This is all I could get from a few hours of brainstorming, so its far from beyond the blueprint stage. If you like them, you can incorporate any of these ideas into your own concepts.
First, this OstHeer concept is an infantry-based army in symbiotic support of vehicles; it is the combination of both that allows the OstHeer to excell. It is also based on the 1941-1943 German army in Russia as opposed to the Eastern forces all the way to the end of the way (sorry, no Volksturms were involved i drawing up this concept).
Second, for sake of being differen there is no universal builder unit: the starting unit must built the tier-1 structure, which unlocks the the next unit at the HQ permanently, and so on. Even if the structures are destroyed you can still train them at the HQ.
Proposed units:
-Aufklarer - scout, and starting unit. Can build the tier-1 building but cannot employ some/all defenses (sandbags, etc.). Poor combat ability, but excellent for the first game to scout/ take sectors and provide sniping from upgrade/veterancy. This is basically a kettenkrad with camo but slower and at least some defense.
-Schutzen/Grenadiers: your basic infantry, the tier-2 infantry. Builds the tier-3 structure and provides basic infantry firepower. Provides light versatility and overall backbone for your army. Can build all defenses and has a variety of light upgrades such as MG34 (excellent anti-infantry but low suppression) and some sort of anti-light vehicle weapon.
-Sub-officer: tier-2 equivalent of the British Lieutenant but offers suppression and defense bonuses rather than offensive.
-Schutzen/Grenadier crewed units are all tier-3:
-infantry gun- crewed and functions as a towed Piat. Excellent against infantry and light armour.
-Machine-gun team: a 3-man squad with two equipped with MG34. Can cloak-ambush. The German answer to the Russian blobber. Good firepower but relatively low suppression.
-Mortar: 12cm heavy mortar crew to counter the Russians'. Upgrades allow either smoke or incendiary shells as alternate firing; you can only upgrade once.
Major/Colonel: Tier-3 officer, unlocks tier-4 structure. Functions same way as the British Lieutenant by providing global offensive bonuses. Killing this unit incurs temporary penalties to the players’ units (if you’ve played Dawn of War’s Tau Ethereal unit, you know what I mean).
-Sturmpioniers: tier-3/4, 4-5-man squad of Pioners outfitted with flamethrowers and MP40s, these function similarly to the British Sappers but in a more combat role, taking down defenses and obstacles. Builts tier-4 building.
Vehicles:
-Kubelwagen: unarmed equivalent of the Bren, functions the same in every way; capture with units onboard, fast, light.
-Pz III: Medium Tank, equivalent to the Sherman for healthy balance between taking on enemy infantry and vehicles. Basically an ostwind that's quickly obsolete in the tank role. Initial 37mm gun with individual upgradeables to the 5cm gun and spaced armour. Two coaxial MG34s.
-Pz IV: Heavy infantry/vehicle tank. Identical to the PE’s. Upgrade is spaced armour, and the MG42 gunner will be a veterancy feature rather than an upgrade. Comes with the infantry support gun and a universal upgrade replaces it with the 7.5cm anti-tank gun, turning it into a Wehr Pz IV.
-Half track: Identical to Wehr halftrack; only upgrade is mobile aid station featuring the American triage healing aura.
-Schwere-Wehrmachtschlepper (SWS): Flatbed half track, starts out as a supply halftrack tha can upgrade to use a twin 3.7 flak gun or a nebelwerfer on the bed.
Structures:
-Tier-1 Scouting point, trains Aufklarer, Kubelwagen and respective upgrades. HQ unlocks the Schutzen/grenadier squad.
-Tier-2 Basic barracks, trains Schutzen, Sub-Officer and the Halftrack. Unlocks upgrade for Aufklarer snipers/ cloak/ spotters.
-Tier-3 Advanced barracks, trains the heavy weapons, second officer and Panzer III.
-Tier-4 Vehicle building, trains SWS, Panzer 4 and Sturmgrenadiers.
-Support structure (“Tier-5”): Combination of the American upkeep and the Wehr purchased veterancy in terms of what the upgrades do. For every research done, a small amount of upkeep and some other unit-specific benefit are induced, and all stack. In principle it operates the same way as the kampfkraft center.
-Proposed research-upgrades include:
reducing upkeep
reducing unit prices, either in just fuel/manpower or both
increasing squad size
increasing resource rate
weapon upgrade/ability unlocks
Level 1 veterancy can be “bought” like the Wehr but higher levels cannot.
Doctrine Units:
-Nashorn or Elefant: A slow 88 emplacement, fair frontal armour and falters when flanked, extreme range and firepower. Either one-time only deployment or limited to one.
-Sturmpioniers: dedicated assault engineers for close combat and taking down fortifications. Exlosives, flamethrowers, grenades.
Doctrines
Urban: Similar to the Russian’s urban strategy, combines elements from PE Scorched Earth Tactics and American Infantry Company.
-(more)defenses can be built by more/some infantry units.
-allow forward HQs to train infantry- initially can only reinforce
-Deploy flammenpanzer (the Pz III equivalent to a Crocodile)
-Strengthen current defenses and/or unlock new ones like the Roadblocks
-Booby traps for all infantry
-Booby-trap-like ability for units to allow the player to see areas surrounding neutral, enemy points.
-A three-wave bomber run (not the Henschel style)
Steamroll: Emphasize on slower approach that rewards the player incrementally. Allows player to become less of the PE’s “work around our weakness” to a more classic equal-footing balance.
-Heavy tank destroyer unlock- Nashorn or Elefant
-Unlock more upgrade slots for units
-Supercharged rounds- certain units’ weapons have increased range
-Universal sight range increase of either all units or just infantry/vehicles
-An ability that causes all your units to heal for a period of time (infantry equivalent to the American Armour’s emergency repair)
Combined Arms: Air power and artillery will be the focus of this doctrine.
-Wespe- slightly faster but shorter ranged than the PE’s Hummel, relatively weak armour. Estimated cost ~550 MP, limited to 2 or 3.
-Heavy tank call-in: call a random heavy tank- for ~800MP you get either a Panther, a Tiger, 2-3 Pz IIIs or even an extra Wespe.
-Increased sight range and/or speed for all infantry.
-Henschel-style bomber ability, similar to the Sturmovik.
-Resource blitz: munitions and/or fuel rate is doubled while manpower rate is halved.
