While it is fun to use the modern missiles, it can also be frustrating. Especially on smaller maps (which I dont reallly understand why people create lobbies for the top tier aircraft [SB BR 12.0+] with BVR combat capabilities and choose the smallest available maps for the lobby map rotation) it gets very confusing and frustrating, since as soon as you take off your AF you get multiple RWR pings and launch warnings.
Players (tired of missile spam):
On the other hand, a considerable amount of SIM players (myself obviously included) enjoy close gun-on-gun air combat much more, which is sadly very rare in the top tier air battles in general, but much more immersive and entertaining. It is very enjoyable to dogfight in the modern jets.
Suggestion:
Therefore i suggest (in my opinion easy to implement) this solution: Add an option to the player, who is creating Air SB EC lobby, to disable any Air-to-Air missiles.
This could either mean disabling the entire (weapon) preset with AA missiles from use, or disabling the ability to launch them, whichever is easier to implement.
Criteria of the created lobby:
Only and all AA missiles could not be used, air-to-ground ordnance would be still available.
To avoid pure PVE lobbies, only smaller maps would be available after choosing this option (debatable).
For balancing reasons, only fully mixed teams (all nations on both sides) would be available after choosing this option.
This option could be applied to any BR bracket containing aircraft with AA missiles.
Would you like to see this option in-game? I believe that implementing this would only take few hours (at most) of coding, and then several weeks of paperwork and getting approval :). If proven successfull, this “mode” could possibly expand to RB as well.
Would you like to be able to play toptier SIM EC where you could only use guns (and ground ordnance)?
Ah yes, because dogfighting an F-16, Gripen or Mig-29 in a Tornado F3 or Sea Harrier with only guns would be excellent fun and I dont even want to think about the balance for aircraft like the Sea-Vixen or Buccanneer that dont even have guns.
Also in this gamemode, would aircraft get alternative BRs? Sea Harrier FRS1 is 10.7/11.3 only because it has Aim-9Ls, remove those and its barely 9.0 worthy.
A large number of top tier aircraft have a BR based upon their AAM loadout. Remove those and they are no longer balanced. Even among those with good handling, like say the Gripen and F-16. The Gripen has exceedingly limited amount of ammo compared to something like the F-15. Even in gun only fights, there would an element of imbalance and youd be constantly RTBing because you ran out of bullets. These aircraft were not designed as their gun to be their primary weapon only a back-up
It would be obviously visible in the menu that this lobby is “guns only”, so people wouldnt join them if they intent to play such aircraft.
Some aircraft have limited amount of missiles too, and yet they are played. You would have to play accordingly to the capabilities of your airplane, as you are now, nothing new.
However it is true that i have not considered that BR is also based on the missile armament. After subtracting this factor or gathering enough data, Gaijin could implement separate BRs for this too. I was more focused on the actual toptier airplanes.
These aircraft are in a virtual video game that is designed to be fun (and make money), and getting X RWR missile warnings on the Winter Stalingrad is not fun for me nor many others.
Your idea is not going to get a lot of support amongst the sim community and especially not amongst the top tier sim community.
Often times the reason that a lot of people play top tier is because they want the ability to sleep-walk themselves into a 90% win rate based on the virtue of having better equipment. You can look at this happen in any thread that makes even the mildest suggestion that “red” side receive any kind of buffs or American players denial that their planes are now out-right the best in basically every category that matters. Most people that play top tier are straight up lousy when it comes to any kind of gun or maneuvering combat and it’s not something they want to improve on.
Personally I do not think a big guns only mode is going to be the move. But seeing smaller 1v1 or 2v2 game modes come to sim would be a welcome change. But as I said before…I think nobody would play them. I have done symmetrical duels and asymmetrical duels with a lot of the sim community…and more often than not the reaction basically boils down to “Why bother? I know you’re going to win.”
True, yeah I forgot that ppl who will not play this “mode” nor will be affected by its existence in any way, but have the right opinion and bulletproof arguements can vote here too.
My suggestion would literally only add few mixed lobbies for the 10 people that actually care about the airplanes themselves. The normal lobbies would remain intact.
Duels or 2v2s sound interesting, but as you said, if i recognise someone who is skilled and/or has potentially better plane than me, why should i bother to even try. Thats why i think regular EC matches would be better for this, as you could pick the fights you want. You could prepare for the fight e.g. by positioning.
bruh smaller maps = higher chance of encounter. Noone is gonna fly over the entire map just to possibly shoot down someone doing CAS or bombing, that would defeat the point of my suggestion - to have entertaining, brain requiring gameplay
bruh
Now why would you want to dogfight in a Tornado or similiar? Why would you enter such lobby with a Tornado? You are aware of its characteristics, so if you really wanted to fly that, you would simply do so and wouldn’t complain, because you were looking for a challenge in the first place.
Its a good example of an aircraft design to use missile not guns. With a “gun-only” lobby. Top tier Matches would be F-16 vs F-16, with maybe the occasional Gripen or Mig-29 depending on BR. That is it. Most nations wouldnt be playable at most BRs
Lower than that, say 11.0 ish. it would be Viggens/Drakens and Mig-21s
I voted no because it would quite literally be the bombing gamemode… lots of people aren’t good with guns in sim, and they aren’t easy to use. Bombers would use this gamemode only which would essentially make it a PVE mode.
I dont see your problem. The vehicle diversity is already based on meta vehicles throughout all the gamemodes in the higher tiers. There are already F-16s versing each other, so are Mig-29s, gripens…
Obviously majority of players would play such aircraft in the lobby, since these planes are good in dogfighting. I dont understand why are you presenting this as a downside though.
OMG WHAAAAT youre using fighter for fighting and bomber for bombing?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
