Commissars House, what were they thinking?

[Icey_Pain]

Commissars House,

In my opinion this map is the worst map design I've seen in a while. The gameplay is simply inferior on that map compared to all other maps that are included in Red Orchestra 2.

The reason that it's so inferior is because the entire design of the map just makes it one big deathpitt for every Allied soldier. This is due to two major issues.

1. There are too many open fields that offer barely any cover, severely limiting the amount of tactical movements you can make, thus creating a terribly predictable route to take, which can easily be blocked by any german that has an MG.

2. The germans get much much faster access to the buildings that have a few dozen windows. As well as getting much easier acces to objective D.
While the russians are basically forced to choose from 2 buildings at the start with very limited amount of windows.

This creates a HUGE dependancy for smoke grenades. It is almost impossible for the allied team to win without smoke grenades. As a result of this, any type of public play on this map just is a complete disaster. I would estimate that the germans win 95% of the time.

I went as sniper on the allied team. I figured that for me to be an effective sniper, I need to be able to move into the flank of the enemy.
Going to the side of objective D is simply too open, and too predictable, there are very little spots at which I can get a clear view on D without exposing myself from the anti-tank soldiers and snipers.

The other side, as seen in the thumbnail suffers from a chronic lack of cover as well, there's a small wall that could easily be used to move into their flank. But instead, they put the warning zone right behind it. As a result you are unable to move there for more than a few seconds. Forcefully having to expose yourself to the buildings that have a few dozen windows.

There's just one method of play that I know of, and that is to use smoke grenades to clear all the buildings by attacking from the center.
As a result this map feels extremely linear and has a huge advantage for the germans.

This map just feels like it was made with 100% teamwork in mind, while in reality, this will never happen on a pub server.

 

[Korn-Y]

Don't Forget German Tank at the first Russian spawn exit, with bots instant kill you

 

[justme2024]

i also agree that this is one of the worst designed maps.

I believe the real problem is that it takes a highly motivated, tactical and well communicating team (russian) to really be able to cap. The reality is that on public servers this isnt happening.

 

[Ossius]

The fact is no one likes to get into objectives on any map, other maps are more forgiving, this map actually requires team work, which is why I love it.

People need to understand they level up their class faster by capturing and having a lot of people in the capture point. A kill only gives one point, capturing 10, and killing people in an obj while in obj yourself gives 7

 

[Gudenrath]

Don't Forget German Tank at the first Russian spawn exit, with bots instant kill you

Yes, this. Also I don't get why spawn arty is allowed in RO2. In RO1 it would say "not an eligible target" if you tried marking the spawn area. I hope something similar will be added here.

 

[Justin MacDuro]

Yes, this. Also I don't get why spawn arty is allowed in RO2. In RO1 it would say "not an eligible target" if you tried marking the spawn area. I hope something similar will be added here.

That feature is already on RO" but is bugged ... it sometimes allows you mark spawns , anyway , you can just mark the border and the blast will kill people in spawn.

The most fantastic thing is those spawns that are advanced 50 or 40 meters and are placed in open ground with no cover ... Why we need advancing spawn on those tiny maps ? , why those spawns are always in dangrous places were you can be spawnkilled in one second ? ... this makes no sense , well it makes if they are triying to emulate the tiny maps that games as COD , MOH or DOD use to have instead the big maps that RO1 use to have .

 

[C_Gibby]

I believe the real problem is that it takes a highly motivated, tactical and well communicating team (russian) to really be able to cap. The reality is that on public servers this isnt happening.

This ^ It's a good map though, it's just only good for people who know what they're actually doing and/or are willing to listen. I believe that the map will have a way of balancing itself without actually being altered when the game gets a bit older, but you can't really know for sure. Sometimes it's the players' and not the game's fault, you know.

 

[Gudenrath]

That feature is already on RO" but is bugged ... it sometimes allows you mark spawns , anyway , you can just mark the border and the blast will kill people in spawn.

I know it was possibly a feature encoded in the maps, because it was possible to place spawnarty on some custom maps. But it was at least a whole lot better than now, where I frequently spawn in the middle of a barrage (at normal spawnpoints, of course spawning on squad leader is at your own risk), and the commander racks up loads of kills doing this.

 

[DiedTrying]

Once you get to the castle, the map improves immensely.

 

[Seather]

if you get squad play to work on the server you are on its easyer.
huddle behind cover. throw smoke. lay cover fire and advance.
the map its extremly hard as a lone wolf. so bring your friends, or use coms with ur team.

i would not be mad if they add some more things to hide behind, but for me its ok as it is.

 

[Sufyan]

I'm not saying the map is flawless, but I think it is an excellent map. It requires a level of soviet teamwork you will not find on public games however. You need competent tankers and plenty of coordinated smoke to cross the open spaces between buildings.

On public games a lot of people sit still to snipe all match long, or they run individually towards objectives, trickling into superior German numbers one by one. The amount of staging that needs to go into each new assault makes it unfriendly for public play, but as a competative map it is amazing.

The map has everything you can expect from the game. Mad advances across open terrain (lots of sniping and machinegunning), intense room-to-room fighting, close tank support and artillery. When the Soviet steamroller starts hitting on all cylinders it is a desperate fight for both teams.

As with all attacker/defender maps, things become incrementally harder for the attacker the lower the skill level of both teams, but once you increase player quality things even out rather quickly. Axis face the same problem on GrainElevator, if the axis players suck they never make it past the first objective, but two skilled teams will see the fight being decided on the last objective.

 

[LugNut]

I agree with the OP, it's a poor map design, it's too linear with absolutely no way to flank or even have a Plan B. I played it last night and Axis had 2 mgs mowing all the spawn exits effectively shutting them down, (don't even get me going on the tank auto mg on spawn) allowing free roaming Axis players to move up and pick off anyone trying to make it to the walls.

Since I always choose the side with the lowest numbers, guess what side I'm always on? I've been on an allied winning side once and that was only because it was pub clan server with good coordination on the allied side and not on axis.

All it would take to fix it would be to add other possible routes so you could flank and keep the germans guessing.

 

[TheRealGunther]

This may be so but the Russians get revenge on Grain Elevator.

Played Ro1 for years they was always these type of maps that usually favored the defense.The only problem I have with it is not map layout its in the caps.First off the Russians have to assault 3 objectives within the lockdown hoping the Germans don't counter attack taking 1 back while they push another.

Then 2 at the the same time till the last cap.This doesn't make it impossible it just makes the lockdown timer defeat the Russians more than the Germans do.This is one map I regularly cuss the lockdown timer.Another reason the Russians loose this map a lot is the way they play it.Some maps they can get away with 12 guys camping for kills...not this one.

Almost every single Russian needs to charge an objective besides maybe a mg or sniper.Every time I play this map there is 5 or more guys in A objective camping the windows.While another 5 camps in and around B when they should be pushing C.Its a fact the Germans swarm C and the Russians need about every body in the cap to take it same goes for the last cap.

It can be won by the Russian but,not if 12 or more guys is setting back sniping out of windows or w/e.If you want to shoot out of windows on this map you should play the Germans.This map reminds me of the Kaukasus map in Ro1 except it was the Germans attacking.It may have been even harder and the attacker couldn't hang back and camp or they would loose.

This goes back to my pet peeve riflemen thinking their only a sniper and should ignore the caps.Its not your rifle we need in the cap its you body so we can start the capture.While I'm not saying its not a tough map but its a map where you can't depend on 6 assault guys to do all the capping for ya.

The key to winning Commissars

Spoiler!

 

[CommieKid]

Solution: Play Countdown.

 

[Icey_Pain]

Solution: Play Countdown.

While this map is pretty good on countdown, I tend to play territory more since it offers a slower game. I don't like games being over within 3 minutes to be honest.

 

[Rumpullpus]

actually like this map as the allies. SLs just need to do their damn jobs and pop smoke out at D and at the water treatment place. also helps to have a competant tanker that doesnt just sit in the spawn as the panzers spawn camp.

map could use more trenches for the allies but other then that its a good map that reminds me alot of the old RO1 maps.

 

[The Beast (nl)]

If the russian side works together then it is winnable. But i haven`t
seen this in this map, yah okay but that was on the german side.

 

[Sufyan]

[everything]

Soulmate. Especially the riflemen = more important as soldiers than their rifle is something I've been stressing since the game was released, even using the phrase "more bodies on the objective" to describe what I want from riflemen.

If you are not trying to vastly outnumber the Germans on the capzones on Commissars', you're letting them win. Sniping window to window scores the odd kill and presents yourself as a target while the enemy respawns faster than you can kill them. Going in there stabbing Fritz in the spine wins the game because it means you're capturing the objective while Fritz respawns.

 

[Thaelyn]

Some of the most fun and rewarding matches I've had in RO2 have been on the Soviet side of Commisar's House. Just last night I was in a pub match (all my matches are pubs because I'm not in any clan, hehe) and the effectiveness of the communication going on was astounding (I assume on both sides, because the match was tense, hard fought, and very close). A TL communicating where arty was coming, SL's actively marking requested arty targets, coordinated use of smoke, advancing assault teams covered by machine gunners, marksmen, and riflemen, AT soldiers destroying tanks efficiently all came together beautifully.

Admittedly, we still lost the match, but I don't think it was because of the map design. With the coordination going on with the Soviet side and the strength of the German counter attack I believe that the enemy team was employing a similar level of communication and coordination.

Just goes to prove that losing can be fun in a well played match.

 

[Nezzer]

This map is great, but LOCKDOWN again kills all the fun giving the Russians 7min to capture 3 objectives at the same time sometimes. If the Germans manage to retake an objective, the Russians are instantly doomed. Lockdown needs to go and the guy who came up with it should be forced to play every day as a Russian on Commissar's House for the rest of his life.