While generally a fair balancing decision, the removal of Stalingrad’s assault engineers comes off a bit weird, considering they were incorrectly implemented on the Calico Test Server, which was the source of feedback for this decision.
It was originally said that it wouldn’t be stalingrad engineers that’d get assault weapons, but engineers in original Stalingrad squads. That squad limitation would restrict the use of assault engineers a bit more, as they wouldn’t be available in e.g an Assaulter IV squad.
Players hoping to unlock weapon and personnel upgrades for other classes would have to forgo the ex-stalingrad squads, reducing their overall number in matchmaking.
Additionally, a tie-in into the new squad type cap mechanic could be made, where only 1(or two going by what seems to be the current rule) squad containing assault engineers could be fielded at any time.
It’d also prevent the full removal of a gameplay mechanic that some people might’ve bought into with the full access pass back in the day.
Then there’s also the lazy solution if just slapping a very high battle rating on assault engineers(or their respective squads) and just calling it a day.
I have not played the test server but when I read the original post I thought the 2 engineer squads from Stalingrad would be allowed to have the assault rifles after the merge, not all the engineers attached to other squads from Stalingrad.
Would it be unbalanced to just have the 336th Pioneer Battalion engineers be able to use the MKb 42(H) (and the equivalent Soviet engineer II squad with the Soviet auto rifle, I forget the name), as a compensation to the people who bought the Stalingrad access pass?
I cant be the only person who bought it when they were getting rid of it specifically because the 3 squad slots for Germany and Soviets, and the engineer assaulter squads.
That was pretty much the plan. However, on the test server, any engineer previously bought in Stalingrad had access to assault weapons. This was obviously bad implementation and not intended behaviour, but for some reason the devs took the feedback and went with it, instead of just doing it correctly.
And you’re not - assault engineers were probably my favourite feature of this campaign and should be kept in some shape or form. Do what nerfs are necessary to not have them be too gamebreaking, but don’t remove stuff people paid to access.
I had suspected that this change came off the backs of them not knowing how to implement what they said they would quickly, and then scrapping the idea because it was easier and avoided complaints of balance.
That’s pretty clever, and a very roundabout way of going about it - you’d need to already be max level in Moscow to do it (or spend a gold order per gun). It’s fairly clear that within Battle of Stalingrad the intent is to unlock Engineer II and get the Mkb-42(H) with them.
That’s what I thought, too. It really sounded like “well, the spaghetti code for Stalingrad engi’s is so messy that we ditched it entirely, for balance.”
The problem is that they’ve implemented that mechanic in a way that all Stalingrad engineers are permitted to use assault weapons, and not that engineers in Stalingrad squads can use them. This is imperceptible in the current campaign system, but blatantly obvious when the equipment and soldiers are transferred in the merge.
Give them yearly event where they could unlock them = problem solved. Or even give new Ticket from BP that let you unlock old Event/Removed squads and weapons.
They are incredible lazy and incompetent, they promised that they will transfer all slots and then said “fuck this” and just going to refund us gold, and they don’t even know how much or if it’s going to be buggy or not. Stalingrad Engineers are same situation, but this time they made convenient lie about new players and muh balance why they don’t want to do this. While at same time they are completely fine with completely overpowered Paratroopers falling from the sky straight into the objective while blasting everyone on sight.
Well, you could use them in any squad in Stalingrad, so it was plainly obvious it was not attached to the squads at the time. I was among a few people reading their first announcement that Stalingrad engineer squads would keep their special ability and the immediate group reaction was “watch it will be attached to the engineers and not the squads.” My stockpile of Stalingrad engineers predated the test server by at least three months.
Five months ago, when they declare this feature, they sure hell know it was a “privilege”. Why didn’t they thought this was a problem at that time?
Developers started it, they broke the rules. Even further, they are breaking their promise now. They can’t pay no compensation, pretend they are doing right thing.
