The December Update comes with a multitude of changes from commanders and core faction balance to new maps and map balance changes. As stated in the December Update blog post, none of these changes would have been possible without the dedication, commitment and support of COH2's core community. This might be a Relic post and Relic might be releasing the update, but make no mistake, today's patch is by the community, from the community, and for the community. Due to the magnitude of the changes and content included with today's update, the patch notes have been split into three parts. For a detailed overview of all the Commander Changes in today's update, please check out the post Commander Revamp - Final in the December Commander Revamp Changelog thread. For all information regarding the new maps and map balance changes, please go to December Update - Map Revamp Preview thread. For all other changes including new content and core faction changes, please read the notes below. NEW CONTENT Five new "Art of War" faceplates (one for each faction) curated from the Steam Workshop are now available in the in-game store. Faceplates created by community member RitaRush and 40% of all proceeds go back to the community. Five new "King of the Hill" faceplates (one for each faction) curated from the Steam Workshop. Created by community member RitaRush, 40% of all proceeds from the sale of these faceplates goes towards supporting Stormless' King of the Hill tournaments. Grand Championships Decal - To be gifted to backers of the GCS Kickstarter campaign Grand Championships Faceplate - To be gifted to backers of the GCS Kickstarter campaign 4 New 2v2 Maps - See the December Update - Map Revamp Preview thread for more info
GENERAL CHANGES Model 24 Stun Grenades (Elite Troops/Sturmpioneer Grenade) We are fixing several issues with the German Stun Grenades while maintaining their current functionality. Stunned squad members are unable to move for the duration of the 5 second stun. Fixed an issue where stun nades would permanently break team weapons (this affects both OKW stun nades and OST stun nades) Target Weak Point/Treadshot These abilities have been modified to allow the user to fire on the move. Previously vehicles would need to halt and could lose track of their target when firing these abilities. Target Weak Point now lasts for 10 seconds or until the unit fires its first shot while under this ability. Activating the * ability forces the unit to reload before being able to fire The similar-to-operate AEC treadshot ability behaves in a similar way (2 shots within 15 seconds) Trenches (All variants) * All trenches revert to neutral control when they are no longer garrisoned * Can only be built in friendly, secured territory * Target size from 2 to 20 when neutral (to allow AT guns and tanks to clear them from the battlefield) Blitzkrieg/Overdrive/War Speed/Step On It * These movement boost abilities will now cease when the vehicle receives an engine critical. Forward Retreat Points Forward Retreat Point timings are being adjusted to arrive in the mid to late game for all factions; reinforcement time has also been adjusted to reduce the power of forward positions. UKF FRP requires Company Command Post; affects both Forward Assembly and Vanguard Logistics Glider OKW FRP requires either a Mechanized or Schwerer Panzer Headquarters established. OKW Battlegroup unable to reinforce if cut-off from friendly territory. Reinforcement time increased by 75% while FRP ability is active 2 minute cooldown when FRP ability is deactivated Sandbags * All sandbags standardized to 240 health and 35 armor. * Wehrmacht sandbags build-time from 60 to 45 Repair Speeds Western Front Armies' repair speeds are being brought in line with the Eastern Front armies. USF Rear Echelon & British Royal Engineers: Repair Speed reduced from 2 to 1.6 Veterancy 2 repair bonus from 1 to 0.5 Heavy Sapper upgrade repair bonus from 2 to 0.525 Sturmpioneers Repair speed from 3 to 2 Veterancy 2 repair speed reduced from 1 to 0.75 Minesweeper upgrade repair bonus from +1 to +25% Squad Behaviour A squad AI behaviour has been added where individual models in squads assume varying postures while fighting the enemy (without changing their position) - i.e. Elite squads will prefer a crouching animation for some of their members, whereas non-elite squads will also drop prone to the ground. Fixed a disparity where low-member squads also suffered from the most densely-packed formations (making them even more vulnerable to AoE weapons) Assists each squad in their role (e.g., the new reinforced wedge formation will make paratrooper squads always have their thompsons at the front line) - Make each squad feel more unique Squad formations are now, once again, more fluid while the squad is moving. In addition to improving immersion, this will also help the individual squads spread out better to make a better use of their formations. Allied squads once again, assign support weapons -such as bazookaks- to flanks rather than the core of the formation Smoke Barrages Activating smoke barrages will now only order one unit at a time. Previously if multiple mortars were selected, all units would fire smoke at the target position Fuel and Munition Caches * Manpower cost from 200 to 250 **Garrisoning ** The lack of delay entering and leaving garrisons made indirect-fire and grenades difficult to perform their anti-garrison role as squads could quickly jump in and out of buildings to dodge these attacks. We found This was particularly problematic for non-EFA factions who lacked flamethrowers on their engineer units. Load time for buildings increased to 0.75 per model Max load time increased to 2 for the entire squad Unload time for buildings increased to 0.375 per model Grenade damage adjusted against ambient structures Demo Charges Demo charges have been modified to be more focused on being used to demolish obstacles rather than as high explosive anti-personnel devices meant to wipe out squads in the open. Demo charges now detectable by all units at a 13 range radius Can no longer be planted near capture points Cost reduced from 90MU to 65MU Hold Fire We are changing the hold fire button for all units in the game for consistency and reachability. Your fingers will thank you. All Hold Fire hotkeys moved to Q and at grid position 22 Applies to all units