I get what you’re saying, new players usually don’t know the general consensus or where to look for it. But that actually supports my point rather than weakens it.
If a new player doesn’t know what is good or bad, they end up relying heavily on surface-level impressions. And for a lot of players, the “top” aircraft of a nation is a big part of that impression. Even if they don’t research stats, many players do look at the tech tree layout, what the top jet looks like, and what content creators showcase.
That’s why the perception of the top-tier vehicle still matters.
If the top-BR aircraft looks weak, dated, or uninteresting, that absolutely affects whether someone wants to invest time or money into that nation.
This isn’t hypothetical, it’s the same reason nations with flashy top-tier vehicles (like the Su-30, Rafale, Eurofighter, and so on) see higher sales and player interest. This doesn’t mean the US isn’t popular, but it does mean that when a nation’s top-tier jet looks noticeably weaker or less exciting compared to its competitors, it inevitably affects how attractive that nation appears to new players, especially those deciding where to spend money on premiums (most likely high tier). It has pretty much been 1 year of raf dominance, buy any chance could that have positively affected that nations sales?
And yes, new players may not know the deep meta, but they can still recognise when a top-BR jet has fewer missiles or fewer capabilities compared to others they see in videos or in the hangar. That alone affects attractiveness, even without them doing forum research.
So the argument isn’t “new players read all the stats.”
The argument is “first impressions matter, and a weak top-tier vehicle makes a nation less appealing.”
That’s why the F-15C having its proper missile loadout/Flight model (I would just like one or the other) isn’t just a balance issue but also a marketing and appeal issue, I really don’t think it will have a huge impact, but I think people out there will maybe think twice before investing time and money when the it doesn’t lead to anything worth your while. Again I must clarify I don’t hold this perspective of, “well if the top tier vehicle is bad then the nation is bad”. Recently got some of my friends into war thunder, they specifically choose nations with strong and competitive top tier vehicles and that was without my input, they based there decisions on the health of that nations top tier, and not a single one chose US.
