What is the plan to fix 9.0? You have planes from the 1980s facing planes from the 1950s. Planes with high-G missiles that can attack from beyond any kind of range that the Korean-era planes have any hopes from engaging from. Planes that can easily go supersonic or go into prolonged vertical climbs that might as well have an F-86 be a biplane. Planes that, due to the particulars of Arcade, can not only reload midair, but not worry about supersonic stresses that would tear them apart in Realistic and even lets a 10.3 aircraft club with impunity because even modern fighters get that reduction for some ungodly reason.
Absent a plan, what is your justification? Why do you believe that these planes should be fighting each other? Why do you think that an F-84F, a plane with a 30-second turn rate and NO countermeasures, needs to face AIM-9Gs and R-60 missiles? Why do you think this provides any kind of balance to the game?
Absent any justification, why do you think anybody should bother to play past 8.7? I’m sure players have better things to do than constantly bleed all their speed juking in case one of the half dozen Harriers has decided to get a lock on their 2nd generation fighter.
Honestly, bombers are less frustrating than 9.0. Naval is less frustrating than 9.0. I quit 9.0 until you fix it. And it isn’t even that difficult. I could honestly do it in one step. Just move every warplane that has 2nd generation A2A missiles up by 0.7 BR. Anything with just cannon? Let them shoot it out.
Too long a wait time for matches you say? Maybe. Just maybe. I’d say that there’s at least a 10% chance that if you quit making 9.0 into a toxic clubbing field, that more people might be drawn to play it.
So please. Plan? Justification? Something?