Why would you ever play nuclear thunder in an uptier?

This isn’t air RB. You are locked into a game for like an hour. Why would you ever play uptiers? Especially in broken brackets. Just tried to play 13.7 and only got 14.7 games 3 times in a row. Guess what you can do in a 14.7 nuclear thunder match as a 13.7? Jack all. Left all 3 instantly. Gaijin ruined yet another part of the game by making this random matchmaking instead of brackets.

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I’m wondering why the hell this isn’t available in Sim mode?.. 😕

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I was kind of surprised they didnt do it like sim.

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Yes, the only BR worth playing Nuclear Escalation at now is 14.7 due to the inability for uptiers.

A rotating BR bracket similar to sim would be much more well suited to this kind if gamemode.

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Agreed hopefully simulator gets it when its available for more maps

It was like sim the entire duration of the tests.

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Yeah, i figured it was going to be released like that.

probably not.

This is easily avoided by setting BR bracket ranges

I’m running into the same issue, and I’d like to understand whether there’s an incentive or mechanic I’m overlooking.

I’m using an 11.0 German lineup and getting matches against 12.0 Phantoms. A full uptier is frustrating in regular Air RB, but the match is usually over relatively quickly. In Nuclear Escalation, that same disadvantage can last for a much longer session.

What is the incentive to stay and keep respawning rather than leave and queue for another match?

I understand that leaving hurts my team because they lose a player. That’s part of my concern: what benefits the team and what feels worthwhile for the individual player seem to pull in opposite directions. If I feel tempted to leave after seeing a full uptier, I can understand why other players would feel the same. With several players making that decision, a lobby could quickly lose a significant part of its team.

What makes this more frustrating is that I already have 12.0 aircraft unlocked. If I wanted to play at 12.0, I could have selected those aircraft myself. Instead, I choose an 11.0 lineup and end up facing 12.0s without being able to use my own.

One possible solution would be to show the lobby’s BR range when we join and allow us to swap to aircraft we already have available, up to that lobby’s existing maximum BR. For example, if my 11.0 lineup lands in a match with 12.0 aircraft, let me bring my own 12.0s. That would remove a large part of the frustration for me and give me more reason to stay and contribute.

I’m assuming the current lineup and matchmaking systems might not support this. I acknowledge that implementing it could require development time, interface changes and balancing work. That’s a tradeoff the developers would have to consider, but I think it’s worth discussing as a way to encourage players to stay.

I’m not saying an uptier makes it impossible to contribute. Are there rewards, useful roles for lower-BR aircraft, or other mechanics that make staying worthwhile? This is my experience and opinion, and I’m open to advice if I’m approaching the mode incorrectly or missing something.