Company of Heroes 2

🗃️ Specifications

📰 Title:	Company of Heroes 2	🕹️ / 🛠️ Type:	Game
🗃️ Genre:	Strategy	👁️ Visual:	Free-roaming camera
🏷️ Category:	Strategy ➤ Top-Down Fight of Units ➤ WW I & II	🏝️ Perspective:	Bird's-eye view
🔖 Tags:	Strategy; Action; Tactical; Military; Base-Building; FPS; Historical; Modern conflict; Warfare; War; World War I & II; Campaigns; Missions; Co-op; PvE; PvP; Tanks; Atmospheric; Weather	⏱️ Pacing:	Real Time
🐣️ Approx. start:	2013-06-24	👫️ Played:	Single & Multi
🐓️ Latest:	2018-05-19	🚦 Status:	04. Released (status)
📍️ Version:	Latest: Spring Update (20180519)	❤️ Like it:	9. ⏳️
🏛️ License type:	💰 Commercial	🎀️ Quality:	7. ⏳️
🏛️ License:	Commercial	✨️ (temporary):
🐛️ Created:	2015-09-19	🐜️ Updated:	2024-06-22

🚦 Entry status

📰 What's new?:		👔️ Already shown:
💡 Lights on:		💭️ New version published (to be updated):
🎨️ Significant improvement:		🦺️ Work in progress:
🎖️ This work:		🚧️ Some work remains to be done:
👫️ Contrib.:	goupildb & Louis	👻️ Temporary:
🎰️ ID:	14830

📖️ Summary

📜️[en]:	CoH 2 is (the sequel to the first opus released in 2006 and) a single-player / multi-player (up to 7 players, competitive or co-op) real-time tactical strategy game set in WWII, in 1941 on the Eastern Front, on the Soviet side, where Mother Russia confronts the Nazi invaders, and then tries to push them back to Berlin in a bloody battle. The gameplay emphasizes macro-management (strategic placement of infantry) more than micro-management of units. These units - limited in number, very autonomous, are also sensitive to the cold (important) and their individual line of sight.	📜️[fr]:	CoH 2 est (la suite du premier opus sorti en 2006 et) un jeu de stratégie tactique temps réel solo/multi (jusqu'à 7 joueurs, compétitif ou coop) sur le thème de la 2nde guerre mondiale, en 1941 sur le front de l'Est, côté soviétique, où la Mère Russie affronte les envahisseurs nazis, puis tentent de les repousser jusqu'à Berlin dans un affrontement sanglant. Le gameplay met l'accent sur la macro-gestion (placement stratégique de l'infanterie) plus que sur la micro-gestion des unités. Celles-ci - en nombre limité, très autonomes, sont aussi sensibles au froid (important) et à leur ligne de vue individuelles.

🎥️ Videos

🏝️ Trailer:

🎲️ Gameplay (SP): (202xxx♺), (202xxx♺), [fr](202xxx♺),

🎲️ Gameplay (MP): (202xxx♺), (202xxx♺), [fr](202xxx♺),

🐧 Linux plays: Penguin Recordings, The Linux Gamer, Jakejw93, Gaming On Linux

🕸️ Links

📕 Description [en]

📜️ "A single-player / multi-player (up to 7 players) real-time tactical strategy game set on the Eastern Front during WWII" 📜️ .

IN THE WORLD’S DARKEST HOUR

You are a commander of the Soviet Red Army, entrenched in brutal frontline warfare to free Mother Russia from the Nazi invaders. It is 1941 and the beginning of what will become the bloodiest conflict of World War II resulting in more than 14 million casualties.

Witness the struggles of the Red Army from near defeat through their incredible triumph over Germany in the most challenging and costly theatre of the war, the Eastern Front.

Your military tactics hold the power to tip the very balance of this conflict. Engage in tactical combat that will define you as a military leader and wield the might of the Soviet Empire as you smash your way to Berlin.

Features:

• Award Winning Franchise – The highest rated strategy game of all time returns with an innovative new warfare experience that will leave competitor’s out cold.
• Essence 3.0 Engine – Cutting-edge technology enhances the impact of deadly combat with the unprecedented TrueSight™ line of sight system and the ultra realistic ColdTech™ dynamic weather technology. Strategy gaming will never be the same again.
• Intense Online Combat – Featuring the great competitive and co-operative multiplayer that fans have grown to expect from this high-quality and critically acclaimed game.
• Blood and Snow – Take command of the iconic Red Army on the Eastern Front and repel the Nazi invaders in this Battle of the Ideologies.
• Tactical Warfare – Develop and utilise your new Commander Abilities and experience the up-close moment-to-moment brutality of frontline warfare through new Dynamic Battle Tactics.

Experience the ultimate RTS WWII platform with the original COH2 and its standalone expansions: The Western Front Armies (multiplayer), Ardennes Assault (single-player) and The British Forces (multi-player). Multiplayer standalones allow you to play on any map against anyone owning any COH2 product. The original Company of Heroes 2 game gives you access to two multiplayer armies from the Eastern Front: the Red Army (SOV) and the Wehrmacht Ostheer (GER). It also comes with a gritty single-player campaign that will give you a chance to familiarize yourself with the series core tenets. Step into the boots of a Soviet commander of the Red Army, entrenched in brutal frontline warfare to free Mother Russia from the Enemy invaders! Adjust your tactics to take into account the brutal weather conditions and wield the might of the Soviet Empire as you smash your way to Berlin.

Powered by the Essence Engine 3.0, the Company of Heroes 2 series feature some unique mechanics rewarding thoughtful players. From the TrueSight™ system that emulates the units’ line of sight to the cover-system that encourages clever unit placement – not to mention the combined arms approach and the hard and soft counters gameplay that will make you think twice before trying to destroy a tank with a simple squad of riflemen – each game presents players with an uninterrupted stream of meaningful tactical choices that can turn the tide of war.

About the Franchise

Set in the European theatre of WWII, the Company of Heroes series is a compelling and historically authentic presentation of this epic conflict’s often violent and gritty warfare.

Praised for highly tactical combat, an innovative territory-control resource system and varied single and multiplayer campaign design, Company of Heroes is consistently regarded as the one of the greatest real time strategy franchises of all time.

Company of Heroes has won multiple awards and sold over 4 million copies worldwide.

ESRB Rating: MATURE with Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language.

🌍️ Wikipedia:

Company of Heroes 2 is a real-time strategy video game developed by Relic Entertainment and published by Sega for the Microsoft Windows platform. It is the sequel to the critically acclaimed 2006 game Company of Heroes. As with the original Company of Heroes, the game is set in World War II but with the focus on the Eastern Front, with players primarily controlling the side of the Soviet Red Army during various stages of the Eastern Front, from Operation Barbarossa to the Battle of Berlin. Company of Heroes 2 runs on Relic Entertainment's proprietary Essence 3.0 game engine

In January 2013, Sega acquired Relic Entertainment and along with it the Company of Heroes intellectual property from THQ. The game was released on June 25, 2013 in North America and Europe.

Gameplay

Resources

The resource-generation system from the first game has been modified. Players will still capture specific flagged points all over the map to collect munitions and fuel credits, which will be invested in assembling their units. Most armies can construct caches to increase the fuel or munitions income from these points, though some points produce a higher income of one material. Instead of the soldier units actually gathering at the flagged point itself, capturing the point is possible if the player's units are inside a specific zone with no enemy units in the same zone. The accumulation of these resources and the size of the player's army can be much faster if players capture various flagged points all over the map. In order for a player to receive the benefits of a flagged point he owns, it must be part of his contiguous area of captured territory, thus allowing an unbroken chain ("supply line") to be traced back to his headquarters. Thus, the resource intake and population cap will be curtailed if the opposing side captures territory that isolates ("cuts off") owned points from other allied sections in the map. Manpower is used to build common units, and the amount will decrease the larger a player's army grows.

Buildings

Units can occupy a civilian building and use it as a temporary strongpoint. However, the occupants can be flushed out through attacks by artillery or soldiers using flamethrowers and grenades. The building-damage system from Company of Heroes is retained and enhanced; wooden buildings set afire will continue burning until they are reduced to cinders. The Soviets' main structure is the Regimental Field Headquarters, which is used to produce conscripts and field engineers. The Special Rifle Command, Support Weapon Kampaneya, Mechanized Armor Kampaneya, and the Tankoviy Battalion Command are the respective Soviet equivalents of the original game's barracks; weapons support center, vehicle center, and tank hall. A field hospital can help treat seriously injured soldiers. The Wehrmacht's main structure is the Kampfgruppe Headquarters, which is used to produce pioneers and MG42 Heavy Machine Gun teams and to upgrade battle phases to allow for more advanced units and structures.

Combat mechanics

Combat includes controllable units that are recruited and ordered directly by the player (through the user interface at player-controlled buildings, or through a doctrine ability), as well as activated support actions, such as artillery bombardment or air cover suppression. Every controllable unit type, whether infantry or vehicle, has an associated construction cost and recruitment time, as well as a range of fighting abilities. Vehicles and infantry can eventually be upgraded by purchasing specific capabilities. Upgrades generally improve the unit's effectiveness. Some upgrades are global, granting immediate benefits to all deployed units, while others must be purchased on a unit by unit basis. Most combat takes place through direct, line-of-sight engagements. As with the original Company of Heroes, colored dots will show locations that provide varying degrees of cover for soldiers and support units. Soldiers can also climb over low terrain obstacles such as fences and walls. The game also offers the player a chance to complete side quests in a mission, which are denoted by an inverted triangle icon.

TrueSight

The game's Essence 3.0 engine introduces the TrueSight system, which aims to better emulate troop visibility in real combat. In contrast to overhead visibility seen in other strategy games, TrueSight more accurately represents a unit's visibility range based on environmental conditions and type of unit.

Weather

Weather conditions are a major factor in Company of Heroes 2‍ 's gameplay, under the new ColdTech weather-simulation system. Since many battles in the Eastern Front occurred in winter weather, troops can die of frostbite if caught in the outside during severe weather, especially when pinned by enemy fire; a thermometer-shaped bar to the left side of the unit icon denotes a soldier's body temperature. The soldiers can recover their body heat if they are close to a bonfire or have found a building to shelter in, though soldiers in cover outside will not lose or gain body heat. Players moving through deep snow will move at a reduced speed unless they are on a road; their footprints are also visible to the enemy. Certain maps have frozen bodies of water, allowing for more movement options. However, players face the danger of being attacked from the other side; as a result, the ice can buckle under the weight of the units in movement or shattered by explosions.

Theatre of War

The game introduces the "Theatre of War", a series of single-player and cooperative missions detailing various aspects of the Eastern Front campaign from both German and Soviet sides. Eighteen missions set in 1941 will be part of the game upon release with the missions from 1942 onward available as downloadable content. The first of these offerings is Case Blue, a package only free to pre-ordered copies and Red Star editions of the game, featuring the Axis forces during the Fall Blau campaign on the Eastern Front. Later releases include Victory at Stalingrad, taking place around the city of Stalingrad during 1942, and Southern Fronts, focusing on events surrounding the spring rasputitsa in 1943.

Order 227

Company of Heroes 2‍ 's campaign also tackles Joseph Stalin's Order No. 227, which (as interpreted by the game) prohibits retreating except under the direction of senior officers. Starting from the fourth mission set in Stalingrad, Order 227 will be in effect if the player deploys Frontoviki Squads. A time bar appears on the left side of the map display; for that duration, players must not have their soldiers go into full retreat back to headquarters or else said soldiers will be executed for doing so.

Plot

The game's story focuses on the Eastern Front campaign as narrated through flashbacks by Lev Abramovich Isakovich, a Soviet Army lieutenant locked up at a gulag in Siberia in 1952. Colonel Churkin – his old commanding officer – shows him a book and interrogates him about his experiences during the war, including the Battle of Stalingrad, skirmishes outside of Moscow, combat in the outskirts of Leningrad, fighting in Poland, up to the Fall of the Reichstag.

Lev Isakovich first reminisces the Battle of Stalingrad in 1942, where he, as a Lieutenant, motivates his men to break through the German lines. As the Soviets reach Red Square, a wave of conscripts is pushed back by heavy defenses. The commissar orders a Maxim gunner to gun down the retreating men as part of Order 227; Not One Step Back. The Soviets attack again, this time the Germans are defeated. As Lieutenant Isakovich and his men inspect the carnage, they stumble upon a lone German survivor trying to surrender, only to be killed. His next experience details when he first met with Colonel Churkin of the NKVD. Churkin orders the Soviet forces to hold the line against the Germans and destroy/burn anything of value that cannot be evacuated to keep it out of enemy hands, including several houses and fields. As the rest of the supplies are evacuated, the Germans bring in Panzer IV tanks and the Soviets are ordered to fall back to the bridge. As a few soldiers run towards the bridge, Lieutenant Isakovich regrettably detonates the explosives, leaving the men at the mercy of the pursuing Germans. As winter began to roll in, the Soviets under Lev defend Mtsensk from German soldiers and StuGs long enough for T‑34 reinforcements to arrive. Soon later, temperatures dropped to an extreme low; the Soviets were far better prepared for these conditions than the Germans, whose vehicles stalled and suffered more losses to frostbite. Outside of Moscow, a small Soviet force struggles through the snow while destroying several disabled vehicles.

Returning to Stalingrad, Lev recalls that the only thing driving the Soviet soldiers to fight was Order 227, in which soldiers caught retreating would be executed as traitors. As the fighting in Stalingrad was coming to an end, Lev Isakovich, now a captain, searches for German intel. As he discovers a map on an officer, a German Tiger Heavy Tank flattens the building, burying Lev alive under the rubble. Yuri, one of the survivors of the expedition, goes back to HQ to ask to save Captain Isakovich before the Germans reach him. The Soviet forces then move into the area and hold their ground long enough for the captain to be freed. Upon returning to HQ, Major Polivanov shoots Yuri for leaving his post to save Lev, and orders Lev to placed on the next train to Moscow while the remaining soldiers that helped him are executed. As Lev is recovering at the hospital, he is holding a conversation with Sergeant Ivan Pozharsky, who discusses the Siege of Leningrad, which was completely cut off by the Germans for over a year, until the Soviets manage to break through the siege. As fighting in Leningrad continued, a Soviet armored squadron investigates the site of a recent tank battle. However, they are ambushed by a Tiger Heavy Tank. Despite losing their armor, the Soviets manage to kill the Tiger's crew and drive it back to their base.

After recovering from his wounds, Lev abandons his military career in favor of journalism but found nothing inspiring of the war, except for the heroism demonstrated by the soldiers on the battlefields. As the war went on, the Soviets fight the Germans in Lublin, Poland. After the ISU-152s break down the gate of a suspected prison camp, Lev realizes that this was Majdanek, a Nazi concentration camp and a glimpse into the Holocaust. Soon afterwards, Sergeant Pozharsky, who had recently returned to active service, introduces Lev Isakovich to Ania Zielinska, a leader of the Polish partisans. After she returns with a captured German officer, Pozharsky directs her to the supplies that were promised. But Lev watches in horror as Pozharsky betrays Ania and her fellow partisans, claiming that once the war with the Germans ended, the Polish would be fighting the Russians, before executing her. Lev then decides to publish his findings, only to be stopped by Churkin, who promptly assigns him to the 8th Guards' penal battalion.

As the Soviets enter Germany, they encircle a town full of Germans and prevent most of them, including civilians, from escaping. Soon, the Soviets began to lay siege to Berlin fighting the remaining Germans through the streets and ruined buildings, ultimately capturing the Reichstag, signaling final German defeat. Ironically, the Reichstag was disused since Hitler first came to power and millions of Soviets died to raise the flag.

These experiences have left Isakovich shaken as he reveals he tried to defect after the war in order to show the world the truth. He was captured and sent to the gulag on Churkin's orders. Isakovich claims that "The first casualty of war is Truth" and the truth is in the pages of the book. A man then steps forth and prepares to execute Isakovich, only to be killed by Churkin. Churkin then allows Isakovich to escape the gulag to spread the truth, and commits suicide, stating that he never looked at the pages of the book ever since it was recovered and he was not to survive Joseph Stalin's next purge.

📕 Description [fr]

Un jeu de stratégie prenant place sur le front de l’Est pendant la 2nde Guerre mondiale, par le studio Relic Entertainment, portage Linux par le studio Feral Interactive.
Il utilise le moteur Essence Engine.

Company of Heroes 2 (CoH 2) est (la suite du premier opus sorti en 2006 et) un jeu de stratégie tactique temps réel solo/multi (jusqu'à 7 joueurs, compétitif ou coop) sur le thème de la 2nde guerre mondiale, en 1941 sur le front de l'Est, côté soviétique, où la Mère Russie affronte les envahisseurs nazis, puis tentent de les repousser jusqu'à Berlin dans un affrontement sanglant. Le gameplay met l'accent sur la macro-gestion (placement stratégique de l'infanterie) plus que sur la micro-gestion des unités. Celles-ci - en nombre limité, très autonomes, sont aussi sensibles au froid (important) et à leur ligne de vue individuelles.

À L'HEURE LA PLUS SOMBRE DU MONDE

Vous êtes un commandant de l'Armée rouge soviétique, engagé dans une guerre de front brutale pour libérer la Mère Russie des envahisseurs nazis. Nous sommes en 1941 et le début de ce qui deviendra le conflit le plus sanglant de la Seconde Guerre mondiale, faisant plus de 14 millions de victimes.

Soyez témoin des luttes de l'Armée rouge, de sa quasi-défaite à son incroyable triomphe sur l'Allemagne sur le théâtre le plus difficile et le plus coûteux de la guerre, le front de l'Est.

Vos tactiques militaires ont le pouvoir de faire pencher la balance de ce conflit. Engagez-vous dans des combats tactiques qui vous définiront en tant que chef militaire et maniez la puissance de l'Empire soviétique en vous frayant un chemin vers Berlin.

Caractéristiques :

• Franchise primée - Le jeu de stratégie le mieux noté de tous les temps revient avec une nouvelle expérience de guerre innovante qui laissera ses concurrents sur le carreau.
• Moteur Essence 3.0 - Une technologie de pointe renforce l'impact des combats mortels avec le système de ligne de visée TrueSight™ sans précédent et la technologie de météo dynamique ColdTech™ ultra réaliste. Les jeux de stratégie ne seront plus jamais les mêmes.
• Des combats en ligne intenses - Avec l'excellent mode multijoueur compétitif et coopératif que les fans attendent de ce jeu de haute qualité et acclamé par la critique.
• Du sang et de la neige - Prenez le commandement de l'emblématique Armée rouge sur le front de l'Est et repoussez les envahisseurs nazis dans cette bataille des idéologies.
• Guerre tactique - Développez et utilisez les nouvelles capacités de votre commandant et faites l'expérience de la brutalité de la guerre en première ligne grâce aux nouvelles tactiques de combat dynamiques.

Description

Dirigez vos troupes lors de batailles rapides en temps réel dans la lutte brutale visant à renverser le cours de la Seconde Guerre mondiale.

• Prenez part à des combats tactiques passionnants tandis que vous coordonnez des unités d’infanterie, de véhicules et d’artillerie lors de batailles décisives se déroulant en temps réel.
• Allez combattre sur le Front de l’Est de la Seconde Guerre mondiale et repoussez l’ennemi durant cet épisode charnière de l’histoire du XXe siècle.
• Utilisez l’environnement à votre avantage en positionnant vos troupes derrière des points de couverture et en forçant vos ennemis à battre en retraite tandis que vous progressez de la steppe russe glaciale jusqu’aux rues jonchées de décombres de Berlin.
• Prenez le commandement d’unités historiquement exactes : des unités de tanks, d’artillerie et de soldats, afin de recréer les batailles du Front de l’Est avec une qualité de détails impressionnante.
• Choisissez de prendre le commandement de la Wehrmacht ou de l’Armée rouge dans les missions de Théâtre de guerre, une série de scénarios, de batailles et de défis uniques ayant pour toile de fond une sélection de cartes inégalée.
• Mettez votre sens de la stratégie à l'épreuve en affrontant jusqu'à 7 autres joueurs ou en combattant à leurs côtés lors d'échauffourées multijoueur captivantes sur Mac-Mac ou Linux-Linux.

🌍️ Wikipedia :

Company of Heroes 2 est un jeu vidéo de stratégie en temps réel développé par Relic Entertainment et édité par Sega pour Windows, sorti le 25 juin 2013. Il est la suite du jeu vidéo Company of Heroes (2006) édité par THQ et utilise le moteur graphique Essence Engine 3.0.

Synopsis

Comme son aîné, le jeu se déroule durant la Seconde Guerre mondiale, mais se concentre sur le front de l'Est avec donc la présence d'unités soviétiques et non plus américaines.

Une nouveauté par rapport au premier jeu est, en raison de son contexte, la gestion de la chaleur corporel de ses troupes qui simulent la rigueur de l'hiver. Les unités peuvent en effet souffrir de gelures. La trame s'étend de l'opération Barbarossa à la bataille de Berlin.

Développement

En janvier 2013, Sega a acquis le studio Relic Entertainment et, avec lui, la licence du jeu qui était la propriété intellectuelle de THQ.

Le jeu peut se subdivise en trois parties : la Campagne, le Théâtre de Guerre et la section En ligne & Escarmouche. Malgré le début du développement du jeu qui a commencé en 2013, le jeu n'est pas abandonné en raison des mises à jour régulières d'équilibrage (une mise à jour tous les trois mois environ).

Campagne

La campagne se situe entre septembre 1942 et avril 1945, de la bataille de Stalingrad jusqu'à la bataille de Berlin. Le joueur incarne Lev Abramovich Isakovich, officier de l'Armée Rouge incarcéré dans un camp de travail en 1952. C'est pour avoir défendu ses convictions que le héros se retrouve accusé de trahison et de désertion. Chaque mission est un flashback permettant d'en apprendre plus sur ce sujet. Au moment de son exécution, il est sauvé par son ancien capitaine qui le laisse s'enfuir.

Théâtre de Guerre

Le Théâtre de Guerre permet au joueur de prendre part à des parties du conflit inexplorées par la campagne sous forme de scénarios en coopération, de défis en solo et de batailles contre l'IA en solo et en coopération. Il est donc possible de revivre l'opération Barbarossa, le plan bleu, la victoire de Stalingrad et les contre offensives des soviétiques dans le sud ouest de l'URSS. De plus, le joueur peut aussi revivre les batailles vers les Fronts du Sud, le tout donnant de nouvelles sensations grâce aux scénarios inédits et la possibilité de jouer certaines mission avec un ami.

En ligne & Escarmouche

Dans cette section, le joueur peut choisir entre une partie automatique contre d'autres joueurs en ligne dans une faction de son choix (armée soviétique ou allemande), faire une partie seul ou en coopération contre une ou plusieurs IA et créer sa partie personnalisée en choisissant le mode de jeu (annihilation ou position de victoire), les ressources de départ et les coordonnées déterminées ou non, tout ces modes étant possible en 1vs1, 2vs2, 3vs3 ou 4vs4.

Extensions

Le jeu connaît 3 extensions : la première qui s'intitule Company of Heroes 2 : The Western Front Armies sortie le 24 juin 2014. Ce DLC inclut deux nouvelles factions, 16 nouveaux commandants (3 pour chaque factions sont offerts pour la section En ligne & Escarmouche) et les bulletins de renseignements pour les deux factions.

Une seconde baptisée Company of Heroes 2 : Ardennes Assault est sortie le 18 novembre 2014, proposant une nouvelle campagne permettant une découverte de la faction américaine et qui donne des récompenses lorsque cette campagne est terminée et qui serviront pour la section En ligne & Escarmouche

La troisième s'appelle Company of Heroes 2 - The British Forces est sortie le 03 septembre 2015, incluant une nouvelle faction, 8 nouveaux commandants dont 3 offerts et les bulletins de renseignements des British Forces.

Il existe la version Platinum Edition qui regroupe le jeu de base ainsi que les 3 extensions.