Unit suggestion thread:

[TheVolskinator]

F7 runs spellcheck in Microsoft Word. It checks your spelling and offers corrections to anything that's wrong. It doesn't work with Corsix, but that was part of the joke.

[Otto Halfhand]

F7 runs spellcheck in Microsoft Word. It checks your spelling and offers corrections to anything that's wrong. It doesn't work with Corsix, but that was part of the joke.

I know just what you mean Volks. I made a similar mistake in the forums on April 1, 2011.

[Marius799]

there were only 2 maus tanks made, they had a terrible weight to power ratio and were easily flanked.

[jonarus_drakus]

Okay, so there is little left (if anything) in the Ostheer tree that hasn't been decided already... The only area left is the foreign support call-in units (and we already have 5 tanks for that). But there has been no info yet given on infantry units and/or weapons teams... So, while it has been implied that they have been covered already too, I full intend to use the lack of concrete info as an excuse to speculate wildly!

To that effect, I offer the following suggestions:

1) "Heavy Panzerbuchse Team"

ROLE: Light AT, Infantry support
WEAPONS: 1x AT Rifle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lahti_L-39 -or- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solothurn_S-18/100). 2x SMGs ( MP38/40 -or- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suomi_KP/-31 (use re-textured PPSh?))
ABILITIES: "White-Hot Shot" (20mu per shot) - Significantly boosts the weapons 'critical' chance against vehicles -and/or- Infantry units 'hit' (even non-fatally) by the weapons fire are stunned for a shot period (effectively a form of 'instant suppression' that the weapon couldn't normally achieve).
UPGRADES: "Phosphorus rounds (+100mu)" - Equips the unit with a supply of rare and expensive White Phosphorus rounds, enabling the 'white-hot shot' ability.

SUMMERY:
This concept is inspired by some (much) earlier suggestions of a Finnish 'AT Sniper', but toned down a little to more accurately reflect the 'second rate' nature (apparently) intended in 'foreign volunteer' units. Rather than being a highly-skilled one-man 'sniper' type unit, I suggest a 3-man MG-equivilent weapons team, with the obvious exception of having a mid-caliber AT-rifle instead of the MG. While the team has a nice 'Finnish' flavor, its naming and actual appearance can be easily gentrified to represent contemporary units from other nations. When first called in (no XP), the unit would have a poor rate of fire and only average accuracy, as it was promoted in combat, both would improve - This would apply to the gun itself AND to the 'extra' crewmen (with there SMGs). This unit would have the 'deployment versatility' of an MG team (garrison in building, etc), but would pay for it by being all but useless against medium-heavy armour, and lacking in skill (at first). It would be vulnerable to dedicated Anti-infanty weapons and AoE explosives. The 'extra men' could go without the SMGs if considered OP, but I feel they should have a minimum of self-defense AI ability.


2) "Ausländische Aufseher" (literally "Foreign Overseer")

ROLE: Infantry command/control (like CW Lieutenant)
WEAPONS: 1x Luger 08 pistol. (can pick up weapons dropped in the field)
ABILITIES: Maintain command distance, Share XP (passive - Again, like the CW Lieutenant*), "Fight or Die" (passive, short range) - Increases suppression resistance of all effected infantry (inc weapons teams).
UPGRADES: none.

SUMMERY:
This one is more iffy... *Not knowing is foreign units will gain XP like normal OH units or not... If they do, this guy will be much less useful... And the XP ability will need to be replaced, perhaps with a weak off-map barage? (3 'light' but focused arty rounds perhaps). I only suggested this specific ability (unit) because I though I read somewhere that Foreign call-ins would not gain XP like normal (?). Honestly, the best thing about this guy (to me) would be the ability to pick up an LMG and run around gunning men down like a crazy-person - I Even had an idea for his appearance... Basically, take a single KCH, take away his gun and his two squad-mates and BAM! - Should give him pretty high personal stats though, the idea is that he is a veteran front-line officer (high-level NCO like modern 'company Sergent-Major'?). I think this guy would be an interesting representation of how the 'foreign volunteers' often we assigned german officers to 'ensure their effectiveness'...


3) "Pfadfinder" (Literally "Pathfinder")

ROLE: Recon Infantry
WEAPONS: 3x Kar98
ABILITIES: 'Terrain use' - Unit is less effected by terrain, effectively negating all (natural) forms of movement impairment (Isn't any faster than 'normal' infantry, just able to maintain that speed under almost all conditions). Can 'self-camo' (not activated like on a sniper) when in yellow or green cover. "Designated Marksman" - As per CW 'recon section', but cost slightly more munitions to use).
UPGRADES: Upgrade one man with a scoped G-43 (or scoped Kar98) - Grants the unit the 'designated marksman' ability.

SUMMERY:
I liked the idea of foreign mountaineers in theory, but they were often shut-down as imbalanced or poorly conceived (Honestly, I've got nothing to make my ideas any 'better thought-out' other than having so many other 'fail' suggestions). My idea was to change tact, and present them as being volunteers/conscripts from occupied Denmark and/or Norway, recruited from the various foresters, mountaineers, and cold-climate 'expert hunters'. Rather than trying to focus on a specific formation with specific skills, I decided to go more the path of 'rough terrain' expertise, which would cover everything- Mountains, Forests, Snow, the lot! I figure that keeping the unit small, and giving it a 'recon' focus would minimize any risk of balance issues, they simply aren't numerous enough... Their greatest value is in keeping watch over sections of the battlefield  without revealing themselves (and then the have the single sniper shot to cause annoyance before retreating).


> That pretty much covers it for 'unique' suggestions, though I still have a couple of extra (semi) 'copy-paste' ideas too:

1) "Ausländische Rekruten" - Basically Volksgrenadiers, re-textured at most, same stats and abilities - Make a decent enough 'super-generic' infantry unit...
2) Whermact Weapons teams: foreign re-texture of WH Mortar and Pak teams (Maybe MG teams too? using OH MG34 model of course) - I can just see a re-skined pak with down-guned crew (Rifles instead of SMGs) in foreign uniforms...

~JD

PS: Like I said, I'm using the lack of concrete info as an excuse to "speculate wildly" - So feel free to ignore my ideas - Though feedback on the style/theme of the units would be especially nice...

[Gerrit 'Lord Rommel' G.]

Soldiers on Skis are too complicated to animate.
And it would look quiet strange when u are playing a summer map and your enemy is calling ski troopers xD

[jonarus_drakus]

*snrrrk* I'm sorry... But the extent to which you took that unit-name literally just hit a spot...

It's just a name man, if the unit works but the name doesn't... Change it! Problem solved! (To be honest, I only came up with it as a desperate attempt to avoid re-using the "Gebirgsjäger" name).

~JD

[ubermensche]

Jaegers will be available as a call-in for Ostheer. I remember they even posted some screenshots, but somehow those are gone.

[Gerrit 'Lord Rommel' G.]

*snrrrk* I'm sorry... But the extent to which you took that unit-name literally just hit a spot...

It's just a name man, if the unit works but the name doesn't... Change it! Problem solved! (To be honest, I only came up with it as a desperate attempt to avoid re-using the "Gebirgsjäger" name).

~JD

Hm. The problem is that u called them ski troops and that so much people asked to implement the "ski troops" xD
When u arent interested in this detail i wouldnt call them ski troops in my presentation.

[jonarus_drakus]

Okay okay! I changed there name, I think I managed to find something even more suitable for them anyway:

"Pfadfinder" - Literally translating as "Pathfinder" - I edited the name in the original post too.

~JD

[TheVolskinator]

Ski troops can just move faster. In my mod (check moddb for Operation Avalanch: Fall of Italy) I had a unit named Gebirgsjagers (derp) that omnisprinted around the battlefield. It was ludicrously OP, so I gave them a sprint ability with a shorter cooldown and longer duration, but they were just more mobile then other infantry. You could also just set the unit to be more mobile (in an opposite manner to the LMG42 slowing down a squad by a miniscule amount).

[jonarus_drakus]

I know I said that I didn't really expect anything, but I must admit I am a little distressed by the lack of feed-back on my suggestions... Aside from questioning the naming of one of the units which I changed/updated in line with the feedback.

But nothing on the style/theme of that unit or any of the others, which is the area in which I was most hoping for feedback...

Sorry if this sounds grumpy or whatever, but thats how I feel...

~JD

[Pac-Fish]

I dont necessarily think your suggestions are good or bad but I think the Devs are a bit hesitant to take them because they already have a working Ostheer in place. Its not perfect or done but for the most part its working.

[Ghost]

[...]

1) "Heavy Panzerbuchse Team"
Ostheer already has Ofenrohrtrupp for AT. the combination of AT gun AND smg means AT AND anti-infantry. makes the squad too powerful, as they can battle everything.
or if tuned down too weak.

2) "Ausländische Aufseher" (literally "Foreign Overseer")
sounds like british officer

3) "Pfadfinder" (Literally "Pathfinder")
like recon squad from british, just with 3 members. ostheer will have kübelwagen and landers for scouting

conclusion:
there is a summary of the ostheer concepts. if you want to make suggestions to fit into it, please read this first.
and try not to make so many "copy-past" suggestions, like 2) or 3). try to give those units something special to make them different

[Walentin 'Walki' L.]

Elefant is already in?

[Cranialwizard]

Elefant Tank Destroyer(not Ferdinand)
Health: 2500
Speed: 2 or 2.5 m/s
Damage: same as king tiger

Dunno where you get these stats from but there are dozens even hundreds of values. Wish it was this simple