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Company of Heroes: Opposing Fronts features two fully-featured multiplayer armies, both with brand-new tech trees, commander trees and units. In this feature we'll be taking a look at the British and Panzer Elite armies, as well as looking at some of the other new features in the game.

THE BRITISH

The British are a defensive focused army that favour setting up a strong front line and smashing the enemy with artillery and heavy tanks. The British have the most defensive options available to any army in Company of Heroes, from slit trenches to AA, AT and MG emplacements.

The British sacrifice mobility for firepower and fortifications. The best thing about the British is that they allow turtlers and defensive players to focus on what they like best: building lots of defenses and letting the enemy come to them. This does not mean the Brits do not pack an offensive punch. Commandos and the LTs give them lots of flexibility, not to mention their mobile tech tree.

Yes, the British army can pack up and deploy anywhere on the map. This gives the Brits lots of flexibility and strategic choices. It is also one of the most unique features of Opposing Fronts.

Names of the British Structures
Mobile HQ: The nerve center of the British Army. The Mobile HQ unlocks the core British squads - Tommies, the Universal Carrier Transport and Weapon Platform and the LT.
Field Supply Command: Mobile Building. Allows players to call in Sappers (AT Engineers and Defense Specialists), the M5 Stuart Light Tank and the Capt.
Armor Command Post: Mobile Building. Allows players to call in Cromwell medium tanks, Command Tanks and the Firefly Tank Hunter.

Commander Trees (Regiments)
Royal Canadian Artillery - Artillery specialists
Royal Commandos - Elite Infantry
Royal Engineers - Armoured Support and Defensive options

Brief Rundown of the LTs and Capts
LTs provide offensive bonus to Squads within their command radius. They also allow squads to move using their Assault Stance as opposed to their Patrol Stance.
LTs gain veterancy based on the actions of the squads under their command. This allows the LT to gain unique combat abilities like Heroic Charge.
Capts provide defensive bonuses to all Squads in their Sector.
Like LTs, Capts gain veterancy based on the actions of the squads under their command.
Capts have the additional ability called Rally that allows British Squads to retreat to their Capt's position instead of Mobile HQ. This gives the British Army more flexibility when it comes to retreating.

THE PANZER ELITE

The Panzer Elite (PE) are the hardest hitting army in Opposing Fronts and CoH, but that firepower comes at a cost. PE must rely on small, elite squads and heavy tanks. They have nothing in between which means they'll lose a war of attrition. What makes the PE so deadly is their mobility. They are a vehicle-based army relying on light half-tracks, scout cars and tank hunters to win the day. Where the British are about defense, the Panzer Elite are about speed, and it's true what they say. Firepower wins battles, speed wins wars.

Panzer Elite units
Jadgpanther Heavy Tank Destroyer
Fallschrimjager Infantry
Mortar Halftrack
Marder 3
Hetzer
King Tiger
Panzer IV F
 
Doctrines
Luftwaffe - Flak Guns, Fallschirmjagers and Bombers
Tank Hunters - Jagdpanther et al. Provides the Panzer Elite with heavy armour
Scorched Earth - booby traps and stealth tactics

NEW FEATURES

With Opposing Fronts we're really expanding the CoH Experience. Not only can owners of each play against each other, but the potential for team-based gameplay is exponentially increased. From the original 24 possible commander tree combinations in CoH, players how have 48 different combinations really cementing CoH and Opposing Fronts as the definitive WW2 Strategy game. CoH really pioneered team-play aspects, Opposing Fronts builds on that.

Add to that improved networking and matching making options through Relic Online, with ranked team automatch, ladder, tournaments etc.

Two full campaigns: The Liberation of Caen and Operation Market Garden.
Each of the campaigns follows a unit from the opening shots of each campaign until the end. Mission Persistence will feature predominately in Opposing Fronts. Not only will time of day changes affect missions, but the player's action in one mission will have ramifications across later missions.

Caen follows 3rd Battalion through Operation Epsom, Charnwood and Goodwood. The player will face brutal urban combat and massive tank battles.

Operation Market Garden follows a German Kampfgrupe (battlegroup) as they attempt to repel the largest airborne invasion in history. Operation Market Garden introduces the Holland terrain set to COH and feature deadly infantry battles against British Commandos, American Paratroopers and the armor of 30th Core.

New Tech Features
CoH was all about Real Soldiers and Real Battlefields, and Opposing Fronts continues this. Weather adds a dramatic element to CoH and will affect gameplay in single-player. We're still determining how much it will in MP. We've also improved squad AI and vehicle pathfinding and will be offering full DX10 support.

More New Features, summed up by lead designer Josh Mosqueira
The beauty with CoH and Opposing Fronts is that every week something new and totally cool gets added to the game. A few weeks ago it was the British Creeping Barrage, what I call the walk of death. I just love calling in a Creeping Barrage as the enemy is retreating. Nothing says revenge like cutting off retreating troops in a maelstrom of fire and brimstone.

Then last week the Incindiary Grenades, the hallmark of the Panzer Elite went in, and they are pretty satisfying to use. Nothing like seeing half of a map burning. Without CoH's fully destroyable and physics driven game a simple fire that starts in one corner of the map can spread, well, like wild fire.

This week it is the Commando Gliders. Paratroops were one of my favorite units from the first CoH, but now nothing beat calling in a glider and seeing it land (okay, crashland) and take our buildings, trees, anything in its pass. And when the dust settles, seeing Commandos burst out of the wreckage, sten SMG firing is awesome.

But for me, what makes Opposing Fronts so cool is all the tactical gameplay. The new British defenses and the speed of the Panzer Elite means battles are intense. But more to the point, battles are won with tactics and this is what sets Opposing Fronts aside from other RTS games.

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