GC43 Unit Stats
Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 4:51 pm
March 6, 2012
DLC Rebalancing Mod v1.51 BETA
During the Closed Beta testing for DLC 43, it was found it was possible to get a core composed mostly of Tigers/Panthers and do very well. Some players, myself included, were more interested in playing with a historical core composed of mostly Panzer IIIs, Panzer IVs, and StuG IIIGs with few Tigers/Panthers.
There were also several other observations:
*The scenarios were fairly easy using heavy armor, but much harder using a historical core.
*Using heavy armor resulted in saving prestige, as they took very little damage from the Soviets, whereas Panzer IVs and StuG IIIGs are vulnerable and require much more prestige for reinforcements.
*Infantry was fairly useless, in part because they were too vulnerable and easily destroyed.
*Bf 109s were virtually useless, as the FW 190 outclassed the Bf 109G very significantly. The FW 190 was introduced on the Eastern Front in November 1942. They did very well as fighters and fighter-bombers, but were not as numerous as the Bf 109.
*Some players wanted certain units to get progressively cheaper as the war went on. This can be done, but only by adjusting the equipment file for each DLC.
Some beta testers wanted to enforce the use of a historical core, and while I initially agreed, I have since changed my mind. The great thing about Panzer Corps is that the player is free to play however he wants, and I think there’s no reason to force a player to use suboptimal units in an official release.
However, for players who are interested in playing DLC 43 with an enforced historical core, I have created an equipment file that addresses all of the issues above. Please see the link below. I also included in this post a list of the changes I have made. Almost every unit in 1943 received attention.
http://slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=147&t=30708
Note that this mod will greatly increase the difficulty of DLC 43. It also needs feedback.
DLC 1943 East Changes
Infantry
Buffed defenses of 1943 infantry, so combat is less lethal. Upped CD of all 1943 infantry to 4 and upped GD of most 1943 infantry by 2, so the value for German units is around 10 and the value for most Soviet units is around 9.
Lower of the HA of standard infantry. The basic Wehrmacht infantry with a HA of 6 in the base game was too good and tactically flexible (move 3 vs move 2 of grenadiers) against tanks. They are now somewhat less good, but they are cheaper. To attack tanks in close terrain, grenadiers or pioneers work best.
Fallschirmjäger are truly elite, tough troops, able to defend tenaciously and inflict tremendous casualties on attacking infantry. It may not be best to requisition too many of these units, as their prestige cost is exorbitant.
Add various other 43 infantry variants. When fighting the Soviets, you’ll see units like the SMG Infantry 43, the Conscript 43, etc. Be careful of Soviet infantry, as they can be very deadly.
Hopefully players will want to keep more infantry in their core now, especially as the Germans go on the defensive.
Panzers and Tank Destroyers
Most Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs are cheaper and received and slight buff. The exception is the Panzer IVH, as that was a new model in 1943. Many of these Panzers will continue to get cheaper in 1944. For instance, all Panzer IIIs received +1 HA, and the Panzer IVH receive +1 GD.
Standardized guns for various armor units. The guns are the KwK 40/43, the KwK 40/48, and the Soviet 76.2 mm and 85 mm guns.
Upgrade guns on captured T-34 and KV tanks. The Germans did install KwK 40/43 in some captured Soviet tanks, so for this mod I just upgraded all of them. Between this upgrade and the buff to the T-34’s defenses, hopefully these captured Soviet tanks will be useful in 1943.
Panthers, Tigers, and Elefants (renamed Ferdinand for 1943) all received a slight buff to combat stats, a massive cost increase, and a very significant nerf to ammo/fuel. Their raw power has been increased, for instance, the Panther has +1 HA and +1 GD, the tiger has +2 HA, and the Elefant has +3 GD for an incredible 25 GD.
This was done to simulate the many teething problems with heavy German armor in 1943. Many of them were lost to mechanic troubles rather than combat actions. For gameplay, a few of these units is a good idea to spearhead attacks, but don’t rely on too many of them, or you may find yourself out of supplies and surrounded by Soviets.
Keep in mind the fuel/ammo count will increase for these units in 1944, and that the Panthers will get cheaper. Also keep in mind that SE tanks have +20% fuel/ammo.
Note the Elefant is only available for purchase at the beginning of Kursk and again at the beginning of 1944. There will not be any other opportunities.
P38(t) can be upgraded to Marder III.
The SU-152 is extremely dangerous now. It is a match for your Tigers and Panthers. Fortunately the Soviets don’t have too many of them.
Artillery
Mobile artillery (Hummel, Wespe, etc.) are more expensive. They do have somewhat better defenses to compensate.
Many artillery that were expensive in 1942 (StuH, StuG IIIB, etc.) are reduced in price. This only matters if you have played 1942 with the SP Rebalancing Mod.
Air Units
The Bf 109 series received a slight buff. They are more powerful, more survivable, and cheaper.
FW 190 series rebalanced. The FW 190A was nerfed in AA and made more expensive, but the FW 190F should hopefully be more useful now as a fighter-bomber.
Be very careful about engaging the Yak-9D and especially the Yak-3. The advanced Soviet fighters are extremely deadly and should be avoided until weakened with Flak. The Yak-3 is now better than any German fighter in 1943. Do not engage carelessly, and do not attempt to take air superiority aggressively.
Antiaircraft Units
SPAA units received a cost increase, since they rarely ever take damage. They also receive a slight buff to GD.
Sdkfz 7/2 has better AA value, but Sdkfz 7/1 has 12 ROF. There is some difference between these two units now, whereas previously the Sdkfz 7/1 was always the better choice.
DLC Rebalancing Mod v1.51 BETA
During the Closed Beta testing for DLC 43, it was found it was possible to get a core composed mostly of Tigers/Panthers and do very well. Some players, myself included, were more interested in playing with a historical core composed of mostly Panzer IIIs, Panzer IVs, and StuG IIIGs with few Tigers/Panthers.
There were also several other observations:
*The scenarios were fairly easy using heavy armor, but much harder using a historical core.
*Using heavy armor resulted in saving prestige, as they took very little damage from the Soviets, whereas Panzer IVs and StuG IIIGs are vulnerable and require much more prestige for reinforcements.
*Infantry was fairly useless, in part because they were too vulnerable and easily destroyed.
*Bf 109s were virtually useless, as the FW 190 outclassed the Bf 109G very significantly. The FW 190 was introduced on the Eastern Front in November 1942. They did very well as fighters and fighter-bombers, but were not as numerous as the Bf 109.
*Some players wanted certain units to get progressively cheaper as the war went on. This can be done, but only by adjusting the equipment file for each DLC.
Some beta testers wanted to enforce the use of a historical core, and while I initially agreed, I have since changed my mind. The great thing about Panzer Corps is that the player is free to play however he wants, and I think there’s no reason to force a player to use suboptimal units in an official release.
However, for players who are interested in playing DLC 43 with an enforced historical core, I have created an equipment file that addresses all of the issues above. Please see the link below. I also included in this post a list of the changes I have made. Almost every unit in 1943 received attention.
http://slitherine.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=147&t=30708
Note that this mod will greatly increase the difficulty of DLC 43. It also needs feedback.
DLC 1943 East Changes
Infantry
Buffed defenses of 1943 infantry, so combat is less lethal. Upped CD of all 1943 infantry to 4 and upped GD of most 1943 infantry by 2, so the value for German units is around 10 and the value for most Soviet units is around 9.
Lower of the HA of standard infantry. The basic Wehrmacht infantry with a HA of 6 in the base game was too good and tactically flexible (move 3 vs move 2 of grenadiers) against tanks. They are now somewhat less good, but they are cheaper. To attack tanks in close terrain, grenadiers or pioneers work best.
Fallschirmjäger are truly elite, tough troops, able to defend tenaciously and inflict tremendous casualties on attacking infantry. It may not be best to requisition too many of these units, as their prestige cost is exorbitant.
Add various other 43 infantry variants. When fighting the Soviets, you’ll see units like the SMG Infantry 43, the Conscript 43, etc. Be careful of Soviet infantry, as they can be very deadly.
Hopefully players will want to keep more infantry in their core now, especially as the Germans go on the defensive.
Panzers and Tank Destroyers
Most Panzer IIIs and Panzer IVs are cheaper and received and slight buff. The exception is the Panzer IVH, as that was a new model in 1943. Many of these Panzers will continue to get cheaper in 1944. For instance, all Panzer IIIs received +1 HA, and the Panzer IVH receive +1 GD.
Standardized guns for various armor units. The guns are the KwK 40/43, the KwK 40/48, and the Soviet 76.2 mm and 85 mm guns.
Upgrade guns on captured T-34 and KV tanks. The Germans did install KwK 40/43 in some captured Soviet tanks, so for this mod I just upgraded all of them. Between this upgrade and the buff to the T-34’s defenses, hopefully these captured Soviet tanks will be useful in 1943.
Panthers, Tigers, and Elefants (renamed Ferdinand for 1943) all received a slight buff to combat stats, a massive cost increase, and a very significant nerf to ammo/fuel. Their raw power has been increased, for instance, the Panther has +1 HA and +1 GD, the tiger has +2 HA, and the Elefant has +3 GD for an incredible 25 GD.
This was done to simulate the many teething problems with heavy German armor in 1943. Many of them were lost to mechanic troubles rather than combat actions. For gameplay, a few of these units is a good idea to spearhead attacks, but don’t rely on too many of them, or you may find yourself out of supplies and surrounded by Soviets.
Keep in mind the fuel/ammo count will increase for these units in 1944, and that the Panthers will get cheaper. Also keep in mind that SE tanks have +20% fuel/ammo.
Note the Elefant is only available for purchase at the beginning of Kursk and again at the beginning of 1944. There will not be any other opportunities.
P38(t) can be upgraded to Marder III.
The SU-152 is extremely dangerous now. It is a match for your Tigers and Panthers. Fortunately the Soviets don’t have too many of them.
Artillery
Mobile artillery (Hummel, Wespe, etc.) are more expensive. They do have somewhat better defenses to compensate.
Many artillery that were expensive in 1942 (StuH, StuG IIIB, etc.) are reduced in price. This only matters if you have played 1942 with the SP Rebalancing Mod.
Air Units
The Bf 109 series received a slight buff. They are more powerful, more survivable, and cheaper.
FW 190 series rebalanced. The FW 190A was nerfed in AA and made more expensive, but the FW 190F should hopefully be more useful now as a fighter-bomber.
Be very careful about engaging the Yak-9D and especially the Yak-3. The advanced Soviet fighters are extremely deadly and should be avoided until weakened with Flak. The Yak-3 is now better than any German fighter in 1943. Do not engage carelessly, and do not attempt to take air superiority aggressively.
Antiaircraft Units
SPAA units received a cost increase, since they rarely ever take damage. They also receive a slight buff to GD.
Sdkfz 7/2 has better AA value, but Sdkfz 7/1 has 12 ROF. There is some difference between these two units now, whereas previously the Sdkfz 7/1 was always the better choice.
From the other hand, I think that the 43DLC is hard enough with the standard e-file and IMO, the average players with regular cores, will need to make some effort in order to complete it successfully... 
As I have mentioned many times already, I strongly belive that the infantry units should dismount when attacked, but that would probably require change in the games mechanics and would go beyond simple modifications of the equipment file. So what I think could be done, as a temporary half measure, is to INCREASE the defensive values of the APC carriers. As I said in one of the previous post, that disappeared due to the technical problems of the forum, the current SdKfz.250, usually allows the mounted infantry to survive the first attack but the SdKfz.251 defensive values ( that was the main German infantry APC ) are too poor, while in reality both APC's had similar armor protection. In my opinion, the defensive values of both carries should be still slightly increased, because the infantry does not dismount when attacked. I also belive that only the SdKfz.251 should be available as the infantry APC and the SdKfz.250 would serve then as a recon vehicle, anti-air or artillery carrier ( it should be very expensive in this role ). Something similar would also need to be done in case of the Allied Half-Tracks.