CoH rampage!

[logik]

Thanks to all for the good games on my CoH rampage yesterday! I think the longest game we played was 57 minutes. Everyone was on fire apparently.

[Rafterman Profile Website]

So, do you still prefer the artillery tree, or are you all about the Royal Commandos now?

[MajorFullWood Profile Website]

Joe and I would be a great combo now. Airbourne + Commandos in a 4v4 match with Brit artillery = win.
Let's be about this tomorrow and see what happens.

[Rafterman Profile Website]

Airbourne + Commandos in a 4v4 match with Brit artillery = win.

If you choose the Commando tree with the Brits, you still have artillery, but not the awesomeness of the creeping barrage which is only available through the artillery tree. Instead, the Commando tree gives you a really weak-ass off-map artillery option that costs 125 ammo points, does very little damage, and is about as accurate as a Nerf gun. The fake arty flares are sometimes helpful against the computer, but just about worthless against human competition.

[logik]

So, do you still prefer the artillery tree, or are you all about the Royal Commandos now?

Honestly, it depends on the situation and teammates. I value a victory above all else, and if I feel my services are needed defensively, I'll go artillery (as you said, I'm obsessed with creeping barages). However, there is definitely a sense of satisfaction im pulling off some awesome commando raid that leaves an enemy's head spinning.

[Arctictiger Profile]

The commando tree combined with a teammate that went artillery always make a great team. As with the commando tree the commandos can make the enemy unit triangulation device which greatly benefits the accuracy and effectiveness of the artillery. However i feel the commando branch is a weaker branch for a couple of reasons. Like Rafter said, the off map arty for the commando tree is weak and extremely unaccurate as it would take 3-4 barrages to destroy bridges last night. But my main problem with the commando's are that the commandos themselves should be able to retreat to the glider hq instead of your hq truck. I find that extremely frustrating especially when my commandos dont even make it back to my hq truck because they are killed on their way back which happens often. Commandos cost 510 manpower just saying. Maybe a little too expensive.

[logik]

Try popping smoke more often.

Concealing Smoke

Costs nothing.
Activation: Immediate
Duration: ~15 seconds
Cooldown: 30 seconds

When Concealing Smoke is activated, a smoke grenade will immediately pop over the units' current position.

This smoke immediately clears all Suppression effects from the unit, and renders it invisible (camouflaged) for a period of 5 seconds. During this time, the unit can disengage freely from combat, either to execute an organized withdrawal or to relocate to a better position.

For those first 5 seconds, the unit can move away freely without the enemy knowing which direction it was headed in. Of course, if it moves forward it may be detected by the enemy anyway (camouflage disabled), so it is often best to back up instead. Then, once camouflage is over, the unit should be well behind the smoke, allowing it to move without fear of being shot thanks to the smoke cover. The smoke itself will last for a total of 15 seconds - easily enough time to retreat back into the Fog of War.

Concealing Smoke is a very powerful alternative to a full Retreat. It breaks suppression, puts the unit out of harm's way for a few moments, and leaves it completely under your control while it does so, achieving all the benefits of the retreat without any of the downsides.

Use Concealing Smoke whenever disengaging from the enemy, for instance after completing a Commando raid, or in case enemy units have counter-attacked with superior firepower and/or vehicles.

Another very good use for Concealing Smoke is to buy time for the unit to relocate in the middle of a battle. For example, the soldiers can rush to cover, enter a building, or even move around to flank the enemy from another angle.

Finally, it is always a good idea to pop some smoke when planting a Commando Demolition Charge during battle. It will protect the unit from harm, and conceal their activity from enemy eyes.

The tactical use of this ability is explained in more detail further down this article.

Note: While this ability is cooling down, you cannot use Throw Grenade.

[Rafterman Profile Website]

Not only can the rifle grenade Tommies create a smoke screen, but the Cromwell Command Tank can call in a creeping smoke barrage to make a massive wall of the stuff.

Creeping Smoke Barrage

-Artillery creates a long corridor of smoke, obscuring an entire advance route.
-Requires the Forward Observation Officers upgrade from the Royal Artillery Support.
-Costs 50 ammo
-Duration: ~30 seconds.
-Cooldown: 75 seconds.

[Stevo Profile]

However i feel the commando branch is a weaker branch for a couple of reasons. Like Rafter said, the off map arty for the commando tree is weak and extremely unaccurate as it would take 3-4 barrages to destroy bridges last night.

I disagree. The Commando rt is tactical and concentrated on a smaller area. It requires less ammunition to call in, I believe the cooldown is shorter, and it can be accompanied by a false rt smoke to force units into a corner. It may do less damage to a bridge than other off-board rt, but the benefits outweigh the limitations, IMO.

Keep practicing with the Commando rt. I drop tons of it, and rarely run out of ammo.

[Bielab Profile]

I like the Commando Tree. It is one of the more popular choices in the game. It is very strong and balanced. You get one of the strongest and most expensive troops in the game, the Commandos. They have the grenade ability, the conceal smoke and the charge ability already in tact, you don't need to research them.

The Commando Doctrine also gets some off map artillery on the other side of the tree which can be very usefull in a pinch. The decoy arty can be nice to use to make your opponent withdraw their troops, Maarek has fooled me many times with it. The decoy arty can be used in a situation where you can barely see your target in a fog of war, the decoy arty will extend your line of sight so you can drop your regular arty on your intended target.

I like to use this doctrine in player vs player matches. The commandos are a very nice counter to the Panzer Elite opponent who is going infantry heavy and the off map arty is good to soften their defensive lines. For comp stomps, I still prefer the royal Canadian Arty and the Royal Engineers.