Ardennes Assault Axis Armor/Rangers imbalance

[Smooth Brain Operator]

I'm trying to get through the Ardennes Assault campaign on hard and I feel like I'm bashing my head against the wall. If there's one thing everyone hated with the AI in skirmish/online mode, it's how obvious they cheat and/or luck out of situations. A grenade only kills 1 of their troops while their grenade wipes out a whole squad. A lone enemy Sherman goes toe to toe with 2 T-34s and wins with over half it's health left. The AI has produced a Puma and 3 wagons in the first minute of the match and so forth.

So with the engagement missions, where it's pretty much a skirmish match, I've found myself just massing Rangers to win. If I can't use Rangers and have to use Airborne or Mechanized I just back out the windows and reload the mission to avoid one which involves enemy armor past a Puma and sometimes Panzer 4s, as they tend to jump inbetween being effective or just being a road bump. The one I just got done with was Bastogne Outskirts where the requirement was only kills with armor brought down enemy points. And you have to sacrifice fuel to repair abandoned vehicles. Fine enough, I found a Stuart and a Puma, held off some sturmpioneers and got them fueled up and ready. Just to be taken out by a Tiger Ace as well as 2 enemy Pumas riding into my base. All within the first 2 minutes.

Jump over to another engagement where it was just Vitory Point, no catch, no requirement. A lone Panther Ace took out 2 Shermans, 2 Wolverines(no Jacksons because, well I don't know why, maybe historical accuracy?) and a Stuart. Mind you it took out the Shermans and Stuart first, and with a broken engine and retreating with its back facing towards the M10s, it took 5 or 6 more shots, all of which bounced off, before it won.

The only counter is Rangers. Just every mission use Rangers. Upgrade them to come with anti-tank equipment, upgrade the artillery strike, amass them, take out every piece of armor you find, sprint up to the face of every infantry unit and watch your Rangers amass veterency, retreat to avoid losses, and since they heal themselves there's really no need for a med truck. As cool and useful as the Ranger units are, they just end up spotlighting how useless every other USF unit is. It feels dirty.

This is MW2 levels of balance, fight imbalance with more imbalance. I understand that this is the common perception of what historically accurate WW2 would be like. That Germany had all these wonderous miracle machines and the poor Allies won on escript de corps alone. But WW2 wasn't a JRPG where they killed god with friendship.

Am I the only one who thinks this?

[Aerxi]

Feel your pain.
I just send in Able Company and wait 2 mins, after that I drop some para's at my base and use their planes as recon and withdraw.
After 10 mins of slipping water and taking a piss to for figure out a plan, I send in Fox Company and win :/

[► remiX✖♫♫♫]

Yes i agree with you,rangers are gods in AA !!! I only play with them on hard difficulty and only with them i can finish the game.One more mission left final battle
sry bad eng

[TradeGy]

That is quite strange I've beaten AA twice on hard and my Fox is always the one loosing almost all it's company strength.

But I do agree on the tank grab one, it was not cool when I got sniped by the Jagdtiger or base rushed by the King Tiger, I still won (with Dog the jagdtiger one, and Baker the King Tiger one but still not cool they start with that...)

Rangers are great but honestly I find they to be so squishy I fear to use too many of them for the danger of getting insta-wiped even at Vet3, and honestly I love Paratroopers and the Cavalry Riflemen so I mostly use Able and Baker.

[alexandrebestetti]

I faced both tiger ace and the jagdtiger at the same mission, but was lucky to disable and capture the jagdtiger, so I could win the mission altought my forces suffered (Baker) heavy casualties and makes me wonder: If my company reaches zero or very low strenght, will they be instantly disbanded or only if I lose the next battle?

[Aerxi]

Originally posted by alexandrebestetti:

I face both king tiger and the jagdtiger at the same mission, but was lucky to disable and capture the jagdtiger, so I could win the mission altought my forces suffered (Baker) heavy casualties and makes me wonder: If my company reaches zero or very low strenght, will they be instantly disbanded or only if I lose the next battle?

I pretty sure if it reaches to 0 strength, it would be disbanded.

[alexandrebestetti]

Thx for the answer, fortunately, I finished the campaign without company losses.

[Aluminum Elite Master]

A company only disbands if it hits 0 strength during a mission and loses that mission.

Otherwise, hitting 0 strength prevents building mor units, but if you can win with what is left, that company will survive.

Pretty sure on all this.

[Dik4]

There is a lot of frustration going on for me. I fell like if the zone is 3 strength or higher, it can't be beat without pulling some BS tactics. I just rage quit the mission where you have to keep all 3 victory points. Their strength is 4, I get that it should be more difficult, but it shouldn't be impossible. I snuck around and took out their base only to be annihilated by a panther command tank. Paratroopers all 3 vet and bazookas with 2 shermans...all dead. Really f'n annoyed with the incredible imbalance. And don't get me started on the mortar halftracks...

[CompleteNutter]

there is a trick you can use but u would need to restart campaign.On Houffalze use Rangers, dont take the fuel centre until last thing.Basically rush to bridge with 2 ranger squads and armoured car and kill all trucks as they try ro escape.U can vet whole co and all squads to vet 3 in 1 mission.Remember to build lots of tanks then deman them and u get to about 170 pop cap instead of 100!! Same trick on StVith use Baker Co kill guards on Sanatorium Fuel depot (but dont take the point!! which triggers counter assault) have eng build tank traps/defence.Then go have dinner..when you get back u will have the fuel to build 10 tanks(demanning again) Once again u take whole Co to vet 3.These 2 missions should be very early in campaign and u now have 2 full strength Companies both vet 3 .Airbourne suck big time so use with care! Hope this helps