WT - is Arcade Still Fun, and other questions...

[@long5hot]

My apologies to the many people who've sent me replays for the Analyze This series. I can't see how I can comment on the mistakes & successes of other people when I no longer play the game myself :\

[@jaredbussard6920]

I'm dissapointed that you are completely leaving war thunder. Realistic battles are the best bet with the game currently. Arcade is a clusterfuck of bullshit usually.

[@barontv450]

Link to your Forex channel pls!

[@SsiolisP]

Definitely an aussie flag, not New Zealand. Don't know what was exiting to play as a kid when you were young, but do you still play the most exiting game you played back then? ...Good show, impressive fighter skills, but I guess you've outgrown this one. (Not that your arguments aren't correct)

[@long5hot]

+Baron TV - My apologies, in my rush to put this online I forgot the link to the forex channel. Its kzbin.info/door/439puF60UHIE6p8M1niYzw

[@Gamma_]

have you tried disabling join in progress? that helps for rb so you dont get into situations where you get thrown in an already starting match

[@despacito_boi4484]

I’ve essentially stopped playing Air arcade due to clubbing, its a serious issue in war thunder. Due to the difference in sheer skill, crew points, and equipment from being uptiered, it makes it incredibly hard to get to the higher tiers

[@long5hot]

The higher tiers aren't that much fun anyway in my experience

[@madmaxizor]

Can subscribe to this... reached a stonewall at the end of US Air Rank 2, beginning of rank 3... before that, I could very well handle myself, but it got so bad I couldn't afford repairing the planes anymore. Worked my way up literally every single Air tech tree up to between BR 1.7 and 2.7 now, and somewhere along the way between those marks, it starts to get tedious, before turning into outright hell at around 3.3 to 4.0... Still not done with the game so far, but no promises I'll be playing it in a years time. btw, long5hot, I know it's a little late to join the party, but I make heavy use of your energy maneuvre vids, and if you read this, thank you for the time you took years ago :P I switched my control layout just this week, and am still struggling to cope with that (and the rudder control replacing the former wep on 'w'... :P), but I'm trying to fly more... mindful, recognizing maneuvres, executing them myself... and I hope to overcome my around 60-70% decrease in combat efficiency and then become even better. Even if nothing more comes to it, thanks again for helping me and some friends of mine out with this game, no matter what will come of it.

[@CoyoteCourtney]

It's a real shame. You and this channel were among the big reasons that I aspired to greater things with WT in the first place. For what it's worth, I gotta say I agree with you about Arcade. I do have a sim rig set up now, and flying with our friend, the Hopeless Enabler, in EC has been a phenomenal experience. The time investment--among other things--is formidable, however. As for the channel... I'd listen to you play anything, so you can count on me to stay a subscriber come hell or high water. It's not really my bag, but I'll subscribe to your forex channel, too. I always like learning new stuff.

[@long5hot]

Thanks Courtney :) I've been wanting to get into SB for some time, but just don't have the number of consecutive hours available to get into it, or to master my stick/pedals (which the Hopeless Enabler was instrumental in providing). My forex channel is kzbin.info/door/439puF60UHIE6p8M1niYzw

[@KitchenFSink]

Arcade is now a lot better, atleast for me. Dominations are very common, destroying ground targets gives you low score rewards and there is a lot of action above 3000m. I play on a European server and the BR is around 2.5-4.5

[@KitchenFSink]

Also, 0.50cals wreck everything

[@long5hot]

Good to learn, thanks!

[@XXmanguaXX]

@Long5hot I'm sad to see you go and very sad if there will be no more videos. I have personally learnt so much from watching your videos and improved my skills as a fighter pilot. I do hope you are able to find something in WT, which still are fun and thereby more videos. Best of luck and I'll look for you in the skies

[@long5hot]

Don't worry there'll be more videos, its just that I can no longer focus on Arcade now that its characterized by so many fast PvE battles.

[@uncleardistress]

Thabks for every video you made. They are all very educational and your easy to follow instructions are invaluable. I continue to refrence new players to your videos, and research them frequently to keep sharp. A lot has changed in the world of WT not all for the best, but what keeps me playing is the excitement of that perfectly pulled off rope a dope, or that beautiful deflection shot that was set up 2 manuevers before hand. Thank you so very much. You are missed.

[@ethandemello7569]

if you dont come back.. thank you for all of your help. you were my go to youtube videos on learning basic skills and improving developed ones.! you should check out the game chivalry. you might like it :) Im going to checkout your trading ch. Cheers!

[@Bop_It]

I've just started playing a week and a half or so ago, I'll lay out what I've seen. Ground Strike seems to be an overly dominant gamemode, much like you've stated here. Soon after researching some 1.7-2.0 battle rating planes, I've seen dozens of premium, 2.7 BR P-47s clubbing any fighters in their way. I've seen Domination and Air Domination with relative frequency, but even so those games tend to last only 10 to 15 minutes maximum. I think I've improved a lot from your channel, averaging 3-4 kills a flyout now with no history of flight simulators, yet it seems my efforts do nothing to effect the outcome of the game. I'd love to try realistic, but I've had the same problems you noted, mainly the lack of action. I was really excited at my first day or two of War Thunder, but even after this short span of time I feel like I'm losing the sense of fun. I've tried tank battles and those have been a lot more fast-paced, despite my apparent lack of any skill. I'd suggest you try ground forces if you return to making videos, although I would love to see any kind of content. :)

[@Bop_It]

Well I'm looking back on this comment just 3 weeks later and I've already changed my views a lot. I've seen Air Domination maybe 5 times since I started playing, but that hasn't been a big problem. I still notice my killing of fighters doesn't affect the outcome, but I've started having more fun with it anyway. I have gotten help from a few players in the G0D, eRekt, and IXION squadrons and now I usually get at least 4 kills a flyout with 1 death, sometimes as high as 9 to maybe 2 deaths. I no longer think I'm losing the fun from playing the game, and idk how I suggested playing ground instead of flying -_-. Tanks might be fun but flying aircraft is so much more rewarding! If you ever come back to War Thunder we should fly some time :)

[@GewoonWouter]

Well, your video really sums it up for me. I haven't played it in months because Gaijin for years and years aren't listening to their players and are taking the fun out of it. I remember playing games where I ran out of fuel after 20 minutes and had to land an refuel before continueing the aircombat. Those where the enjoyable times and I really loved watching yours and tx's tutorial vids...sad it isn't like that anymore. Hope the fun comes back. Untill then I'll stick to my warships (though it isn't the same, aircombat tactics are so much more enjoyable and have much more depth)

[@limarismenos]

It's the end of an era Longshot. A lot of the great AB players have stopped playing (most of the 100 clan have stopped). If the game continues like this then the its future is bleak. Time for IL2 BOS or DCS I suppose.

[@long5hot]

Due to the ongoing GPU-racing problem in the hangar/menus, I don't play IL2 BoS (despite owning it). DCS seems incredibly complex to me - I rarely have the number of consecutive hours required to get into a game like that. We shall see what the future holds I guess...

[@long5hot]

Hmm. Let me know how it goes - it would take a lot to make me buy an EA game.

[@limarismenos]

Will do. :-)

[@antoinecharron6062]

Hello long5hot. I am a 100% RB player and I understand the frustration you can get when, in a single game, you cant even put a single hole in an enemy's plane. I am not as good as you are as a pilot but, I can have matches where I get 2 or 3 kills and it feels good because I put 110% efforts to get those. I know AB is more action. I just feel like RB is more challenging. You are one of my favorite WT pilot. I am sure you can make great RB videos! Maybe this will light up that flame again?...Hope to see more of your videos. Cheers to you fellow pilot.

[@djbiscuit1818]

long5hot, you just perfectly summed up my experience. I've been playing for a while, and tried to get into RB, but couldn't, and now arcade is just getting worse and worse. I'm playing less and less, and don't know if I'll be playing much longer, especially with the 50 cal nerf, which ruined the only tree I've really played consistently.

[@Iason29]

It's a real shame watching this video and finding out about this. I only started playing War Thunder for the first time last Spring, but I didn't have time to commit to it. Now I tried learning more and started playing this Spring and what do I find? The game actually broke while I was away and this is why I was struggling in arcade? And I thought it was still a just a big lack of experience. And the channel that actually taught me War Thunder is dead? I think this channel should have had at least 100,000 subs compared to others who barely are capable into going into explaining vital details on what makes a good player. So...should I give up trying to learn War Thunder now?

[@long5hot]

Firstly, the channel isn't dead - just on a break. I'm busy developing a game which goes into early access on Steam in July, which leaves me no time at all for WT or videos right now. And secondly, yes bomber spam is a serious issue in Arcade that so far Gaijin have shown no signs of wanting to address. However I've read (on reddit) that there's a chance the next major patch will restore .50 cals to their former glory and improve the damage done by cannons, so the gameplay may once again improve. If you enjoy WT I'd say to keep at it :)

[@daviddaly8287]

Haha, that's what you get for kissin ass, if you like the game then play it, if not, don't, but don't be a sheep in life, don't just follow the crowd

[@BentHestad]

I hope things will change to the better so that you will still keep this excellent, high quality channel, which I have learned tons from! You sure have some very valid points, I just was in a GS game at 5.0 which, all in all, lasted 3 min and 10 sec. But I have also been in GS games the last week that (still at 5.0) lasted 20 min, several times actually. More ground targets like you suggest would be a good thing, and stronger bases. I will also add; restrict respawns to two, just like in Ground Forces.

[@A_Renaissance_Man]

Well, WT is up to 1.69 and Italy is slowly being added. Software development by Committee is difficult at best. Success breeds more input, requests, fixes, and unseen consequences of actions. You have helped me so much I would hate to see you lose interest, at least until I do, [;^) You are correct and I just commented on BradaTemplar's video on things that need to change. One of my comments relative to this video was about bomber missions. He correctly stated that there were no real bomber missions available. I agreed and stated that I have been in 1st place on several occasions where all I did was bomb AI Ground Targets in my Halifax, or whatever, not Bases.

[@OutlawIROC88]

so sad to hear, but definitely understandable. i havent played war thunder myself in months due to the lack of fun i was having as well. i continue to rewatch your videos for the entertainment alone, so i will miss that for sure. hopefully they fix their game and make it fun again.

[@Napalmratte]

hey @long5hot: I totally agree. a few things I have to add. The first is with arcade airbattles. I have flown it for over 2 years on a very active basis. I also think there must be a rework for the AI ground units. Also the question: do you remember the old harbour map with the Aircraft Carriers - this map was glorious :) About plane RB: Trust me, it is a very very long way to find the right balance between climbing and going in. I´d love to fly with you and give you my advices on how the "flow of the battle" is. It also depends heavily on the nation. Don´t fly americans! Simple as that. Don´t ask why, ust don´t fly them ^^ next thing: Have you tried out tanks? begin with the russians or germans. There is a lot to learn and it can be very fun despite some obvious imblances :) The best advice I can give you: Don´t hope, just find a spot for you taht you enjoy within the game and play that. Sad but true :/

[@octainrod1612]

We will miss you here. Because you I can pilot a plane now a feel confident when doing so. Your channel here has had a hue impact on how I play WT. I was just a Tanker but now I play both so THANK YOU! Long5hot. If I may suggest to try flying with friends in RB yes the fly to combat ratio can be lopsided, but when you get that awesome game it's so rewarding.

[@joshuabrannum]

This is sad really. You, Longshot, was my last hope, where hopefully, some tactic or mindset would be found to overcome the senseless changes that Gaijin introduced in 1.59. I was growing really, really frustrated both in RB and AB with both, the damage models and the time of battle. It sucks that you're driven from War Thunder. It feels like only yesterday when I first saw your guide on the BF-109 e3, learned about the climbing spiral and climbing to the side during the start of battles and the fun I received from it. I felt more invigorated, now that I knew tactics that kept me from being shot down. I felt that when I WAS shot down, it was either the opponents skill or my own misjudgement. Now, I could fly perfect and something else can screw me over. Perfect angle on Bomber with accurat shots on engine? Guns are ineffective. Perfect shot on a stalled out plane? Planes armor were buffed. Climb to take high altitude supriority? Everyone fights low. It's the same in RB and AB, and Gaijin is encouraging this. Thank goodness for Overwatch, otherwise, I would've been severely pissed. This game was real fun for a Loooong time for me. Not any more. Thank you Longshot, for the time you put out on these vids. It's a crying shame that Gaijin never took advantage of your tactical insights and commentary, but it is, what it is.

[@laisy961]

They are trying to get people to play the objective, but it ended up being too effective that everyone just go ground strike in AB. Its kinda sad, since I miss the chaotic killfeast at low altitude while picking them off one by one from above. RB takes a long time to get into, and to quote someone's comment on RB, "basically you fly in a straight line for 5 minutes just to spot the enemy, then get shot down in on burst". And maybe you want to check out IL-2 games? Never played them before, but I do heard a lot of good things about them.

[@KapitanPisoar1]

I absolutely agree with you mate. I really enjoyed your channel and I learned a lot from your videos, but as it is the game itself AB especially is not attracting me anymore. I really enjoyed the role of bomber hunter and I was fighting to gain altitude superiority in everygame (given that my favorite planes are FW190) But this is not the case anymore, in most of the AB you just see heavy bombers going for suicide nose dives right from the spawn, so there is not much to fight for in high altitude. Especially after they nerfed cannons and buffed bomber armor, it is crazy difficult to take down a bomber (back in the day one or two passes with FW190A4 was enough to take down B-17, now you can waste the whole ammo load with uncertain outcome, and more often I am the one bursting in flames) That is the reason I fled to RB, but as you said, there is a big problem with the wasted time, you spend 75% of the time by gaining altitude and positioning yourself, and often happens, there is nothing to hit on, while you get where you wanted to be. And sometimes I finish RB match without even firing one shot. So now I have reached the point I don't really know if I am having fun playing WT and if it is even worth it to waste time, just climbing and fooling around without even engaging in dogfights. I hope the situation will turn around and we will see more of your interesting and educational videos and more entertaining game play in what once use to be the game to play. So hopefully we'll see you in the skies again. _310cs_Epidem

[@SpaceCowboy21st]

This is so true, last night when I was developing my brand new British tech line while I only got the starter planes like the Fury and Gladiator. I was so shocked when I saw a P63 heading towards me in an AB....

[@Debilitator47]

Every single 'THIS!' I can muster. Spot on assessment. The game's so frustrating. I refuse to play americans, broken and nerfed into oblivion. Bombers are ALL death stars now, with incredibly powerful gunners and giant piles of module health. The previous death stars are now...I dunno, starkiller bases? Gaijin has no idea what they're doing with the air arcade mode. It is the oldest, and most in dire need of some solid redesign from the ground up. As it is right now, I've been wishing for a 'domination/air domination' option since about 3 months in, and I'm now on 3+ years of arcade. No RB for me, thanks. Life is too short and RB is too boring.

[@jaredbussard6920]

My problem with arcade is aiming/hit registration and damage models (way too much damage to kill anything)

[@jaredbussard6920]

I'm only touching arcade to spade planes for realistic

[@gwalchavad2047]

yep, something they introduced about two releases ago.

[@cpthrki5852]

If you're talking about planes, true. Tried out the IL-2 with twin 23mm cannons. No HE rounds unfortunately, but there are I believe 2 types of incendiary in the Default belt. Put literally at least 30 shots into an SU-2 doing no critical damage. Oh, and currently losing tail control in Air Battles is the equivalent of your barrel being destroyed in tanks before the patch. It feels like if you get shot anywhere in the back of your plane, you lose the tail control.

[@patrickneumann5519]

K'nextreme Productions 1000 mg bullets for 1 hurricane

[@overinfinity8369]

Noobs are never noobs for long. He or she will get better over time.

[@reload5216]

Great video...totally agree with you as to the direction WT is heading ....

[@bombie1138]

You are very well known in the WT community and your opinion has a lot of weight to it.I totally agree with you,especially with the battle times being shortened.I am a lone wolf and my priority is always to win the match but unless I am chasing down bombers there is no way my team will win.I really would hate to see the game fading away because of bad decisions made by the devs.I had one match a few days ago that lasted 4 minutes which blew my mind,low rewards for everyone doesn't work out for anyone except the owners of the game,personally I would hate to see you leave,but if you do,.thank you for helping so many players !! Quick edit,.I also had one game where we lost because no one on the team had any planes left that could carry bombs and we lost because of one enemy tank !!,..that was frustrating to say the least,.

[@hateca1]

First thanks Long5hot for the great videos, and well spoken as well. I'm a new player and just a few of my observations. The damage and weapon models are messed up. You can pound away at a bomber with cannon and get nothing. Get a small bust from machine gun and go down in flames or get a head shot and you're done. Ground strike is broken as well. Spawn, bomb, crash, re-spawn, and do it again. I've played games that lasted 2 min, and it was done. Bombers should not be able to maneuver and dive like a fighter, I don't care if it is AB. They have B17 and B29 flying through turning and burning letting their gunners shoot anything that moves. Something has to be done to make it more equal for all players based on plane and skill levels. Will I stay? I'm new, so for now I will stick around for one or two updates but if it doesn't get better then I will look for something else.

[@lorenzo3656]

there was an air domination event with the realistic flight model and arcade spawns... that was the most fun to ever have had

[@long5hot]

Was there? Damn - I missed it :\

[@long5hot]

I do remember an event back in 2013 where they had arcade battles, 3 respawns, reloading at half the normal arcade speed, but RB physics and no lead indicator. It was amazingly enjoyable, and then after 24 hours it was over and never returned since. It just goes to show that the game's developers and administrators have no idea of what their game's capable of if only they allowed it to happen. In fact, its almost as if the people making decisions hate the very idea of people having fun in WT, and when they see it happening they take steps to stamp it out. I've long given up trying to understand their thinking :\

[@lorenzo3656]

+long5hot also this years easter event, don't know how was called

[@NAWWMANNN]

I certainly am still having fun in Arcade! Although I did just start playing like a month or so ago, and I just played my first successful Realistic match yesterday in which I survived to the end AND got one kill!

[@BradTheTryHard]

i think arcade is repairing itself a lot in my eyes, ground pounders seem to still exist in small numbers but its a lot of "he/ you, lets shoot at eachother" or then you have the people who are good that you can be equal skill with, and enjoy fighting from time to time. example was me in a bf109F-4 and some fw109, cant remember the exact model, gave me one hell of a fight and i enjoyed it. i tried some RB and got a couple kills got a kill stolen from me but i didnt mind bc i was baiting and another guy too a lovely shot. its fun in moderation. and ofc playing with a controller- not fun

[@gregoire203333]

just to say thaks for the good advice on videos, just cant get rid of that tunnel vision i still get pay for it every time!

[@gdounito]

Totally feel you long5hot, im still new to the game and already I feel kinda bored with the bombing situation. I think they should increase the distance between enemy bases or reduce the damage of bombs. I ve seen experienced pilots with do 217 finishing of the game within 2-3 minutes just by exploiting wholes in the enemy's defense. one dive alone was enough to finish off 2 bases, he got quickly back up and bomb the 3rd one before he got shot down. I have also experienced a weird pattern in game mode spawning. I play from greece so our time difference is 2 hours (I suspect you are from GB judging from your accent) and most of the times I play at night 22:00 to 6-7 in the morning. 9/10 times air domination battle will occur ONLY in the early morning from 5:00 to 11:00 (greek time is gmt +2). All of the other battles are ground strike mostly which is unbelievable. I havent collected any data but its a pattern I happen to see always for the past two months, so my guess is that gaijin didnt pay much attention to that. The funny thing is , that early in the morning 5 to 10 am most of the battles are air domination, that is probably because the player pool is getting smaller but I cant be sure about that Anyway cheers whatever you do, I hope they change something in the near future, but I was greaty discouraged whan I saw many people in the forums asking for these changes....2 years ago

[@SsiolisP]

Must have been me in the Do 217 E lol! I love "erasing" all 3 bases off the face of the map in a matter of approximately 1,5 min (depending how close together they are). Other than that... ναι το έχω προσέξει και εγώ το θέμα με τις ώρες που αναφέρεις. Επιπλέον, εάν παίξεις από 7 με περίπου 10 το πρωί, είτε αεροπλάνα, είτε άρματα, θα συναντήσεις πάρα πολλούς νουμπάδες και θα το διασκεδάσεις καταπληκτικά. Furthermore, trying to get into a high tier game, especially in ground forces, during the specific hours you mentioned, takes a toll on even the most patient person.

[@gdounito]

Άσε φίλε όταν πρωτοξεκίνησα τις έτρωγα από παντού λόγω του matchmaking. νόμιζα ότι τα spitfire είναι άχρηστα μέχρι που κατάλαβα τι παίζει. Όπως και να χει πρέπει να το αλλάξουν λίγο γιατί είναι γαμάτο παιχνίδι απλώς από ένα σημείο κ μετά βαριέσαι τα ίδια και τα ίδια με τις βόμβες. Anyway maybe more people we should complain about the games finishing so fast. I dont see any other solution. On the other hand if gaijin still makes a lot of money with the current situation they will probably wont change the game, but this will definitely backfire to them in the long term

[@SsiolisP]

George D. το είδα/έλαβα το πόστ σου, τα ίδια κάνει και σε εμένα. Προσωπικά άρματα παίζω αλλά και εκεί μετά από 1 χρόνο που παίζω το βαρέθηκα. Μόχθησα να αποκτήσω άρματα στα ψηλά 7άρια (BR), μόνο και μόνο για να ανακαλύψω πως είναι κυριολεκτικά "άπαικτα"! Με 33.000 βαθμούς που θέλουν για κάθε αναβάθμιση, χωρίς ανταλλακτικά, πυροσβεστήρα και κυρίως ένα βλήμα της προκοπής.... εεεεε τι να παίξει κανείς;;;; Μπαίνεις μέσα με το "υπερθωρακισμένο" και σου έρχεται ένα HEATFS από την Eastern Europe στην Normandy και σε σβήνει επιτόπου! Καταλήγεις στο γκαράζ χωρίς βαθμούς για αναβάθμιση, χωρίς βαθμούς για έρευνα νέου άρματος και χωρίς αργυρά νομίσματα. Όσο για τα αεροπλάνα, νουμπάς είμαι μετα από 3 μήνες που τα παίζω, αλλά και πάλι.... hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit, hit και πουθενά κατάρριψη? Να το δεχθώ εννία φορές στις δέκα αλλά 10 στα 10 πάει πολύ, ειδικά όταν επί της ουσίας έχεις έναν "τόνο" Hits και βολές όπου παίκτες όπως ο long5hot έχουν άμεση κατάρριψη! Προσπαθώ να ανεβάσω τα crew με βομβαρδιστικά, αλλά πόσο να παίξεις βομβαρδιστικά χωρίς να βαρεθείς την ίδια ρουτίνα; Αυτά φίλε μου, στους =HAFC= είμαι, ισως σε δώ στο παιχνίδι.

[@edrohhhhhhhhh]

En castellano por favor, gracias.

[@gdounito]

SsiolisP nai tous kserw einai kana 2 poli kaloi paiktes ekei pera exw paiksei mazi tous. kanete kanena match me alla squads?αργοπεθαινει βεβαια το γκεημ αλλα ομαδα εναντιον ομαδας θα ειναι καλη φαση γιατι παιζεις οργανωμενα. p.s. slashNdash το νικνεημ μου, κανε αντ αν θες

[@mollylemonk]

Hi Long5hot ! You discussed having contemplated the potential of a movie review channel? The notion sounds fantastic and should it ever come to fruition (It totally should) I'd kill to see it. The well informed and matter of fact manner in which you deliver and compose yourself to your audience creates quite mentally stimulating subject matter. I have seven suggestions of some curious movies which may or may not be of interest - all terrific films nevertheless!! (Should it ever happen~) Enter the Void by Gaspar Noé Das Boot by Wolfgang Peterson Зеркало (The Mirror) by Andrei Tarkovsky Андрей Рублёв (Andrei Rublev) by Andrei Tarkovsky 夢 / Yume (Dreams) by Akira Kurosawa Aguirre, Wrath of God by Werner Herzog Double Indemnity by Billy Wilder Thank you so much for your contributions on behalf of all of your fans, we love the hell out of you and your show.

[@long5hot]

Thanks for your kind comments! I've only seen a few of your movies, I guess I need to do some research. Can't promise I'll ever have the time and energy needed to devote to making a decent review channel - in fact looking back now, I wonder how on earth I produced so many vids for War Thunder ;)

[@chrishuerlimann9726]

i hope u keep the videos comming! are the best out there of players playing wt... and u actually learn something! helped me a lot

[@jaredbussard6920]

I never had fun in RB until I spaded the fw-190 a-4. First game when spaded I got an ace (5kill) game and realized how I should be playing. I have been addicted ever since.

[@silo_fx3182]

For anyone that might be seeing this video there have been a few changes: 1) US 50 cals are laser beams of death. They have been restored to former glory and even better. In fact they are probably OP at the moment. 2) Bombers have a reduced damage model so are easier to intercept. However..... See point 1 above. 3) Bomber gunners have magic Gaijin code that can insta kill you while spinning in a vomit inducing vortex, from 1.5km away. 4) The game is still a ground pounders wet dream. Still just as tedious. 5) Recently we are seeing a MUCH higher rotation of runway dominations. In fact I imagine it would be incredibly frustrating if you are trying to spade a high tier bomber. 6) Sounds are amazing. Gaijin has done an amazing job at updating the sound files 7) Overall the Air part of the game has been left alone for a long while Plenty of other minor changes but the essence of this video is still valid. Slightly better for fighter pilots now if you are happy to ignore objectives and have a 20% win rate.

[@EdgeR2]

started abt 5 days ago (been playing other jet flight games) is it worth grinding out to the jets? i reaaally want to fly the me262 to the point i downloaded a bunch of skins for it, and i mainly play AB (tried RB but my lack of experience basically made me a burden to the entire team and i hate that so...)

[@silo_fx3182]

@@EdgeR2 I understand your desire. The main issue you will face (and one of the reasons I love this game) is that if you 'rush' to the top tiers you will get smashed by the other players at that level. There is a skill level required to be effective at the higher tiers. I am not an amazing pilot but know my way around this game enough to be effective. My recommendations for new players are: 1) Welcome aboard and be prepared to learn! Long5hots channel is a brilliant place to learn how to transition from noob to pro. 2) Don't spend too much real money initially. Learn the game and what parts you like and don't like. Talismans are a waste of time until tier 4 (the layer before jets). Premium planes are optional and a good plane today can be ruined by Gaijin's dev team in the next patch. 3) Seriously, try and play all nations at tier 1 and 2 before rushing to tier 3, 4 and 5. Don't take this rule too hard and fast but take your time learning the ropes at the lower tiers first. 4) The game play at tier 3,4 and 5 starts getting a lot more strategic as planes become powerful and full of deadly cannons. For me, this is where the fun is. Look forward to playing at the higher tier matches but be prepared to meet players that have literally thousands of hours and air target kills in this game. See point 5 next... 5) Too many players these days throw away their planes each match. Learn to survive first. Make a goal of not being shot down. THEN move to goals of lifting your kill count. The main reason for this is you will learn situational awareness and where your next threat is coming from. This is really important in this game. Particularly in AB but applies to all game modes. 6) You NEVER need more than 5 crew slots activated. DON't use golden eagles to unlock extra crew slots. You will find 5 more than enough and you will want to upskill your crews over time. If you unlock too many crews, the experience gets spread too thinly. This may not make much sense after 5 days of play but if you stay playing for a while this will make sense eventually. 7) If you want to progress the game as efficiently;y as possible, premium time on sale is a good option. Likewise fly the plane that is directly before the one you are unlocking. You get a good experience bonus. Plus you 'spade' (unlock all the modules) as you go, rather than end up with a hangar full of stock planes. Most of the time you cannot judge a plane until it has all its modules fully unlocked and you have spent the time to 'spade' it. War Thunder is a brilliant game full of iconic planes, etc. You just have to chill, take your time, enjoy and don't 'grind'.

[@silo_fx3182]

@@EdgeR2 Forgot to add... If you are already ok with fighter tactics and how air combat works, you will find WT beautiful. The main issue is that the mission objectives in your ME become tedious. I still find plenty of ways to enjoy this game. You just have to be prepared to do your own thing to get past the tedium of the current match objectives.

[@EdgeR2]

@@silo_fx3182 thanks for the tips, i dont really die that much (except airfield dom that i tend to crashland way too much) been binge watching this channel and its extremely helpful, im way too used to just zoom climbing with afterburners in jets for example lol

[@eliX0r]

Well said Longshot, couldn't have said it any better. Also like to add that if you are ground pounding/base bombing as I like to spade all planes, you have to race/fight against your teams Do's.

[@Polaventris]

Funny you mentioned the first bearcat. I did NOT have fun spading that one during 1.59 gun sparkle fiasco. I do share most if not all of your views of the game in its current state and have found myself playing the game a lot less lately too. I still find it fun to play with friends though.

[@SuperShaihulud]

Hi, Longshot. I started watching your videos when you had about 30 subscribers. I told you then you were as good as Jingles. Now you have a large fan base who will miss you when you're gone. Thanks, Longshot. You've never let us down and always talked straight. For the record, I think Gaijin went off track after 1.31 and since then has made a lot of planes and no good decisions. Take care, guy

[@long5hot]

Thanks - I haven't completely gone away yet though - I'll find something in order to continue this channel & stay in touch with everyone :)

[@jamespotts5853]

It's a real shame you can't get into RB. You featured me in arcade, probably about a year ago now and since then i have really gotten into RB, i find the slower, positional play to be much more rewarding. I hope you don't fully give up on the game since i still find your content to be the most informative and enjoyable out of all of the WT producers. Best of luck regardless. I hope to see more of your videos in the future.

[@remenents100]

One of the reasons I got so bored and quit. I was never as good as you at it, but everything you mentioned in this video is exactly why I quit, and why so many members I know have also quit. Ground Forces are not too bad I guess, but I got bored with those too rather quickly. Now I am content just playing World of Warships. Much more fun to me.

[@nickoppen]

I think your comments are equally true now in 1.73 long5shot. I was wondering why you could knock down a bomber with a couple of well placed shots in your videos while I am left ducking and weaving, landing hit after hit and only getting an oily windscreen as a reward. I've only been playing for a couple of months and skill is certainly a part of it but the jelly bullets are really frustrating. You didn't mention it in the video but I also find that the Match Maker sometimes chooses two teams of very even skill and just as often, horrendously mis-matched teams. I once played a round which was all over in two minutes and I came first in the team with one ground target destroyed. Has this always been the case?

[@long5hot]

Yes, the match maker never took skill or experience into account. Neither does it try to balance based on plane lineups, which means one team could be full of bombers & the other mainly fighters.

[@anthonyclare6750]

Love you videos Longshot, well thought out, phat bass intro's and delivered in a laid back laconic style. All that said, if you are not enjoying the game, that's cool. I have learnt everything I consider of value about flying in this game from you, and I agree with your thoughts on arcade. in regard to what you could do, and note that I say could. What brings me to WT is 2 things. Prop planes, and the free to play/freemium model. Perhaps you could look at games that fall into that category. Mech Warrior Online etc. Just a thought. If you need an Aussie prime time wing man, shoot me a tell. Sgt.Mann in WT

[@BrownFoxWarrior]

That's what ticks me off. War Thunder was the solution to over a year's search for a good flight simulator that was a little more up to date and easy to get started in since I couldn't figure out the more complex ones. Now their excuse is "shut up, it's a game, not real life." But what's the point of a SIMULATOR when you refuse to do just that: Simulate! It's a crappy clone of all the arcade style games out there anymore. The only reason I haven't left is that there's no replacement for it, and I spent some money to support development back when it was still good. (The only f2p game I have ever paid for. That's how much hope I had for it.) I feel your dilemma very strongly about staying. There's so much more I can say about the game, but it will take a full book probably.

[@jamespfp]

11:00 -- Thanks for the update and the in-depth explanation of why War Thunder isn't what it used to be, even before it's finished. I've been happily avoiding it for months myself; it did improve my skills in other simulators, though. :)

[@silo_fx3182]

Sadly you are quite correct... Gaijin need to see this video. I can't believe that I can fly my Hitlerbolt against your line up and be fully unlocking TA;s and BF109K4 (T4 aircraft). That is really insane. These changes make boosters pointless as you often get rapid matches where you have no effect and struggle to get meaningful points. I commented in discussion the other day that more and more I feel like a casual bystander in battles as a fighter pilot. As I don't like ground pounding I will continue to fly fighters and see if the game stats and player retention mean Gaijin have to swing the objectives back to fighters more. 1.59 was a real dent to the game with the massive swing to bombers/attackers, along with fighting in fog (to protect bombers again). I still enjoy the game but 100% agree with you and your results. I see many matches now where 1st place has no air targets destroyed and I come in 3rd with 3 kills, no deaths. Stupid. Thanks for your wise words and inspiration.

[@silo_fx3182]

A little further to this. Can I ask why you simply just 'ignore the objectives' and fly out what you want, when you want and enjoy the fighter moments? There is still a lot of fun to be had looking for those other players wanting dog fights. Still plenty of opportunity to fight for altitude, particularly as BR's go up. Anyway, it would be a shame to lose you from WT over the ground pounding objectives and 50cals. Go back to your Ruskies and Japanese that you re sooooo good at :-)

[@dack400]

I have to agree with your assessment of the current status of War Thunder. Bombers seem much more concrete and can end games too quickly. Like you said- if there were more of a balance of game modes it wouldn't be so bad. However, despite most games being very short, I try not to let that change how I play-- If I only manage a couple kills per game now, fine. I also stopped really caring if I win or lose the match because like you said, to have the most impact you have to play a bomber and dive the bases.

[@blakeluker1425]

I know this video is older but some of these problems still exist. I don't see why they can't make a simple mode where u get three planes in a certain BR and basically have a death match that would be interesting to see the outcomes with a timer of 30 mins. I rarely get air domination anymore it's just so disappointing. They should make these games longer so new players coming in can actually learn something instead of flying head on into one another with guns blazing

[@long5hot]

Yep, and there are so many things they could do to improve Ground Strike, seeing its the predominant mode. Such as offering a choice of spawn points (removing the so-called "spawn camping" from the game). Stopping bombers flying at unrealistic speeds with unrealistic maneuverability in a headlong dive. And adding extra tickets which can only be removed by shooting down planes, so that fighters actually have a meaningful role to play in achieving the objectives. I wouldn't suggest limiting the number of respawns, as that simply accelerates the loss of players from a game particularly when a team starts losing. But yes, Gaijin could easily make the game a lot more interesting and balanced if they wanted to.

[@thirdofseveninc]

Back to "Air domination" topic. I'm the other guy who collected statistics in this topic on forums. It is not quite accurate about AD battles at all. Both we done most battles above BR4.7 where you can't meet Air Domination at all. But at lower tiers, especially around 2.0-3.0 they are quite frequent. I'll be playing lower tiers soon and can collect about 500 battles, but I think they have same frequency as usual Domiantion games. It will take some time to prove, ofcourse.

[@dantheman5222]

G'day there Long5shot, i stopped playing AB a long time ago it just didnt suit me, so i fly RB i have noticed a trend in that mode that more country's are now spending more time ground pounding, it used to be u/s teams, now i see other countrys now also staying low to pick off the u/s and the brit's, sadly i find climbing up to 5000m looking down watching your team get ripped to bit's and most time's being the only person that took the time out to climb and the last one left, i do think that the new spawn points are great for attacker's, look at the p-47s with there very poor climb rate of aroud 6m/s that 1000m spawn point helps alot, for me i have since been playing tank's, and im enjoying the game play seems like there is a lot less drama, team work is the key with out it you lose and i notice that is missed in Air battle's..i have alway's enjoyed your vid's mate keep them coming..

[@26Rudders]

I am not really fussed about where I am ranked on the leader board but instead how much rewards I get. I am just happy to play.

[@davidedgerly]

Longshot... I just started flying in War Thunder.. I've played ground forces for the past few years.. and have noticed a marked decrease in game play because of the changes in BR. And figured I'd try my hand at flying.. I thought well the Tanks aren't the main draw for WT.. It's the Planes and with the number of battles and players it has to be good.. And what I find amazing is, I started just killing ground targets so I could get XP for my planes because I couldn't dog fight or fly to save my skin.. and It seemed like a lot of seal clubbing was taking place so then I figured.. screw it I'll fly bombers its fairly easy and I get a ton of XP. But that's not what I thought I was signing up for.. And now that I've just found someone who puts great effort into education and clearly has a fondness for WT... You're quitting! Well I don't think your alone in that.. Jingles quit last year and a few others.. The baron seems to be continuing his channel but it's more laughs than intelligent game play without any examination of game play, moves and strategy's.. I mean having fun is important.. but there times when being able to get something out of the game is just as important.. I just bought a Logitech 3d pro joystick and was going to teach myself how to fly( that's how I found your channel) to improve not only my game play but the challenge of a whole new way to play and possibly find other like minded players to squad up and kick some butt.. But you're right WT is changing the direction of the game is to suit the mindless dullards that inhabit most games spending money for gold translates into bigger profits for WT and its seems realistic game play just isn't profitable.. frigging figures.. a masterpiece like WT turned into a heap of steaming crap for the bottom line..

[@long5hot]

Yeah it is a shame what they're doing to arcade. Anyway I haven't quit entirely, I've moved to RB & am still making videos for that mode. If you want to master the joystick, Simulator is your best mode by far as in the other modes you'll always be at a significant disadvantage against players using mouse & keyboard.

[@davidedgerly]

Well I'm certainly glad to hear you're rethinking your stance on WT.. And I plan on staying subscribed even if you didn't because of the content you have put into your videos thus far. My plan was to find gents like you on KZbin and learn and glean any tips, set ups and settings for controls and strategy's for battle.. Then while in test flight teach myself how to fly the joystick all the while using tricks and battle positions in Arcade to ready myself for RB & Sim's. There is way more to flying than i thought and I'm actually excited for the challenge. Playing tanks is great and I do plan on continuing playing ground forces.. But man.. it's really something flying and I think I'm hooked.. I set up my stick the other night and I really did get the sense I was flying it's a totally different experience than the mouse. So if flying stick is right for me.. I'm getting the Thrustmaster warthog joystick.. Okay.. I'm totally hooked on the flying bit.. lol and I tend to go a tad over board.. lol But.. I've been watching the experts who fly and many who have flown in other games seem to agree.. the Hotas has major benefits and give the person an experience they wouldn't get otherwise.. And I got that sense from the basic stick I started on.. So Cheers Long5hot! I look forward to seeing your videos and maybe in a month or so.. seeing you in the skies over WT...

[@TonkaElk]

I came to War Thunder Air Forces as it presented a more 'realistic" feel in AB than the competition. I tried my hand at Ground Forces but, with the commonality of one-shot deaths, I soon gave up on it. Since 1.59 I have noticed the same things as you. Finding T3 planes when I am in a T1 aircraft frosted my balls. So, I started T3 aircraft only to find T5 enemies. And, yes, the "kill the mudcats" to win is now ruining the entire game. The nerfing of the once authentic 50 cals has driven me away from the USA tiers entirely. Sparkles and chunks don't make kills. Fire does. 20mm cannon now is the weapon of choice for plane vs. plane. I've gone back to WoT for ground war play. I don't even try either offering for air combat. Take care my brother. You helped me immensely. *salute*

[@the_bonebreaker7588]

i feel the same here man, i have been doing hard work in arcade and less in rb, trying just to win battles with victory, for the tw 189 task, and most of the time specially in arcade the victory is snatched by ground strikes, and i do get the awesome dogfight now and then and its of no use to the course of the battle, and always the battle ends so soon that i wonder what the hell just happened? !! always nice watching ur videos, there are many other games than warthunder, do check them out, pricey but worth it i guess. cheers. :)

[@luckyluchs7779]

U are my hero and mentor Long5hot, I will miss u mate :(

[@mirandela777]

great vid man, like always... true , I MUST agree with you on all aspects.

[@agtUnknown]

You could try the Early Access version of Naval Action. It's an Age of Sail ship simulator with an open world map based on the Caribbean. The combat aspect seems pretty good so far. I know it's a bit of a shift from planes, but it caught my attention. I play World of Tanks (and sometimes World of Warships), but I haven't been able to get into War Thunder anymore, which had been my favorite of that genre.

[@cpthrki5852]

As a player who plays War Thunder mostly for fun instead of grinding/getting to tier 5, I find arcade tanks super fun, but I'm absolute shit in the air since I haven't played it for a looong time. Back in the day I was ok in both, now I'm much better in a tank. Played since about early 2014, and I'm still not bored which speaks volumes about the game.

[@davidrobinson7234]

Your videos are pretty much singlehandedly responsible for my 'git gut' process, and it would be a real shame to see you abandon War Thunder. I started out playing AB, and have now moved on to RB and I have to say, your experience (specifically: not finding anyone to shoot down and/or finding yourself surrounded by the entire enemy team) tells me that you either have the worst possible luck (possible), or are making a mistake somewhere early on in the battle sequence. ATM, i'm playing RB almost exclusively, and while there are occasional matches where I'm shot down before I'm able to do anything as well as games where I don't manage to engage a single air target, the vast majority of my games end with me getting at least 1 or 2 kills. You seem interested in continuing to play the game, and I'd love to try to help you have a better time in RB if you're interested. either way, thanks for helping me become an effective pilot, and while I hate to see you leave the WT community, every reason you listed is entirely valid.

[@imamage]

I gave up the US line fighter because they nerf the 50 cal so badly :( I used to hate the "Air Domination" mode, then I have some real life issue and unable to play the game for half year, then I come back ( around 1.59 ) and found out most of the time is ground strike , it was fun for short time when I was trying to earn some lions to buy the new bomber from british and Japanese line. Then it become boring. Now I missed the Air Domination mode , even I hate it as I am bad at dogfighting but now I wish it make a come back to Tier 2 / 3 , I really missed those fight :(

[@steffgras5606]

You're so right with your appraisal! I saw a russian squad downing their planes after bombing, because respawn is quicker then reloading on a small map like New Guinea. This "game" lasts not a cigarette ...

[@Pangora2]

I agree with nearly all your points. Though i haven't been playing long. As I'm trying to play fighters, i find battles aren't long enough. I can play smart and not contribute to the battle, or I can suicide all my planes in there without learning and maybe pick off more 'kills.' Consider the angle of this, i just started my first dive bombers recently. Today i played them seriously. Go high and dive on targets, right? Lining up the dives isn't as effective as just going suicidally low and also using my guns on targets. Everything is too low and fast.

[@long5hot]

Yes, you've hit the nail on the head there. The main problem is short battles, which only appeal to a very specific section of the community (base-bombers and tank-strafers) and leave everyone else out in the cold. Gaijin have been aware of this for a very long time, but not only have they failed to lengthen battles they keep making small tweaks that worsen the situation.

[@JoviaI1]

I never thought I would be one to give up on War Thunder, after all, it is my favorite multiplayer game of all time. Unfortunately it seems that Gaijin has systematically targeted all of the greatest aspects of the game and ruined them. I haven't played War Thunder in 4 months and I have no desire to go back to it. :/

[@long5hot]

Yep, that's exactly how I feel as well.

[@JoviaI1]

***** I've considered DCS world since a couple of my mates play it but I have very little money and no joystick. Plus if I was going to play that game, I might as well go all out and play it in VR.

[@LeFuze]

I've learned how to make evasive maneuvers a bit better but still having troubles since I'm on ps4. Thanks to you I survive a lot longer(in most games though, I usually don't check my surroundings and get dived on by a yak or bf 109 about a minute into a game lol) Hopefully Gaijin does make the right moves in the future, I just got into the game and I do see the problems but like I did Destiny I'll keep my hopes up.

[@gwalchavad2047]

I also reduced my time playing WT a lot, as I don't feel much fun about it how it is currently is. The reasons you already mentioned, just to add the continuous decrease of spawn point distance. It's so sad, I mean they developed really great graphics, their way of doing modular damage model is cool; so the engineer part of it is really stunning, but they simply don't get the part of how to make a game, I feel. I don't see they have a strategy or any clue where to go. Currently I play low BR planes once in a while, as there fur-balling at least is somewhat like fun. And fur-balling and shooting down AI is all what it is about. Thumbs down for Gayjin.

[@gregnavarro6158]

this is sad, once played with long5hot and felt like i have a mentor playing with me. I learned a lot from him. A salute to this guy o7

[@cstauffe29]

I have been an advocate for fixing GS for a long time. The major problems are: 1) Ground targets to close together, 2) ground targets travel in straight lines and do not scatter 3) ground targets are too close to the centers of maps and should be behind or off to the sides of maps further from the spawn 4) bombers should not spawn higher than fighters as part of the GS game mode should be the challenge of climbing high as a bomber and surviving, not just starting off at 3-5k and diving to the dirt.

[@PandemoniumFortress]

Agree on all points, Please give RB one more chance if you are willing though. If you stick to tier 3 you won't encounter many bombers and tier 3 has many of the most fun planes to fly in RB.

[@Velor5]

They destroyed the game by making it basically a pve tank/artillery/car shooting fest

[@maximianum]

Jinn best comment so far

[@i_will_live_]

i totally agree, my problem is the hispans MK. 1-5 20mm cannons and the 7.7, there just not as good as what they use to be :(

[@williamdion1236]

Hey longshot, I really suggest you give RB a shot. I know you've tried a bit, but I remember I didn't really like RB at first but after a while it was RB or nothing. If not, you can always try the tanks. I've tried and didn't like the experience much, but I'm sure some people including me would be interested in watching some tank gameplay. Cheers from Canada 🇨🇦

[@VisciousPhishes]

I've enjoyed your WT content for quite some time. It is understandable that you aren't enjoying WT any more, neither am I. I hope that Gaijin fixes the game so we can both enjoy it again.

[@TimDeadmenVP]

Great video. Accurate analysis and explained well. I specialize on tanks, but the process is exactly the same, simplifying the gameplay and catering to braindead experience.

[@long5hot]

Yeah its really sad :\

[@morrielarsen]

long5hot I agree with you. I find that my favorite aircraft f4u's are all collecting dust and the only american aircraft I find worth flying now are cobras (can you say russian bias). Plus, unlike the real bell p39s and p63s they seem to out climb everything in the game. Bombers seem to be impervious to .50s and even the cannon corsair seems to have been nerfed against bombers. I did take your advice and start flying japanese aircraft and found that the ki-44 is perfectly suited to my flying style. I haven't flown them since the new patch though...I'll have to get back to you. I may play a match or two in the evening now, but I don't find that I am looking forward to it like I used to. Are you listening gaijin?

[@markbyrd2296]

You could try to cover other strategic games. The main thing that draws me towards your channel, is how you approach issues with facts, and objective points. You seem to analyze exactly how a game works, and then show us how to exploit that system. If you could find a game that most of your current fan base finds interesting, and then bring the same type of commentary, and analysis to it, you could have your solution. However finding another game would be somewhat of a challenge. Speaking for myself, I would like to see you make content on the Total War series, but I don't know how much of your fan-base enjoys those games.

[@long5hot]

I used to play a game called Myth (developed by Bungie before they switched to making Halo, and not to be confused with Myst), and its like TW on a smaller scale. I do own several TW games after steam sales tempted me, but I've never found the time to play them.

[@whynot-tomorrow_1945]

Sadly, I agree. Player v. environment has taken over the game. Heck, it is featured on every start screen regardless of the update. If this is not changed, even slightly, this game will slowly die, and all that will be left are half-full lobbies where the first player to reach the tanks in their Do-217 wins.

[@martinbaldauf8566]

Haha, that is the very reason why I only play GF's for almost a year now! I mean, even when we get game modes which provide some better gameplay (other than these soft targets on Ground Strike for example), people still tend to furball exclusively!... I agree with you that lack of skill will be more rewarded. Sadly GF's are going in the very same direction! More and more urban combat and more "second chances" like the trauma pack 2.0! For me War Thunder means a nice mix of realism and simply being a game. Since the realism is less and less important, this game has not so many unique aspects over other games anymore like World of Tanks for example. Which is very sad imo...

[@pseudo_sapiens2461]

G'day Long, there is an upside, in the last two weeks I've hiked for 7.5hrs, biked for 4.5hrs, ran 6.5hrs and have done some 3hrs of yoga.... against about 2-3hrs of WT.... it could be worse

[@LosDaniellosB]

all this is sad but true i am afraid; i came to a very same concusion and stopped playing wt as well. your channel was a true mine of information, i improved so much thanks to your good advices. i do not think i will be following you on your new forex channel but i hope to see you in the skies some day again. perhaps we should switch over to rise of flight?? take care

[@jengar6258]

Hey Long5hot, i agree with you on many points, although personally i still have fun with the game ;) War Thunder could be huge if it was managed correctly, its the best in its genre, even now, but gaijin just insists in keep making bad decisions and ignoring the community.

[@long5hot]

Your capacity to have fun in WT, no matter what, continues to amaze me :) Btw for some reason I can't load messages right now on YT, but yes I'm still up for the collab.

[@jengar6258]

alrighty then, i'll inform our surprize guest ;)

[@locallion1218]

You make good points. Although, if gaijin decreases the value of killing ground targets then people who fly ground attack planes like Ju-87s and Il-2s will complain that they are worthless because they make no difference.

[@long5hot]

I'm not asking for the value of ground targets to be reduced. Rather I'd like to see a return to the days when there were 80+ ground targets on a map. Some of them static, some mobile, some vulnerable to strafing and some requiring some serious bombloads. All 80 of the GTs should count toward victory, and they should not self destruct. That's how it was when I started playing WT, and it gave rise to epic games of the kind we never see now.

[@EnricoZulu]

I hate that AB battles are so freaking short. Playing more and more RB but yesterday I got the Norway map 4 times in a row.I find tank RB the most fun right now, do you play ground forces long5hot?

[@keironhiggins9620]

Such a shame to see you’ve stopped doing these videos, you’ve taught me how to play war thunder through your tutorial videos, I play on the PS4 and I find that I get most of my kills in the americans with the 50cals, it’s not uncommon for me to get a 4 kills for 1 death with a p-40, I’ve tried the British and the Germans and found that 30cals and the german cannons just do no damage for me, I’ve had games were I land 25 hits and came out with 3 assists and one kill in a bf109, it’s so broken at the moment and frustrates the hell out of me

[@fanjerry8100]

Ground Strikes that end quickly are mostly at low tiers, which is a good thing because it's removing the skill factor from tiers where new players play at. The game is giving newbies something easy, while keeping skills for high tiers.

[@long5hot]

Afraid I have to disagree with you there. Ground Strikes end quickly at all tiers, and it gets worse the higher you go. Do-217s are unstoppable, and then you hit Tu-4 and B-29 territory. Also, no decent PvP game makes it easy to end a battle quickly via PvE in order to cater to new players - or to old players who haven't bothered to learn anything. If that's how WT was when I started, I would have given up on the game within a month. Its no wonder that its player numbers are now in rapid decline.

[@fanjerry8100]

Well, maybe you could still play at around BR 3.7? That's when hard targets show up, fighters can't just strafe them, at this tier heavy bombers like PE-8 are also rare, so battles usually take a while.

[@fanjerry8100]

Hey, are you still trading forex? How were the results? I was going well, but had to stop when I took some big losses late 2014 when EURUSD dropped below 2000/s lows :-/

[@KellerDidThat]

Well, you gave it a fair enough shake (RB). If you aren't having fun, no point in forcing it. I agree about RB having too much of nothing going on all too often. Some things realistic or not, should not be so faithfully replicated. What if they made you do all the post-battle debriefing paperwork too? As for AB ground attack, many of us do enjoy a good tactical, defensible ground target based round. The big problem is the self-destructing AI to intentionally shorten the game. It is infuriating to wait over a minute for a match, just to have it end four minutes later; only about enough time to watch my U.S. 50 cals spark harmlessly off an opponent's Stalinium clad wings as he destroys a column of medium tanks with his 37mm death star cannon.

[@julianmartinez3188]

Hey Longshot, your videos are the best. What equipment do you use to make them?

[@long5hot]

Let's see ... to record the footage I use MSI Afterburner. I use Audacity to record and edit my narration, and putting the audio & video together, editing and rendering is done in VideoPad. Lastly I use MediaCoder to convert the video into a format that youtube won't compress to hell & make all blurry. All of the above programs are free software, because I'm a cheapskate :)

[@julianmartinez3188]

Thank you Longshot, thank you thank you.

[@julianmartinez3188]

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[@flyby6820]

I myself have been having trouble with arcade but have you gotten a go on tank gameplay.

[@long5hot]

For some reason tanks have never grabbed my interest, I don't know why. I just like flying/dogfighting I guess.

[@Belo_WT]

Pretty true, keep up the good work mate.

[@DAXminer-g1g]

I just switched to realistic battles, way more fun!!! Yet the problem is the huge amount of time they require, that in my case I rarely have as I'm very busy.

[@zxbc1]

I quit WT a while ago precisely because of this. The game evolved from a PvP game to a PvE grind. Right now with how popular ground battles are compared to air battles, people who seriously play planes are already among the minority. Then those who want serious PvP battles are the even smaller minority among those. It's a shame because it seems very apparent that Gaijin has given up supporting players like us, even though they have the best PvP planes core game in existence on their hands.

[@smokeyrings3412]

50 Cals kill everything I aim at. I am constantly top three when just bomber escorting and defending. I never furball. No one Rams me. I never ground pound unless I'm in a bomber. Very often earn Survivor. Biggest challenge is avoiding headons from the mindless. Or friendly fire when shooting a target. When I'm in squad we rarely lose and almost always help defend the team while they complete the objective. Often none is doing the objective so we kill till the enemy runs out of planes. The best time is at the beginning of the match fighting others that climb and stay at alt. 98% of the time those are you best pilots.

[@DocProfit]

My squad (-WiN-) plays the objectives hard. We are starting to detest ground strike: for the sheer amount of it, and the short games. We only kill the ground AI to get a lead so we get hop in fighters and actually have some fun. But we are lucky to get 2-3 min of fighter action before the game is over. Gaijin seem intent on making the games shorter and making sure bombers always have plenty to do. It's a shame and not a lot of fun.

[@long5hot]

Well, short games don't even equate to bombers having plenty to do, as nobody has plenty to do when the game ends that quickly. I appreciate your perspective as someone who's focused on the objectives in GS. Btw is there any chance you're I_AM_GOD?

[@DocProfit]

DocProfit. New Zealand.

[@thirdofseveninc]

I disagree with point 1.61 makes thing worse than it been. They just stay same. I often go back in BR and around 2.7-3.0 it is still around fun sometimes. You can be able to get 8-10 kills in a game, maybe not so frequent, but it possible. I even got 17 in one domination battle at US server playing at BR3.7. To the .50 cal nerf it is only disabled the ability to kill ground targets like "Light Pillbox" or "Medium tank" with .50 machine gun. I can't see any .50 difference in air combat for, for example P47D or F4U-1a. So, 1.61 vs 1.59 is not changed much at all. Still no much fun like you see and any past reasons to not play are same. Tier/Rank restriction gone away before 1.61 come out. I believe they will change BR's for P47D and similar in one-two months and things will go better.

[@rcgamingmadness9169]

I rlly do agree because war thunder AB use to be a lot of fun even in a fighter!

[@rayfoolio]

I think they may have nerfed the bomber damage in 1.61. Played 3 matches last night with 2 of them being double ace matches. I usually play as a fighter and would share your frustrations with not being able to affect outcomes

[@dexterfitben]

Yes, still fun IMHO. It seems like they are experimenting with more game modes. The best mode by a country mile is RB ground forces where your contribution in air support really counts. It's long lasting, nuanced and can be very rewarding in terms of both credits and fun factor. I for one would be very sad to see you leave WT and gaming in general. A lot of us subscribers feel very loyal to your channel. Why not branch out to better flight sims like the IL2 series? Keep Calm and Carry on Gaming.

[@ricardofranco7419]

It’s still fun to me. Lol actually, I’ve always played with a gamepad and a few days ago I finally got the right sensitivity and I’ve been getting kills finally! I got my p40 getting 7-10+ kills per game! It’s amazing!

[@8brahmanas8]

Air AB might be better if you are given limited spawns. As it its now you have as many respawns as you do crew slots.

[@long5hot]

Hence I've been waiting for Enduring Confrontation to be permanently available in Air RB ... though right now I'm not sure if I have the enthusiasm to play it.

[@JoeL-yf4ee]

Sad to see you done as well

[@long5hot]

Oh I'm not totally done yet. I'm still going to fly RB & give it another serious try, plus my old buddies in DMH are dragging me back into squad Arcade battles now & then.

[@jasonhuiting5193]

I only play arcade now to spade planes and earn silver lions to expert crews in teir 4 and 5 planes/tanks. arcade has lost much fun in the past few months for me also, but I still have fun in RB and ground forces.

[@jaredbussard6920]

Same here man

[@jixersix3929]

I had not realised what had changed, I used to play war thunder every minute of every day, could not get enough, but I I have been playing less and less, I just have not been having as much fun, the time will soon come when I forget to play. I have loved your channel though, will follow your next project, what about F1 or Dcs ?