Company of Heroes 3 Update Operation Sapphire Jackal Patch Notes

The Company of Heroes 3 game has received a major update called Operation Sapphire Jackal, which was released on March 28, 2023. The update introduces several new features such as Challenges, Cosmetics, and two new currencies - War Bonds and Merit. The Challenges offer players new ways to play the game and earn rewards, while the new currencies allow for greater customization of units and equipment.

The update also includes various fixes and improvements to the game. One notable change is the addition of new audio cues, such as a crowd swell and trench whistle for the War Cry ability, and an audio cue for when a player joins or leaves a party. The update also includes fixes for animation issues, visual bugs, and missing destruction for certain assets.

In terms of user interface and user experience, the update includes a full review of all text in the UI, improved control remapping, and exclusive control groups for squads. The update also includes fixes for maps, such as adding missing cover and fixing an issue where certain buildings would not allow units to kill the last few enemies holed up inside them.

Lastly, the update includes fixes for rendering and stability issues, such as removing bloom and fixing a bug that could cause a soft lock if the player started a campaign mission with another in-game window open. Overall, Operation Sapphire Jackal brings significant improvements and new content to Company of Heroes 3, This was a preview of the news, check it out now in more detail.

NEW CONTENT

With this update, we're introducing Challenges, Cosmetics and 2 new currencies (War Bonds and Merit) for more details,

Fixes

Audio

• All new voiceover for Gurkha Infantry unit.
• Added audio cue for when a player joins or leaves a party.
• Audio adjustments for map pings.
• Audio improvements for the War Cry ability: All players will now hear a trench whistle followed by a crowd swell indicating the ability has been activated.
• Combat music no longer starts immediately after intro to the Pomigliano airfield mission in the Italy Dynamic Campaign.
• Errant intel no longer plays before Corporal Conti's objective outline at the beginning of random skirmishes in the Italian Dynamic Campaign.
• Fixed a bug that occurs when recovering an enemy vehicle and the vehicle would retain the enemy voice.
• Fixed an issue where M2A1 Howitzers were missing voiceover lines.
• Fixed an issue where mortars recrewed by the Afrikakorps would have no voice.
• Fixed an issue where restoring a wrecked vehicle would not play sound effects.
• Fixed an issue where Victory and Defeat screen voiceover sometimes did not play.
• Fixed an unnecessary intel message that played when using a CWT truck to recrew a team weapon.
• Fixed capture point sound effects when neutralized.
• Fixed recon ability sound effects being heard in the fog of war.
• Fixed silent voiceover line at the end of the defend Potenza mission.
• Fixed the Humber 15mm turret's sound effects for fire rate.
• Hover sound effects properly play in the Select Map screen.
• Intel voiceover warnings for weapon crews such as Anti-Tank-guns and Mortars didn't play when the unit was lost. Voiceover warnings now play correctly.
• Refined the voiceover selection logic to reduce the recurrence of memorable lines.
• Sound effect properly plays when hovering over A.I. difficulty settings.
• Squads garrisoned in buildings now give a voiceover warning when the building is at risk of being destroyed.
• The Humber Armored Car and CMP 15cwt Truck now have a radio effect applied to their voice lines.
• The Paratrooper Squad's M1 Carbine now plays unique firing sound effects.
• US Forces halftracks now play different audio after being upgraded.
• US Forces infantry will make footsteps sound when retreating.
• US Forces Intel referred to Pathfinders as scouts when deployed from the HQ. They are now correctly referred to as Pathfinders.
• Victory and Defeat music on the results screen is no longer affected by the muffling effect on remaining battle sounds.

Art

• Added missing destruction to wrecked truck asset.
• Buildings under construction no longer appear completed if you move the camera.
• Fixed an issue where the main menu background would not appear.
• Fixed lighting on the Battleship in the Italian Dynamic Campaign map.
• Fixed missing hole in breech of British 6 pounder Anti-Tank gun.
• Fixed several visual issues with debris physics from destroyed buildings.
• Fixed taillights for Sherman tanks to bring them closer to real life taillights.
• Fixed texture issue with Stuka plane wrecks already on maps that appear pure black.
• Fixed textures on SSF Commando Squads Johnson LMG so it is not showing just black in game.
• Flammerthrower weapon is no longer using player colors. It will display with default texture in the game
• Kettenkrad communication cables have an updated texture and color.
• Sherman tanks explode with improved smoke effects.
• Sherman Whizbang turret now has the correct color and material upon being upgraded.
• The Devil's Brigade Sherman now has the correct material on its upgraded 76mm turret.
• The flag on the Devil's Brigade victory point now connects with the flagpole.
• Gurkhas now equip, attach, and animate correctly when obtaining new weapons.
• US Forces M1 Anti-Tank gun team now holds their team weapon properly.
• Victory and Defeat videos are now displayed in high resolution.
• Wehrmacht Pioneers and Fallschirmpioneers now place schu-mine 42s when instructed instead of S-mines.

Animation

• Engineers will no longer T-pose when canceling construction or having construction aided by another squad.
• Engineers will no longer T-pose when reinforcing a squad.
• Fixed an animation issue when units attempted to ride the Centaur IV Medium Tank.
• Fixed an issue that could cause animation bugs upon reloading a save.
• Fixed animation issues that could occur when a medic was carrying a casualty and their assigned medical building was destroyed
• Fixed several visual issues with spent magazines remaining in the weapon during reload animations.
• Infantry will no longer look like they are falling when near destroyed churches.
• Mortar crews no longer get stuck in an infinite animation loop when they retreat after issuing a stop command during an ability.
• Mortar crews no longer T-pose when retreating just as they are hit by another mortar.
• Smoothed airplane turning for certain bombing run and supply run abilities.
• The Afrikakorps 254 Reconnaissance Tractor's commander no longer has binoculars stuck to their face.
• Units will no longer get stuck for several seconds if given a queued retreat order after an order to recrew an abandoned Heavy Weapon.
• US Forces Heavy Machine Gun crews no longer have their ammo boxes float around after one of their comrades is killed.
• Wehrmacht units holding STG 44s will no longer T-pose when rapidly turning around.
• When aiming at a bridge with "Destroy Obstacles" ability, US Forces Bazooka squad members no longer T-pose to assert dominance over the bridge.
• When riding in a vehicle towing a Heavy Weapon, the weapon's crew will try to keep their hands, feet, and heads inside the vehicle at all times.

UI/UX

We performed a full review of all text in our User Interface.

• A.I. players listed in the custom browse game screen now display the correct icon.
• Added a confirmation when leaving the settings that leaving with unsaved changes will discard them. Also applies to control remapping.
• Added a settings option to enable exclusive control groups. Exclusive control groups make squads only occupy one control group at a time, like previous CoH games
• Added Labels to all missing Player Statistics in the Post-Match Screen.
• Added a icon status when in idle state to the Hellcat Aimed Shot ability.
• Adjusted the color, styling, and duration of many event cues that appear on the left edge of the screen during real-time gameplay.
• Battlegroup icons now remain visible after switching sides in the lobby.
• Chat box no longer stretches when typing very long messages.
• Company names in skirmish missions are no longer cut off in Japanese.
• Description of Companies in skirmish missions are no longer cut off in Japanese.
• Fixed "Recently played with" list.
• Fixed a bug where changing UI settings in Main Menu would not impact single player skirmish.
• Fixed an issue causing input to be blocked when exiting loading screens in certain cases.
• Fixed an issue in the tutorial in which hint arrows were not being removed upon objective completion.
• Fixed an issue that caused some objectives to be started multiple times.
• Fixed an issue where campaign save/load would become inaccessible after playing a skirmish game in single player.
• Fixed an issue where clearing any grid key hotkey did not clear.
• Fixed an issue where left and right mouse buttons (Mouse 1 / Mouse 2) had missing text in the settings under View and Remap Controls.
• Fixed several issues related to special characters not displaying correctly in non-English languages.
• Fixed several issues with missing hotkeys on the command card.
• Fixed tooltip information on invite to party button.
• Hotkey remap prompt no longer cuts off text in Japanese.
• In "View and Remap Controls" settings, keys that cannot be re-assigned can no longer be cleared.
• Party chat box no longer appears when not in a party.
• Pause menu will be closed at the end of match before transitioning to Victory/Defeat screen
• Realigned tooltip positions on main menu buttons.
• Replaced several icons and portraits with the correct Company of Heroes 3 icons
• Scorecard and elapsed time are now properly hidden when using CTRL+Shift+? to enable screenshot mode.
• Text in the load screen is no longer cut off in Japanese.
• Updated Unique Player Color option. Colors are now unique per team: allies will be cool colors, and enemies will be warm.

Maps

• Added missing cover to many objects in the environment.
• Fixed an issue where certain buildings would not let units kill the last few enemies holed up inside them.
• Fixed an issue where territory lines did not draw correctly on stairs.
• Fixed an issue with certain buildings where units retreating from inside the building would get stuck when trying to exit.
• Fixed an issue with territory being drawn outside the playable area of the map.
• Fixed several issues related to bridges not correctly having cover.
• Fixed several issues with indestructible hedges.
• Fixed several issues with small objects taking up too much space when blocking unit movement.
• Improved width of impasse around some cliff areas to reduce clipping.
• Minor adjustments to Strategic and Victory Point locations on (6) Gazala Landing Ground to ensure the Western points favor the Southern team, and Eastern points favor the Northern team.
• Removed cover from Greek staircases to prevent unintended gameplay issues.
• Territory layout adjusted on (8) Mignano Gap to ensure a fair dispersal of munitions resources near each Team's HQ areas.
• Tiger Heavy Tank call-in can no longer get stuck behind the Wehrmacht HQ on the Winter Line map.
• Updated hangar assets to no longer provide cover. Suspended sections were providing cover to units beneath them.
• Updated map edge visuals, including railway tunnel and rail lines.
• Updated rock geometry to be impassible, preventing undesirable clipping.
• Updated terrain behind several rows of buildings to prevent a blocker building from being indestructible.

Rendering/Stability

• Bloom was removed. Fixed blur or "haze" on the maps.
• Fixed a bug that could cause a soft lock if the player started a campaign mission with another in-game window open
• Fixed a bug where sometimes skipping a cutscene would cause the game to crash.
• Fixed a crash caused by A.I. trying to give movement orders to emplacements that lost line of sight of their target due to smoke.
• Fixed a crash related to the Tungsten Round ability used by Partisan marksmen.
• Fixed a crash that sometimes happened when loading a save game
• Fixed an issue where capped FPS was higher (by as much as 10fps) than the set cap due some time not being accumulated frame-to-frame.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes the green dots used to indicate cover would be rendered floating in the air.
• Fixed an issue with units not rendering properly after adjusting the game scale in Graphics settings and then zooming the camera out.
• Reduced memory increases across missions.

Tactical Map

• Fixed an issue with the tactical map where capture point animations were offset.

Gameplay

Though this update does not include what we consider a “full” balance pass, we have made several changes to help shake up multiplayer and co-op. We’ll be keeping an eye on your feedback and matches and will roll out further balance adjustments in a timely fashion.

Single player

• British Humber "Forward Barrage" ability no longer requires specific base buildings to be alive.
• Churchill IV Heavy Tank call-in tooltip has been updated to reflect that it calls in ONE tank, not TWO.
• Convoy routes in certain single player campaign missions no longer get stuck on the mini map.
• Fixed an issue where the campaign call-in for Medical Half-Tracks and Medical CWTTrucks did not display their population on the ability UI.
• Fixed an issue where the Italian Front CMP 15cwt Truck did not have a veterancy 1 ability like its African front variant.
• Fixed an issue where the Italian Front CMP 15cwt Truck used the medical variant's portrait.
• Fixed an issue where the Stuart in certain campaign missions was using the incorrect portrait.
• Fixed upgrade inconsistencies between the CMP15 CWT Truck that comes towing the 17-Pounder and the one built from the Platoon Command Post
• US Forces Airborne Company now correctly reduces the cost of bombing runs after unlocking the Cost Reduction upgrade.

Italian Dynamic Campaign

• Added an impasse to prevent players from entering cliff rock assets placed throughout Hill Highway missions.
• Added description text on Supply Drop Crates
• Added relevant requirement text to the Heal, Repair, & Encircle abilities when out of range
• Adding correct portraits to Supply Drop Crates
• Adjusted and clarified objective text throughout the Italian Dynamic Campaign.
• Adjusted buildings in Salerno mission to avoid overlapping placement.

• Adjusted description for the following UK Artillery company abilities/upgrades to match their functionality in-game more accurately:

• Battle Hardened - "Raises minimum Veterancy Level of Gurkha Rifles to 2."

• First Class Fighting Men - "Raises minimum Veterancy Level of all infantry squads to 1."

• Adjusted out of bounds vista to make for a smoother transition in the distance.

• Adjusted position of Stuka assets in Pomigliano to prevent them from appearing sunken into the ground.

• Adjusted the first few steps of the tutorial to restrict what the player can interact with.

• Adjusted timing of Conti's voiceover to not overlap with sitreps.

• Anti-Air Emplacements can no longer shoot at Supply Crates.

• Anti-Air emplacements no longer attack ships in the Italian Dynamic Campaign.

• Assassinate Baumann objective was autocompleting. Now the mission must be played.

• Adjusted the narrative objectives/dialogue in the Italian Dynamic Campaign to present less to the player on one turn. This will only be seen on new playthroughs, ongoing playthroughs will not be affected.

• Companies requisitioned through a seaport now have the proper cost modifiers applied to their Heal & Repair abilities.

• During campaign skirmishes, enemy squads no longer pick up supply caches at the start of the 'Recover Discarded Supplies' bonus objective,

• Enemy companies in the Italian Dynamic Campaign now use recon abilities more consistently.

• Fixed a bug in which narrative lines in the "Ice Cream" event could play out of order.

• Fixed a bug that caused the bombing run to fail after capturing 3 towns in the Volturno Line.

• Fixed a narrative bug in the "Operation Morning Glory" mission where a line's audio was assigned to the wrong character.

• Fixed air supremacy ability of P-47 not dealing any damage

• Fixed an issue in the Anzio mission where enemy units would spawn during a cutscene.

• Fixed an issue on certain missions where US Forces infantry were not properly displaying veterancy options.

• Fixed an issue that prevented description text from appearing on the "Swap Company" ability button.

• Fixed an issue where an affecter slot that is supposed to be empty would sometimes be occupied by the affecter from the previous skirmish/mission

• Fixed an issue where C-47 transport aircraft spawned in airfields and captured by companies with the "Air Support" trait were not displayed in the airfield management page.

• Fixed an issue where Repair and Heal cost increased on Save/Load

• Fixed an issue where ships moved via the "Transfer Seaports" ability could not move on following turns.

• Fixed an issue where some mini maps did not orient North correctly.

• Fixed an issue where the "Destroying the Guns" objective in the Gela mission would not complete properly before ending the mission.

• Fixed an issue where the Marston Mats upgrade was not correctly reducing the fuel/munitions cost of aircraft abilities on the Dynamic Campaign Map.

• Fixed an issue where the partisan capture ability would sometimes not do anything

• Fixed an issue where the population cap was not increasing properly when picked as a reward for completing the southern foothold objective.

• Fixed an issue with certain bridges not allowing vehicles to cross properly.

• Fixed an issue with certain bridges where paratroopers would be unable to cross them after spawning on the wrong side.

• Fixed dialogue bugs in the "The Winter Line" mission in which lines were assigned to the wrong characters.

• Fixed objective UI language being incorrect when loading a save that was made in a different language.

• Fixed partisan affecter sometimes not being selectable in skirmish/mission.

• Fixed several issues where units could move through cliffs or rock faces.

• Fixed several typos and inconsistencies in the game's text.

• Fixed the following towns (Lesina, Altamura) from running duplicate missions that were already used elsewhere.

• German Companies can no longer heal within the first 10 turns unless they are near a Hospital or Triage Centre.

• German Company affecters correspond with their Company Type.

• If a Company is within range of the target and has 0 Movement Points it should still be able to heal or repair it.Navy Salvage and Repair ability have been moved so they are no longer overlapped by other abilities

• In the Anzio mission, aircraft can now be used without being shot down if the "Destroy AA Guns" objective was previously completed.

• Removed friendly fire damage from area of effect abilities like Barrage, Bombardment, and Bombing Run.

• Replaced Forward HQ in Defend Salerno mission with a standard Headquarters building.

• Some missions in the Italian Dynamic Campaign now only trigger once.

• The enemy territory that exists directly east of the player base in Gela now becomes player owned once the territory point to its north is captured by the player to better reflect territorial gains. Previously, it stayed enemy owned because it is not capturable and has no resources.

• The Foggia mission in the Italian Dynamic Campaign now correctly registers when intel has been destroyed.

• The rewarded Destroyer is no longer stuck at the seaport after repairing the seaport

• Updated Mignano Gap territory balance and improved southernmost engagement area to be approachable from more angles. When attacking Salerno, the British Indian Artillery company no longer starts with free veterancy on their first infantry units.

North African Operation

• Added a fix for a specific Save/Load issue that affected a kill counter not updating properly in Ajdabiya and “Fire with Fire” missions
• Adjusted some tutorial text to include special cases when using different control profiles.
• Corrected historical facts on a loading screen that claimed Italian and German troops clashed with British forces in 1940, when German forces did not arrive until February 1941.
• Fixed a narrative bug in the "The Great Ammo Robbery" mission where a line's audio was missing and assigned to the wrong character.
• Fixed an issue where destroying enemy vehicles for an optional objective would complete the primary mission objective and end the mission early.
• Fixed an issue where sometimes victory cinematics would play twice.
• Fixed an issue with subtitles not appearing at the correct time.
• Fixed missing Mission Failed dialog in certain campaign missions.
• Fixed several instances of overly zealous infantry running towards the enemy when retreating.
• Fixed several issues of missing voiceover dialog in campaign missions.
• Fixed several issues with camera fadeouts flickering or happening at the incorrect time during mission sitreps.
• Fixed units clipping into each other during the introductory camera pan.
• In the Enigma retrieval mission, added a small lump sum of manpower (adjusted by difficulty) when the special aid station is captured to allow for limited reinforcements. The limited amount is to preserve a raiding party/commando "fixed force" feel that is smaller in scope than a typical skirmish or a larger scenario. A notification to the player is given when they get the resource.
• Removed an unintended vehicle ability from the Ajdabiya mission

Multiplayer

• Added missing foundation under some exterior props for German Luftwaffe Kompanie to stop them from floating if built on uneven terrain.
• Afrikakorps "Emergency Repair Kits" upgrade no longer works while vehicles are moving.
• Afrikakorps Panzerjagers no longer receive the Salvage Kit ability.
• British Forward Observer Barrage abilities now consistently require that a barrage not already be active.
• British Infantry Section's "Forward Barrage" ability no longer throws a flare but uses flares consistent with the Dingo and Humber.
• British Matilda II Heavy Tank will now shoot infantry with its coaxial machine gun.
• DAK Panzer IV and StuG G now properly provide the benefits of armory upgrades.
• Fixed a bug where Afrikakorps Panzer III tanks could not use their smoke launchers a second time after the ability was used once.
• Fixed a bug where US forces Armored Battlegroup's "Fast Deploy" ability was not properly reducing production times.
• Fixed a UI issue where the Fallschirmpioneer icon would appear locked in the Battlegroup menu when Infantry Reserves was unlocked.
• Fixed an issue where Battlegroup Icons on the player list were incorrect.
• Fixed an issue where the Churchill Command Tank call-in did not reference the proper unit and its abilities.
• Fixed an issue where the cost for Carpet Bomb and Rocket Strafe refunded 1 CP when unlocked.
• Fixed an issue where the Grenadier Medkit would not heal the squad while moving
• Fixed an issue where the LG 40 could not be paradropped if they had 5 or less population space available.
• Fixed an issue where the LG 40 could not be paradropped if they had 5 or less population space available.
• Fixed an issue with the Airborne Rally company ability was not applying bonuses correctly.
• Flare and Smoke cooldowns will now persist when upgrading from Scouts to Pathfinders
• Improved handling of disconnects while the game is loading
• Infantry Section "Forward Barrage" ability no longer requires specific base buildings to be alive.
• Killing Wehrmacht infantry now correctly updates the kill count UI.
• Smoke Rifle Grenade minimum range now correctly set at 15
• Stuart Mark Target can no longer stack.
• Taking the Pathfinders upgrade for Scouts in the US Forces Airborne Battlegroup now works correctly on scouts that were in the building's production queue at the time the upgrade was taken. Previously they would spawn without the extra unit in the squad.
• The Afrikakorps Italian Infantry Battlegroup's Cannone da 105/28 Howitzer can now shoot at its minimum range.
• The British Air and Sea Battlegroup's Supply Surplus ability is no longer available for other factions.
• The US forces Special Operations battlegroup's "Assault Operation" ability no longer disables retreat while active.
• US Forces Heavy Machine Gun fighting positions no longer displays a veterancy bar.
• US Forces Heavy Weapons stolen by other factions now keep their veterancy abilities.
• US Forces Infantry Support Center's "Advanced Logistics" discount has been adjusted to be more consistent across every unit. Previously, the amount varied slightly between units.
• US Forces SSF Commando squad's demolition charge description updated to reflect that it is a manual rather than a timed trigger.
• Wehrmacht MG 42 Bunker impasse bug has been fixed. Previously it was not blocking units' pathfinding or other building's construction, leading to unintended gameplay issues, like being able to stack four bunkers for a 360° area coverage.

Multiplayer - Balance changes

Infantry and Mortar Flares

• Mortar and Infantry flare duration decreased from 30 to 15

Loiters
Loiters were clearly over tuned across the board, being very oppressive and offering little counterplay. We’ve toned down these abilities so that their impact is more appropriate for their costs.

British Forces Anti-tank Rocket Loiter

• Munition cost increased from 120 to 180
• Typhoon rocket damage from 200 to 100
• Typhoon rocket count from 6 to 5 per pass

Wehrmacht Luftwaffe Stuka Loiter

• Stuka Anti-Infantry Loiter damage from 30 to 20
• Stuka Anti-Tank Loiter damage against vehicles from 50 to 25
• Stuka Anti-Tank Loiter rate of fire from 15 to 12

Afrikakorps Armored Support Anti-Tank Loiter

• Munition cost reduced from 225 to 180

US Forces Airborne Reinforcement Loiter

• Fixed the ability reinforcing squad to full strength even after the ability was over
• Maximum number of reinforce entities from infinite to 12-15 total
• Munition cost increased from 80 to 150
• Reinforce rate dramatically reduced to 1 model replaced every 4 seconds

US FORCES

Engineer Squad

• US Forces Engineer squad's "Light It Up" veterancy ability can now be used without a Flamethrower. Costs 30 munitions without flamethrower upgrade.

Pathfinders
We have found that Pathfinders provide too much momentum and utility in the early game, allowing players to rush out the overperforming Sherman 76mm Tanks. We have made adjustments to make this build less oppressive and will be closely monitoring the strategy.

• Build time increased from 25 to 33
• Flare ability range decreased from 50 to 40
• Now have access to the Utility Package; Flares, Rifle Smoke Grenades and Rifle Grenades now all require the Utility Package
• Reinforcement cost increase from 25 to 30 manpower
• Smoke Rifle Grenade recharge time increased from 120 to 180
• Upkeep per population increased from 1 to 1.25 manpower per minute

Scouts

• Build time increased from 25 to 33

76mm Sherman

• AOE damage drop-off reduced to Sherman 75mm levels
• AOE model damage cap decreased from 4 to 3

AFRIKAKORPS

Carro Armato M13/40 Light Tank
The M13/40 was too efficient for its timing and cost. Combined with a powerful veterancy ability and bugged ability, the M13/40 scaled to a point it could out-compete higher tier tanks. The following changes tone these factors down.

• AP Rounds penetration bonus from +90% to +33%
• Fuel cost increased from 45 to 50
• Italian Vanguard reload bonuses per nearby Italian unit from -10% to -5%. Reload bonus maxes out at -25% or 5 units
• Main Weapon rate of fire decreased from 3.2/3.5 to 3.5/4.125 seconds