If you meant the gaps between BR steps, it’s actually the same as it was before. It’s just some players misinterpreted the system and thought that the gap between e.g. 1.3 and 1.7 BR vehicles is “bigger” than between 1.0 and 1.3 BR vehicles. This is of course not true and it never worked like this. The BR step between vehicles is always 0.33(3). We only see this x.3 and x.7 vehicle BR rounding because it would look very strange if we saw e.g. 1.33(3) BR on the vehicle stats card. It’s just simplified on the UI for us, the players. At least that’s how I understand the BR step system.
If you meant how the lineup BR is calculated then it’s not really that hard to get used to the new system. You don’t really have to do any calculations, you just have to remember you can’t use now additional vehicle that is only one BR step lower than your main vehicle. But I do agree that the new system is not simplifying anything. They obviously had to write something as a reason for this change.
They probably noticed that players overuse the previous system and too many players used e.g. 4.0 + 3.7 + 3.3 lineups (with playing only 4.0 + 3.7 BR vehicles and only gaining when compared to proper 3.7 + 3.7 lineups). Now the choice is more like: one strong plane + many much weaker planes in the lineup (which is not really worth it imo) or on paper stronger lineup with many vehicles at the same BR, but without BR reduction. Of course they missed the fact that there is also a third option, using just one strong plane with BR reduction (thanks to additional plane) and just leaving battles as soon as you die. I believe that the third option is the best way to get good scores and rewards. Essentially, you maximize your time and efficiency in the vehicle with artificially lowered BR.
That’s why I don’t think this is a good change. But I’m not a dev, so it’s not up to me.
I agree (plane plus plane two steps lower) is probably the meta now, and I agree they probably did this to stop the previous (plane+1-BR-step-lower-plane at the lower plane’s BR) meta, replacing it with a (plane-plus-2-BR-step-lower-plane at the in-between BR), that and the Sakeen spam at 3.0. As such, it’s slightly, ever so slightly fairer, than the rule that preceded it.
I think if you’re running a full lineup because you’re spading multiple vehicles at once and trying to leverage backups and a single big RP booster on that game to do so it still makes sense to run matched-BR lineups (since maximizing the booster means staying in as long as possible and there’s still value to getting boosted modification RP on your second and third planes). Same but to a lesser extent with a big SL booster or even if you’re just grinding for score that day. Every minute spent in lobby is wasted time, might as well stay in to the end of a match if you can with a big lineup.
If you care about kills though, or bases bombed etc., for instance because you need that for a daily or event task or a decal, or you only have one aircraft at a certain BR to spade out still, it now entirely makes sense to run the plane you plan to play in a lineup now with only other aircraft two or more steps lower and give yourself that 0.3 BR advantage.
Before it was finicky, having to have one plane exactly one step lower, and then another one two steps lower (but not more than five steps lower), I often couldn’t be bothered. But now that everything two or more steps lower counts, and that’s the only rule I need to remember, why wouldn’t I do it all the time?
I guess it depends. I currently do the event on EU/CIS servers, playing at lower BRs with propellers in Air Arcade. I use the system with one strong plane + one backup plane and the score is very good. The battle is also funnier, because I don’t have to use planes that are two BR steps lower (which would be a big disadvantage). This way I always play with a strong plane.
My waiting times for battles are usually less than 15 seconds (often a few seconds), so I don’t really lose much here.
Personally, I wouldn’t use big boosters in Air Arcade, the rewards here are really bad. But if someone only plays this game mode then of course it makes the most sense to use full lineups with big boosters. There are definitely situations, where full lineups are a better option.
The funny thing is that I still see many players using lineups from the old system in Air Arcade battles (this doesn’t make any sense in the new system). We need to give this change some time to see what the effects will be. I don’t see myself using e.g. 4.0 + 3.3 + 3.3 lineup and actually use 3.3 planes. This option doesn’t make much sense to me.
I don’t think using 3.66 should make any difference, using 3.7 then BR goes to 3.35. That should be the same as 3.33. If it is rounded up, shouldn’t anything above 3.3 and below 3.7 goes to 3.7?
If the result is exactly 3.33(3) then there is no rounding up, because you are already at specific BR step, so there is nothing to round here. If you had 3.33(3) + 0.(0)1 then rounding this value up would put you at whole 1 BR step higher. But this 3.33(3) is like the last value that is not rounded up, because it’s equal to the BR step. You are rounding to the nearest BR step. In War Thunder, BR steps are probably implemented like this: 1.0, 1.33(3), 1.66(6), 2.0, 2.33(3)… This would explain why rounding in the new system works the way it does.
I think it would be easier to understand this with natural numbers. Let’s say the BR steps are 1, 2, 3, 4. If the math says something is exactly 1, you don’t round it up to 2, because 1 is already a BR step. You only round up if the value is not equal to the BR step.
I’m not a native English speaker, so sorry if something is unclear.
I’m with you guys. This doesn’t help anything. At all.
Downtiering is still possible so you’ll still get that one Bf 109, MIG-21 or Harrier at +1.3 that players complain about.
I went through my presets and deleted all the downtiered lineups, then started with a clean slate to see which semi-decent lineups I could build now. Not many.
The only thing this now rule has accomplished is making me play some nations (like Israel) a lot less from now and I’ll be doing a lot more one-death-leaving with whatever plane I’m spading.
There are no upsides to this new rule; it’s just bad all the way down.
So I just had an AB air game with a lineup around ITP (M-1), instead of one 4.3 plane I just used max 4.0 to downtier it to 4.3… didn’t even need another plane, 17 air kills plus survivor… the system is still pretty much the same , if you know how to downtier, though there’s nothing ‘simplified’ about it…
Quite often I see new players now that would have been downtiered before but aren’t any more, and probably don’t even know about the possibility to downtier.
They will learn over time. But right now it’s a huge advantage to use one strong plane + one reserve plane. I’m not as good player as you are, but I can get around 10 kills without dying, using this new system.
I must point out that my playstyle is mainly based on surviving battles (or at least not die too much). So I play differently than most players. We have to see how many players will start doing the same.
Technically, this new system prevents players from using the old META lineups, e.g. 4.0 + 3.7 + 3.3 BR. With my playstyle, this new system fits me better, because less players should use higher BR planes in battles. If someone dies a lot, it probably makes more sense to use full 4.0 BR lineup now.
Hi, I would like to ask how things are with the BR tank. They play on BR 1.7, but sometimes I see players who have tanks on BR 2.3. That’s a bit unbalanced. Thanks for the information.
Tanks is simple, both in AB and RB the BR of your lineup is the BR of your highest rated tank, and you go up agianst lineups +/- 1.0 difference from your lineup.
This thread is about planes in air AB where under certain conditions you can downtier your plane, like, have a single 3.7 plane in a 3.3 lineup.
No, it’s actually less effective after the change.
E.g. 3.3 + 3.0 used to result in 3.0, but now stays at 3.3.
A special case is the Israeli S-199 being the lowest BR vehicle at 3.3.
Before it could be played at 3.0 which is no longer possible.
As for the old 2.0 limit (old wiki):
If the difference in the BR between the vehicle with highest BR (A) and one of the top vehicles (B or C) is equal to or higher than 2.0, so in matchmaking the BR of such a top vehicle will be replaced by BR of vehicle A. It means that if A-B(C) ⩾ 2.0, so B(C) = A.
Had practically no relevance.
Maybe if you wanted to play e.g. an Israeli 7.3 Meteor and 5.3 Spitfire at 7.0 instead of 7.3, but would it really matter at that point?
(Not really)
That’s how it should be calculated, the .0, .3 and .7 decimals are only a visual element for the players.
Unfortunately, it causes issues with wiki descriptions being mathematically wrong thus confusing many.
How does it make more sense to play a single 4.0 vehicle with reserve vehicles at 3.7 compared to playing a single 4.0 vehicle with any number of 3.3 vehicles at the same 3.7 BR?
If you use one 4.0 BR plane + one reserve plane, you basically artificially lower the BR of 4.0 plane to 3.7. This allows you to maximize your effectiveness in battles.
If you take one 4.0 BR plane + many 3.3 BR planes, after you die with your 4.0 BR plane you force yourself to play 3.3 BR planes that are below your matchmaker’s BR. So you basically uptier yourself with other planes, which is not the best idea.
If you die early with your 4.0 plane in a 4.0 + 3.3 lineup and leave the battle, the 3.3 plane will be crew locked. If you die early with your 4.0 plane in a 4.0 + reserve lineup and leave the battle, the reserve plane can’t be crew locked, so you can immediately start another battle. And in the next battle you again use a plane with artificially lowered BR.
In the old system you had two good options, 4.0 + 3.7, one plane was one BR step higher and the other at the BR of your matchmaker. But now you can’t do this anymore.
Anyway, it’s only relevant for stat-padders.
Maybe that’s considered meta play, but in my eyes the ultimate goal is to win the mission and not just to boost individual vehicle stats.
Maybe they should crew lock every non reserve vehicle instead even if used :D
That would surely annoy single spawn players.
Not really. I don’t care about stats, but I still see this way of playing as the new META.
But then why not just use full 3.7 lineup? That’s the best option now for players that want wins, do specific tasks, play in squads etc. Basically, if you want to use full lineups, use single BR lineups.
BTW: The funny thing is that playing for wins is more like actually playing for stats. I don’t even remember how many battles I won or lost today, I just don’t pay attention to this. Especially after I played thousands of battles in War Thunder, the number of wins is just a stat in my profile that doesn’t mean anything. But I know some players look at this stat and judge other players by their win rate. For me, it doesn’t make any sense. I honestly don’t even know what my current win rate is.
You have to remember, there is no rule in the game that you should spawn specific number of vehicles in the battle. Spawning 1 vehicle is completely legal. The truth is that a good player with 1 vehicle can do more than a bad player with 3 vehicles.
Personally, I don’t see a problem with spawning 1 vehicle. If anything, in my opinion the game should reward players more if they do more in the battle. Currently in many cases it’s actually the opposite (I don’t want to get too much into details with how the reward system works in War Thunder, but there are some serious problems with it).
It is a stat shared across every team member.
Missions in WT are set up like team sport, it’s not FFA or 1v1.
“Stat-padder” at least in sports (e-sports?) is used for players prioritizing their individual stats being of little benefit to the team’s chance of winning.
The problem are random teams / unknown team members.
Many don’t feel any responsibility towards other players.
In real sports you couldn’t do that without consequences. If for example you were playing a game of football and simply gave up and walked away during a game you’d surely anger many team mates.
In WT you simply start a new mission with other randoms.
Also it gives higher rewards (for every team member).
Crew lock exists, the game just fails to set a lower limit for number of vehicles.
There’s of course the issue of vehicle availability in trees. If I’m not mistaken the mobile game handles this differently with vehicle sets.
Yes, but plenty of times I’ve seen players leave early because someone in the other team paid attention.
Couldn’t they have done more with a second vehicle?
Does expectance scale with a player’s ability? At least in real sports it does.
Absolutely
I’m aware it doesn’t scale linearly and some objectives aren’t worth much.
From Gaijin’s perspective necessary to narrow the progression between bad and good players.