Battlefield: Europe MOD v2.4

[Marginaldefeat]

And the loooong, long and bloody struggle yesterday evening finally came to an end...With an absolutely dramatic ending, reminded me when i was a teenager, and the the ver first year at the university, we used to play a lot of Panzer General and Heroes 3 and AOE 2 lan parties /hot seat with friends.

We usually made a bet before playing any map to make it more interesting. We played Moscow 42 scenario once, I played with the Russians, my friend played the Germans. The bet was that that the loser will invite the winnter for 2 pints of beer It was decided in the very last turn too, when an enemy 9 str tiger was failed to knock out my 6 str partisan from the last city I owned ( as far as I remember it was Tula Moscow had fallen a few turns before) rugged defense....we replayed it after 8 more times, without the bet ( I won it) and every single time he won it

All in all: Obviously, I didn t plan this ending, i had a full of hope in a total victory a turn before, and before that, I thought it was absolutely impossible. Sooo... before I post the final result of the campaign and some of my conclusions about it, here is a small picture about the situation when I started the very last turn, where everything was decided.... And the last turn was a great summary of the whole campaign... Suffer, bloody, super hard, but still sooo enjoyable and amazing and fantastic.

Thanks a lot Mc Guba , as I mentioned I only enjoyed Witcher and Mass Effect series so much ( maybe Detroit Become Human and Prey ).

[faos333]

............. reminded me when i was a teenager, and the the ver first year at the university, we used to play a lot of Panzer General and Heroes 3 and AOE 2 lan parties /hot seat with friends.

We usually made a bet before playing any map to make it more interesting...............

WOW this is very interesting!!! Panzer General played a loooot with university students
Heroes III and AOE longggg hours of unlimited playing too

[faos333]

.........
All in all: Obviously, I didn t plan this ending, i had a full of hope in a total victory a turn before, and before that, I thought it was absolutely impossible. Sooo... before I post the final result of the campaign and some of my conclusions about it, here is a small picture about the situation when I started the very last turn, where everything was decided.... And the last turn was a great summary of the whole campaign... Suffer, bloody, super hard, but still sooo enjoyable and amazing and fantastic.

My guess is Total Victory at last turn

[Marginaldefeat]

Impossible is POSSIBLE Playing with/on the hardest settings , and Soviet Union was alive when the massive Allied invasion in Normandy began Everything else tomorrow or later on

What the problem with IMG don t know..... But yes, it was a TOTAL VICTORY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O6GFioNt1QA

[faos333]

You deserve the highest promotion for this unimaginable total triumph.

[faos333]

Well deserved my deepest congratulations

[PeteMitchell]

Congrats indeed! Would be cool to see a total map

[Marginaldefeat]

Thanks really guys so much As I mentioned, I will make a conclusion ,review and a resume of the campaign, with maps, and and best units , etc just the next days are quite busy.
And to be honest, it was NOT the plan to do Sealion in the very end, I wanted to do before Normandy.

However, I didn t know how the things work exactly about Soviet Union and how many supplies they will receive, etc. Considering the fact how strong the counterattacks and winter offensives were in 1941-42 and 42-43 I expected the worst in 1943-44, i was really surprised and happy when I realized they finally ran out of steam.
So in mid 1943, when the Eastern Front resistance was still very strong, I decided that I gave up Total Victory, and try to do a knockout blow against the Soviets, and give up Sealion.

A sure Minor Victory is better than a draw, right? I still made some mistakes in my campaign, both strategic and tactics ones ( as I mentioned I will write it later on) but in that case I feel that was the correct one. So yes, even with these settings fortunately there is some room for errors.

[PeteMitchell]

I usually invade Britain in early 42 and in the south. I use the winter snowing to move my units close to the coast when they cannot be seen. And of course winter snowing is somewhat random: after the initial 100% snowing the latter half of the winter is either snow or overcast which is decided randomly in each game. So it requires some luck as well. But even then it is hard because some coastal artillery and/or radar should be destroyed as well by then so that there is at least 1-2 coastal sea hexes that the AI cannot see. If the AI sees a sea transport next to the coast it usually moves a ground unit to attack it thereby blocking the landing area as well. So I usually also use my paratroopers to draw some attention on themselves but then they are duely destroyed. I usually also take an 88mm AA against the British tanks, which can also help with the air defense.

It would be really cool to see an AAR by you!

[PeteMitchell]

Thanks really guys so much As I mentioned, I will make a conclusion ,review and a resume of the campaign, with maps, and and best units , etc just the next days are quite busy.
And to be honest, it was NOT the plan to do Sealion in the very end, I wanted to do before Normandy.

However, I didn t know how the things work exactly about Soviet Union and how many supplies they will receive, etc. Considering the fact how strong the counterattacks and winter offensives were in 1941-42 and 42-43 I expected the worst in 1943-44, i was really surprised and happy when I realized they finally ran out of steam.
So in mid 1943, when the Eastern Front resistance was still very strong, I decided that I gave up Total Victory, and try to do a knockout blow against the Soviets, and give up Sealion.

A sure Minor Victory is better than a draw, right? I still made some mistakes in my campaign, both strategic and tactics ones ( as I mentioned I will write it later on) but in that case I feel that was the correct one. So yes, even with these settings fortunately there is some room for errors.

Very curious to read your final review/analysis!

[Marginaldefeat]

Very curious to read your final review/analysis!

I will, I plan to add pictures about casualties/losses , maps, and everything else ( but it would not be totally correct because it includes losses in previous campaigns from Poland and obviously losing not core units does not really matter at all ). The sad truth is, the last week in Hungary was extremely hot, usually temperature reached even 40degrees so...after work I was able to focus to survive only And this week until Wednesday won t be really different.

BUT I can do the very small first part of my analysis now .I would like to ask everyone as well, that Is there anybody here who have ever tried to do it to let the Allies land in Normandy and earn a Major Victory like this ? ( As I mentioned before it was not on purpose in my case too of course because I was 100% sure Major Victory is not possible like this but fortunately it was ))
Soooo... let s start it : PART 1: THE ADVANTAGES OF DOING SEALION ONLY IN LATE 44/EARLY 45

1: The most critical part of the whole campaign in my opinion is second half of 1942 and the first half of 1943. ( Like it happened in real WW2 as well)
In this period , you MUST DO a lot of things simultaneously :
- You should do a major breakthrough at El Alemein, and then defend the strong Allied counterattacks by 5-6 strong tanks and 5-6 infantries +3-4 artillery pieces.
- You must prepare the invasion in Tunisia, and ideally do an immediate counterattack, and push the Allies back. And try to save your Italian battleships and fighters.
- OIL OIL AND OIL. However mad Hitler was, he saw that aspect of the war actually correct, without getting the oil of Caucasus, victory was not possible for the Germans.
So in order to win, capturing both until the end of this period is essential.
- Convoy battles : Then again Mc Guba did a REALLY GOOD job about this as well, I mean, until early 1943 if you are good, it s possible to make a really good profit from that, and yes, you will lose numerous U Boats, but you can still save a few, and by mid 44, you will have 8-10 again. ( In real war Germany managed to do great damage as well till May 1943 )

Soooo what I wanted to say ? IF YOU WANT TO DO EVERYTHING SUCCESSFULLY, you won t have enough force to spare to do a successful Sealion as well.
Obviously, I don t say Sealion in not possible in that period, many players proved it and it s obvious that Sealion is possible from late 41- early 45 any time )) However, if you want to do that, you have to sacrifice something else somewhere else. If you do Sealion before late 1943, you will pay the price either in Tunisia, Egypt, Soviet Union, and just simply because of the lack of the money from convoy battles.

PART 2: THE ADVANTAGES OF DOING SEALION ONLY IN LATE 44/EARLY 45

So, just imagine you did everything well in the other theatres of the war, won the battle in Africa and in the Middle East, the Soviet Union is either defeated or on it s last legs, but sadly, meanwhile when you check the calendar it s already 1944. You can still risk an invasion, before D Day, but is it really worth ? I think it s a golden opportunity to wait, and gain finally some prestige, and do the essential upgrades, and collect all of your army in Normandy and France. You can bring and upgrades all of your planes, infantry, tanks, everything.
After all, this is finally a one front war.
- EXPERIENCE especially for your fighters .They need time to accumulate it, so the later you do it, the more exp they can get
- So yes, the Mustangs and Thunderbolts are deadly, but by that time, your best fighters can have also a lot of experience and great heroes even if you play Realistic + and FM difficulty.
- PANTHERS. If you managed to conserve your PZ 3 tanks early in the war, and you have all of them upgraded to Panthers.... Great Britain has NOTHING to stop them, they easily manage to defeat everything on their way . You won t have prestige to do elite upgrades on everything, in my opinion you must do it only on your PZ 4 tanks, they will win the war in Soviet Union.
But Panthers can win the war in UK, even without experience, they are just too strong.

[PeteMitchell]

Makes sense, one advantage of an early Sealion could be that you don't have to deal with Allied air raids on German towns (so you lose less prestige and free up AA/fighters) vs. loss of income from submarine operations on convey routes...

[Marginaldefeat]

Makes sense, one advantage of an early Sealion could be that you don't have to deal with Allied air raids on German towns (so you lose less prestige and free up AA/fighters) vs. loss of income from submarine operations on convey routes...

Actually I never had a serious problem about Allied air raids and losing prestige. It happened like 3-4 times only in the whole war. After 1942,I always kept nearly 50% of my fighter force on the Western Front, and 100% of my FW. ( except I sent my best plane to Tunisia for a while) But I started the war with sending all of my air defense back to Germany, plus I bought a few as well as soon it was possible to buy units in mid 42. So hunting down allied bombers in 42 and even in 43 was not too difficult. 1944 is another thing, but by that time, I sent 100% of my airforce back

Obviously, I paid a price for that ( everything has it s price) because after late 42 I lost air superiority in the Soviet Union. But air superiority is not necessary to win the war on the Eastern Front.

[faos333]

See the latest turn from Goose playing from Battlefield Europe v. 2.0 April 1944
Video: https://youtu.be/zs5NnvOG3KA

[faos333]

Invasion of France - Tips Battlefield Europe Mod video

It is May 1940 as a commanding officer you are in charge of operations Fall Gelb and Fall Rot.
Replay history by driving through the Ardennes and encircling the Allied forces.
Learn the new Mod mechanics, accumulate prestige, earn experience, have more fun with the historical set up and realistic battle results.
The BE Mod story includes the evacuation of Dunkirk.

SEE THE VIDEO:
https://youtu.be/S4eXqdzNI4U

The latest tips video is to premiere this Thursday.
Subscribe and set your reminder not to miss it.

3a France rs.png (312.32 KiB) Viewed 3042 times

[faos333]

See the new video playthrough from Goose
https://youtu.be/TvXCQAvg1LU

[Locarnus]

After checking out PanzerCorps 2, I've recently come back to Panzer Corps 1 instead.
And of course looking up mods and youtube playthroughs to scratch the itch.

This fantastic mod really stands out and elevates Panzer Corps to a whole new level!

Due to the enormous size of the mod and the game engine limitations of Panzer Corps 1, there are naturally a few things that I wanted to be different.
And thus it did not take too long for me to start messing with the files and modding the mod.

edit:
As usual, it started with a few minor adjustments, but somehow it went further. Including map/scenario changes, eg important raillines like Baku-Poti/Batumi and the ones through the Alps to reinforce Italy, or eastern Prussian topography. And changes to the equipment file regarding stats, availability and unit upgrade paths, eg Panzer II tanks being cheaply upgradeable to Panzer II recon versions or the self propelled artilleries on Panzer II chassis through the upgrade menu instead of scripts.

So far the map changes are exclusively focused on the realistic + giant map scenario. I also tried to balance between starting it from the campaign and starting it as a standalone from the scenarios tab. The equipment changes are focused on player axis vs AI allies (don't know how well the AI could handle some of my workarounds to game engine limitations). And quite a few ideas are not fully implemented yet (eg upgrade paths "between classes" so far only for Pz I, Pz II and Pz 38(t) chassis variants).

But seeing the statement on the previous page about 2.3 being the last version for a while,
perhaps there is some wider interest into what started as a private experimental mod standing on the shoulders of this giant mod?
And maybe some parts can be considered for future versions, especially if the big mod is not being worked on for the time being?

[hugh2711]

I have just played version 2.3. I havent played BfE for years!. Not since version 1.something, and there have been massive changes since then.
These are a few comments/opinions on this masterpiece which should be tempered by the fact I am not that good a player :
1) the difficulty of course is sky high compared to the earlier versions, and my recent experience is on easy level!.
(I think I would like toget hold of version 1.6 or whatever just to compare how easy it is). This has the effect of limiting your choices and losing some of the flexibility of the game and garuanteeing certain results, e.g. if you dont take malta early you definately lose tunis etc which makes a massive difference, this was not neccesarily so before.
2) The better modelling of mines although excellent and detailed has increased thier strength and dominance in the overall game possibly to the point of not so accurate?, e.g if you are unlucky with mine placing you just cant take england early.
3) The adoption of deducters mods greatly affects the strength balance of the units. While I do appreciate deducters great work (his runthroughs taught me more than anything else about the game,) it is worth pointing out that he never finished his grand campaign AAR runthrough where you have conditions similar the later stages of BfE. I believe the mods at that stage dont reflect the fruit of your choices and strategy earlier. Deducters style and hence his mods always reflect his STATED personal preferences for closed, smaller scale rough terrain infantry play which is only a small part of the large and varied BfE map and conditions.
4) In one recent playthrough while having all of england but not scotland I had a unreal massive wave of large numbers of air including bombers which experienced 88mm's COULD NOT DAMAGE!!! (even on dice chess) dominate play despite the fact I have a full strength, maximum latest model and numerous airforce. (part of mystyle has always been air dominance first - I dont usually lose ANY german fighters).
5) After taking the UK I seem to have a ridiculous amount and surplus of useless subs. It wouldnice/better to find a way to have more control over sub production rather than waste these resources, talking about wasting resources: graf spree.
6) The extra level of difficulty makes it evenmore probable to run out of time to do all the things you want to do. If you take out uk first you run out of time to finish off russia and take all the middle eat, any chance of a 'completely unrealistic' version with extra time/turns?

Overall the changes seem to give for a game that while I am sure is more accurate/realistic but seems to give less choice and, the results LESS reflect the fruit of your strategy earlier.
Of course this is on the 'easy-fun' level, wheras before I would do it on a harder level I am sure that now I could not even get anywhere on the higher (uber-realistic super depressing levels.
I noticed from someones comment of coming back to PZC1 from PZC2. While I did say this would happen having looked at PZC2 I am surprised it is happening so quickly. I just hope all the mods developers come back just as quick!.

regards

[Locarnus]

2) The better modelling of mines although excellent and detailed has increased thier strength and dominance in the overall game possibly to the point of not so accurate?, e.g if you are unlucky with mine placing you just cant take england early.

Yep, I thought the same when I considered what to change for my experimental mod (of this mod). Without good weather (airforce) the mines are pretty hard to dislodge. Do the minekiller and minesweeper traits work against naval mines (both moored and bottom)? Would it make sense to add a new minesweeper shiptype or give some other ships such a trait?

3) The adoption of deducters mods greatly affects the strength balance of the units. While I do appreciate deducters great work (his runthroughs taught me more than anything else about the game,) it is worth pointing out that he never finished his grand campaign AAR runthrough where you have conditions similar the later stages of BfE. I believe the mods at that stage dont reflect the fruit of your choices and strategy earlier. Deducters style and hence his mods always reflect his STATED personal preferences for closed, smaller scale rough terrain infantry play which is only a small part of the large and varied BfE map and conditions.
4) In one recent playthrough while having all of england but not scotland I had a unreal massive wave of large numbers of air including bombers which experienced 88mm's COULD NOT DAMAGE!!! (even on dice chess) dominate play despite the fact I have a full strength, maximum latest model and numerous airforce. (part of mystyle has always been air dominance first - I dont usually lose ANY german fighters).

Unit stat balance was the main reason why I started looking into mods for this game back in the day and recently started modding this mod in particular. Imho there are quite a few inconsistencies, which can not be totally avoided considering game engine limitations and the size of the mod. But some stuff could be tweaked, like similar calibers having widely different characteristics for some units. Or cost comparisons between eg Stugs and PzIII and PzIV, or Panzers and infantry and such. Or the early T-34 models being unrealistically overpowered. It seems that unit upgrade costs are a pet issue for me, eg Pz I being cheaply upgradeable to Panzerjäger I tank destroyer or Pz 38(t) being cheaply upgradeable to Grille artillery.
While I understand the reasons for heavy flak being less potent than in standard PzC, maybe their rate of fire could be upped again from current 7 to 8?

edit: While dice chess is likely to give the predicted result, it is also likely to keep making rounding "errors" in the long run. While full dice is least likely to give the predicted result for an individual engagement, over multiple engagements it comes closest to the results intended by the stat differences of the fighting units. On the other extreme, chess mode gives the predicted result, but in the long run has the most deviation from the intended results based on stat differences (due to rounding errors). It comes down to preference, predictability for individual engagements or accurate reflection of unit stat differences over many engagements. Dice chess is leaning a lot towards predictability.

5) After taking the UK I seem to have a ridiculous amount and surplus of useless subs. It wouldnice/better to find a way to have more control over sub production rather than waste these resources, talking about wasting resources: graf spree.

"Buildable" destroyers and subs would be interesting.
I'm somewhat exploring the possibility to "build" transport capacity for prestige, though that might take a while, since I'm still working on the cross class unit upgrade paths.

6) The extra level of difficulty makes it evenmore probable to run out of time to do all the things you want to do. If you take out uk first you run out of time to finish off russia and take all the middle eat, any chance of a 'completely unrealistic' version with extra time/turns?

Overall the changes seem to give for a game that while I am sure is more accurate/realistic but seems to give less choice and, the results LESS reflect the fruit of your strategy earlier.
Of course this is on the 'easy-fun' level, wheras before I would do it on a harder level I am sure that now I could not even get anywhere on the higher (uber-realistic super depressing levels.
I noticed from someones comment of coming back to PZC1 from PZC2. While I did say this would happen having looked at PZC2 I am surprised it is happening so quickly. I just hope all the mods developers come back just as quick!.

As far as I know, 99 turns seems to be the hard limit for a scenario? So no extra turns possible.

Imho it is debateable under which conditions a decisive victory should be possible in this scenario, given the historic orientation. While an early Sealion would prevent most of the bombing campaign, it would do little for the resource shortage of the German industry. On the other hand, an early defeat of the Soviet Union would not only prevent the strong late game Soviet counterattacks, but also grant access to the Soviet resources. Thus from a historical perspective, it imho would make sense to concentrate on the SU first and then be rewarded lots of prestige per turn to simulate the diversion of raw materials to the German industry instead of the Soviet steam roller. Those mountains of extra prestige could be used to win the aerial battle and perhaps even allow a late Sealion.

PS: I mainly came back for the larger scenario sizes (and somewhat for the clearer unit/map distinction). And while I did minimal modding back in the day, I already spent quite a bit of time on my adjustments to this great mod.

[McGuba]

Hey, there are some interesting comments here.

But seeing the statement on the previous page about 2.3 being the last version for a while,
perhaps there is some wider interest into what started as a private experimental mod standing on the shoulders of this giant mod?
And maybe some parts can be considered for future versions, especially if the big mod is not being worked on for the time being?

Yes, development is currently in limbo, and I do not know when I will have the time to work on in again, but I think the current 2.3 version is stable enough that it may not be necessary to rush with it. However, some tweaks may be possible later.

map/scenario changes, eg important raillines like Baku-Poti/Batumi and the ones through the Alps to reinforce Italy

The Baku-Batumi railway line could indeed be added, however, as far as I know it was a single line railroad in the 1940's therefore it could really handle high traffic. And at this map and time scale all railroad traffic is supposed to be high.

I am not so sure about the railroads through the Alps, I mean how developed they were in this era, as far as I am aware most tunnels were built after the war.

eastern Prussian topography

I am not sure what you mean by this, are there any errors in the map in this area?

I have just played version 2.3. I havent played BfE for years!. Not since version 1.something, and there have been massive changes since then.
These are a few comments/opinions on this masterpiece which should be tempered by the fact I am not that good a player :
1) the difficulty of course is sky high compared to the earlier versions, and my recent experience is on easy level!.

Sure, the difference between each release may not be so great as it is between an earlier one and the most recent. However, it was not my intention to make it harder, it just happened to be like that. I guess mainly because it became more an more realistic and probably it means more and more harder. Realistically the Germans had very small chance, if any, to win this war after June 1941.

Nevertheless, experienced players still manage to achieve a victory even at the harder settings, way above the recommended one. "Marginaldefeat" just reported a few posts ago that he managed to achive a total victory playing at Field Marshal difficulty level with the "realistic +" version(?) of the mod. Goose_2 in his first blind playthrough on youtube has a good chance for a marginal victory as well, playing at General level with the "realistic" version of the mod. So I think it is still doable for many players, but probably not for everyone.

2) The better modelling of mines although excellent and detailed has increased thier strength and dominance in the overall game possibly to the point of not so accurate?, e.g if you are unlucky with mine placing you just cant take england early.

It is somewhat intentional that the player needs some luck as well for a successful Sealion. But if you commit enough resources to this operation and make a good plan
than you may be able to ensure the success. In the various AARs by different players there are examples for both early and late war successful invasions.

The mines are just one of the obstacles. They may be a bit overstrength in the single player version of the mod but they are necessary since the AI is too dumb to realize the beginning of a Sealion operation and to act accordingly. In the multiplayer version the naval mines are significantly weakened since the human opponent has a much better chance to react to an Axis landing.

3) The adoption of deducters mods greatly affects the strength balance of the units. While I do appreciate deducters great work (his runthroughs taught me more than anything else about the game,) it is worth pointing out that he never finished his grand campaign AAR runthrough where you have conditions similar the later stages of BfE. I believe the mods at that stage dont reflect the fruit of your choices and strategy earlier. Deducters style and hence his mods always reflect his STATED personal preferences for closed, smaller scale rough terrain infantry play which is only a small part of the large and varied BfE map and conditions.

I only used deducter's mod as a starting base to build upon. It is indeed unfinished and contains some inconsistencies which I tried to fix over the years. I also made some changes to better suit the needs of this mod but I think in general his thinking was right i.e. for example increasing the price of rare units to avoid having a German army only equipped with Tiger tanks or making high flying level bombers and fast and small fighters more resistant to AA fire and stuff like that. I kept most of these and I think they make the game more realistic in general, regardless of the map scale.

4) In one recent playthrough while having all of england but not scotland I had a unreal massive wave of large numbers of air including bombers which experienced 88mm's COULD NOT DAMAGE!!! (even on dice chess) dominate play despite the fact I have a full strength, maximum latest model and numerous airforce. (part of mystyle has always been air dominance first - I dont usually lose ANY german fighters).

The Allies produced several times more aircraft than the Axis in WW2 and it is reflected in the mod.

By mid 1944 the limitations of the German 8.8 cm AA gun had started to become obvious as the US heavy bombers flew at the limit of its effective vertical firing range. Therefore the Germans started to prioritize the 10.5 cm and 12.8 cm AA guns instead, and used them for the defense of the most important objectives.

Losing units is part of this mod. I am perfectly aware that most players hate to lose even a single unit of their own but in reality all the nations in WW2 suffered heavy losses, including the fighter arm of the German Luftwaffe.

5) After taking the UK I seem to have a ridiculous amount and surplus of useless subs. It wouldnice/better to find a way to have more control over sub production rather than waste these resources, talking about wasting resources: graf spree.

As far as I know after the successful invasion of Britain no more new German submarine units are spawned. At least that's how I set their triggers for spawning. Do you mean that you still got new U-boat units after that? If so, there may be an error that I have to look into.

6) The extra level of difficulty makes it evenmore probable to run out of time to do all the things you want to do. If you take out uk first you run out of time to finish off russia and take all the middle eat, any chance of a 'completely unrealistic' version with extra time/turns?

If you load the scenario in the editor you can edit the number of turns to whatever you want. However the game will only show the last two digits of the turn number so turn 101 will be shown as turn 1 again, but it should not affect the game in any way. The other issue is that no more per turn prestige will be given after turn 99 as that's how I set the prestige in the editor. Changing this may require some more editing, but I think it is possible to increase the number of turns by a few extra and just live with the lack of prestige in the last turns after turn 99, if this is what someone really wants.

Without good weather (airforce) the mines are pretty hard to dislodge. Do the minekiller and minesweeper traits work against naval mines (both moored and bottom)? Would it make sense to add a new minesweeper shiptype or give some other ships such a trait?

Naval mines can also be attacked by destroyers, they have a 50% chance for reducing the strength of a bottom mine by 1 in each attack and a naval mine can be attacked by several destroyers in the same turn.

The minesweeper trait would only work against bottom mines I think, but I would not add it to the mod as it would make it too easy in my opinion. Additionally the AI would be unable to use these minesweeper units properly and effectively, just as it does not use recon move or massed attacks. Which means it would further increase the disparity between the human player and the AI. There would be yet another unit that the human player can use effectively but the AI cannot.

Unit stat balance was the main reason why I started looking into mods for this game back in the day and recently started modding this mod in particular. Imho there are quite a few inconsistencies, which can not be totally avoided considering game engine limitations and the size of the mod.

I would be interested to learn what inconsistencies you have found so far. So that perhaps I can fix or explain them.

But some stuff could be tweaked, like similar calibers having widely different characteristics for some units.

I wonder what you mean by this, it would be nice to learn what the specific issue is.

Or cost comparisons between eg Stugs and PzIII and PzIV, or Panzers and infantry and such.

Again, it is hard to react to this without knowing the specific issue. Unit prices in the mod in general are affected by the historical unit price (where available) and historical production numbers. Vehicles which were produced in larger numbers are usually cheaper than similar ones that were produced in small numbers.

Or the early T-34 models being unrealistically overpowered.

Most sources seem to agree that the T-34 and KV-1 ruled until the Germans introduced the long 75 mm AT guns in numbers from mid/late 1942. The effect of these tanks were so significant that they forced to Germans to introduce a new generation of tanks (which interfered with the production of the well proven but less effective Pz.III and Pz.IV models) and to start to improvise until the Panthers and Tigers arrived by creating the Marder series and using all kinds of captured guns in AT role until enough Pak 40s could be produced.

Nevertheless, in the mod even the T-34 and KV-1 can be defeated in early war by using the right tactics i.e. using combined arms and massed attacks as it is nicely shown in goose_2's youtube videos. And historically the Germans used similar tactics to overcome these.

While I understand the reasons for heavy flak being less potent than in standard PzC, maybe their rate of fire could be upped again from current 7 to 8?

I think it would make them too effective. Also, what players seem to forget that not only the Axis AAs, but also the Allied ones have been weakened. Which helps the advance against the Soviets and British who have a number of heavy AAs which are also less effective in the mod than in the base game: these also have a rate of fire of 7 or so.