Joint Operations RB: A Multicomponent Synthesis of Air & Ground to End the >10 -Year CAS Debate

Game Discussion Realistic Battle
,
1

Abstract

For over a decade, War Thunder’s Ground Realistic Battles (GRB) has remained trapped in an unstable equilibrium characterized by cyclical weapon nerfs, Spawn Point (SP) snowballing, and polarized hostility between dedicated ground and air players. Piecemeal balance adjustments consistently fail because individual vehicle classes and weapon physics are tightly coupled; altering one variable without its corresponding countermeasure inevitably produces severe secondary distortions. Drawing on over eleven years of live-server observation, this paper outlines a complete systemic replacement—Joint Operations RB—designed to establish a self-regulating combined-arms ecosystem through universal counter-measure accessibility, objective-driven spatial architecture, and restored terminal ballistics across all munitions.

Executive Summary / TL;DR
  • Universal Counter Access & Fixed Economy: Replace snowballing Spawn Points with a flat 1,000 SP budget at match start, unlimited respawns within that budget, and free default CAP fighters and SPAAGs for every player at all BRs.
  • Frictionless Air Defense & Anti-Cheese Rules: Force runway engine-off spawns for all aircraft and helicopters, eliminate kill-cam location reveals, add short-range (1.0–1.6 km) Rangefinding lead indicators to SPAAGs/roof MGs/HE-VT artillery, and restore top-tier SAM performance.
  • Objective-Driven Spatial Scaling: Expand map dimensions using spawnable “Command Posts” guarded by destructible AI pillboxes and AT guns/ATGMs, physical off-map artillery batteries players radio for Artillery Support, and bombing bases so strike aircraft and bombers possess high-reward targets independent of player armor.
  • Terminal Ballistics Restoration: Undo artificial nerfs to APCR, APDS, Solid AP, HEAT, base-fused HESH, SPAAG anti-tank belts (paired with tank cannon barrel immunity), inherited aircraft munition velocity, and realistic bomb/artillery blast + fragmentation radii.

Scope & Methodological Exclusion:

Creating isolated queues that exclude aviation fails to address any of the systemic flaws governing air-to-ground interaction in combined-arms play. Consequently, discussions advocating single-domain vehicle modes offer no corrective value to the mechanics analyzed herein and remain strictly off-topic.

Introduction:

For over a decade, discourse surrounding Ground Realistic Battles has remained locked in a recursive binary debate over whether to nerf or preserve Close Air Support (CAS). Both entrenched factions consistently misdiagnose the underlying structural failure by treating isolated weapon statistics as the root cause rather than symptoms of a flawed mode architecture. To resolve this deadlock, this paper proposes a comprehensive overhaul—effectively a “Ground RB 2.0”—formally redesignated as Joint Operations RB to replace the existing mode entirely. Beyond signaling a structural paradigm shift, this nomenclature revision deliberately eliminates the persistent semantic fallacy (“but it is Ground Battles”) frequently invoked to justify single-domain play.

Achieving a stable, self-regulating equilibrium requires simultaneously addressing four interdependent failure modes:

  1. Perverse Gameplay Mechanics: Legacy feedback loops—such as kill-cam location reveals, forward heli-pad spawns, and screen-wide capture alerts—that actively incentivize revenge-bombing and spawn-rushing.
  2. Counter-Measure Friction & Purist Entrenchment: Economic Spawn Point (SP) bottlenecks, tech-tree grind barriers, and high mechanical skill floors that discourage players from fielding air-defense counters, thereby fueling demands for aircraft removal.
  3. Objective Deficit: A lack of meaningful, high-reward tactical targets on ground maps, which forces strike aircraft and ground vehicles into direct, zero-sum attrition over identical capture points.
  4. Legacy Ballistic & Explosive Nerfs: Accumulated historical reductions to both ground and aerial munition lethality that distort terminal ballistics and undermine authentic combined-arms rock-paper-scissors balance.

Proposal

Section 1: Elimination of Perverse Feedback Loops

  • Removal of Post-Mortem Location Reveals: Eliminate the kill camera entirely, or truncate it strictly to the final seconds of shell impact without revealing the shooter’s position. In a tactical mode governed by positioning and concealment, dying must not reward a player with free reconnaissance data to fuel immediate revenge strikes. Some of this is inevitable in any shooter, but given tank size and lack of agility, such behavior should not be encouraged.
  • Mandatory Cold-Start Runway Spawns (Fixed-Wing): Require all fixed-wing aircraft to spawn on the airfield runway with engines off, eliminating mid-air interception cheese and enforcing realistic transit windows.
  • Consolidation of Rotary-Wing Spawns: Remove forward helicopter pads entirely; require all helicopters to spawn on the primary airfield complex (positioned at the forward threshold) with engines off, eliminating first-minute unguided rocket rushes.
  • Elimination of Screen-Wide Capture Alerts: Remove the HUD text notifications announcing “[Team] is Capturing Zone [Letter].” The UI already provides flashing ticket bars and objective icons; redundant text alerts function purely as an artificial homing beacon directing strike aircraft toward concentrated ground targets.

Section 2: Counter-Measure Accessibility & Economic Rebalancing

  • Transition to a Fixed 1,000 SP Budget (Simulator Model): CAS cannot be balanced while gated behind an escalating Spawn Point economy earned via ground actions; players will inevitably optimize early capture rushes to deploy aircraft before opponents think to field air defenses, while raising SP costs excessively restricts CAS exclusively to light reconnaissance vehicles. Adopting Simulator Mode’s fixed 1,000 SP allocation per player at match start—with zero SP earned from in-match actions—makes every vehicle and loadout accessible from second zero alongside its dedicated CAP fighter and SPAAG counters, removing all economic excuses.
  • Granular Ordnance Cost Itemization: Rebalance secondary weapon SP costs proportionally so light ordnance loadouts are no longer priced punitively relative to heavy multi-bomb configurations.
  • Reduction of Clean Fighter & Ground Vehicle Costs: Slash the baseline SP cost of pure air-superiority fighters (carrying zero air-to-ground ordnance) to one-third of current values, alongside modest baseline SP reductions across ground vehicle classes.
  • Elimination of Progressive SP Doubling & Lineup Lockouts: Remove escalating respawn multipliers, as a capped 1,000 SP pool naturally regulates total spawns. Furthermore, losing a vehicle must not lock it out of a player’s lineup; players may respawn any vehicle repeatedly until their 1,000 SP budget is exhausted, resolving thin-lineup attrition for minor nations.
  • Crew Skill-Scaled Short-Range Optical Lead Indicators: Grant all SPAAGs, independently controlled roof machine guns, heavy flak tank destroyers (e.g., VFW, YaG-10, QF 3.7 Ram, Breda 90/53), and HE-VT-capable self-propelled howitzers a short-range ballistic lead indicator governed by the crew’s Rangefinding and Leadership skills (scaling from 0–1,000m on stock crews up to 1,600m on Aced crews). Radar SPAAGs retain this fallback automatically when radar is disabled or damaged. This provides a reliable aiming solution strictly when aircraft enter lethal engagement envelopes.
  • Universal Default Counter-Measure Slots: Extend the existing high-tier backup vehicle system across all Battle Ratings, providing every player with a free, BR-appropriate default SPAAG, backup tank, clean CAP fighter, and basic CAS aircraft with preset loadouts—completely eliminating tech-tree grind barriers to air defense.
  • Restoration of Multi-Role SPAAG Anti-Tank Lethality: Behavioral data confirms that when SPAAGs lack credible anti-tank self-defense, players remain passive inside spawn zones, leaving frontline armor exposed to air attack. Therefore, all historical and legacy APCR, APDS, and HVAP belts must be restored to full penetration and post-penetration lethality (including modern ammunition where necessary to ensure reliable flank penetration), with Battle Ratings adjusted so SPAAGs function as viable “Ersatz Tank Destroyers” capable of escorting main armored pushes.
  • Total Immunity for Tank Cannon Barrels: Render tank gun barrels completely immune to external damage across all calibers. This prevents restored high-rate-of-fire autocannons from disabling tanks frontally via barrel destruction that they otherwise cannot penetrate, forcing SPAAGs to utilize genuine flanking maneuvers while simultaneously alleviating barrel-sniping frustration for heavy casemate tank destroyers.
  • Direct-Fire Capability for Applicable SAM Systems: Enable all Surface-to-Air Missile platforms physically capable of depressing their launchers to dumb-fire missiles in a direct-fire anti-armor role.
  • Standardization of IR SAM Acquisition & Helicopter Signatures: Model all infrared SAM seekers to match the acquisition reliability of the Strela-10M, ensure helicopters generate realistic IR lock ranges regardless of ambient map temperature, and enforce continuous Doppler radar returns from spinning rotor blades even while hovering stationary.
  • Prohibition of Midair ATGM-vs-SAM Interception: Disable the ability for incoming ATGMs to detonate or intercept surface-to-air missiles mid-flight, preventing helicopters carrying 12–16 missiles from brute-forcing SAM launchers limited to 2–4 ready tubes. Aircraft must rely on terrain masking and tactical evasion.

Section 3: Objective Architecture & Spatial Scaling

  • Spawnable “Command Post” Objectives: Adapt Naval Enduring Confrontation’s capture mechanics so every capture zone functions as an active forward spawn point for its controlling team. Existing team spawn zones convert into capturable Command Posts, with each team starting in control of a single rear Command Post at match start.
  • Destructible AI Defensive Emplacements: Populate each Command Post with era-scaled AI pillboxes and towed anti-tank guns (transitioning to ATGM emplacements at higher ranks) that actively engage enemies. Analogous to Naval EC, all defensive emplacements must be destroyed before a zone can be neutralized, and destroyed emplacements only regenerate if friendly ground vehicles physically repair them on-site. Destroying these emplacements awards full player-equivalent RP, SL, and enemy ticket bleed, providing CAS pilots with high-value tactical targets independent of player tanks.
  • Viability of Large-Scale Map Geometry: Spawnable forward Command Posts allow map dimensions to expand substantially without inflicting tedious transit times on slow armor. Fast reconnaissance vehicles capture forward hubs early, enabling heavy breakthrough tanks to spawn directly at the front line in subsequent waves.
  • Organic Resolution of Spawn-Camping: Allowing teams to capture rear enemy Command Posts replaces static spawn-camping with decisive tactical encirclement. Consequently, artificial spawn protection, map red-zones, and minimap spawn-proximity highlights can be safely removed.
  • Physical, Destructible Artillery Batteries: Replace individual player artillery spam with two distinct off-map fire-support assets per team: three Gun Artillery batteries and three Rocket Artillery batteries, each operating on shared team-wide reload timers. Caliber and salvo density scale historically by era (larger calibers with lower volume through early Cold War; standardized 150–203mm guns and high-volume rocket salvos in modern tiers). Destroying enemy batteries awards full player-equivalent RP, SL, and ticket bleed, incentivizing counter-battery strikes by both aircraft and flanking light armor.
  • Strategic Bombing Targets & Runway Denial: Reintroduce destructible bombing bases on ground maps worth substantial ticket bleed. Destroying all bases unlocks the enemy airfield for destruction; destroying the runway does not end the match automatically, but permanently disables subsequent aircraft/helicopter spawns, repairs, and rearming.
  • Supply Convoy Mechanics: Spawn automated logistics convoys (trucks escorted by light AI armor and SPAAGs) from bombing bases early in the match. While destroying convoy vehicles does not bleed enemy tickets, each convoy unit successfully reaching its destination restores tickets equivalent to ten player casualties.

Section 4: Terminal Ballistics & Munition Lethality Restoration

  • APCR & APDS Restoration: Restore historical flat penetration values across all APCR and APDS projectiles and eliminate the arbitrary “Shell Shattering” mechanic, as steep angled-penetration modifiers already model nose-breakage physics. Standardize post-penetration damage to match solid AP with a 45-degree cone of high-lethality spall fragments.
  • Small- and Full-Caliber Solid AP: Grant all solid armor-piercing rounds—including 20–37mm autocannon projectiles—a consistent 60-degree fragmentation cone to eliminate non-lethal “needle” penetrations.
  • HEAT & HEAT-FS Consistency: Standardize shaped-charge warheads to generate a 45-degree primary spall cone reinforced by a high-penetration 30-degree central jet core.
  • Base-Fused HESH Rework: Re-engineer HESH around the base-fused HE damage model rather than hyper-sensitive impact HE, preventing premature detonation on foliage, optics, mudguards, and track links. This allows HESH to penetrate thin-skinned vehicles intact before detonating internally, generate reliable overpressure, and project a 120-degree scabbing spall cone capable of defeating sloped homogeneous armor (such as T-54, IS-3, and IS-6 hulls) as historically designed.
  • Configurable Large-Caliber HE Fuzes: Allow all non-autocannon HE shells to toggle between default instant detonation and delayed base-fused detonation prior to firing, while summing kinetic and explosive penetration values across both modes.
  • Removal of Guidance & Control Nerfs: Strip artificial control-lag and gravity-drop penalties from mouse-guided ATGMs, AGMs, and SAMs so missiles track reliably along the operator’s line of sight without plunging into the terrain upon launch.
  • Configurable Rocket Fuzes & Missing HEAT Variants: Enable pre-launch fuze selection on vehicle-mounted rockets and pre-takeoff fuze selection on aircraft-mounted rockets, apply the restored HEAT spall model to all shaped-charge rockets, and introduce missing historical variants (such as HEAT HVARs).
  • True Inherited Velocity & Dynamic Kinetic Scaling: Add aircraft velocity vectors onto all air-launched munitions—bullets, cannon shells, rockets, and bombs alike—and compute armor penetration dynamically from actual terminal impact velocity rather than static lookup tables. High-speed dives will realistically flatten trajectories and increase kinetic penetration across cannon CAS, rocket salvos, and AP/SAP dive-bombing.
  • Realistic Crew Incapacitation Radii (Blast Overpressure + Fragmentation): War Thunder currently models bomb lethality strictly around structural hull destruction, ignoring real-world physiological incapacitation (eardrum rupture, severe concussion, and internal spalling) inside unsealed fighting compartments. Importantly, the numbers for open-tops would also apply to airbursting shells utilized against aircraft. Cross-referencing Hopkinson-Cranz blast scaling, medical trauma thresholds, and operational fragmentation data yields the following combined incapacitation radii:
    • 50 kg Bomb (~25 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~45–60 m | Closed Unsealed: ~10–12 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~5–6 m
    • 100 kg Bomb (~50 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~65–85 m | Closed Unsealed: ~14–16 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~6–7 m
    • 250 kg Bomb (~125 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~90–120 m | Closed Unsealed: ~19–22 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~9–10 m
    • 500 kg Bomb (~250 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~120–150 m | Closed Unsealed: ~25–28 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~11–13 m
    • 1,000 kg Bomb (~500 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~150–200 m | Closed Unsealed: ~32–36 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~14–16 m
    • 2,000 kg / 4,000lb Bomb (~1,400 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~220–280 m | Closed Unsealed: ~45–50 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~20–22 m
    • 5,000 kg Bomb / FAB-5000 (~3,200 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~300–350 m | Closed Unsealed: ~60–68 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~26–30 m
  • Combined Blast + Fragmentation Incapacitation Radii (Artillery & Naval Shells by Caliber):
    • 75mm–88mm Shells (~0.7–1.1 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top: ~20–26 m | Closed Unsealed: ~2–3.5 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~1–1.5 m
    • 100mm–115mm Shells (~1.8–2.5 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top: ~28–36 m | Closed Unsealed: ~4–5.5 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~1.5–2.5 m
    • 120mm–135mm Shells (~3.2–4.5 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top: ~36–46 m | Closed Unsealed: ~5.5–7.5 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~2.5–3.5 m
    • 150mm–155mm Shells (~6.5–11 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top: ~50–65 m | Closed Unsealed: ~8–10.5 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~4–5 m
    • 170mm–210mm Heavy Artillery (~14–22 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top: ~68–88 m | Closed Unsealed: ~11–14 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~5–6.5 m
    • 240mm–305mm Cruiser / Siege Shells (~28–45 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top: ~90–120 m | Closed Unsealed: ~14–18 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~6.5–8.5 m
    • 356mm–460mm Battleship Main-Battery HE (~55–75 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top: ~125–155 m | Closed Unsealed: ~18–23 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~8.5–11 m
  • Combined Blast + Fragmentation Incapacitation Radii (Unguided Rockets by Caliber):
    • 50mm–70mm Rockets (~0.3–1.2 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~15–25 m | Closed Unsealed: ~1.5–3 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~0.5–1 m
    • 80mm–105mm Rockets (~1.5–3.0 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~28–38 m | Closed Unsealed: ~3.5–5 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~1.5–2 m
    • 115mm–135mm Rockets (~3.5–6.5 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~35–55 m | Closed Unsealed: ~5–9 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~2.5–4 m
    • 150mm–180mm Rockets (~8.0–15 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~55–75 m | Closed Unsealed: ~8–11 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~4–5 m
    • 210mm–250mm Heavy Rockets (~20–35 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~75–105 m | Closed Unsealed: ~11–16 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~5.5–7.5 m
    • 280mm–380mm Super-Heavy Rockets (~65–135 kg TNT Eq.): Open-Top/Aircraft: ~120–185 m | Closed Unsealed: ~16–25 m | Closed NBC/Sealed: ~8–12 m
  • Restoration of Pre-1.59 Bombsight Mechanics: Reinstate the 3D CCRP-style bombing target point for all bombsight-equipped aircraft (removed without justification in Update 1.59)
  • Elimination of Bomb Trapeze Penalty: Dive-bomber trapezes would become optional modifications rather than mandatory equipment.

Section 5: Phased Implementation Protocol

Should simultaneous deployment prove impractical, sequential rollout in four phases—establishing counter-measures and objective infrastructure prior to unleashing full munition lethality—prevents transitional imbalance while largely utilizing existing Dagor Engine assets:

  • Phase 1 — Infrastructure & Friction Removal: Remove kill-cam location reveals and capture banners; enforce runway engine-off spawns; deploy Naval EC-style Command Posts, larger maps, bombing bases, and supply convoys.
  • Phase 2 — Counter-Measure Deployment & Economy Overhaul: Transition to the fixed 1,000 SP economy with default Naval-style CAP/SPAAG slots; activate 1.0–1.6 km Rangefinding lead indicators; standardize SAM acquisition and ban ATGM-vs-SAM interception.
  • Phase 3 — Ground Ballistics & Artillery Rebalance: Implement cannon barrel immunity; restore APCR, APDS, Solid AP, HEAT, HESH, and SPAAG anti-tank belts; replace player artillery spam with the six physical off-map batteries per team.
  • Phase 4 — Full Aerial Lethality & Physics Awards: Activate realistic bomb/artillery incapacitation radii, true inherited projectile velocity, pre-1.59 CCRP bombsights, and physics-based kill awards.

Appendix A: Proposed Physics & Tactical Kill Awards

Added onto these extensive changes are a series of new gameplay awards, in line with the humorous nature of many existing examples.

  • “Splat!”: Destroy an enemy ground vehicle via kinetic crushing from another vehicle or a heavy bomb prior to detonation.
  • “And The Trees Say…”: Destroy an enemy vehicle via a falling or blast-launched tree uprooted by an explosion.
  • Unnecessary Roughness: Destroy an enemy vehicle behind cover by collapsing an adjacent structure onto it.
  • What?! I Can’t Hear You!: Incapacitate an enemy tank crew purely via blast overpressure without penetrating or destroying the hull.
  • Return to Sender: Destroy an enemy ground vehicle using a dumb-fired SAM launcher in direct-fire mode.
  • Wrong Neighborhood: Capture an enemy team’s original rear spawn Command Post while enemy forces remain active mid-map.
  • No Fly Zone: Shoot down an enemy aircraft using a tank’s roof-mounted machine gun or main cannon via the short-range lead indicator.
  • Counter-Battery: Destroy all six enemy Gun and Rocket Artillery batteries within a single match.

Conclusion:

By removing artificial handicaps, restoring authentic terminal ballistics, and equipping every player with immediate, accessible counter-measures from match start, Joint Operations RB transforms War Thunder from a cycle of mutual frustration into a true combined-arms meritocracy. When every weapon behaves realistically and every threat possesses an immediate hard counter, survival becomes a direct function of tactical awareness, coordination, and adaptability—leaving zero room for excuses.

FAQ: Preemptive Rebuttals to Anticipated Objections
  • Objection 1: “A fixed 1,000 SP budget at match start will result in entire teams spawning CAS at second zero.”
    • Rebuttal: All aircraft spawn on runways with engines off, while clean air-superiority fighters cost one-third of baseline SP with zero ordnance drag. Heavy strike aircraft attempting unescorted early rushes will be intercepted mid-climb by cheap CAP fighters before reaching the battlefield, while teams that neglect ground objectives capture zero Command Posts and lose rapidly on ticket bleed.
  • Objection 2: “Short-range lead indicators for SPAAGs and roof MGs turn Realistic Battles into Arcade.”
    • Rebuttal: Unlike Arcade’s 3+ km tracking box, this lead pip is strictly bounded to 1.0–1.6 km based on crew Rangefinding skill—simulating trained optical rangefinding and tracer-correction doctrine. Given that RB pilots already utilize third-person awareness and simplified mouse-aim instructor control, a close-range optical lead solution establishes fair parity inside lethal AA envelopes.
  • Objection 3: “Restored SPAAG sabot belts and lead indicators will create overpowered ‘anti-everything’ vehicles.”
    • Rebuttal: Live-server precedent already validates this design: when the Flakpanzer 341 (Coelian) received its correct Gerat 341 cannons, CAS complaints across BR 5.3–7.3 vanished for nearly a month, just as the prevalence of 35mm Oerlikon platforms and the Falcon suppresses air dominance in 7.3-9.0 BR because players finally possess an effective, rewarding counter that is simple to effectively use. Furthermore, cannon barrel immunity prevents frontal autocannon cheese, while the community explicitly voted in the official 2024 APHE poll to retain omnidirectional 360-degree APHE spheres—forfeiting any basis to complain when SPAAG autocannons utilize those exact same mechanics against cupolas and flanks.
  • Objection 4: “Doubling bomb blast and fragmentation radii will render ground gameplay unplayable.”
    • Rebuttal: Explosives only require artificial nerfs when Spawn Points are broken and AA counters are inaccessible. Under Joint Operations RB, realistic bomb lethality is offset by runway cold-starts, free first-spawn CAP fighters, 1.6 km lead indicators across all AA/roof MGs, and high-reward AI Command Post emplacements, artillery batteries, and bombing bases drawing strike aircraft away from player armor.
  • Objection 5: “Gaijin’s engine cannot support an overhaul of this scale.”
    • Rebuttal: Virtually every component of this architecture already exists in the Dagor Engine: Simulator Mode’s 1,000 SP economy, Naval’s default lineup filler slots, Naval EC’s spawnable Command Posts with AI emplacements, Air RB’s bombing bases and convoys, Arcade’s lead indicators, and pre-1.59 CCRP bombsights. This proposal simply integrates existing systems into a coherent, self-regulating equilibrium. As Gaijin is already working on Nuclear Escalation actively which possesses dozens of simultaneously active player-grade ground unit models on the same large map, it is apparent the game servers can handle such an overhaul in other modes if desired.