0.3 or 0.7 would not only break the system which is in many ways designed around 1.0, but also very importantly it’s entirely unintuitive. The actual solution is just to move somethings further apart (though not actually as much as some people like to yell for).
Something else which would help with balancing without affecting compression/matchmaking would be to actually use all decimal points. This would more than triple the nuance that can be applied to balance, especially vehicles that are close-but-different in performance, with no actual downsides. And it’s more intuitive.
It really wouldn’t though, some vehicles would definitely need br adjustments but there is nothing stopping you from having the same lineup as before but with less matchmaking spread.
So what you’re saying is vehicles would be moved from BRs where they’re balanced for the sake of lineups, and you’re in favor of this? You think that’s decompression? To effectively reduce the number of BRs by squishing, literally compressing, vehicles into single-BR lineups?
Part of the problem is Gaijin trying to go for the record of we have the most vehicles than any other game award.
A vast amount of ships/planes and vehicles have no place or point in the game, so they have to balance them to make them playable to some extent. all this does is either moves the problem to somewhere else or creates an unbalanced situation to the advantage or detriment of certain vehicles.
Having the random RNG/ghost shells built into the game can alleviate this but this is done across the board so everybody suffers.
Yes it is nice not to all be using the same thing ( realistically that was a thing though) but the mechanics of the game curtail this a lot and some vehicles are practically unplayable to the point of uselessness.
interesting suggestion. however, not everyone who plays this game will agree with how decompression should be done. what you are suggesting creates more compression which would be even worse than what it is currently.
The current ‘worse’ BR range is 9.3 to 11.3. Most vehicles that are seen are premiums driven by new players to the game (Hey remember when Sean said “Top Tier premiums would be added”? That is some excellent foreshadowing.
Some ideas are below:
Give tank shells values closer to their IRL penetration values unless a shell is still classified and even adjust composite armor appropriately.
For instance:
Cartridge, 105mm, APDSFS, FP105 (C76A1) is stated to be able to pen a NATO Single Heavy Target at a distance in excess of 4,000m and a NATO Triple Heavy Target at a distance in excess of 6,000m with an obliquity of 65 degrees
I personally would like to see the vehicle eras separated into several sections (more if WWI equipment gets added) as follows:
Inter War/early WWII
Mid/Late WWII
Early Cold War
Mid Cold War
Late Cold War/21st Century.
One could even go with a simpler idea and separate Inter War and WWII tech from Cold War and 21st Century tech. (I think this was actually suggested to Gaijin).
If this does not get implemented, what do we do then? Raise the max BR to, say, 18.0 and spread out all BRs from Reserve to top tier? I think this would make vehicles like the Maus and other vehicles that are harder to balance due to a variety of reasons, much easier to balance.
As I said at the start, not everyone will agree with any one idea (some might be your average internet troll). The final solution might be a mix of ideas in an attempt to satisfy the masses.
This is exactly why we need a complete overhaul of the economy. We put together a detailed community proposal to fix these core issues without hurting Gaijin’s revenue. Here are the main points we suggest:
Repair Cost Cap (10,000 SL)
Top-tier vehicles (like the T-90A at ~12,000 SL or Leopard 2A6 at ~11,500) are economically unviable for the average player. A hard cap of 10,000 SL per vehicle should be implemented. Players avoid their favorite tanks because a bad match means losing SL. Capping it encourages playing diverse vehicles and removes “SL anxiety”. This is offset by increased playtime and premium skin sales.
No-Expiry Boosters
Boosters (SL and RP) should not expire until activated. Right now, if you earn a 500% RP booster but can’t play that day, it’s gone. Let players use them when they actually have time. Zero balance impact, just respects player time.
Reduced Cost for Duplicate Ammo Research
If you researched APFSDS on the T-72A, it should cost 50% less RP on the T-72B. Basic ammo should be free on all vehicles. Grinding the exact same shell 5 times is pure tedium, not gameplay. This respects player time while still keeping a reasonable RP sink.
Gradual BR Decompression (1.0 → 0.7)
The 1.0 BR spread makes matches feel unfair (e.g., a 5.0 vehicle facing a 6.0 monster). We propose reducing the spread to 0.7 gradually (0.1 per update) and raising the BR ceiling to 13.0. Queue times will increase slightly, but we suggest a “Queue Booster” (+10% SL/RP if you wait more than 60s) to compensate.
Free Parts/FPE for Reserve Vehicles
New players start without repair or fire extinguishers, taking 5-10 matches to unlock them. This is the #1 reason people quit the game. Give Parts and FPE to all Reserve vehicles for free.
These changes are balance-safe and would massively improve player retention.
Rather than focusing on whether the gap is +0.3 or +0.7, I think the priority should be to better balance the vehicles. If a tank at BR 3.0 is simply too good, it should perhaps be moved to BR 3.3—or, at the very least, it should be reviewed to see if it’s performing better than it did in real life: whether it’s more durable, deals more damage, has better penetration, or is equipped with ammunition it never actually carried.