Because I read what your wrote. And intelligent comparison is not a phrase I would ever use in your evaluations, where it is obvious you wish to only try to pick facts that support your position ,and wish to ignore any that do not.
So...having a popular plane that is faster than 70% of the fighter set while being double-superior to a great lot of them under typical MA conditions, including important LW fighters (not "irrelevant EW relics"), does nothing to make other choices less viable? I was actually being exceedingly fair, not mentioning all the airplanes to which the SpitXVI is quite double-superior, IF these same planes possess a marginal top speed advantage that would allow them to conceivably disengage from Spixteens.
Exactly where is the fairness or intelligence in a post like this? Do you really believe we are so naive that we think perking 1 plane would change how many new people play, it is YOU who assigns that attribute. Most new players would have no idea about different spit variants.
Perking one or two planes would perhaps increase the types of planes new players could fly successfully, instead of eventually saying "screw it, I'm taking a Spixteen" OR one of the top speed demons that can simply run away from it.
You ignore basic facts that the Spit 16 does not dominate the arena. Yet you grasp at straws to try prove it does. This is why people start assigning other motives to your desires. Because the one you state of fairness is not supported by you invalid arguments.
I ignore vague phrases like "dominate the arena" and tend to go in for something more objective, like side-by-side performance stats.
You ignore facts that the top 4 most popular planes are fairly close in there usage numbers and K/d's.
You ignore the fact that popularity and even k/d are not shaped by the actual performance values of the aircraft.
You ignore basic facts, that one plane will always be the most popular, all that can be done is change what plane that is.
Yes, and that plane will always be the P-51D, mediocre though it may be in comparison to much of the rest of the set. But since the P-51D is not even the fastest unperked airplane,not a brilliant climber or exceedingly well armed, and since conservatively 90% of the fighter set has at least one performance advantage over the P-51D, its popularity does not concern me.
You ignore past facts , like the F4U-C domination, and then try play word games to define unbalancing.
I realize that while there are many fast and/or maneuverable birds with quad cannons or equally lethal firepower, none of them can up off a CV, and that makes a difference, as does the fact that the C-Hog was relatively rare. Still doesn't keep it from being ironic that the C-Hog is perked when airplanes that are at least its equal are not.
I have no idea what your motivation is, but I do know it has nothing to do with wanting to improve game balance or the fun of arena play, but my guess is that it is something that would let you kill more and live more.
And you would be very wrong in that guess. I kill and live enough, thank you.
Lighten up. I have expressed my opinion that this is the best WWII flight sim (and explained WHY it is better than the closest competition) on numerous occasions on this very forum. Questioning one aspect of the MA does not equal an attack upon your masterpiece. Everyone who asks questions is not your enemy, and the sycophantic are not necessarily your friends.
