Tank is very strong vs. infantry and deals good damage vs. light vehicles. Additionally, the light vehicles can't damage it (since it's a little tank). An upgraded German car can damage it, though, I think...

 

[AndyBNV]

On the Soviets, the T70 Tank is very strong vs. infantry and deals good damage vs. light vehicles. Additionally, the light vehicles can't damage it (since it's a little tank). An upgraded German car can damage it, though, I think...

T70 remains an effective anti-infantry weapon throughout the match. After the initial stages it works best just behind your main tanks and as a guard for your weapon crews (gotta get that mortar to level 3 for ludicrous range and damage)

 

[MaritalWheat]

Been putting off the excitement, but just started the preload and I'm hyped! I've gotten sucked into DOTA2 so I avoided open beta, but the little I played of the closed convinced me I'd love it like CoH1. Not a total fan of some of the changes, but that core gameplay is still there and still so, so satisfying.

I'm not a huge fan of pub CoH matches, but if gaffers ever want to get games going or play count me in (comp stomps included). I remember a couple of highly entertaining GAF CoH1 4v4s back in the day.

 

[elementalsin]

T70 remains an effective anti-infantry weapon throughout the match. After the initial stages it works best just behind your main tanks and as a guard for your weapon crews (gotta get that mortar to level 3 for ludicrous range and damage)

Do you feel mortars are still a bit on the OP side? A couple friends and I have been constantly bitching about mortars as of late as just completely demolishing pretty much everything they come in contact with. Granted WHEN you get up close its easy to dispatch, but they seem so easy to use effectively to very very devastating results.

 

[Sethos]

Do you feel mortars are still a bit on the OP side? A couple friends and I have been constantly bitching about mortars as of late as just completely demolishing pretty much everything they come in contact with. Granted WHEN you get up close its easy to dispatch, but they seem so easy to use effectively to very very devastating results.

No, mortars aren't that powerful any more. The only time they are effective is when you are against a dug down / stationary enemy. It's so easy to send up a mobile group to deal with them.

EDIT: Also, just tried the 'improved' AI - Seem to be doing an alright job, takes a bit of adjusting. Here's a quick, random skirmish win against a Normal AI in case anyone is looking for some ideas / to laugh at me; https://mega.co.nz/#!fZI0TBpT!fyT10lL7usO7wlLmo605s2N_IUgfogrvkCMfn7aMdSk Probably missed a few things, getting late and I'm exhausted.

 

[Facism]

simplycdkeys had this for £24 so i jumped in on digital.

Love PC prices.

 

[ikioi]

Recommendations based on lots and lots of gameplay in the beta, the campaign, and ToW (pre-release press build):

• Overclock your CPU - game is CPU-bound, so even a small OC can dramatically increase frame rates.

• 
  
  Disagree. The game is not so much CPU bound, as it is inefficient and wasteful. Seems like the rendering engine and physics are very much CPU dependant. I expect/hope in the coming months Relic patch and further optimize the engine.
  
  I am running an i7 3930k and even i get massive bog downs in the game. Sorry but i don't think the answer to my fps problem is my 6 core, 12 threaded, 3.8ghz CPU. I think it's the game.
  
  I'm running the game of a Sandisk SSD, i7 3930k,16GB of 2133mhz RAM, and two 680GTXs in SLI. Latest drivers, Win 7 and 8 tested, etc, COH2 still bogs down like an absolute bitch on max settings, and even medium i'm unable to maintain 60fps. And for some stupid reason the game's recommended settings for me at 1900x1200 are low.... Which is a known bug based on patch notes, should have been addressed yesterday but that doesn't appear to be the case. Also checked the config.ini file in the game and it seems to detect DX9, ill investigate that further at night but i'm at work currently.
  
  While playing the game i was logging data via perfmon, certain CPU threads hit 100% and just sit there. Meanwhile other threads sit there doing jack all, even physical cores doing nothing. HDD, I/O, physical memory, page file, GPU, and GPU memory usage all <80%, CPU 50%, game still bogs. Lowering settings doesn't seem to improve this much either... It's weird but i'll investigate further. Only had a few hours last night to muck around and i was more interested in the game
  
  Running the in game benchmark test on medium/high settings at 1900x1200, i still only averaged around 45 fps, and max of 66. Tried with both SLI disabled and enabled.
  
  It's the game, not people's rigs.

 

[shrapnelmagnet]

No, mortars aren't that powerful any more. The only time they are effective is when you are against a dug down / stationary enemy. It's so easy to send up a mobile group to deal with them.

The doctrinal Soviet 120mm Mortar is quite strong - like a little Howitzer. I believe it may have its Command Point requirement increased by one (1 -> 2), actually.

Full disclosure: I'm at Relic but did not work directly on COH2.

 

[AndyBNV]

Running the in game benchmark test on medium/high settings at 1900x1200, i still only averaged around 45 fps, and max of 66. Tried with both SLI disabled and enabled.

We purposefully disabled SLI because of the CPU-boundness.

Also, ToW is bugged at the moment: http://community.companyofheroes.co...shing/topics/Theater-Of-War-Commanders-bugged

Get CPs, but don't get the option to use the mission's predefined commanders.

The doctrinal Soviet 120mm Mortar is quite strong - like a little Howitzer. I believe it may have its Command Point requirement increased by one (1 -> 2), actually.

Full disclosure: I'm at Relic but did not work directly on COH2.

The 120mm is hilarious on the 2v2 maps - run a scout car around and watch as your mortar teams tucked away safely in your base blow up half the map

 

[d1rtn4p]

Can add the first review to the list. Tom Chick gave it 1/5 stars, heh.

 

[ikioi]

We purposefully disabled SLI because of the CPU-boundness.

But it's not CPU bound, it's engine bound.

Running perfmon demonstrated this clearly enough. My CPU has 6 physical cores, 12 threads, and stock clock of 3.8ghz. The game never even achieved 50% utilization running at 1900x1200 on absolute max setitngs. From memory the highest my CPU's utilization reached was around a peak of 35%.

What i noticed however was the game would max out a single thread or two, then sit there doing nothing with remaining resources of my CPU. I mucked around with CPU affinity and thread priority, didn't seem to improve much.

It's not CPU bound, ratber COH2's engine is not making efficient use of the hardware available to it. Nothing surprising given its a new engine from Relic and its day one release. It will take some time for Relic to really iron out the bugs, get compatability up, and yes for vendors like AMD and Nvidia to release optmised video drivers.

The sollution to my problem isn't to overclock like you suggest. The sollution is for Relic to continue to improve and patch the game so CoH2 utilizes the hardware resources it has available to it more efficiently.

If an i7 3930k isn't good enough for this game i feel sorry for the 99% of other PC users that aren't running high end $500 + CPUs. As lets be honest, my CPU is in the highest end of the market and well above the standard or even high end user's.

 

[firehawk12]

Heh, Tom Chick's opinion aside, I'm not sure why he lays the blame at Sega for the design decisions considering they just bought the game like a few months ago.

 

[FartOfWar]

Can add the first review to the list. Tom Chick gave it 1/5 stars, heh.

Of all the times I have to bite my tongue.... Fucking WOW. Wow.

 

[firehawk12]

Of all the times I have to bite my tongue.... Fucking WOW. Wow.

FartOfWar
Why so low?
(Today, 08:46 PM)

 

[AndyBNV]

Can add the first review to the list. Tom Chick gave it 1/5 stars, heh.

Blimey, what a terrible review. Factually incorrect, oblivious to gameplay mechanics, and unnecessarily angry about the sale of skins and commanders who only use different combinations of abilities (no maps, modes or missions are locked off, it's all optional and mostly cosmetic).

 

[firehawk12]

He is right in that the CoD grinding/levelling system is pretty stupid though. As if you need to trick people into buying XP doublers or whatever microtransactions they have planned for the game.

 

[Paches]

Can add the first review to the list. Tom Chick gave it 1/5 stars, heh.

lol

Edit: To give my post some actual content, I can't wait till he is back on Three Moves Ahead and they take him to task over this game, as in one of their latest episodes discussing the CoH2 Open Beta, Rob Zacny loved it.

 

[ghst]

Of all the times I have to bite my tongue.... Fucking WOW. Wow.

are you gonna jump on a blog or podcast and break down your thoughts on the multiplayer? i barely got my ass wet with the beta - and conscript spam into clown car spam into t34 spam doesn't make for a comprehensive critical outlook.

edit: oh wow, you can actually buy commanders? that's some scuzzy shit.

 

[Icefire1424]

Interesting reading about the issues with performance - was wondering if my rig was really that old if recommended settings were set to "Minimal".

Granted, it is pretty old, but still.

For the record:

Spoiler

Intel Quad Core Duo @ 2.83 GHz
NVIVIA GeForce GTX 260
8 Gig RAM
750 GB Hard Drive

 

[Deleted member 47027]

Can add the first review to the list. Tom Chick gave it 1/5 stars, heh.

I love Tom Chick and I rarely find myself agreeing with him about what is amazing but this is just...I'm in tears and Tom Chick is like "ha HA!"

 

[ikioi]

Actually, although I said this is Company of Heroes 1 all over again, that’s not quite true. It’s less than Company of Heroes 1. For instance, one new feature is a bewildering lack of information. The previous game had numbers to represent how effective units were, and to help you compare them to each other.

Taken from Tom's review

I noticed this myself, no stats are listed for units and their upgrades.

In COH1 all units use to have values against infantry, armor, and buildings. Was quick and easy to be able to tell just how much an upgrade or veterancy had boosted their abilities.

COH2 doesn't seem to have this feature?

 

[Coflash]

GTX780s in SLI and the max FPS I get is 23

Who coded this rubbish?

Min FPS 11
Max FPS 36
Average FPS 23

Screenshot

Even if it doesn't support SLI, that's utter crap, I can max out Metro LL and Crysis 3, but this thing that looks like it came from 2007 still runs like that?

I bought the CE too, I really wanted to get into this, but even when I set it all to low the frame dips are huge when battles start.

 

[Addnan]

Almost impossible to max out. Turn down the AA and snow effects.

The game is very CPU heavy, give that a little overclock if you haven't already.

 

[Coflash]

It's at 4.4ghz now (i7 2600k)

The snow effects are also down, the settings are now lower than what it auto detected

In any case they won't see a dime from me again unless this is fixed. I can't even remember the last time I complained about performance (maybe Gothic 3?) but this is up there with the worst of them.

 

[TaroYamada]

It's at 4.4ghz now (i7 2600k)

The snow effects are also down, the settings are now lower than what it auto detected

In any case they won't see a dime from me again unless this is fixed. I can't even remember the last time I complained about performance (maybe Gothic 3?) but this is up there with the worst of them.

Given Relic's willingness to patch vCoH you honestly think this won't have extensive post-launch support? I agree it sucks it's not running optimally but they have a track record of extensive patching.

edit: full disclosure, I would classify myself a CoH fanboy but they unarguably patched the hell out of the first game.