[PC] 1.6.5 Patch Notes

OVERVIEW 

The 1.6.5 Patch following our Coral Viper update includes several multiplayer balance changes that focus on improving some of the infrequently used Battlegroup choices to create a wider variety of effective strategic paths. This patch also includes highly requested quality of life improvements such as Map Preference voting and reduced input latency. Read on for the full list of gameplay and quality-of-life changes. As always, we will update our Known Issues thread with any issues we are tracking.  

 
NEW FEATURES & IMPROVEMENTS 

Map Preference 

Map Preference voting has been added to the game, giving players a simple way to downvote maps they would prefer to not play on in Automatch modes. Find our writeup on this feature in our Mission Briefing. 

• Available in Quick Match and Co-op vs A.I. modes 

• It is important to note that votes are not vetoes, they simply reduce the priority of a map. This is how the system also functioned in Company of Heroes 2. 

• New to Company of Heroes 3, votes are specific to match size and game mode. 

• For parties, all members will copy the votes of the Party Leader. 

• Votes are saved between sessions until they are changed again. 

Matchmaking 

We have continued adding quality-of-life improvements to the matchmaking and automatch experience. 

• While looking for a game in Automatch modes, the game will display the percentage of players queuing as Allies versus Axis. 

• The game will now automatically save Match Types and A.I. difficulty settings between matches and sessions. 

• New to the franchise — party members will now always spawn next to each other even if they do not fill all available slots in a match type (for example a party of two in a 4vs4 match). This should allow for better strategy and communication between friends.
   

Animation 

Several improvements have been made to unit animations so that their gameplay affecting behaviors are less prone to breaking the immersion of our players. We have additional fixes to known animation issues coming in subsequent patches.   

• Infantry will aim at targets when in cover more consistently. 

• Fixed an issue where units will sometimes not be aiming at the target they are shooting. 

• Fixed an issue where units could get stuck in animation loops. 

• Fixed an issue where smaller movement orders could get movement animations stuck. 

• Fixed an issue where resetting a reload animation could lead to awkward animation transitions for a unit. 

• Fixed a bug that skipped certain weapon swap animations while the unit was suppressed. This caused some attacks to be faster than intended. 

Unit Responsiveness 

Units will be much more responsive in 1.6.5, with input latency for both offline and online matches being reduced by approximately half. You can find a video showcasing the before/after comparisons, along with a technical write up from our team here. 

• Input latency of units in online and offline matches has been reduced by roughly half. This change is accompanied by a large shift in the game's internal engine architecture and may impact in-game visual smoothness. We will be monitoring this change for future adjustments if need be. 

• Fixed an issue where units and visuals would continue to move in-place momentarily after pausing the game. Additionally, unpausing the game would cause units to skip forward a short distance before resuming. Now units and visuals will properly pause and resume in-place when pausing single-player games or replays. 

A.I. 

In 1.6.5, we have made several improvements to the A.I.’s behavior. Most notably, we fixed an issue introduced in 1.6.0 (Coral Viper) where the A.I. would retreat too early from fights. Now, they should tough it out in most encounters and retreat more realistically. The A.I. will also recrew team weapons more effectively. Finally, a change we’re sure players will feel in their matches – the Hard and Expert A.I. will now use air-focused abilities more frequently. Watch out for those loiters, strafes and bombing runs! 

• The A.I. will no longer freeze while trying to pick up certain team weapons such as Anti-Tank guns. 

• Fixed an issue that caused the A.I. to retreat too readily when they knew they were in danger. The A.I. will now consider falling back before retreating. 

• Fixed an issue where targeting reticles from off-map abilities used by the A.I. would stay on the map longer than intended.  

• The A.I. can no longer target base defenses. 

In-Game Player Reporting & Moderation 

We have recently made several improvements to our Player Reporting and Moderation system in Company of Heroes 3.  Many of these improvements will not be visible to players but should be felt by the community in the days and weeks ahead. We have adjusted how we handle reports, suspensions, and bans so they are more stringent to improve the multiplayer experience. 

As a reminder, you can report players while in a game lobby or while in a match together by accessing the social functions on their name.  

• Several improvements to how we process reports and issue bans. 

• Players will now receive warnings to let them know that they will be issued a ban if their in-game behavior does not change. 

• Players will now be notified when we have banned a player that they have recently reported.  

In-Game Store 

Based on player feedback, we have changed how cosmetic sets are bundled in the store. All items in a set will now be released at the same time, and not held back for different bundles. All items that make up a cosmetic set can now be acquired in an “Ultimate” bundle. Many items can now also be acquired individually. Several of our previous sets have been repacked in this same way. Rotating offers for Merit will continue being available. 

• Added new cosmetic sets to the store. 

• Ultimate Packs 

• Board Room Ultimate Pack 

• Left Behind Ultimate Pack 

• Forest Rangers Ultimate Pack 

• Winter Tundra Ultimate Pack

• New Premium Cosmetics 

• Blocking Force Medical Truck 

• Blocking Force Motorcycle Team 

• Blocking Force 8 Rad 

• Board Room M4A1 Sherman 

• Board Room M24 Chaffee 

• Board Room M4(105) Sherman 

• Fallen Leaf Panzergrenadier 

• Fallen Leaf Anti-Tank Gun Team 

• Fallen Leaf Pioneer 

• Nature's Vanguard Bishop 

• Nature's Vanguard Crusader II 

• Nature's Vanguard Matilda II

• New Rare Cosmetics 

• Charcoal Wirbelwind 

• Charcoal Brumbar 

• Charcoal Stug III 

• Charcoal Armored Car 221 

• Light Grey Halftrack Stuka Sdkfz 251 

• Light Grey Kradschutzen Motorcycle 

• Light Grey Marder III 

• Light Grey Stug III 

• Mud Brown Bishop 

• Mud Brown M3 Stuart 

• Mud Brown Mortart Team 

• Mud Brown Machine Gun Team 

• Sea Blue Anti-Tank Gun Team 

• Sea Blue Riflemen 

• Sea Blue Engineer 

• Sea Blue M3 Half-Track

• Repackaged Cosmetics 

• Fighting First M4A1 Sherman 

• Fighting First M18 Hellcat 

• Fighting First M4(105) Sherman 

• Fighting First M24 Chaffee 

• Fighting First Captain 

• Fighting First Engineer 

• Fighting First Rifleman 

• Fighting First Scout 

• Fighting First Sniper 

• Left Behind Assault Grenadier 

• Left Behind le.IG 18 Team 

• Left Behind Panzerjäger 

• Left Behind Medical Truck 

MULTIPLAYER BALANCE CHANGES 

General Changes 

Healing and Camouflage 

Forward healing and camouflage are powerful tools that were able to re-activate too quickly once the unit had left combat. We are increasing the out of combat duration to make it more difficult to receive healing immediately after encountering the enemy and harder for units to re-camouflage after engagements.    

•  Time before they can be retriggered increased from 6 seconds to 10 seconds 

  
  

Airborne and Breakthrough Smoke Runs 

• Projectile Speed increased from 0 to 15 

• Recharge times standardized to 60 seconds 

BL 5.5-Inch Howitzer, Obice 210, and M2A1 105mm Howitzer 

Howitzer emplacements saw minimal use due to their low durability, particularly in artillery duels against mobile artillery. We are partially reverting the health nerf to allow emplaced howitzers to better survive counter-barrage fire from on-map artillery and give players more time to react if they are being raided.   

• Health increased 480 to 600 

US Forces 

Mechanized Support Center 

Because of the high barrier to entry that had the opportunity cost of delaying light vehicles, this upgrade was generally purchased in late-game scenarios where resources were less of a concern. To allow for easier integration with light vehicle builds, we are reducing the cost of this upgrade.   

• Rearm and Refit cost reduced from 150 manpower and 30 fuel to 125 manpower and 20 fuel 

Infantry Support Center 

• Survival Training fuel cost reduced from 70 fuel to 60 fuel 

Engineer 

The US Forces tend to struggle more against defenses and garrisons than other factions as they start with the Scout Squad rather than a unit with access to flamethrowers. While we want to keep this asymmetry, we do want standard Engineers to be a viable option. To facilitate this change, we are making Engineers more accessible by reducing their cost and giving them Satchel Charges as part of their kit, granting the US more tools to demolish early garrisons, defenses, and obstacles.   

• Manpower cost reduced from 200 to 180; does not affect Assault Engineer squads. 

• Now have access to Satchel Charges 

• Reinforce time reduced from 6 to 3.75 

Riflemen Pour it On ‘Em 

• Now properly cancels on retreat like other timed-based abilities 

Designate Assault Position 

Designate Assault Position is an under-utilized ability that we want to be a viable option against forward retreat and healing. To emphasize the ability’s role in supporting infantry pushes, we are granting suppression resistance to all units affected.   

• Now provides +50% suppression resistance in addition to current bonuses 

Special Operations Mark Vehicle 

We are boosting the duration of Mark Target to give the player more time to focus down enemy units that are affected by this ability. The plane is also receiving a significant health increase as it was too easy to shoot down.   

• Duration increased from 35 to 45 

• Plane health increased from 1000 to 2000 

• Recharge time increased from 30 to 60 seconds 

Free Fire Drills 

Free Fire Drills did not offer enough reward to the player when they built their howitzers closer to the front-line where they could be attacked by the enemy if the line was pushed. We are significantly increasing the rate of fire to encourage putting the howitzer closer to the front-line when this Battlegroup ability is selected.    

• Command point cost reduced from 3 to 2 

• M2A1 105mm Howitzer auto-fire reload speed sped up from 15 to 10 seconds 

• Auto-fire ready-aim time reduced from 2 to 1  

Ammunition Storage 

Ammunition Storage has languished due to a combination of opportunity cost, extremely low durability, and inability to support front-line forces. We are increasing the health and radius to give the Ammunition Storage increased survivability against direct and indirect fire while the bonuses have also been increased to solidify this structure’s role as a major force multiplier.   

• Ability recharge and reload bonuses increased from 25% to 33% 

• Health increased from 280 to 480 

• Aura radius increased by from 30 to 35 

Infantry Assault 

The cost of Infantry Assault was a little too high, both in opportunity cost against the passive bonuses of Ranger Weapon Training and how quickly the ability could be shut down in certain circumstances. We are reducing the Command Point and munitions costs to increase accessibility given the high munition costs already required by the Advanced Infantry Battlegroup in the form of its Rangers.   

• Command Point cost reduced from 4 to 3 

• Munitions cost reduced from 120 to 100 

Wehrmacht 

Grenadier Squad 

We want the decision of Merge to be more of a calculated choice, rather than a player immediately using Merge to reinforce combat squads every time it takes a single casualty. The delay will force players to decide when they want to Merge during combat situations.   

We have also removed the Veterancy 1 range bonus on Panzerfausts as it made light vehicle play extremely difficult against the Wehrmacht. 

• Merge now has a 15 second cooldown 

• Veterancy 1 Panzerfaust range bonus removed 

Panzergrenadier Squad 

The kill radius of the Bundle Grenade was a little too high. The following change reduces the kill radius of the Bundle Grenade. 

• Bundle grenade area mid damage reduced from 0.625 to 0.5 

Breakthrough 2.5 Tonne Cargo Truck 

• Cost set to 250 manpower 

• Now only provides resources to the owning player at a set +8 munitions or +5 fuel depending on the point. 

• Only 1 Cargo Truck can be active on a territory point at a time 

Coastal Call the Reserves 

We are reducing the cost of ‘Call the Reserves!’. While the ability is powerful, the requirements to set it up in advance, and the opportunity cost with the passive Bulwark ability made its current price too high.   

• Munitions cost reduced from 125 to 100 

British Forces 

Requisition Stuart Unlock 

• Fuel price decreased from 30 to 25 

Crusader 6-pdr Conversion Upgrade 

We are increasing the point-blank penetration of the 6-pounder Crusader to make this unit stronger once it has closed the distance with enemy vehicles.   

• Point-blank penetration increased from 180 to 220 

Foot Guards Section 

While Foot Guards could be powerful in the right circumstances, model losses affected them disproportionately compared to other infantry squads due to their Bazookas. We are further increasing the damage done by their submachineguns to remedy their fast loss in damage-per-second when taking casualties.   

• Thompson damage increased from 4 to 5 

Requsition Grant Unlock 

We want to maintain the Grant’s role as a very powerful tank once it has been unlocked that is more in line as a tier 4.5 tank, but it still comes too early, outcompeting other options even with the current costs.    

• Fuel cost increased from 35 to 50 

Supply Truck 

The CMP 15cwt Supply Run was too risky for what it offered despite it being a core ability to the Battlegroup. We are improving the ability by slightly reducing the cost and increasing the speed of the truck when it is returning to base.   

• Loaded speed penalty from 67% to 57% 

• Manpower cost reduced from 150 to 125 

Infantry Training Center 

• Now properly grants 800 experience rather than 1200 

Indian Artillery War Cry 

• Command Point Cost decreased from 2 to 1 

• Munition cost reduced from 125 to 100 

Indian Artillery Valour 

• Command Point cost increased from 1 to 2 

Deutsche Afrikakorps 

Goliath  

• Rotation speed increased from 45 to 55 

8- Rad Commander Mode 

The bonuses provided by the 8-Rad's Commander mode were far too powerful in addition to the 8-Rad being able to spot targets from afar. The following change puts the 8-Rad's Commander mode to where its intended power should be.   

• Reload and accuracy bonuses set to 20% from 30/40% 

Italian Infantry Sound the Alarm 

• Command Point cost reduced from 2 to 1 

Propaganda War 

• Munition cost reduced from 150 to 120 

BUG FIXES 

• Fixed several crashes. 

• Fixed an issue in Essence Editor that was causing instability and crashes. 

• Fixed an issue where bombing runs would not match their intended area of impact. 

• Fixed a bug that would sometimes cause the Afrikakorps Salvage Kits ability to break if a squad member died during the operation. This fix also allows the use of two squads to salvage wrecks. This will not speed up the process, but it provides redundancy in case a squad gets killed or if a player decides to move one squad away before the salvage operation is completed. 

• Fixed an incorrect population value tooltip on the Panzer IV Assault Group call-in. Properly set from 20 to 21. 

• Fixed a bug where machine guns could become invisible when setting up and tearing down in a building or bunker. 

• Team weapons will now always be visible when the team weapon squad retreats. Even if the gunner is killed and the weapon switches to a new soldier. 

• Fixed an issue where Engineers converted to Assault Engineers had different veterancy requirements from Assault Engineers built from the HQ. 

• Fixed an issue that caused the Semovente's barrage to go on cooldown when using smoke launchers. [This fix did not make it into 1.6.5, but will be included in a hot fix.]

• Fixed an issue where the Captain's Mark Target ability would not re-apply after being used once on a target. 

• Fixed an issue where Anti-tank Incendiary Munitions did not properly apply the damage bonus to Panzergrenadier anti-tank grenades. 

• Goliaths no longer provide cover. They are meant to go boom; you should not stand next to them. 

• Fixed an inconsistency in the Mobile Repair Station tooltip. 

• Flamethrowers will no longer receive a higher rate of fire if their target dies during a burst.  

• Fixed a problem where the Australian Light Infantry's sharpshooter ability would fail to hit soldiers when used against machineguns or mortar squads. 

• Fixed a bug where using the 221’s white phosphorus ability didn't revert to the original weapon. 

• Fixed an issue where the Infantry Section's Observer Artillery Barrage would cause every squad to drop what they were doing shortly after the ability was started. 

• Fixed an issue where the Vickers Heavy Machine Gun was not using forward retreat points. 

• Fixed an issue where reinforcing squads with the minesweeper toggled on would not re-apply the mine detection capability. 

• Fixed a bug with Infantry Assault which allowed the player to take control of the squads. 

• Fixed an issue where duplicate items could appear in the player Loadout. 

• Fixed the tutorial loading screen.