Notching is too powerful as it currently is in the game. Notching mechanics haven’t been reworked since the addition of Fox 3s. Players have already adapted to the new missiles a long time ago and notching is simply too easy. You can consistently notch Fox 3s from extremely close distances using very little amount of chaff, as long as you can pull into the notch angle in time.
The gameplay loop comes down to acquiring lock with HMS and firing a Fox 3 HOBS. Long range missiles are rendered completely obsolete, as long range shots are (not) necessary only to keep the enemy busy, which any Fox 3 can do. The only things that matter are how hard your Fox 3 pulls, how violently it accelerates, the gimbal limits of your radar for HMS lock, and the flight model of your plane in case you merge.
Planes like Rafale or Mirage 2000 with MICAs are basically invincible. An experienced player in an F-16, F-15 or other AIM-120 carrier stands no chance against an experienced player in a Rafale or Mirage 2000.
The issue becomes especially pronounced with over-the-shoulder radars. Su-30SM2 can launch Fox 3s without ever putting itself in any danger.
All modern Fox 3 missiles are moving towards greater range with less maneuverability. With current notching mechanics, all of them will be DOA.
I think it’s about time to start increasing notching resistance of Fox 3s in small steps, until making it any stronger would make planes with longer range missiles too powerful.
Features like data link reconnect and third-party data link could be added to alleviate this problem; however, they won’t fix the balance without addressing the root cause, especially with mechanical radars.
Fox 3 gameplay will never be balanced, if the current notching mechanics don’t change.
Do you want to start increasing notching resistance of Fox 3s in small steps?
They definetly need to do something, the question is what exactly.
Especially without things like ECM in-place. With that I would say they should make it so that DL doesnt stop when the missile goes active.
But I think its time for a total overhaul of radar-based combat.
Overhaul chaff, overhaul MP, rework ARH seekers, add ECM, add PD signatures for helis, properly model RCS, maybe even as far as finally modeling PESA vs AESA.
multipathing is much less effective in game, as there are ways to launch the missile to counter multipathing (such as launching upwards to have the missile be looking at them top down) but notching is something that can only be countered by being really close to them, simply being that they won’t have enough time to notch.
You can mitigate it, but you cant totally negate it, even when firing straight down, and when you throw in the ARH SAMs as well. Which cant even do that much… its clear its time for something to change
I dunno about this part, but more accurate modeling of individual seekers rather then everything getting a copy paste (except the MICA for some reason) I’m good with, but just C&Ping the MICA seeker into everything else I don’t think is the correct solution.
Yeah, the current system might have been fine for the early radar missiles, but it’s not sufficient for what’s currently in game.
While it would be a buff to the EFT because the EFT would be able to continue updating the missile when the missile goes active, it would make the Su-30SM2 completely unbearable.
I did not mean the exact same seeker as the MICA necessarily, but giving top tier Fox-3s better seekers is needed atp
It’s very easy to notch most missiles provided you actually know how to notch.
Which is something the average player really struggles with unfortunately (Love wt player cope, their love for misinformation and gaijin’s refusal to explain game mechanics)
That’s already how it works in the game. If the missile gets notched, it switches back to IOG + DL, if it sees ground clutter and can’t switch to pulse mode. Only really effective with ESA radars.
What’s missing is data link reconnect for Fox 3s, currently being present only on Fox 1s with DL like R-27ER or AIM-7P, and third-party data link (your teammates guiding your missile).
Decrease notching closure rate window, make IOG able to predict curved flight paths (AIM-9M appears to be able to), implement range gating (interleaved HPRF and MPRF) alongside speed and angle gating. These are some examples.
For some reason Fox 3s are easier to notch against the sky, because they bite onto chaff instead of switching to IOG + DL. That’s not how they work and also should be changed.
This idea will 100% backfire into making multipathing and iron-dome even the more dominant method of defeating missiles. All because about 1/8th of the players know how the notching mechanic works but also never plays opposite each other.