Company of Heroes 2 beta now on Steam

[TallBill]

Played the beta a little bit today. Will try again some more in the next few weeks but doubtful that I'll drop $60 unless I magically start getting good.

 

[WT]

I didn't play it much but I had a ton of fun with Blitzkrieg mod. Downloaded Eastern front but never got around to trying it.

The beauty of EF was that it added the Soviet faction when thats what CoH fans were begging for, and not only added it, but in such a seemless and well thought out way that it felt like the CoH devs themselves had a hand in its being laid out.

Still undecided on CoH 2 ...will continue to play it for now, but I guess I had set my sights a bit too high on it.

 

[OlafSicky]

Played it a bit and I must say that I am very disappointed. I don't even think the graphics are that good. The whole thing is a very messy. The Russian buildings look terrible. It looks like the game will be a dud.

 

[Kalmah]

Played it a bit and I must say that I am very disappointed. I don't even think the graphics are that good. The whole thing is a very messy. The Russian buildings look terrible. It looks like the game will be a dud.

I'm having the same reaction. I haven't played many games, but everything about it also seems non intuitive. I liked the simplicity of COH1. It was just you and strategy, this has a bit of a mess of things to deal with. I might not have played it enough yet though. First impressions are always hard when you are comparing it to a prequel that you have become use to over time.

It's not very responsive as well and the stuff going on on the screen is overwhelming with all the weather effects. I'm sure performance will improve with time and proper video drivers for it become available.

I honestly just want to launch COH1 back up the whole time that I'm playing it.

 

[BlitzPuppet]

Been playing since April (or was it early May?). Game is fun, love the blizzards and love the howitzers.

Gotta love the Wehrmacht! Nothing is more satisfying than artillery shelling some Russian untermensch while they are trying to cross a frozen river...only to sink and die into the water

 

[Elcs]

Can you do a You Vs. AI Skirmish? I had about 30 seconds to look and could only see a 2v2 Skirmish with a second human player.

Not particularly interested in the Western Front though... not enough British in it (although we weren't well represented in CoH1+expansions either.)

 

[Kalmah]

Can you do a You Vs. AI Skirmish? I had about 30 seconds to look and could only see a 2v2 Skirmish with a second human player.

Not particularly interested in the Western Front though... not enough British in it (although we weren't well represented in CoH1+expansions either.)

You can do a 2x2 and put an ai on your team. Doesn't seem to be 1v1 though.

 

[spamhunter]

Thanks forthe heads up, will start downloading now.

 

[Genx87]

Can you do a You Vs. AI Skirmish? I had about 30 seconds to look and could only see a 2v2 Skirmish with a second human player.

Not particularly interested in the Western Front though... not enough British in it (although we weren't well represented in CoH1+expansions either.)

Yes, add AI into the slots. I had a 2v2 lastnight with only AI players.

 

[WT]

You can do a 2x2 and put an ai on your team. Doesn't seem to be 1v1 though.

I played a 1 vs 1, I had it installed on my main rig and a workbench rig and then just ran from one team to another across the room. This early in, I had no idea how to navigate the IU so I avoided a human matchmaker game like the plague.

I was at least able to then play as both factions and set up defensive points and then attack them on the other PC. On the Wermacht side, I had a scout car with an upgunned 20mm that was tearing numerous holes thru all Soviet troops. It rolled up on a Maxim and I thought I would tear him a new one as well and then commandeer his gun.

10 seconds later and my scout car was a smoldering wreck, done in by a Maxim !! This had me at first very angry and then very confused. In CoH1, an armored car with a 20mm would chew up any MG nest in no time at all.

Another experiment with a StuG against a T-70 45mm was quite fun. The T-70 ran circles around the StuG, and landed hit after hit, chasing away the Pios that were repairing it. As soon as the T-70 stopped on a sandbag pile the StuG smashed it with one well placed shot that counted as a rear armor hit.

I agree completely with the above comments on the graphics (Sega is claiming the beta does not offer hi-res textures - you need the full game for that supposedly) and the interface so far is just not that intuitive. I understand it will come to me after more gameplay, but I swear I never had to even watch the tutorial for CoH to find out easily how to play it.

 

[TallBill]

I'm terrible so far.

 

[rivethead]

Sorry to go OT here but I haven't played CoH is a long time and I noticed Steam added "Company of Heros Steam Edition" to my library. What the hell is that? There is very little info on it.

 

[Genx87]

Sorry to go OT here but I haven't played CoH is a long time and I noticed Steam added "Company of Heros Steam Edition" to my library. What the hell is that? There is very little info on it.

I believe it is an updated version that plays all the expansion packs. I couldnt play Tales of Valor until that was installed.

 

[PowerYoga]

I was at least able to then play as both factions and set up defensive points and then attack them on the other PC. On the Wermacht side, I had a scout car with an upgunned 20mm that was tearing numerous holes thru all Soviet troops. It rolled up on a Maxim and I thought I would tear him a new one as well and then commandeer his gun.

10 seconds later and my scout car was a smoldering wreck, done in by a Maxim !! This had me at first very angry and then very confused. In CoH1, an armored car with a 20mm would chew up any MG nest in no time at all.

I don't remember the scout car in COH ever being great. A HMG makes short work of it, especially with AP rounds, and even tommies and american infantry can severely damage it.

But then you can just drive around the hmg firing arc and strafe it to death.... are you thinking of either armored cars from PE or pumas?

The game played reasonably well for me, but there was too much going on at the same and everything seemed to blend into one another. I played mostly soviets (wanted to see what they have) and they don't seem to have any heavy AT stuff. The T-34 isn't that good vs other tanks, and the ZIS is a towed weapon that is slow and needs setup time.

Is the su-85/su-76 the only viable AT option outside of infantry? (not talking about doctrine-related stuff)

 

[WT]

Sorry to go OT here but I haven't played CoH is a long time and I noticed Steam added "Company of Heros Steam Edition" to my library. What the hell is that? There is very little info on it.

It is the CoH online matchmaking done through the Steam servers now that Relic (as of May 7) pulled the plug on the original Quazal servers that recorded stats on every CoH gamer. Nothing more.

@PowerYoga - the original CoH had a scout car with an MG that did minimal damage. The armored car with its 20mm was more lethal to infantry.

CoH2 offers a Wermacht scout car that can be upgraded with a 20mm cannon. I was in a CoH frame of mind and assumed my 'Armored' car could shred the Soviets. What I should have remembered was I just had an up-gunned 'Scout' car with thinner armor and, why yes indeed, the Russkies did break out the AP rounds when I ventured in range.

The SU-76 is your best bet for AT, as they are cheap and hit fairly hard. I think the ability to camo your AT guns was a huge asset for the Wermacht, so as Soviets there is nothing comparable to offer. You hit upon the main problem with the Soviets in the Eastern Front mod for CoH 1. It's safe to assume CoH 2 will have the same problem when playing as Soviets - once the Wermacht ramps up tank production you are in for a world of hurt.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

I don't remember the scout car in COH ever being great. A HMG makes short work of it, especially with AP rounds, and even tommies and american infantry can severely damage it.

But then you can just drive around the hmg firing arc and strafe it to death.... are you thinking of either armored cars from PE or pumas?

The game played reasonably well for me, but there was too much going on at the same and everything seemed to blend into one another. I played mostly soviets (wanted to see what they have) and they don't seem to have any heavy AT stuff. The T-34 isn't that good vs other tanks, and the ZIS is a towed weapon that is slow and needs setup time.

Is the su-85/su-76 the only viable AT option outside of infantry? (not talking about doctrine-related stuff)

T-34s come out earlier than German armor and they're cheaper so you have to mass them. Ram is *very* effective. I know ZIS/PAK guns feel like you just have to leave them at a choke point or whatever, but there usually really is time to move them up into position to support a tank while it's engaged if you keep up with your micro. I'm not sure the su-76/85 are necessarily great AT options, they're more like moderate counters to everything.

 

[Genx87]

I am finding it enjoyable. Just not 60 dollars worth of enjoyable. If it goes on sale for 29.99 probably pick it up.

 

[WT]

Ram is *very* effective. I know ZIS/PAK guns feel like you just have to leave them at a choke point or whatever, but there usually really is time to move them up into position to support a tank while it's engaged if you keep up with your micro. I'm not sure the su-76/85 are necessarily great AT options, they're more like moderate counters to everything.

:thumbsup:

I wished I had added light armor to my post, as the SU-76 ain't doing anything but scratching the paint on the big Axis tanks (at least from the front). I really like the strategy of moving the ZiS up to support the SU-76 but my micro skillz are not that l33t. I still recommend starting off any armor build up with the SU-76.

Ramming ... I performed my first ram last night - my T-34 against a StuG. It was visually scary seeing it accelerate like a bat out of hell and SMASH into the StuG. Unfortunately, it not only destroyed the StuG, but it left my T-34 a smoldering hulk too.
I gotta read up on how to salvage a wreck. I tried it on a disabled T-70 last night but my Pios were unable to repair it for some reason. I couldn't re-crew it, couldn't finish repairs on it - just saw a white progress bar that filled up but never noted that they were done repairs.

 

[GoodRevrnd]

You re-crew first, then repair. T-34 ram is often better to do earlier in an engagement rather than a finisher. The idea is to knock out the superior axis gun and kill their mobility. Then you can just safely plink away.

 

[Fanatical Meat]

I had fun with the last beta, I'll join this one too. I feel $60 is too much for this game, although I don't think any game is worth $60.

 

[WT]

I feel $60 is too much for this game, although I don't think any game is worth $60.

Pshhh, $60 ?? Try $100 for the Digital Collectors Edition, which is the only way I'd buy this game. The DLC should be worth it, but is it $100 worth it ?? I will buy it, but it pains me to admit that I will spend a Benjy on it too

 

[PowerYoga]

The su-76 is very versatile since its great against light vehicles, AND it murders infantry blobs.

I've been trying ZIS ATs but they are really quite slow. There's a doctrine that give you the russian equivalent of rangers (have AT guns), but the down side is they're expensive manpower wise.

 

[WT]

Managed to win another 6 matches tonight, 5 as Soviet and 1 as Wermacht. Ranked up quite easily, but already I am finding it very easy to win as Germans. The Panzerwerfer and PGs just mess up a lot of territory in a hurry. I hit the pop cap (!!!) in almost every game as well .... bunkers and flammenwerfers lock down a sector with ease.

 

[WT]

Ranked up to Corporal this AM. I really do like the sound effects so far - the cannons and explosions have a very punchy impact and the MG sounds are spot on accurate. The incendiary rounds and aerial assaults are visually impressive, but I still think the overall units can get lost in the background way too often. I find at least a few times each game where I have this sniper just standing there, obscured by a tree or something. CoH 1 didn't offer a tall treeline to lose sight of units, but it happens often in CoH 2.

After knowing the units and weaponry of CoH 1 like the back of my hand, it now takes some time for one to acquaint oneself with the proper counter. The mortars still feel OP just a bit, but I understand they were even worse over the closed beta. I just don't use them that often, preferring snipers and bunkers as my means of locking down a sector.

I wish I had a count on the number of Skirmish matches I've played in CoH1 and Eastern Front. It literally has to number near 1,000. I figure whatever they want to charge me, I will pay it and eat up all of the DLC they want to feed me. I'm also a WWII nut since I was a kid - I collect 1/72 and 1/32 scale WWII armor as well, so this game appeals to me like no other.

 

[UptheIrons]

Pshhh, $60 ?? Try $100 for the Digital Collectors Edition, which is the only way I'd buy this game. The DLC should be worth it, but is it $100 worth it ?? I will buy it, but it pains me to admit that I will spend a Benjy on it too

Tell me about it. I wouldn't pay $60 either. Never have, never will. Game is good though, just different than coh1 and takes some getting used to. $100 is steep too, they have collectors for $77. Regular for $46

http://www.getgamesgo.com/product/company-of-heroes-ii-us-po