Let’s add a small point, the less realistic thing in this game is the weather. i don’t remember the last time I saw the sun on WT, even on those, so called, summer maps, or on those parts of the planet where the sun shines most of the times. We have hot and cold maps based on season, but not the weather.
To all this add the clouds being client side.
I didn’t fly it a lot, but the few times it was fun to play hide n seek with phantoms. Its rwr makes the difference and you just appear on their 6 without even knowing you’re there.
To avoid further confusion, here are official Gaijin sources explaining how Battle Ratings are calculated. All of them point to the same conclusion: BR is based on a universal efficiency metric, not on SB-specific factors.
1) Gaijin – Responding to your feedback on separate Battle Ratings
“considers frags, assists, caps… all bundled into one universal metric.”
“Efficiency… gives us a very well rounded perspective on how it’s actually being used.”
This means BR is based on aggregated player performance (kills, assists, etc.), and not on SB-specific factors like cockpit visibility, radar workload, spotting difficulty, or real flight model handling.
The same post also states:
“Before separate BRs, aircraft BR was set according to performance in Air Battles.”
This shows that BR is tied to general air battle performance, not to a clearly defined SB-specific statistical model.
2) War Thunder Wiki – Matchmaking
“Battle rating… correlates with their effectiveness in combat.”
“Grouping together units of similar efficiency.”
Again, BR is based on in-game effectiveness, not avionics, not realism, and not SB-specific mechanics.
This section describes BR ranges, but does not define any SB-specific statistical BR system.
Summary
All official sources describe a unified, performance-based BR system built on a universal efficiency metric.
None of them define SB-specific balancing metrics.
If there is an official Gaijin source showing SB uses its own dedicated statistical BR model, feel free to provide it.
Otherwise, dismissing technical arguments as “AI-generated” is not a counterargument.
Request to Moderators
To avoid further unnecessary arguments and since all relevant official sources have now been provided, I kindly ask a moderator to close this thread. @Forum Moderators @TestandRecognise
Perhaps considering making your own arguments instead of just regurgitating whatever generative AI spits out?
Note that the AI has changed its response to not actually indicate that Gaijin has said that SB ratings are tied to RB performance. Also note that frags, assists, captures, etc all still happen in Air SB. Those are not metrics that are exclusive to Air RB.
All of these factors have direct impacts on what a planes average performance in Air SB is.
The fact that the battle ratings in sim are entirely different? There are planes in Air Sim that are at dramatically lower battle rating than their RB counterparts. Consider the following; in the most recent battle rating update the LF IX Spitfire was moved to 6.0 battle rating. The exact same plane is at 5.0 battle rating in sim.
I agree with every point, but the last one being “11.3-12.7+” is a bit disingenuous. Should definitely separate 11.3-12.3 and 12.7+ because zero 11.3s will face ARHs even in a 11.3-12.3 bracket