Fixing Allied AA Weaknesses

[Surrealistik]

Proposed Longbow buffs (all of the following):

1. Reduce their build times by 25% to 36 seconds down from 48 seconds.
2. Reduce their reload times to 0.5 per rocket down from 1 second per rocket. It is insane that it takes 8 full seconds to reload these things from empty!
3. Reduce their cost by 25% to 1500 down from 2000
4. Increase their rocket damage vs tanks/heavy armour by 50%. This would allow it to destroy a single Medium Tank while at full rocket capacity (they presently take 12 rockets to destroy).

[Tirili]

Are you kidding?

Soviets are almost useless right now and you even want to strengthen Allies another time?

Please make at least this weakness stay on Allies side or you can take out Soviets of the game completely.

[Surrealistik]

I'm not sure what you're talking about.

The Soviets are only ever at a real disadvantage in terms of information asymmetry late game, where Gap Generators + the GPS Satellite gives the Allies an edge.

Besides, even if it _were_ true that the Soviet faction is weaker overall, that doesn't mean mobile Allied AA isn't pure balls, or that the Longbow doesn't totally suck. Both of these things need to be improved.

[PersianImmortal]

I'm not sure what you're talking about.

The Soviets are only ever at real disadvantage in terms of information asymmetry late game, where Gap Generators + the GPS Satellite gives the Allies an edge.

Besides, even if it _were_ true that the Soviet faction is weaker overall, that doesn't mean mobile Allied AA isn't pure balls, or that the Longbow doesn't totally suck. Both of these things need to be improved.

In a game of soviets vs allies, soviets can't do jackshit to break a stale mate in this new release. Every strat that was viable got nerfed into the ground.

[Surrealistik]

Again, even if that's true, you're missing the point; Allies have no decent mobile AA, and Longbows are ass.

Buff the Soviets, sure, address other perceived balance issues, but don't ignore these blatant deficits on the Allies side because you believe the Soviets are at a disadvantage overall.

[Tirili]

Just build a lot of rocket soldiers and make them stick together, so that yaks won't attack them.

Yes, it might be a weakness, but there must be at least one weakness to have a chance against Allies.
Look at Soviets and find out they cannot even attack air by aircraft.

Longbows can even take out SAM-Sites easily, if they attack in groups. It's not much of kamikaze.

[Surrealistik]

Microed yaks >>> rocket soldiers. All kinds of speed and manoeuvrability + greater sight radius + instant kills vs basically none whatsoever. Seriously, you lose about as much if not more money _and_ production time on rocket soldiers than the Yak user loses in aircraft. At least. Meanwhile, your forces move at the molasses like speed of your rocket soldiers; this isn't just a weakness, it's a glaring, fatal deficit.

And Longbows vis a vis MIGs are a joke. They're awful units that cost way too much in time and money for what they do. To destroy even a single Medium tank it takes them two passes; it takes 8 seconds to reload the rockets alone for the second pass; couple that with travel time and they're stupidly inefficient. To destroy a SAM site without insane casualties you need at _least_ $8000 worth, and chances are you will lose one or two!

If you think the Soviets need buffs, great, make some sensible proposals, but don't tout these obvious micro level balance flaws as justified because you feel Soviets suffer on the macro level (which no one has yet made a comprehensive case detailing).

[BaronOfStuff]

Microed yaks >>> rocket soldiers. All kinds of speed and manoeuvrability + greater sight radius + instant kills vs basically none whatsoever. Seriously, you lose about as much if not more money _and_ production time on rocket soldiers than the Yak user loses in aircraft.

Not to mention that even if an E3 does shoot one down, he's probably dead anyway. The fucking thing will crash and burn on top of him.