In this post, I will outline my ideas on how to balance the Russian TT effectively with the US between 11.3-12.3 to create a cool 1980s BR bracket that I think would be fun to play. This would consist of two main things, I will give each one its own poll. I want to add a caveat that I think all of these changes would work best if the top tier BR was shifted to 13.0 at least. Especially with the addition of late '90s FOX3s to the game in June, there needs to be a good degree of seperation from the planes newer than the '80s, (F16C, JAS39, M2K-5F, and MIG29SMT to name a few). A BR lock such as the old one that seperated 9.7 from 10.0 back in the day could also be instated if necessary. I think this lock would probably seperate 12.3 from 12.7 and make sure that '80s era planes don’t need to contend with the modern stuff. These changes would be accompanied by the removal of the AIM 9M from
The F-15A, and similar smokeless IRCCM missiles from the F-15J and F-15A Baz
My overall idea with this thread can be summarized as wanting to make a bracket of R-27R/T/R-73 vs AIM-7M/AIM-9L
I only really play US and USSR frequently, so any minor nation players who know how this BR bracket could be adapted to their country, please chime in.
1st aspect: MIG 29
The 1st aspect of this that I want to go over is the MIG 29. More specifically, the MIG-29 (9.13). I think as in real life, the MIG29 in game should serve as the Russian counterpart to the F-16. It was a light fighter not meant to go toe to toe with the F14 or F15. I think this plane is kind of in an odd spot right now with its loadout. It has R60Ms from the 1970s, but R27ERs from the 1990s. I think what should happen with the MIG29 is that it should lose its R27ERs but gain access to R73s. This would put some real differences into play between Russian and American playstyles, as the Russians would have a huge leg up in any sort of merge but they would have to be smart in getting there. The inverse would be true for Americans. In my experience with the R-27R and T, I find that they are still pretty good missiles, just a little behind the late Sparrows. I am of the opinion though that this shortcoming would be made up for by the presence of the Archer.
- Yes
- No
2nd aspect: SU27S Early
I think that the first change would not be complete without this second change. In my other post I say that the F14B and F15A were essential parts of this 1980s BR bracket idea. I mentioned in the MIG29 post that the MIG29 in my eyes is not really supposed to be able to go up against the Tomcat or Eagle, so I think that by adding an early variant of the SU27, one that also would not have access to the R27ER/ET, at a BR of 12.3, would be an ideal way to give the Russian tech tree a competitive yet balanced counterpart to the American heavy fighters.
- Yes
- No
To close, I just ask that you all please try not to grill me too hard. Just like you, I want to make this game fun for everyone so if I suggest something here that you think is egregious, I implore you to trust that I did it in good faith.