Is anyone else actually tired of this? I’ve earned a 14.3 jet, and I’m feeling like I’m being rewarded for failing to grind. We’ve reached a point in top-tier Air RB where the game play has completely abandoned any relation to reality, logic, or even “fun.”
Is it really good game design to have 16v16 battles on maps where you’re in launch range in 45 seconds or less after takeoff? We’re not flying fighter jets; we’re playing a hell rhythm game where the rhythm is the sound of your RWR shouting at 140 decibels.
In the most absurdly realistic combat situation imaginable, a fighter pilot wouldn’t be defending against a wall of 10+ ARH missiles before he can even begin to level out. WT gives you one AMRAAM/R-77, and you realize there are six more waiting for you. Oh, and don’t worry about your tactics; there’s a Rafale’s MICA waiting for you too. It’s not “skillful positioning” when the entire map is a no-fly zone.
If you aren’t spending Golden Eagles to skip to the ARH/Chaff modules, you aren’t playing the game—you’re a target drone for the paying customers. Gaijin knows this. They treat basic survival tools like Chaff and G-suits as “luxuries” because frustration is a proven business model. If you’re miserable, you’re more likely to pay to end the misery.
The worst part? We’ve stopped yelling. We had the 2023 roadmap because we stood together, but now we’re just… tired. We complain in match chats, we’ve made the “16v16 is too much” posts a weekly ritual, but there’s no unified push.
As long as the “Buy GE” button is being clicked and the community stays quiet on the big platforms, nothing will change. Gaijin isn’t going to fix the furball meta or the stock grind out of the goodness of their hearts. They’ll keep adding shiny new AESA-equipped toys to the same 2014-era game modes until the mode finally collapses.
Top tier needs 8v8 or 10v10 max. It needs stock Chaff. It needs a complete overhaul of Air RB. But mostly, it needs a community that isn’t too burnt out to demand it.
