A point on Mechanized tech tree

Hi, i would like to share my view on WH Mechanized doc tech tree.   Firstly i want to say that new mech is very capable and interesting doc, but it has some minor design flaws that cut down its potential. Im going to propose a very simple solution to those problems, but firstly I want to describe what’s going on.

What i mean by saying “design flaws” is the fact, that despite that there are some interesting units available some of them are not particuarly useful, and that new Mech if it is going to be played effectively is very linear in its initial state.  These are my points on that matter:

1 If u want to use your doc potential, there is only one way to expand base, and unlock abilities which is as follows:

• Ignore Infantry Company unlock and go straight to Mechanized Company
• Unlock light recon and call Puma and 221

The reason to do so is simply, no other  tech tree opening (well maybe Manteuffel is an option, but i doubt it effectivness) offers u anything when u spare your points on it.  Tank unlock requires  Armor building upgrade, halftrack for Panzergrenadiers requires both Infantry and Light Mech building upgrades, so they offer u nothing initially.

In the other hand unlocking 3rd building, and calling early Puma and 221 gives you a lot of firepower, initiative, a good opening point in tech tree and access to stuff like mortar, med-halftrack etc.  It’s a great option, but lack of attractive alternatives makes it a little bit obvious and predictable.

2 There are units that are almost useless. I’m obviously writing about Panzerpioniers, which are interesting and quite powerful squad, but for several reasons they are not worth buying. These are as follows:

• they require 3 points to unlock(basically they cost 2, but you have to invest one more in Puma/221 before)
• they are very expensive
• they don’t lead to anything which is needed in early/midgame (u don’t need kv1 when u dont have anything to repair).

The first factor (3points) make them unavailable in quick tech scenario, because u cannot unlock them right after u go to Light Mech building.  The second (price) is especially painful in conjunction with the first one.  They are expensive because they come with flamer halftrack, but the problem is that halftrack looses it’s usefulness very quickly, basically right when light armor arrives, so when u finally could call them, u just have to pay an extra price for an almost useless vehicle.  The third factor is a “nail in the coffin”, there are so many more attracitve paths to choose that u simply ignore that one untill the late/very late game .

3 There are upgrades, that are in fact a fiction because u will never play without them.  (That’s not a big issue, however it would be nice to make them more useful).

•  Here I mean a Panzergrenadier haftrack which is basically an upgrade that is almost always done before u got your Panzergrenadiers able to unlock

Basing on those three  points I made, I want to suggest a very tiny change that could possibly solve, or at least minimalize those problems.  I suggest to lower requirments of Panzerpioniere to Light Mech building only, and cutting their dependance  in the tech tree.   They could be available as an independent branch leading to KV1 ARV. Moreover (optional) they could cost only one point to unlock, and the price of KV1 could be increased by one (It won’t affect Kv1’s attractivness because u will need exactly the same amount of points to unlock ARV). In the other hand Halftrack for Panzergrenadiers tech tree upgrade could be made dependent on the Puma/221 unlock, to counterbalance additinal entry point in the tree.

Thanks to that changes the player would get an alternative to Puma/221 call in, which would make the game more attractive, and in the other hand the Panzerpionieers would be much more usefull choice, because of powerful flame halftrack and lower tech tree point requirments, which would allow the relatively painless switch to another tech tree branch.  Moreover making a “halftrack for Panzergrenadiers” upgrade a dependent branch with a start in light armor should give a sense for that upgrade simply slowing it down, because currently u will almost never use Panzergrenadiers  with regular trucks, it’s due to the fact u need both Infantry, and Light Mech building to produce them, so at that point u will be probably heading towards Veteran Panzergrenadiers on Pz4, so u will unlock the halftrack anyway.

It’s a very tiny change, but i think it can make a huge impact on the game.

There is also another change that could be made in conjunction with the previous one.

The Panzergrenadiers on regular track could be available without Light Armor building requirment (their will get requirment after the Halftrack upgrade). That change would break the “techt straight to Light Armor” scheme, because it would create some interesing option in the Infantry building.

• This topic was modified 5 years, 8 months ago by Morgoth.