Panzerbefehlswagen issues

[Tassadar]

I really enjoyed all the new equipment introduced by War Stories: Fall of Poland. TKS 20mm was a nice acknowledgment of some upgrades to an obsolete vehicle concept, PZL.50 and 14TP showed interesting design that had their own historical issues, but as limited awards spiced up the gameplay, and the C2P / C4P transports added much welcome mobility.

The German equipment that I did not get to use also seems interesting and it makes me curious about one day either replaying Axis Operations (after future installments add even more options), or in fact hype me up for a possible AO West campaign. Things like Panzer IIG and Panzer IVA are already available in the game, making decision in possible replays starting AO 1939 very intriguing thank to the fact that despite their superior stats, they are also much more costly in prestige than "regular" versions appearing as the more mass-produced series slightly later. I really like this concept, already tested in AO1946, where prototypes are more prestige intensive, but offer some various benefits like better stats or fewer core slots. Polish 14TP also uses a similar method, but instead is much more costly in core slots than prestige, seeing how in the early game this factor is even more restrictive.

However, all these fun concepts are suddenly limited by the fact that the Panzerbefehlswagen (and as lesser issue, the Kfz 14 and Wachtruppe) are marked with "NoPurchase". Sure, I can just edit the Units.csv file, after all I can play a single player experience any way I like, but I would prefer to see them normally in the roster. The Dev Diary 2 mentioned the following:

As an experiment in Panzer Corps 2 as a whole, something we might be dabbling with are full fledged Command Units. We sort of saw this originally with the Panther IVH, the Command Tank with a Panzer IV turret and dummy gun on a Panther Chassis, but now in Fall of Poland we’ll be seeing the Command Tank version of the Panzer I in the Panzerbefehlswagen, a Command Recon Car in the Kfz 14, as well as a Command infantry unit with the new Wachtruppe.

Yet, despite these being added, they are not only not normally available, but don't seem to do much. Quick inspection of stats reveals that they offer increased spotting, but nothing else of value. In fact Kfz 14 being a recon class vehicle does not even have Phased movement. Was it perhaps that options were tested such as giving these Aiming Assistance or Leadership, but got scrapped, as they were deemed too powerful, or simply uninteresting? I would make an argument, that even if these units do not change much in the game, they should still be made available for purchase normally. Even if they are awkward, the roleplaying value they would add for some players makes them worthwhile. I can imagine a world where I stack all my support heroes on a Panzerbefehlswagen and create true command unit.

[milliethedog]

Hi, what a great idea to put 3 support units on a recon. I have always seen these Heroes as a waste of a slot, but i can see how that would help in many situations. Great idea, i will try it on my next run through.
Martin

[Tassadar]

Hi, what a great idea to put 3 support units on a recon. I have always seen these Heroes as a waste of a slot, but i can see how that would help in many situations. Great idea, i will try it on my next run through.
Martin

I was thinking of a more narrative reason than pure utility, but yes, such heroes on recons work really well with recon cars as well. Another option is to put them on light AA or AT guns, as they just cost one core slot and tend to stay in the back. The issue then is mobility and getting them where they are needed. You could later down the line out them on self-propelled AA guns, but these are not as swift as recons and also cost more core slots.

[milliethedog]

Thanks i will give these Heroes a chance on my next run through, rather than just cashing them in.
Martin