Escalation changes is bad
The best point of escalation was a big amount of vehicles, and option for anyone to try heli or jet.
With vehicles spawn timer adjustments, its a 8 minut meat grinder, and a single transport heli domination.
Then a single IFV enters the field.
With the usual score at a moment of 1:2. It's HALF TIME of the match!
First attack heli at 12 minutes, some matches are already finished at this point.
Second attack heli at 16 minutes. In most cases, it's a few minutes before the match finishes. You can finally take a heli and fly 500 meters to see a win/defeat screen. Really? Peak gameplay.
For the time attack heli enters the fight all campy places are already sorted and filled with TOW IFVs and guided munition tanks. That leads to fun gameplay of trying to predict how many tows are flying towards you at the moment. Usually it's roughly 4. Most helicopter pilots are unable to attack effectively while avoiding that spam of infinite missiles. And I'm ignoring 2 AA, since they still are more annoying than dangerous (unless you are too close) for a steady pilot.
That also nullifies usefullness of "stealth" jets, since they can or dogfight, or make a desperate attempt to do something with ground bombs. In both cases usual result is a crash or death from multiple rockets.
Therefore, most of the time jet is untouched or used as a taxi to the camping spot.
Combining with the overwhelming practice of roof camping in most maps (and lack of destruction for those roofs), the only viable option is usable only if your team already dominates the land.
I see a few possible ways to resolve this issue (or their combinations):
1. Remove guided munitions from tanks or massively decrease their guidance range (to 200-300 meters or even lower)
It's the only viable long-range option for tanks, because all other munitions have a massive drop-off with range.
Since that dropoff is clearly a gameplay based design choice, guided munitions should follow it too, not be the literal silver bullet. Also expected usecase for that munition (tank duel) devolves into skilless point and follow game. Due to range and other munition problems, your enemy will behave the same, no innovations required.
2. Increase replenishment time for tank guided munitions. Or decrease its capacity.
Tanks must visit resupply stations regularly to be effective. This will prevent massive longtime camping and create more opportunities to attack. And promote the usage of engineer's supply box (it's vulnerable, thus counterable).
3. Shuffle spawn timers. Aviation a bit earlier (choppers and first AA around 5 min, jets 1-2 minutes later), most IFVs and tanks move later, so it will be like 1-2 new heavy armor every 2 minutes.
Second AA should be added with a second attack chopper or a second pair of jets.
Jets must be bundled together, a stealth jet desperately needs target to shoot, its not designed nor usable against ground. (Unless target is designated, then it is somewhat applicable, but usually it's not the case)
4. The biggest one.
Reverse the escalation pace. Instead of limiting options by decreasing the playable area, increase it instead. Start with only 3 middle flags. Small map, no or almost no vehicles - best comfort for infantry combat. The team that scores points opens the flag closer to the losing team's HQ.
Since it closer to HQ, the losing team now has a natural benefit, allowing for a comeback tactical.
The longer the game, the more the map is open, therefore the more opportunities for sneaky and risky tactics. That must disperse heavy armor more evenly across the map, and creating more smaller scale vehicles combat, where skill is compared, not the amount of guns.
> As a new gamemode? Test first as LTM?
>> The only problem I see is the Golf flag on Sobek city, but it's a problem anyway, since the bf6 launch.
P.S. Why tank's missile interceptor blocks heli's gunner shots? It is practically a shield against all tank threats. A single repairman will nullify a few exceptions (APFSDS).
The problem will become bigger the moment IFV obtains the same "shield".
P.S.S. heli lacks raw damage output to one-strafe any heavy armour. Even presumably less armoured AA. This puts heli in a giant disadvantage, and demotes it into anti infantry role. (Both easier and much more effective kill-wise)
