Opinion: Why the British Army Would Never do Well in Company of Heroes Online

As some of you may know, I’ve been spending a lot of time recently playing Company of Heroes Online, one of my favourite strategy games. On the Forums and in the in-game chartrooms I have seen a few people requesting that the British and Panzer Elite Armies from Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts to be included in the free-to-play version at some point.

Now I loved playing as the British in Opposing Fronts, I had some fairly solid defensive tactics that worked pretty good online. In my opinion, the greatest strength of the British was their defensive structures, such as the Vickers and Mortar Emplacements, the 17-Pounder stationary AT Gun and the 25-Pounder Artillery device. If an effective line was created and no flanking was possible then breaking through this line could be virtually impossible.(There was one or two situations I was in where I only had one territory left, but I had so many defensive encampments that my opponent could not break through, and surrendered!)

The British Defensive encampments at their finest

There was one thing that was effective against the defences however and that was Artillery. A smart enemy commander who discovered my tactics would realise this and build up a few Stuka Halftracks or Nebelwerfers, and either destroy or cripple my defences before commencing his assault.

While the V1 Rocket was also able to do this, the Firestorm and Rocket Doctrines would not be as effective due to their limited area of effect and cooldown period. Only using these however could mean the commander could focus all their manpower on men and tanks, which could sometimes be enough to over-run the slightly damaged defence systems.

The Destructive German Nebelwerfer

In Company of Heroes Online however, these can be upgraded to have devastating effects, and the Blitzkrieg Doctrine now has its own Artillery option. These could completely destroy the British Defences, leaving them extremely open.

Now i’m not saying that the Artillery Options for Axis commanders are over-powered, I just feel that they will be able to counter many of the British Strengths easily. I’m sure there are some British Commanders who used to play the army a lot more aggressively than I do, so this may not be as big an issue. But I would love to hear what other people think of this!

Condottieri.

A Look into Company of Heroes Online

For those of you who do not know about Company of Heroes Online, it is a free-to-play version of the great WWII strategy game, Company of Heroes, now with Hero Units, more unit upgrades and variations of the original doctrines.

When Company of Heroes was released in 2006, it shook the Strategy Gaming world showing how beauty and incredible game play can be combined. Four years on, and Company of Heroes still seems flawless for today’s standards, maintaining interest through the standalone expansion packs, making the game still popular today.

The Beautiful COH game play that we know and love

But Relic’s attention is now focused on something else. Rather than risk failing to meet expectations with a sequel, Company of Heroes: Online was released, a free-to-play MMO variation of the game. This “new” game uses the same game engine and units than the original, but adds a whole new element to the game with Hero units and Army Items, which are unit upgrades and bonuses to help in the battle.

So what do these new things do? Hero Units are variations of regular units(such as riflemen) who level up through gaining experience on the battlefield. As they gain levels, they gain bonuses, such as small accuracy and health bonuses. While you can only have one of the same hero unit out at a time, if they are ever killed you may simply build them again and they will have the same amount of experience as when they died.

Army items provide small bonuses to a certain type of unit. This can include armour bonuses, health bonuses etc. The bonuses are relatively small but can make a difference in the long run.

While at first you may think this could tip the balance of the game, through further analysis I do not believe that it does. Both the Wermacht and the American Army have similar Hero Units and Army items, so this does not change much. Even using none of these items against someone who uses many can still result in an easy victory.

Of course, being free-to-play, it comes with a levelling and purchasing system. Army items and Heros cam be earnt through winning and losing battles, but they can also be purchased from the Company of Heroes Online Store. There are two methods that they can be purchased, the first being through “supply”, which is gained through playing battles. The Second is by paying real money.



This could seem to remove all balance of the game by putting power into those that pay, but the reality is quite different. All items are very affordable if you play enough games, and there are no “exclusive” items if you pay real money. And as mentioned before, they are only small bonuses, so victory once again comes down to tactics.

So while this game offers something refreshingly different, it still maintains balance and immersive elements of the “original” Company of Heroes. Although it is very similar to the original, it is enough to keep me entertained until Company of Heroes 2 is released.

Until Next time,
Condottieri.

(And don’t worry experienced Company of Heroes Players, there is a bonus for you in the form of Loyalty Packs, as well as more inexperienced opponents to beat!)

Empire and Napoleon: Total War goes GOTY

For those of you who don’t know, The Creative Assembly and Sega have recently released Empire and Napoleon Total War: Game of the Year Edition, featuring both games and all DLC’s. This is a collection of two of the greatest Strategy games of recent years, and I would recommend anyone who does not own either of these to check it out on the steam store here.

In The Shadows: Shogun 2: Total War

Little is known about Shogun 2:Total War. Announced at E3, 2010, Shogun 2 is set to be released in 2011. Set in 16th Century Japan, the game will involve 9 Japanese Fief’s battling for ultimate control. These 9 warlords all have different strengths and weaknesses, and this time YOU will be in control of the negotiator.
The battle’s in this are expected to be epic, with the capability of supporting 56,000 soldiers in one battle alone. That, combined with the incredible graphics and the reputation that the Total War series has is making this one of the most exciting Strategy Games of 2011.

The info released suggests that the great graphics of this game will also be backed up by great gameplay. Not only will the battles be much more epic, but they will be more detailed and fluent, says Land Battle Programmer Ingimar Gudmunsson. But as we know, there will be much more to this game than just the battles, with the campaign having more focus on politics than the Total War’s before it, giving players the best of Turn-based and Real Time Strategy. With agents, Ninjas and monks at your disposal, as well as very important Generals that will be very important in this game, giving you a wide variety of tactics to conquer.

So how will you do it? What are your impressions of the game so far? Don’t forget to stay tuned here for updated information,

Condottieri.

Hello Earth

Welcome!
Welcome to Strategy Games! I’m Condottieri, a blogger with a passion for Strategies. Once this Website get’s fully on its feet it will be the centre for any information you need for current and upcoming games- not to mention discussions, videos, pictures and a whole lot more. Anyone is welcome to join our community, so if you want us to keep you up-to-date, feel free to follow us and comment on any blogs you like. I Look forward to hearing about your opinions on Strategy Games, and once again, welcome.

Condottieri.