I think the aircraft BR and loadout do need to be remake, and this matter will be a big project because it affects a large number of stuff and the community opinions cannot be unified. However, the two meta aircrafts, IAR and P40, are definitely the top priority that need to be changed.
These two Stalingrad legacies have crazy loadout as low BR fighters, even better than many higher BR fighters, I don’t know what the devs were smoking when merging that they decided to add these two plane into low BR without any change.
Are they really all that impressive? Besides, the IAR being so low gives ammo to use against “Germany suffers,” and if the P40 is right behind it then the Sovies can’t complain about air power either
As of now, the rocket and bomb load out is of secondary consideration.
BR2 Stuka has 250kg and 4 50kg bombs, same as BR5 FW190 D12.
Turn time, speed and acceleration are the prime factors of BR.
FW190 have 30mm cannon with HE
Yes, air performance affect BR.
But IAR and P40 is also have good air performance in their BR.
They can even stay there without any loadout, just using their offensive weapon to handle any threat.
IAR is slower than both BF109s and especially American P-38G/P51C that completely dominate BR2. Soviets also have IL-2 that always spam it’s rockets, bombs and cannons not only American P40.
Sure take it to BR2 but taking his bombs would make plane into worthless slow brick that can’t do anything on it’s own. BR1 doesn’t exist in this game just like BR4 both are mirage BR that are always uptiered.
Well; then I had a very different gameplay experience. BR 1 almost never see BR 3 anymore and BR4 still get less BR 5 than before. But that is not the discussion anyway.
IAR is better than any plane at BR 1 and should not stay at that BR. Same goes for Soviet P-40 and and any P-38; they should all go up in BR.
planes being inherently lower performing than tanks requires them to be stronger than tanks to be viable. despite both these planes looking strong, they are needed as viable counters to low BR/mid BR tanks that can also create enough exp/minute after bombing tanks. most planes, especially the weak ones, are too weak to affect games in a meaningful way. therefore comparing the few viable planes with underpowered planes that cant be responsibly played and calling the playable planes “OP” becomes a fallacy.
this becomes clear if you look at japanese low & mid BR planes: every single one in the tech tree is unplayable if you want to be remotely competitive.
This means that the few aircraft you consider “playable” are OP
If there are a lot of options in a game, but the vast majority of players only use one, then something is wrong and they should be adjusted to either make them all “playable” or all of them “unplayable”
Most are “unplayable” => outstanding ones should be Nerfed
Few are “unplayable” => those behind should be Buffed
Most as ? Id choose the BF109 with 4x50kg any given day over stuka. Merely due to speed of 109 and the fact it can actually fight in the air.
And the 4x50 most of time does take out tanks just as the bigger bombs.
Average players ? I guess they might focus on bomb load, but doubt anyone who knows anything about the game would do so.
A pass on aircraft loadouts and balancing was asked for several times, lots of aircraft make zero sense, many should be lowered, some should be raised, lots of ordinance options can be made much more interesting:
P-40E1 is a shit aircraft, but I would agree on IAR to move to BR 2 because it is kinda OP plane right there.
Well good luck getting behind IAR with your turtle maneuver. They literally outmaneuver you very easily if you are aware of surroundings. P-40E1 cant even pull up, pull down, or turn side to side very well.