I loved the game when I played the beta.
The one thing that severely makes me doubt about buying it is that, though it was fun, it will get tiresome pretty fast.
If the beta had only contained like 2,3 or 4 nations, then the full game would bring something new (other than just new maps). But since there's no new nations or anything, I will not buy it.
Though I'd love it if anyone could enlighten me to wether there actually is something that differs this release from the beta. New playmodes?
I think it was new units, new gamemodes and lots of new maps, but im not 100%sure
What he said. Many thinks are reworked in the release candidate and a few new maps have been implemented.
If you can grab it from Amazon.co.uk, then you'll really get a bargain...
only in the first beta you had i think germans and US and in a later patch they added UK
but since the first free weekend i am quite sure you had all nations with the following advantages and drawbacks:
Germany: Strongest tanks& mechanizes units (stugs/sturmtiger) & fastest research but also most expensive units and production structures. Also has yet fighters and bombers Me262/arado blitz. also strong infantry. So if germany can put up early game pressure with his infantry and maybe stug + panzer III and pressure you into defense he can build up enough force to crush you with ease when his panthers / king tigers / maus etc come into battle. Also one of the best tank hunters with the jagdpanther but since you got the strongest tanks you often dont need it anyways.
Italy:Strong infantry + light tanks right out of the barracks, weak but very fast tanks and cheap tanks, cheap and very effective stuff out of their prototype base. P26 heavy tank and like an 88 mounted on a truck. Long range arty without research. overall little research needed.
Can rush you and pressure you very fast, flanking maneuvers with his fast and light tanks, if you are then still alive his proto untis will crush you.
France:
Doesnt need much research, can field heavy infantry right of the bat, also heavy AT weapons, good but slow tanks that often feature howitzer + turret so you got tanks+stug in 1 vehicle. Very good bunkers and artillery.
Lacks in good airdefence and worst airforce.
Can turtle very hard and make you attack him by building artillery and pounding you with it. Or can "rush" you with his rather good, strong but slow tanks.
Russia:
The "Zerg",un-upgraded stuff like infantry is weak and upgrades are very expensive, but ones you invested into the upgrades you field the strongest infantry of all and cheap fast to produce T34 tanks. Slow but very heavy bombers right of the bat and with the IL-2 one of the best fighter bombers. Also lots of long range artillery. has cheap buildings and very fast production speed in tanks & infantry.
Simply attacks you with something all game long until he the vast and colossal ball of death crushes you.
UK:
By far strongest and cheapest airforce(except maybe the german me262 fighter),para troopers without research and fighterbombers allow him to occupy key points and harass very early on since his airfields are cheap. decent artillery but weak infantry and tanks until you reach proto with the churchill/avre. but strong anti tank(17pdr/firefly) and lots of ground defence bunkers.
last but not least the jack of all trades
America:
besides an strong anti air and maybe only having armored artillery not really shining or lacking in any department. More or less the "newbie" nation since it can easily adapt to all situations. Also has the M36 jackson TD and sherman calliope which annoy you to death if his armored long range M40 artillery doesnt have yet. also has bunkers against air, ground, tank.
not really strong in offense but can turtle really easy and pound you with his arty until he decides what he wants to do. My least favorite nation since i cant exploit the advantages in offensive play and i like to play offensive.
as for gamemodes you got your usual 1v1, 2v2,3v3, 2v2v2, 1v1v1, FFA up to 4v4.
you can get some nice twists by playing different time periods, namely '39, '42, '45 which change a lot in the nations strength and what they can produce.
39' germans are really strong early on and '42 the normally not that scary tiger suddenly outranges any tank and anti tank your enemys can field. below '45 you dont have proto so the popular italian rush for proto is denied since prototypes are only for '45 and you have to rely on different matters like your light tanks. also the price of productions buildings changes in the time periods. also the "popular" administrative buildings that are costly (100$) but produce 1$ every 4 seconds, that are the only other rescource income besides supply depots(40$ to build and 250$ in them) and you main HQ(also 1$/4sek) are not available in timeperiods '39 '42. making long turteling kind of in effective since at some point all the money on the map is "harvested".
these time periods change the game play and play-styles quite a bit.
as for maps, you got lots on 1v1 and 2v2 maps, around 4 3v3 and "only" 2 4v4. since i so far mostly played 3v3 or 4v4 with friends i really hope they release some new maps soonish.
as for map design you have wide open and huge ass maps with long attack paths to smaller maps even in 3v3 where the only thing between 2 enemy players is a small river and a city on both sides which makes early pressure very effective and even infantry rushes extremely effective.
again huge wall of text.
few things that are annoying dont concern the gameplay or the gamestyle but the interface in the menus and the match making, last weekend everything was fine and games were full in matter of seconds but yesterday either my allies and my own rather "high" lvl either scared enemys away or they had problems in the match making.
also ladder games are only 1v1 or 2v2 while i havent yet been able to play a 2v2 since the match making in ladder games seems rather bonkers for now.
but eugene seem kind of a competent bunch and i have high hopes that they will fix these issues.