Sandbags can be a game changer, until they are hit with even the fragmentation of some explosives, let alone direct hits. However, the model of them isn’t a flat wall, but rather curved. In reality, this would increase the walls strength against hits from the front, but not from the back.
I suggest making the front side of the sandbag walls more resistant to explosive damage to reflect this. In addition, make the walls easier to stack going that way so it doesn’t take forever to put up a 2 high wall.
Sounds like a good idea, but destroying a meticulously constructed fortress by hand is tough. I feel that the defenders will have too much of an advantage. If they come too close, they should be able to be easily destroyed by TNT.
Also, there is currently a problem of AI being completely stranded if barbed wire is placed when there are limited entry routes, and this is likely to increase that problem.
We need to improve the AI’s pathfinder function and add the ability for the AI to destroy obstacles as needed.
In the current state of the game, getting a “meticulously constructed fortress” put down is incredibly difficult. Due especially to:
No time between objectives
Defenders having to guess where it will go about 80% of the time. (Its usually a toss up between 2 locations, and if you spend the time fortifying one that you guessed wrong, not only does it not help at all, but you can’t quickly take down your structures to attempt to fortify elsewhere.)
So many types of explosives are able to immediately destroy most fortifications, making them obsolete anyways.
All infantry are simply allowed to walk up and break fortifications down, without any special tools. Yet it requires a specific character, that is forced to give up his second weapon slot for the capability, to use materials of which he has a limited amount of, to put it up in the first place… Which leads me to my next point.
At least if it required TNT mines for non-engineer infantry to break down sandbags, barbwire, etc, they are:
Limited to 1 each (unless they bring in mine pouches, which I’m all for, but is a different conversation).
Are required to stand clear of the blast, or die to it.
Sets squads into more offensive or defensive roles when it comes to mines.
Hedgehogs should be REQUIRED to be placed outdoors. HOWEVER, in that same change, they should only be able to be deconstructed by Engineers, or blown up by powerful bombs (aircraft ordinance) landing nearby.
Currently they are too powerful when used indoors because they can’t even be destroyed by TNT, but nobody uses them OUTSIDE hardly because they are so easily removed in that situation.
You just said it.
Defenders currently do NOT have map advantage in most situations. The only way for them to get said advantages is to BUILD THEM. Considering that defenders are not given time between objectives or even the guaranteed information of where the objectives are going, they USUALLY aren’t able to build up and give themselves map advantage at all!
The only ways to really counter flamethrowers are to kill them before they get close (which being able to build better defended positions from which to kill them from, and manufactured kill zones is the best way to do that).
OR to lower their efficiency by restricting how much area they can spray down in a straight line. You know what does that the most effectively? WALLS. (Despite there being the annoying bug that allows it to hit directly on the other side of the wall as well, it still holds true. If their shot is blocked by stacked sandbags, that STILL significantly reduces their effective range and therefore efficiency.(
As far as WP goes, I personally think it needs to be removed until they can make it NOT GO THROUGH WALLS. This includes sandbags. Even then, it still needs to be heavily restricted.
If the two sides are very competitive, this is not the case.
Even in the current situation, for example, if the first attack by the Allies fails on D-Day, they cannot even build a rally point, and even if they do, if it is far from the tochka, the inside of the tochka will be barbed-wire defended with countless Czech hedgehogs, sandbags, and barbed wire. If this happens, it is almost impossible to attack. The only way is to kill the soldiers inside with flamethrowers or white phosphorus and remove the obstacles in a hurry. German reinforcements usually arrive soon after and ruin the situation.
There are many maps where the capture point is inside a building and there are only a couple of narrow passages to enter.
In other words, you cannot reinforce the buildings as they are. I think the current map design probably gives the defenders too much of an advantage in situations that are not so rare.
You and I seem to have VERY different experiences on D-Day. Flanking is always an option. I’ve rarely ever seen the very first objective survive on that map.
