Should I be disappointed?

[Anaxogoras]

Should I be disappointed with all of the people complaining about the new ENY values?  All of a sudden, people who believe ENY should be based on plane performance and not on popularity are coming out of the woodwork.  Where were they on all the occasions when BnZs was ripped on for making the same argument?  On other occasions, defenders of popularity ENY have admitted that if the P-40B were 20% of the aircraft flown tomorrow, it ought to be perked.  Where were these popularity ENY detractors then?  On other occasions, I showed how with Zscores you can compare dislike performance figures, e.g. alt and speed, in order to have a quantifiable standard for setting ENY values.  The response was underwhelming.

It's time to understand that these ENY changes are the result of aircraft popularity, not performance.  If you don't like it, then I feel no sympathy because it was the silence of the people complaining now that made arguing for performance ENY seem so quixotic in the past.  Maybe I shouldn't be surprised at the inconsistency demonstrated here.  After all, the inconsistency as been nothing if not consistent.

[Lusche]

It's time to understand that these ENY changes are the result of aircraft popularity, not performance. 

Are they? All I have seen is mucho speculation by players, but no official statement.
If it was based just on "popularity", the TA 152 would end up with ENY 25 or so...

[Anaxogoras]

Are they? All I have seen is mucho speculation by players, but no official statement.
If it was based just on "popularity", the TA 152 would end up with ENY 25 or so...

I see the Ta-152 ENY raising as incremental.  First it was perked, then it was unperked, then it was raised from 5 to 10.  Give it more time and it might go to 15.

Additionally, popularity is half of what is supposed to be "unbalancing," and arena balance is the end point of ENY/Perks.

[nimble]

I thought it was based on a bit of both with a judgement call thrown in.

[crazyivan]

perk the  P-40 !11

[Chalenge]

I can control the problem with ENY by changing countries if I want or changing arenas. That isnt the problem as I see it. The problem is that once a country gets on a roll entire squads will jump countries for the perks or so they can be on the side that has the upper hand and then the next thing you know ENY starts to kick in and your favorite ride is not availalble.

[E25280]

Personally I would be more disappointed that so many people take the game sooo seriously as to become apoplectic over such a minor change in ENY value as going from an 8 to a 5.

But that's just me.

[John Curnutte]

 what I have done to solve ENY problems for myself is to have a selection of rides that I enjoy flying that fit different numbers of ENY presented . I have found this to be fun and in no way am I closed off due to this problem . I like Spit16 , F4U-1 , P-51B , P-40 very enjoyable . ENY does not affect me . HTC I am sure did what thay thought neccessary and I'm fine with it .
                 Nutte

[Lusche]

Personally I would be more disappointed that so many people take the game sooo seriously as to become apoplectic over such a minor change in ENY value as going from an 8 to a 5.

It's not as minor as it may seem at first. It almost cuts the perks earned in the 51 down by half (to be exact: down to 62.5%).

(Not that I have any serious problem with that, for collecting perks I'm using ENY 30 planes anyway )

[Boozeman]

It's not as minor as it may seem at first. It almost cuts the perks earned in the 51 down by half (to be exact: down to 62.5%).

(Not that I have any serious problem with that, for collecting perks I'm using ENY 30 planes anyway )

Yes, but in all honesty, does it really make a whopping difference if you get 0,25 perks instead 0,4 for killing a ENY 20 plane. Sure, you need about 240 such kills instead of 150 to earn a Tempest, but both numbers are way beyond the patience level of your average AH player...they rather earn perks by "winning teh war". For seriously earning perks, as you said, one should aim for ENY 20+ birds anyway. 

[BnZs]

Yes, but in all honesty, does it really make a whopping difference if you get 0,25 perks instead 0,4 for killing a ENY 20 plane. Sure, you need about 240 such kills instead of 150 to earn a Tempest, but both numbers are way beyond the patience level of your average AH player...they rather earn perks by "winning teh war". For seriously earning perks, as you said, one should aim for ENY 20+ birds anyway.  

What about getting 5 perks instead of 10 for killing several low ENY planes with a P-51D? Still sound like ENY is a non-issue?

ENY has two purposes. To "handicap" the high numbers side in the war, and to encourage people to fly rides which can do less by offering them more perks. You can't really base it on anything *but* plane capability.

And lets look at the problem in reverse. You will now get more points for killing P-51s with La7s-a plane which owns the P-51D in every performance metric at the most typical MA combat alts-than you will get for the reverse. It was perverse enough enough when killing an La7 with a N-Jug and killing an N-Jug with an La7 earned you the same points.

The P-51D is just not good enough to be a 5 ENY plane in the low-alt MAs. Its performance doesn't justify it, nor does its k/d.

[BnZs]

I see the Ta-152 ENY raising as incremental.  First it was perked, then it was unperked, then it was raised from 5 to 10.  Give it more time and it might go to 15.

Additionally, popularity is half of what is supposed to be "unbalancing," and arena balance is the end point of ENY/Perks.

I am watching this issue with interest Anax. I think the main thing holding the Ta-152 back in popularity is lack of name recognition, and more important, the fact that a primary source of information for new player's, Soda's performance evaluations, rather unfairly trashes the plane. (By the same token, he praises the P-51D beyond what it deserves IMO.) But despite its lack of popularity it is a plane with near P-51 speed and range, incredible firepower, the best 30MM ammo duration of any single-engine fighter, and incredible E-retention under Gs. There is nothing to keep anyone from bnz'ing with it with as much success as with many other popular planes, and it will definetely be interesting to see if the perk price is raised is rised simply to try to change people's preferences for planes they've heard of vrs. ones they haven't.

[Shuffler]

ENY is a non-issue as far as I am concerned. I happen to fly a bird that is not affected either way. As for perks I rarely use them.

Really ENY just affects those that refuse to even up sides and those who fly perked birds.

[Stoney]

I think the P-51D is a solid 5 ENY aircraft, and I fly it probably half of my sorties.  Certainly if the N Jug is an 8 ENY, the Pony needs to be a 5.

Regardless, I know you won't agree, and that's ok.  I think all of the adjustments make sense.

[BnZs]

ENY is a non-issue as far as I am concerned. I happen to fly a bird that is not affected either way. As for perks I rarely use them.

Really ENY just affects those that refuse to even up sides and those who fly perked birds.

Just because you choose to fly birds that are rarely effected by ENY does not mean it is a non-issue. Especially because under the current system several VERY competitive birds have inordinately high ENY values.

You can argue that in a perfect world people would switch to keep the numbers even, but this does not happen. There are some understandable reasons for this besides chess piece loyalty (inertia, people's squads+friends typically fly that side so they want to stay, etc.), and in any case, in arenas with hundreds of people such side evening would be very difficult to coordinate. So ENY's functions there is needed, with all its imperfections.

I hardly ever take up a perk bird myself, but there are lots of people who do. Lets face it, the majority of players can't earn perk points hand-over-fist practically at will with most any plane,  unlike most people posting on this forum. So relating a plane's ENY value to what it can actually do would be vital to fairness even if numbers were always even.