From my pov prop Air RB especially around BR 3.7-4.3 is broken far beyond repair - and focusing on an ugly USN plane won’t change anything.
Regarding the rest of your post:
Imho you have to take a step back and try to see wt as it is: A video game optimized to be played by kids in order to earn money with them.
Just watch a random Air RB replay at this BR range and analyze player experience and play styles - it boils down that you are surrounded by rookies and kids; and they play like rookies and kids.
So most of your points have to be seen from their perspective as they are the main customers for gaijin.
In other words: Air RB was intentionally reduced to a plain grinding tool and your views as a more mature player are irrelevant if the myriads of kids and fresh players are throwing money at gaijin like there is no tomorrow.
I think one point is that there are lots of them at the moment due to the battle task “Legion Arsenal” that requires playing it (in AirRB), and just it being the free battle pass vehicle anyway. Within a few weeks you’ll see a lot less of them, and they won’t be very important or “battle changing” at that point.
I played quite a few games where there were 3 or 4 of them, and it’s not pretty. But this can also apply to a lot of vehicles… especially the battlepass ones, but even normal tech tree ones when you get 3 or 4 of them who are dedicated to doing maximum damage it’s not pretty either.
On their own they’re great for “destroy ground targets with a bomber” tasks, but other then that, if you see just one of them on a team they’re generally not a problem.
(I don’t think they’re even good for “destroy bombers” tasks as there are plenty of other vehicles better suited – even fighters with airfield takeoff).
So if I’m understanding this, we want a mediocre dive bomber to begin at altitudes where it cannot dive effectively? Because it can shoot down aircraft that it reasonably should not close the distance with unless through spectacular mismanagement?
I support this with both hands. I was just playing the PBJ and every second game I got killed by an SB2C. And this is when playing with the USA.
For a PBJ it’s almost impossible to get rid of an SB2C that is interested in getting it, as the PBJ starts at a much lower altitude, isn’t agile at all and is also slow. So the best course of action is to turn around at the start of the game if you even see one heading for you. In that case you can stay alive, but you don’t really get to do much. In one such game, an attack by an SB2C forced me to head back to the airfield for repair and by the time I got back the game was through.
The SB2C is also a huge problem for any bombers near it’s BR, because it is usually being used as an interceptor. Yesterday I was playing with the Pe-2 at 3.3 and the SB2Cs were still a huge pain. The Pe-2 is faster and can outrun a Helldiver, but that forces you to turn back and get chased by an SB2C for a few minutes instead of bombing things. That means that you might get 1 bombing run if lucky. Or the Helldiver can just set up camp above the bases and wait for you. It’s really frustrating.
I am glad that I am not the only one who sees an issue with this absurd situation even though most other replies are the typical “skill issue” and “git gud”. I like playing the Helldiver, but hate facing it as it is even more. It’s a huge pain for most bombers and attackers.
Setting the SB2C’s spawn to 1000m as other assault aircraft(which it is) should balance it, since it doesn’t climb very well. That way it isn’t going to bother high flying bombers anymore and it wont get the advantage to dive on top of everyone else. In other words it is going to take a bit more skill and planning to use the thing for once.
Imho it doesn’t matter if you get killed by a Firefly, Bf 110 or SB2C - if you fly a PBJ in Air RB you have to accept that any low skill player will attack you as a low and (relatively seen) very slow aircraft.
Your current experiences / your perception is based on the fact that the Thai/JP Helldivers are spammed like there is no tomorrow - and that they run out of energy very quick; that means that any longer interactions at higher alt brings them low and you appear on the menu.
As written earlier - the SB2Cs are a problem if their designated targets are unable to adapt their play style / attack profiles to the current threat level. Even admitting that certain medium bombers are only playable with high speed attack runs, your own example with a Pe-2 proves that you can outclimb and outrun them rather easy, all u need is a little experience.
If you remember previous grinding events - facing up to 10 Wyverns which have zero problems to get at least to co-alt with most bombers is imho a much greater pain to witness.
I am actually quite happy about the Thai / JP SB2C spam - as it significantly increases your chances to win with US/UK teams vs JP on the omnipresent Pacific maps. In these small 6 vs 6 - 8 vs 8 matches on rather large maps the downsides of them (slow, bad climb) can be exploited - all you have to do is to kill the few real threats like Ki-100s or Ki-44 IIs - you can outrun everything else.
I can’t remember them being as much of a bother before, so you might be right about the event. This still highlights a balancing issue with the SB2C. If you search around you can find recordings of people having 10 kills or more with it, which you wouldn’t expect out of a dive bomber. I can usually always score a few kills with it myself per game. It’s a lot of fun to fly, but that fun comes at the expense of other players’ frustration.
With a lower spawn, the Helldiver would still be a good plane. It will just require more consideration to use well. Since other attackers at the BR are usually able to bomb an enemy base, I expect the same from the SB2C. The players would just have to plan their route more carefully.
Its slow as balls, its climb rate is awful even if you dont take any bomb load, it turns well yes but it dumps ALL its energy in one turn and then its a sitting duck, because you cant get that energy back other than to slowly fly away and side climb.
Its only got that one turn and its two cannons going for it.
The B7A2 is significantly faster, retains its energy and can gain it back far easier, also has two cannons with frankly equal performance, turns just as well without dumping nearly as much energy, and is just honestly better in every way aside from roll rate.
Im saying this after just finishing playing the new battle pass one to do the 20k mission. There is practically no scenario Id rather be in that thai SB2C over the battle pass B7A2 considering they are both prems in the same BR in the same tech tree. Even the tech tree B7A2 is better.
This plane is far too good at just becoming a fighter that spawns at 4km. The same goes for the B7A2s for Japan and a few other examples in other nations.
now that the F-16 event is almost done.
SB2Cs are everywhere, specially thai ones since japanese props are now on their side.
They are extremely pesky and only are used because they are rank III and abusable airspawn.
Im not innocent in abusin SB2C C-5’s airspawn, but it def needs to end.
Spoiler
It doesn’t even have a bomsight nor does it’s engine perform well at high altitudes
just switch them to attackers, it’s not like the classifications in WT are historical anyway, look at the F-117, it’s a bomber that was classed as a fighter that’s an attacker in game.
SB2C doesn’t have a bombsight much like the JU-87s
But JU-87s aren’t rank III so they are left to rot, you can even look at at the american SB2C C-4, it isn’t rank III and it is a rarity to see even if it a tech tree vehicle.
They should 100% come down to a strike spawn.
Totally agree. Wearing my tin foil hat i would even claim that gaijin has created the JP/Thai version to lower JP win rates on purpose.
Why? A hell of pure tankers fly them and especially in small 6 vs 6 matches on Pacific maps they are for every experienced pilot free kills - and when you have 3 of them i your JP team you are usually doomed if US/UK has just one smart pilot.
I dunno about that, but if Japans Win rates plummet then I am all for that. So many of Japans WW2 aircraft are overtiered currently, and while the B7A2 is not one of them, they could definitely use some revision.
B7A2’s roll rate and 20mil ballistics are 2 achilles heel ot it compared to the SB2C’s (which I believe high performance is a weak point on it compared to B7A2’s)
Disagree on 20mm ballistics, uses the Type 99 mod 2. Those guns are fine. Would agree more with the Mod 1s if it had those.
Role rate definitely though. But the SB2C loses too much speed and energy in a turn that it can never get back, which the B7A2 can. (Especially the Homare 23 one). So I find you get one big turn and chance in the SB2C to get the kill, and then you are a sitting duck unless you are able to fly back towards the base and do a hard reset which can take several minutes to get the altitude and energy back.
Ill choos a slower roll rate any day of the week over that imo
