Thanks for the update, it’s great that you keep working on the gamemode. However, I don’t understand artificially nerfing red’s AA while not adressing the fact that blue’s AA (SAMP-T), is notoriously underperforming, here are multiple reports about the issue :
Other than the rewards which hopefully should be fixed i would say the one change that still needs to happen is the accuracy of some of the SPAA/SAMs when intercepting munitions should be toned down some.
I love that finally we are getting a new game mode. This has so much potential. Please dont waste it.
My main suggestion is to remove the spotting system for IA. Not being able to know where the main AA sites are is a problem specially at high br where dealing with enemy aircraft is hard enough.
Specially convoys. It has happened many times that while trying to fight a player you run up on a convoy that was not visible and he shoots you point blank. Keep in mind that these AA shoot on the move at like 90kph.
You could use the early warning radar sites for something. Maybe they could reveal enemy players on the map while they are up. So they would become a key target behind enemy lines.
Or maybe change them to communications nodes. They receive enemy IA location data from satellites. And use some sort of Data Link to the players to reveal those locations on the map.
If those sites are destroyed you could make the enemy team lose that valuable intel.
I humbly request the ability to allow players to equip nuclear bombs through cdk custom battle missions. As someone who has created and played multiple online community events in the War Thunder space, having this present would open up a world of possibilities to us mission makers not initially present. I specifically mean this for custom battles, as in where multiple players can take part, not single player user missions.
This could be done through adding a set of mission settingsto the client which allows for making loadouts available for specific aircraft in the mission. For instance, the Nuclear Thunder loadouts for the F-4, allowing Aim-9L usage alongside nuclear bomb usage.
The ability to make our own nuclear escalations would be so incredibly fun, and with the CDK client finally getting love after all this time, I do hope we can see something like this in the future!
This really excites me! Again as a mission maker, the nuclear escalation map was sperb, and its sheer size made it an outstanding addition. Makes for a great Vietnam map for recreation purposes!
My personal request is a Desert map of the same scale.
The AC-130 wouldn’t work since it’s meant to be used in already controlled airspace where the only threats are manpads, it along with other gunships like the KC-130J would be better suited for infantry modes.
But potentially the MC-130J could work with Rapid Dragon deployed JASSM cruise missiles. It could carry up to 12 of them which could be good to hit AA sites since JASSM are “stealth” munitions and the number of them could overwhelm the AA.
At the same time with Rapid Dragon the C-17A could also work since it can deploy up to 45 JASSM cruise missiles.
Could even bring in the C-5A as a nuke spawn as it was tested to fire an air launched Minuteman Nuclear ICBM.
This x100. Please remove the smaller scale SPAA from respawning gaijin. The ability to slowly clear them out is what makes our efforts at playing a long-game worth while. Having our efforts undone over time make our actions feel redundant. I can understand the occasional convoy spawning in as the count of remaining SPAA drops, but remove the existing vehicles from being able to respawn entirely please.
BVVD, we all love this new Nuclear Escalation mode, literally everyone loves it. Don’t give up on it, don’t blow it off because of all the negative feedback, we just want the mod to be predictable and fair.
SAM’s don’t have to be “nerfed” they just have to be predictable. Put them futher from the front line, make sure they can’t fire SACLOS through trees breaking their line of sight, and make it so that they don’t magically detect every munition and aircraft in the sky if they don’t have their radars on. To me that’s not a nerf, that’s the way they should be. Same missile flight performance, different programming and positioning.
The development team is not to blame for the issues that people are upset with, we see the passion in what’s added to the game, but it’s the way it’s added that causes problems. For example, I have no doubts that whoever designed the BMPT put their heart into it, but the decision to position it the way it was at launch was a financial decision, not development. Or the new Abrams damage model that I’m extremely annoyed was only added for a small fraction of variants… I’m sure that developer is probably disappointed their well done improvements didn’t come to the game this update.
It is the financial machine of War Thunder and Gaijin that we are disappointed with- let the devlopers put their heart into this game again.
I hate to break it to you, but the teamwork you guys keep talking about in Escalation is pure fantasy. Sure, Escalation is a PvP mode, but given the nature of War Thunder, the main goal for everyone is to hoard enough points to spawn a nuke themselves. Nobody is going to sacrifice their own game just so someone else on the team can get a nuke first.
Right now, the air defense system is ridiculous. For example, the moment you take off from the airfield, the Buk warning starts blaring, and a missile hits you before you even get anywhere. Adding even more unavoidable SAMs like the Pantsir just makes the game frustrating and the fun out of it. Unless you turn this mode into a complete PvE experience, the kind of teamwork you are expecting is nothing but a pipe dream.
You mentioned that the rewards for destroying AA targets will be increased, but the problem is they are still way too low. There needs to be an actual incentive to go after these AA targets, but the rewards in Escalation have been constantly nerfed since it launched. Kills give less than half of what they used to, which ruins the fun, and destroying AA targets gives so little that players have absolutely no reason to try and coordinate teamwork.
If you have no intention of nerfing the AA systems and keep using teamwork as an excuse, can you actually explain how you plan to incentivize that teamwork? And why do the rewards have to stay this abysmally low? Can’t you buff them a bit? Even getting two-thirds of what we earn in regular Air Realistic would be nice, but it honestly feels like you guys just hate the idea of players getting enough rewards.
What about the f-14D’s skin being exactly the f-14B’s one?, What about rocks being shootable through?, What about making the grind less insuferable? What about gemini art (they haven’t even changed the image, they just removed the logo LoL) being used in tank packs that cost as much as battlefield 6? I mean… its good to see nuclear escalation being worked on, but don’t we have bigger things to worry about??
Absolutely love NE mode - and encourage the team to see it through. The path appears to be the right one, however it will need periodic adjustments as you have noted.
First - Please do Not make it a mirrored mode. This typical and vanilla approach takes much of the character of the mode away. Perhaps consider different strengths and weaknesses for each side. While one side might have slight advantages in certain aspects Air-to-Air or SEAD, another might have far better Stand Off CAS ability and Anti-Naval. The nuanced approach allows players to find their particular niche and fulfill a specific role/need.
Personally the number of air defenses do not bother me as much as one side nearly gaining Air Superiority with little effort. If this were nuanced, the best Air to Air or Inteceptor Team - might face the most advanced Air Defenses. Rather than one side monopolizing both.
The mode could be expanded to all BR’s with the exception of low brs due to no Nuclear Weapon Technology at that time. However Large Bombing runs or strategic bombers could be used in lieu of Nuclear Weapons for the lowest BR’s.
Thanks for allowing us to contribute to this exciting mode.
Amazing to see more work put into this mode, naturally I hope it will evolve with newer mechanics and weapon introduced into the game. As the game progresses into new generation of aircraft, EWR/ECM new weapons I hope the development team will still monitor the feedback from players.