*sigh* Here we go again.
I'd like to stress that this is PURELY a first impression. I would like to say that while I appreciate that the developers are trying their damndest to make this game better, I can safely say that this is NOT the way to go.
Let's get into it. First, here's my praise:
1. Visuals? Spot on, m'dudes. I actually really like the new visuals for all nations involved. The rockets look great. Tanks still look good. Infantry is looking lovely. Commandos now look unique, and I'm digging it. Etc.
2. Research. I actually kinda like the idea of an ordinance tab: it's not something I had considered in the past. It's a nice touch. It does, with the addition with Commandos and Paratroopers, reduce the clutter a great deal.
3. Speaking of infantry and paratroopers, they're (still) not secret tech! Huzzah! In addition to making both units far, far cheaper and more accessible, it's damn near perfect.
4. The attack values, at least for infantry, are nowhere NEAR as ridiculous as the last version. Ahh, the new balance is far more acceptable. Now, Light Armor is far more sustainable, due to the far more reasonable leveling.
5. Elite Commandos!
6. Interesting idea, making "flying bombs" and rockets two different units. I mean, it makes sense, but still, nice touch.
Alright: time for the part nobody wants to hear. Time to get a little salty. Let's move onto the ugly:
1. [i][b]Limiting unit production to cities is getting really, really old. STOP DOING THIS. [/i][/b]Surely I'm not alone on this one, right? This game is NOT Conflict of Nations, and it shouldn't be! So please stop doing that! Keep the fancy buildings, like ordinance and tank plants, but please expand the boundaries to EVERY province. Keep Call of War... well, Call of War!
2. In addition to that, this is clearly a shift to Conflict of Nations, and I rarely say this, but I hate it. If I wanted Conflict of Nations, I'd play Conflict of Nations. I come to this game for a more strategically challenging endeavor, where even if you have one final province, it ain't over yet. You can make one last push. With this, if you have a province, but no armies, you're done. It's over.
3. Even if you're going to limit the production of units solely to cities, add more! 5 is not enough!
4. I'm still not a huge fan of the specialized buildings. It just feels... overly complex?? Like, ordinance I can understand. That was its own separate industry. Tank production and Aircraft manufacturing just feels off. Maybe it's the visuals, I dunno.
5. Secret Labs are already old, and I don't even have secret tech yet. Seriously... no.
6. Even with graphic improvements, Naval Assets still look mostly the same?? Is this just a work in progress? If so, I can forgive that.
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I am well aware that I am being harsh. In a case or two, probably overly harsh. I just want the Bytro development staff to understand that they are intentionally undermining everything that makes Call of War a good game, and are actively ignoring the fact that many, many players are heavily against that. If the unit production problem is not solved, I can't really say that I'd wanna stick around. Call of War would just become a WWII themed Conflict of Nations.