new engine
Barely iterated on the previous one to account for some new particle effects, different and more efficient unit values and the ColdTech system.
new resource system
A streamlined version of the previous system that is functionally identical.
new capturing points system
You stand in a small circle around the point to capture it as opposed to having to physically perform the action. Not only is it barely any different, it prevents exploits of the capture mechanics like light vehicle pushing.
new tiers
Once again, barely. Russians have almost identical copies of the American buildings with a different way of attaining them in that you no longer require a Supply Depot.
new doctrine system
The only legitimate point you have made thus far, and it essentially streamlines the first game's doctrines, whereby you essentially needed to specialize in one path or lose, and basically just gives you one path.
new unit deployment system
They come from off map instead of appearing next to a building. So revolutionary and different and a corruption of the previous game.
new cover system
It's literally exactly the same.
new building system
The buildings are new (sometimes in name and skin only), the mechanics are not.
new movement
If you count the ability to vault over objects (a very necessary and good addition) and the ability to reverse tanks with less micromanagement new movement then yes, new movement.
tank and weapon physics
They're exactly the same.
new defences
Not really, they just made sandbag walls a specific unit construction option and removed tank traps. Also no MG nest for the Soviets but since an MG nest often meant defeat as the Americans its ultimately meaningless.
countless new abilities for every unit
Exactly one (often useless, with some exceptions) per unit type, that sure is a countless number.
new damage and hit system
Exactly the same, except that it's now user-friendly in that the various armor types are gone and replaced with a numerical value for both armor and armor penetration that simplifies the balancing process, not to mention makes it easier for modders.
new terrain
Snow and ice, something the first game lacked, and a welcome addition in my books as it adds to the interactivity of the battlefield.
DLC doctrines
Which the British and Panzer Elite and ToV units totally weren't, in faction form.
pre game unit buffs
Your Conscripts can shoot a whole 5% faster. Game changer right there. EiRR does the same.
new UI
Only the second legitimate point you've made.
new map designs
Barely, seeing as they all follow the standard formula pretty nicely.
new cartoon graphics
This is just absolutely idiotic. I don't know where you even come up with this.
new suppression system
Exactly the same as the previous game, with the difference that mortars and artillery fortunately no longer suppress squads at a ridiculous rate.
radically new map designs with smaller maps
See 2 above.
fewer capture points etc
It varies from map to map but it's essentially exactly the same.
radically new unit changes like flamethrowers in halftracks, two man sniper teams in halftracks, six man mortar squads etc.
The third legitimate point you've made, and the team weapon changes barely matter except that they give you a chance to retreat from snipers. The overall health is very similar.
All this is way too much if you want to retain the same award winning gameplay. Just changing the defences so that you can't place regular mines, barbed wire and sand bags properly is a terrible idea or changing all the resouce points to convey the same resouce and having fewer capture points, it all makes it feels like dumbed down console version of the game and these are of course small changes. There are bigger changes which completely fuck up the gameplay.
Hell, I would love to have a list of what they didn't change, the WW2 theme? maybe in the next COH they will change that too.
My biggest gripe with the game is how all the battles feel like they are small scale, there is little back and fourth fighting. There is no fighting over haybales and building defenses and flanking or moving your MG up to attack because it's always small skirmishes and weather just slows down the fluid gameplay and restricts movement and where battles can take place, like water and shallow water, but it could also be because they haven't made a single decent map. The map design is awful, all maps are like The Scheldt 2.0. Only when they ported over Langres did it look like the game had some potential and for this reason I will give it another shot.
So "all of this" amounts to maybe 3 valid points in total, of which only one of them can be construed as a change to a major mechanic. The award winning gameplay is there, you're just an idiot. As I said, there are issues, but they can be fixed and are in the process of being fixed. You're so hopelessly enamoured with the first game that you automatically lash out at the sequel without first seeing that it's almost exactly the same. Little in truth has been changed, and was has been changed was ultimately necessary.
