Allied units tend to be cheaper and more versatile, whereas German units
tend to be more expensive, but more powerful. An example is the German
Grenadier infantry. When equipped with LMG42 machine guns, it is far more
powerful than the Allied infantry. However, such units are very expensive.
The Allied forces are far less varied than the Germans but are suited to
adapting to many roles. The basic Allied Rifleman remains useful
throughout the entire game (though there is a strong argument that all
German infantry remain useful as well). Versatility is the lynchpin of
Allied forces. The basic M4 Sherman tank, for example, is for most Allied
players the beginning and end of Allied armor, and when used right the
only kind of tank that is needed, though its variant, the M4 Sherman
Crocodile, is also highly useful.
The German Wehrmacht forces include both disposable infantry like the
rather rushed Volksgrenadier militia, and high quality infantry like
Grenadiers or squads comprised of winners of the Knight's Cross. German
field operations can be supplemented by specialized equipment like the
Nebelwerfer rocket artillery. German armor is far less mobile, but in
direct combat generally superior, fielding equipment like Stug assault
guns and Panzer IV tanks. With specialized commander focus, German forces
can deploy crushingly superior units, like the Tiger I tank, in two
versions: Piloted by normal pilots, and piloted by a designated "Tiger
Ace".
Expanding on the cover system implemented in Dawn of War, units in CoH
automatically seek out cover (such as sandbags, walls, and destroyed
vehicles) without orders from the player to give them an advantage over
enemy forces. Units hiding in cover gain a defense bonus, making them more
effective in combat. Utilizing cover effectively in CoH is essential to
victory. The advanced AI is also aware of its surroundings and reacts
realistically in certain situations.
Infantry units, such as an Allied Rifleman squad, can pick up heavy
weapons (Panzershreck, M9 Bazooka), man heavy weapons like heavy machine
guns, antitank artillery, or mortars, and pick up and use certain
automatic weapons. (Examples are the Browning Automatic Rifle or the LMG
variant of the MG42.)
Unlike in Dawn of War, another Relic game, squads of units must be near a
HQ, forward barracks, or half-track vehicle to reinforce (replenish) lost
units within the squad. American airborne troops are exempt from this
limitation as reinforcements are parachuted to the field.
Also like Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War, some units can be upgraded with
additional upgrades or add-ons, like a .50 caliber machine gun with gunner
for a Sherman tank, or Panzershrecks for German infantry units. Certain
add-on or upgrades affect unit abilities, like a Sherman's Crab flail. It
can clear mines, but reduces the speed of the Sherman moving.
Because CoH features a physics engine, different types of cover will be
more effective against certain units.
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