Tales of Valor is a new CoH expansion pack out on 09-Apr and available through steam and shops.:
http://community.companyofheroesgame.com/company-heroes-tales-valor

By the way, the latest patch includes the new maps. You don't have to have the expansion to play the maps with standard COH or OppFront. Its a big download though with their new p2p downloader.

cheers Nige, I take it you still play?

mostly against the comp on the highest setting. Played one of the new 2p maps this morning - beach assault. But set opponent to hard. Took me 90 mins which is unheard of. Killed over 480 yanks before I finally won.

jesus Nige that's almost genicide

I might put it back on the laptop and start it back up again

It gets worse. On Ruins of Rouen against a hard yank opponent a couple of weeks ago, I was down to two cap points at one stage and most of my gear was inside my HQ compound, getting shelled. Hard to get any kinda defensive line built long enough to level/build up.

Still, it makes for a nice challenge.

ok I have put it back on the lappy and have started playing in the evenings when i have finsished my work as it were (cant play BF2 again until I have done my exam in September as Mrs Rodweiller has confiscated my disc!!!!) So I get to play late when I am watching telly.

I have to say either I am stupid or I have missed something in training as I have to play easy to win at the moment and I have beaten other strategy games on expert.

I do like a challenge however.

A tutorial from a genius would be appreciated though (2 v comp fro instance)

Yeah I dunno what they did to the AI but its as if they shifted em all down one level. So playing against a hard computer oppo now is like playing against an expert computer oppo before. The comp's got very aggressive.

Basically chuck in a defensive line that you can hold till you build up and break out seems to be about the only strategy these days. Then when you find that does not work, try again with a smaller defensive line!

cheers Nige,

That was the only way I could find any chance of winning, run like hell to the choke points of the map and hold it while I get more troops to take the lands to join up with the choke points.