This thread was created for prop pilots in Air RB in order to support this bug report
UPDATE - 28.04.2024:
Imho gaijin has fixed this issue (without any official feedback / reaction) within the last days / weeks. I see rarely any planes killed by aaa defending mini-bases.
If you want to check this by yourself - watch this replay:
Gaijin Entertainment - Single Sign On
A fellow player in a Do 335 (skip tp ~ 3:40) flew for minutes through insane aaa fire - without a scratch.
I would like to say thank you very much to the 14 guys which supported the bug report. I will close my bug report asap.
@Pacifica - it would be great if you can lock this thread. Thx in advance!
Old and now outdated content.
Edit to make things clear:
Edit 2: As usual, the update as of today killed the possibility to view “pre-update” replays - i will replace the following example asap.
Buffed aaa defending the 4 bases alters game results as 10-15% of active players might get killed if you play on the wrong map. Invest 2 minutes - just watch this replay (replay link) and see how 3 players got killed instantly and one delayed - just in a single match:
- You will see a friendly Wyvern (smn8888) attacking the far left base. He was set on fire at around 2:40, somehow managed to drop and killed the base but was then set on fire by aaa defending the other base at ~ 3:00 and died to aaa at ~ 3:20.
- The friendly Wyvern attacking the far right base was killed by base aaa at 2:57 without the chance to drop.
- At around 12:00 an enemy B-25 attacked a friendly base at around 700 meters alt, got peppered by base aaa, was able to drop thx to more sturdy damage model and was then killed by base aaa.
- Technically seen the enemy A21 (crashed ~ 14:18) was also killed by base aaa - he attacked ground and attacked then aaa around the base aaa which killed his friendly B-25, got pepped like hell and received an engine hit - without a totally yellow plane and engine damage he would have survived.
If you identify yourself as PvE player - you should know the topic.
If you identify yourself as PvP player - you are affected too.
If you play props in Air RB you might have noticed that a hell of players get shot down by aaa around the 4 mini-bases on maps with a “newer layout” very early game - if you check the battle log you see “shot down by air defense” - the same log you see if somebody got killed by the deadly “hit-scan” airfield aaa.
It looks like that gaijin has (imho by accident) buffed the aaa around the mini-bases/bases/bombing points (call it like you want) to the level of the well known deadly airfield aaa.
If you look for official communication - you will find sooner or later this:
Dated September 2023.
If you follow the forum closely, you will find a lot of threads dealing with this issue. What i do not understand is the rather low attention level of this topic within the community and even in the game itself.
If you know that you are on a map with hit-scan aaa defended bases and try to warn your low attacking teammates there is little to zero reaction - everybody is either ignoring this or is simply not able to understand English on the EU server.
I seems that most players simply underestimate the results of this mass dying of aircraft for all involved plane classes.
Some threads dealing with AAA defending bases:
List of threads...
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Example 5
Example 6
Example 7
Example 8
I am sure there are more…
I tried to summarize the player feedback:
Summary
The player feedback can be boiled down to the following:
- This deadly aaa defending bases is not consistent, so on certain maps you can attack bases low, on others not.
- On maps with hit-scan aaa defending bases it is impossible even for very fast aircraft like Wyverns to drop their payload on bases.
- Strike aircraft and especially premium strike aircraft like Wyverns or the Italian Bf 110 which were bought by players especially to speed up the grind by bombing bases get shot down like flies - artificially increasing death rates and lowering income; both values affect the BR setting of such aircraft. Imho those aircraft received a nerf which highly affects players which bought them especially to bomb bases.
- Medium bombers like (Do 217s, Tu-2s or even B-26s) which have to rely on very fast and low level attack profiles (due to bad climb and bad performance at higher alt) might be able to survive one drop on one base if they release their payload at very high speed followed by an immediate 180 turn near rip speed, but attacking 2 bases and survive this run became (nearly) impossible.
- Every plane without a bomb sight (and therefore forced to perform a low lel run), but carry A2G loadout trying to kill a base will be shoot down. So the classic P-47 pilot with max bomb load has no chance to survive too.
- The classification as threat for a base is not connected if you carry currently bombs or rockets, as even if you have attacked and killed the far left base and you have no bombs left you will be killed 10 minutes later by the base aaa on the far right side.
- Even more irritating is that on maps with deadly base aaa some bases have them, others not.
- This creates for aircraft capable of bombing and dogfighting like Fireflys, Su-6s or B7A2s the situation that you might have attacked and killed base #1 successfully (as there was no deadly aaa) and you get jumped by enemies, you fight them and get dragged near base # 2, 3 or 4 and got immediately killed by aaa - as there is deadly aaa.
- Things get complicated if you fly an aircraft far away from already killed bases and you attack ground units due to whatever reason. With bad luck a “fresh” (respawning base) will appear near you - and you get killed instantly.
- Even if you try to stay out of trouble, but you spot an enemy below you trying to kill a base - if you try a BnZ attack on them and you pass the aircraft at the exact moment when the hit-scan aaa opens fire - you get killed by your own base aaa.
I could go on forever with this, but imho these are the major points.
The main question is:
Are you affected and how are you affected?
A: Pure fighter pilots
Summary
As a pure fighter pilot you might argue: Idc about aaa defending bases, this is not my problem. I kill enemy planes, and i am happy if guys not contributing to the TDM PvP effort get killed.
This position has the following flaws:
- Base aaa kills your potential easy target without giving you the chance to score or earn RP/SL.
- If your own team consists of a lot of strike fighters and they get sniped before all less smart enemies took the chance to dive on them, you have a number disadvantage without ticket drop and you won’t have the chance to get rather cheap kills.
- Some very capable strike aircraft able to drag enemy fighters away (and low and out of the center) and kill them after drop (like Su-6 & 8, Wyvern, etc.) won’t reduce the number of enemy fighters if base aaa kills them.
- Some maps require to kill tanks or pillboxes to reduce enemy tickets to avoid ticket defeats or just to end the match. As soon as you load bomb or rockets you are a target of base aaa - even if you drop all if the last enemy comes near you - you can’t fight above or even near enemy bases or you get shot down.
B. Pure bomber pilots
Summary
As a pure level/strategic bomber pilot you might argue: Idc about aaa defending bases, not my problem. I am happy that those strike aircraft get sniped, they always steal my marked bases.
This position has imho the following flaws:
- Fighters / Interceptors with tasks like kill “X” strike aircraft have less targets if base aaa kills own strike aircraft too fast - this increases the numbers of kill hungry enemies not diving which decreases your overall chances to drop or rtb.
- If all enemy strike aircraft learn that they might die to base aaa even more of them will try to get rather easy bomber kills. Seeing that even Me 264s get killed by Wyverns - you need to climb more or fly larger detours to have a chance to drop.
- In the rare case that you survived the first run and you have free second run: You need to gain altitude (minimum 3, better 4 km) to attack multiple bases. Climbing slows down your approach and gives the remaing enemies a chance to repair/rearm and gives them the chance to intercept you before drop.
- For ambitious bombers trying to ground with turrets or to kill the last enemy by acting as a gunship - you get peppered like hell, the last enemy can use base aaa like af aaa, so your chances to avoid ticket defeats or to win by killing the last enemy drop significantly.
C. Multirole aircraft/Strike aircraft:
Summary
In principle the downsides of pure fighters and pure bombers combined. Even if you dropped the payload right after spawn base aaa will target you. So if your plane can dogfight you have to avoid to fight/attack above enemy bases at all cost. Imho the only exception for strike aircraft: If you planes has the option for custom loadout (so if you can choose - no loadout like bombs/etc).
So where ever you position yourself, i see no real benefit for any involved party:
- Fighters have less targets and the outcome of matches became an even more random event. In case they need to bomb by themselves they are targets too.
- Pure level/high alt bomber pilots get a mixed bag for their first run (less base stealing, but more enemies going for them) and a clear disadvantage for rare 2nd runs.
- Strike-/Multrole capable aircraft have to rely on luck (has the map hit-scan base aaa or not) and have to consider that everything around enemy bases is a no-fly zone - so if you want to intercept the last enemy you have to climb 4 km above the bases and can only attack if the enemy has left the bubble.
- Gaijin will sooner or later realize that players looking for SL printers by base
bombing will reduce their buys - as soon as the players are aware of this. I am actually wondering why no yt cc has addressed this. I mean if one of the main selling points of Wyverns or Ju 288s is their high chance to kill bases - if they take this chance away, there is (at least for use in Air RB for base bombing) no need for them if they can’t drop. And the players having such planes are for sure not happy about the current situation. In addition the buffed base aaa with hitscan alters artificially plane statistics - with subsequent effects on BR terminations.
So in case you are not happy with the current situation - i created a bug report, claiming that hit-scan base aaa must be a bug as it prevent props without bomb sights to attack enemy bases - a major income source for a lot of players on their journey to grind.
By clicking on “I have the same problem” you add attention to this bug report which might help to speed up the processing of this report.
Thx in advance!
PS: I do not perform low-level runs to bomb bases - i am simply extremely annoyed by these new no-fly zones on some maps. The overall improvement of game play by deleting af aaa on forward airfields (and reducing no-fly zones) got killed by this aaa buff.
