Company of Heroes: Eastern Front News

Hello comrades,

In the update we just released we have added a new reward tree for the Ostheer faction, and I made this post to explain about what it is and what it can do for your faction.

The Assault Division Command Tree focus is, as you might have guessed, to give a home for the Tiger tank in the Ostheer faction. We could have just create a reward unit for the Panzerwerfer and keep everything the same, but we wanted to take the chance and give a different experience, so we assembled some abilities and this tree is the result of that.



At the left hand side we have the following abilities:

• Goliath Heavy Mine (1CP | 125MU): Allows the Sturmpioneer squads to deploy this explosive device like a mine, exploding when a vehicle rolls over it dealing devastating damage to everything in the blast radius. This vehicles are treated like mines, so they don't move but players can detonate them whenever they like too instead of waiting for a vehicle to trigger them!
  
• Pakwagon (3CP | 450MP / 4POP): This is a call-in ability which brings a modified Ostheer halftrack equipped with a 75mm Pak 40 cannon to the field, and it can use the camouflage ability.
  
• ME 109 Strafing Run (2CP | 150MU): Calls a ME 109 to strafe infantry units in a specific area. It will fire against enemy units with it's four MG cannons.
  

At the right hand side we also have:

• Conscription (1CP | Passive ability): Makes infantry based units deploy 10% faster. 'Nuff said ;).
  
• Pervitin (2CP | 75MU): This is a medicine given in WW2 to infantry, not specific to the German army, because other countries used it too, but we featured it here. You can consider it to be very similar to some sort of energy drink. It makes infantry to deal more damage and to fire with more accuracy, also it also projects a healing aura so infantry heals each other, but it isn't that strong at all so be aware of this when using it(which means don't think it makes them invincible).
  
• Tiger I Ace (3CP | 900MP / 14 POP): Calls the Ostheer Tiger as a Tiger Ace, and it has an munition based ability that allows its crew to fire 25% faster, something that could be of help against heavier enemy tanks. It also carries the other two usual abilities from support and assault (passive ability for support -> infantry support aura, timed ability for assault -> smoke screen).
  

There wasn't a plan to release a reward tree this soon, but due to popular support for the Tiger to return to the Ostheer faction, we worked in this.

You can try this Command Tree by enabling it in the reward tab. Stay tuned for more additions and updates!

Regards,
- Archaic Entertainment Team

* Removed Soviet starting squad from annihilation maps.
* SU-76 will no longer fire its main gun normally after getting the artillery upgrade (not even getting very close will make it fire).
* Fixed some wrong references in the SU-76 RGO file.
* Fixed wrong population requirement displayed in ISU-152 call-in.
* Fixed some incorrect modifiers and unit references in the Large Scale Assault ability from Propaganda War Strategy.
* Fixed Men Against Tank upgrade working for all future PTRD upgrades.
* Conscript squad can no longer pick up items (all their available slot items are necessary for their upgrades).
* Fixed wrong angle when building the MG Nest.
* Updated KV-1 to use new KV-1 M1939 model.
* BT-7 will no longer pass through fences or walls.
* Fixed BT-7 wreck having the ghost bug.
* BT-7 can now be upgraded to BT-7A.
* Added ZiS-2 emplacement to replace the 52K while we make a good one.
* Removed unneeded upgrade from Sapper reinforcement squad.
* Fixed Guards upgrades so they can have both at the same time.
* Guards now also benefit from Men Against Tanks upgrade.
* Added antispam ability for guards, now an icon is shown on them if this ability is active.
* Guards now don't benefit from the modifiers in their aura ability.
* Guards bonuses from their aura ability do not stack anymore in infantry units.
* Reduced Guards HP from 95 to 90 per entity.
* Sturmovies and Ingeneries squads can now use demo charges if Urban Combat Strategy tree is selected.
* Reduced SU 100 rec. penetration bonus from 15% to 5%.



HOTFIX June 27th:
* Mg 34 slightly nerfed, only 1 MG per squad allowed
* tweaked MKB 42 - fixed faulty target tables
* Swapped on/off icons for Elefant hold fire ability.
* Replaced Panzerfusilier squad with a Landser squad received from call-in when your HQ is down.
* Fixed orange cube for missing object when reviving a Kubelwagen.
* Fixed some incorrect Sturmpioneer references.
* Fixed bug that allowed an Ostheer player to get a free Sturmpioneer squad after repairing the HQ wreck.
* Panzer IV and StuG III in ambush mode no longer hold fire automatically unless the player uses that ability.
* Fixed typo on Ostheer recrewing path for the Pak 97/38.
* Normalized stats for leFH18 crew (no longer immortal).
* Ostheer Panther squad is now visible even if not unlocked.
* Added firing sounds for the Mannlicher rifle model.
* Updated Ostheer support vehicles research icon.
* Replaced Hungarian tree banner.
* Replaced Elite tree banner.
* Fixed Panzerwerfer lights.
* Fixed armour requirement for Panzer III (no longer can be taken out by bullets after getting skirts upgrade).
* Removed squad size increment from Improved Infantry Gear upgrade.
* Lowered Panzer III upgun cost to 150MP/40F, reduced teching time to 50s from 60s
* Increased 75mm LeIG range by 15m (from 120m to 135m), hits more accurately now
* Lowered LeIG 18 scatter slightly.
* Lowered Landser reinforcement to 26MP (from 27MP)
* Fixed LODs for some Ostheer gear models.
* Ostheer Panther now uses its own set of icons.
* Tweaked bomb positioning of the Hungarian JU-88 ability.
* Fixed cap for Sturmpioneer being of a different color than intended.
* Removed Flak 36 from Sturmpio building menu.
* Removed leFH 18 from Sturmpio building menu if the new reward tree is selected.
* The smoke screen ability in tanks for Assault Pool now uses a different icon.
* Added new reward tree to replace Army Elite Troops Command Tree: Assault Division Command Tree
* Support Pool passive health regeneration doubled in friendly territory
* Support Pool zeal bonus only works on friendly territory
* Kampfkommandant can collect veterancy again
* Reworked Landser weapon upgrades:
- removed infantry modernization II
- added mg34 upgrade, requires modernization I
- mkb requires modernization II
- Schrecks require modernisation I
- reworked MG 34 lmg weapon, more damage and accuracy
* Kesselschlacht tweaked:
- now gives light vehicles the ability to capture points while active
* Increased Elefant health to 1600 (from 1200)
* Lowered Close Air Support upgrades cost to 100MP/15F and 200MP/25F
* Added Spotting Scope upgrade to StuG III (requires Modernization II, increases range by 10m and sight range)
* Increased Pak 97/38 damage to 140 (from 110) but slightly lowered the weapon penetration (~10% less)
* Reworked Heavy MG 34 weapon, more damage and accuracy, longer burst.



* Removed additional tank trap from American engineers.
* Fixed weird text for Calliope.
* Fixed weird text for Pershing.



* Added right veterancy symbols for some weapon capture squads for the Wehrmacht faction.
* Sturm Armory units are rearranged to cover the missing unit.
* Panzer IV now has the same vet icons than the other vehicles.
* Fixed description of the German mortar.
* Removed weird UCS entries for Sdkfz 234 Armoured Car.



* Bergetiger should no longer resurrect anything from non-Axis factions.
* Hotchkiss is now a reward unit of the Panzer IV.
* Fixed pink veterancy symbols for some recrewed PE squads.
* Fallschirmjaegers have their vet icon hidden like the rest of PE.
* Removed weird UCS entries for Hotchkiss.
* Lowered Squad Size upgrade cost to 150MP/25F (from 200MP/40F)
* Changed requirements for Increase Squad Size upgrade to T1 + T2 and either T3 or T4
* Lowered 221 Scout Car cost to 10F (From 15F)
* Lowered Incendiary Grenade cost to 100MP/20F (from 120MP/20F)
* Lowered T1/T2 build cost to 200MP (from 240MP)
* Lowered T3/T4 cost to 260/280 MP and 50/50 fuel
* Fixed requirement text for Panzer Elite Sprint ability.
* Fixed vanilla bug where ACPR ammo wasn't being applied to rebuilt entities.
* Removed green display text from Kettenkrad when choosing a command tree.
* Lowered Pgren buildtime to 32s (from 37s)
* Lowered reinforce cost to 41MP (from 43MP and 50MP respectively for Tankbusters/AssaultGrens)
* Lowered Ketten buildcost to 145MP (from 165MP)
* Marder weapon range increased to 60 to match the intended value.
* Panzer Elite Assault Grenadiers now have a 5th MP-44 when they increase the squad size.
* Panzer Elite no longer receives the Schwimmwagen as additional starting unit in some maps.



* Updated Traditional Chinese local (pending some lines).
* Updated Russian locale (pending some lines - Many thanks to @azamat.magometov for the help!)
* Tweaked some wrecks just in case they were giving problems (Famo, SU-85, Panzerwerfer, KV1, Elefant, King Tiger).
* Adjusted teching for AI of all factions, AI now makes better choices now with making buildings and choosing upgrades.
* Fix typo causing AI error.
* Fixed Wehrmacht AI not building Kampfkraft and sometimes teching too slowly.
* Fixed "The man himself!" not unlocking properly.
* Fixed "Collateral Damage" unlocking on maps that have no ambient buildings.
* Fixed achievements not working and causing Scar errors in save games. This change is retroactive; old save games will now load as intended and you will be able to earn achievements.
* Improved CoH:EF Steam Friends display reliability.
* CoH:EF will now notify the user if he/she installed in the wrong directory.
* Removed pipeline.dat from the current and future builds (now no one should get the "one file always need to redownload" action).
* CohEF will now notify the user if he/she installed in the wrong directory
* Removed unused files.

I have received a message from the Steam support team, and their answer said they have corrected the required game in order to run Eastern Front so the only requirement from now on is to have in your library "Company of Heroes (New Steam Version). I hope this problem is already fixed.

Thanks to Arisa from support for helping us!

Regards,
Archaic Entertainment Team