I thought the PSO had additional hull armor so I put it at 12.3 initially, I was corrected somewhere above though. Generally, I wanted to keep 12.7 to just the 2A7V/HU, Strv 122B+, T-90M, and T-80BVM (in terms of MBTs at least).
This is my experience in 7.0-9.0; I’m not an amazing (Italian) Ground Player, yet I have a ~55% win rate on a lot of my vehicles at these BRs because of how often I get matched with Russia (where in my experience, at 7.0-9.0, Russia being on your team [with their very low BR ERA and stabilized tanks] is responsible for 70% of your chance of winning).
T-90M is not on the same level as any others. T-80BVM sure, but T-90M could definitely be 11.3
Worse mobility than 70 ton 2A7 (thanks to weak ass engine)
Absolutely longest reload of 7.5 second
3kmh reverse
3BM60 is meh lacking compared to USA/German/Italian/Israel/Swedish shells
Constant fuel tank blow up from front lower plate that can be penned by 8.0 apds at 1KM
So… even though T-80BVM has less pen than M1A2 SEP, T-80BVM can slice through M1A2 SEP like a hot knife through butter, while M1A2 SEP can’t penetrate T-80BVM’s armor (beyond weakspots) with M829A2, the same way it can’t with M829A1 or the same way it couldn’t with M829A3.
In fact: T-80BVM armed only with 3BM42 would still be able to kill a SEP more easily than a SEP could kill the T-80BVM with M829A3.
Imo the differences between the Strv 122A/B PLSS and 122B+ aren’t big enough to warrant a lower BR. They all have the same strengths and the only difference iirc is that the 122B+ had side armor that can stop some autocannons.
The main problem with having the 122A/B PLSS at a lower BR is that you really can’t place any other tank at that same BR.
Honestly, I think we should have ground decompressed to the same levels as the new air ones, up to 13.7.
This is how I would do it:
13.7: Leopard 2A7V, Leopard 2A7HU (with fixed armor and spall liners)
13.3: Strv 122B+, Strv 122B PLSS, Strv 122A
13.0: Type 10, TKX (with fixed armor and CVT modelled/simulated)
12.7: the rest of current 11.7s
12.3: the rest of current 11.3s
12.0: the rest of current 11.0s
While I do agree with a lot of these, I think the T-90M definitely shouldn’t be above tanks like the SEPv1 and equivalents. Too many glaring downsides.
Gaijin modelling the most modern MBT in service… after a pre-2A5, up-armored 2A4 prototype from the 1990s be like: XD
It’s actually hilarious how the 2A7s have worse turret armor than the 2A5s, 2A6s and 122s lmfao
This is one of Gaijin’s greatest failures in modern MBT modelling. A display of non-existent common sense.
2A5, 2A6, all 122s, share the same turret armor… and then you get the 20 years more modern 2A7s… and they have WORSE armor. For… whatever reason.
The least they could have done is to copy-paste 122’s values. But for some reason, Germany’s first 122-level armored MBT had to be worse armored than all 3x 122s.
The conclusions I’ve come to is that it’s really difficult to create a perfect balance here, and I keep changing stuff around every time I look at it again, so I’m never quite happy with it.
You’re never going to get the perfect balance of vehicles at top tier, and I do mean never. Ariete, Merkava Mk.4, Challenger 2s are prime examples of such. Subtrees exists for some of them but they can only do so much to help. Let’s not forget that line ups are also extremely important for GRB, where multiple spawns are a thing vs ARB where a spread out BR is fine since you only spawn in a single aircraft anyway.
I hope it’s very WIP, because, otherwise, there’s actually worse compression here than ingame currently!
For example, we would have;
Challenger 2 with L26, Leopard 2A5 with DM33 and M1A1 HC with M829 facing Leopard 2A7Vs with DM53 and T-80BVMs with 3BM59.
Not to mention that all those modern MBTs having shells that were phased out by the time they were put in service would feel quite odd IMO, specially when they would still face the same MBTs they face now, except with severely crippled firepower.
You just can’t realistically decompress top tier MBTs anyway, some nations realistically cannot get anything better anymore. Hungary and Italy for example, maxed out what they could get. Japan and Israel as well, both of which have at most 1 or 2 more MBTs to add before they are also done.
Currently the Challenger 2 is only 0.4 BR away from the Leopard 2 A7V, in my proposed list it’s a full 1.0 BR below the Leopard 2 A7V.
This is essentially the same situation that 10.7 is undergoing right now, dispite the fact that they can see 11.7 matchmaking on paper, they instead get non-stop downtiers to 9.7 or 10.0.
The Challenger 2’s would finally get some breathing room by receiving frequent downtiers.
Same applies to the M1A1 HC.
Shells are and always have been used for balance, my list isn’t any different.
At least with my proposed list armour plays a bit more of a role than it does currently.
But at least Challenger 2 now has L27A1 as a tool to face it. Here, in full uptiers (which are 99% of the gameplay anyway), it would be forced to face that monster with L26. It would be an insta-J-out for most people.
