My spit14 costs too much thread.

[thrila]

Leftfoot just shot me down in his jug on my first spit14 sortie this tour.  I now have a spectacular 0/1 K/D ratio with the spit14.

Anyway, the Spit14 isn't worth the 60 perks.  It just doesn't have enough performance to handle the perk icon.  I can't be bothered to look at the spit14's overall K/D but it's probably not all that great (yeah i'm too lazy to go check:p ).

Any chance of lowering the perk amount or the one i prefer - removing the "14".


Please feel free to contribute to my thread, mock me, call me a whiner etc.....

[Innominate]

I'd like to see plane icons standardized.  I don't really care which way it goes, but all planes should have the same type of icon.  Either all should have the exact model, i.e. 109G-10  F4U4, Spit9, spit14.  Or they should all only have the general model name.  109, f4u, spit, spit.

How would a pilot be able to tell a spit9 from a spit14, but not be able to tell a spit5 from a spit9?

The standard of specific models for perk planes doesn't even hold true, with the f4u-1c being just an F4U.  Oddly enough, because of the lack of gangbang tags, the 10point f4u-1c has an extraordinary k/d ratio.

[SirLoin]

Spit 14...The best plane to fly in a non furball sector.It's so much fun it's worth the cost for me.I do wish the u-know-what was removed though.

[SKurj]

sp14 out climbs.. out runs, out turns a jug at all alts doesn't it...? +)

Sorry if i'm mistaken can't be bothered to look it up


SKurj

[AKDejaVu]

Why was it perked?  As a pre-emptive LW whining reduction device.

What are its stats?

these are fighter stats vs other fighters only

[Innominate]

F4U-1C vs F4U-4 is the perfect evidence that something is wrong in perkland.

[Karnak]

The Spitfire Mk XIVc is my favorite WWII fighter.

The AH Spitfire Mk XIV has the most impressive feeling FM of any Spitfire Mk XIV I've used in any game.

I will not fly the Spitfire Mk XIV until one of two things is done.
[list=1]

• Remove the perk icon (my preffered option), it'd be well worth 60 points after that
• Reduce the cost to Ta152H-1 levels.  Spitfire XIV entered service in Jan., 1944 (that is months pefore the P-51D and Bf109G-10 and more than half a year before the Fw190D-9) and 957 were built. Ta152s entered service in, what? January, 1945? Febuary, 1945? March, 1945? And a grand total of 20-150 Ta152Hs were built, nobody is certain.[/list=1]
  
  As it is, its just not worth it at the rate I earn perk points.
  
  
  Perk fighters and top end free fighters ranked by K/D ratio:
  
  The Me 262 has 1137 kills and has been killed 170 times. 6.69 kills per death. 200 Perks.
  The Tempest has 716 kills and has been killed 158 times. 4.53 kills per death. 70 Perks.
  The F4U-1C has 3944 kills and has been killed 1644 times. 2.40 kills per death. 10 Perks. No perk icon.
  The Ta 152H has 437 kills and has been killed 215 times. 2.03 kills per death. 20 Perks.
  The F4U-4 has 295 kills and has been killed 170 times. 1.74 kills per death. 50 Perks.
  The Fw 190D-9 has 8579 kills and has been killed 5349 times. 1.60 kills per death.  Free.
  The Typhoon IB has 12670 kills and has been killed 9255 times. 1.37 kills per death. Free.
  The Spitfire Mk XIV has 376 kills and has been killed 286 times. 1.31 kills per death. 60 Perks.
  The Bf 109G-10 has 9808 kills and has been killed 7723 times. 1.27 kills per death. Free.
  The La-7 has 14391 kills and has been killed 11849 times. 1.21 kills per death. Free.
  The P-51D has 19772 kills and has been killed 17982 times. 1.10 kills per death. Free.
  The N1K2 has 15467 kills and has been killed 14228 times. 1.09 kills per death. Free.
  
  
  OK, so there are the stats.  How do we read what they are saying?  Why is the Spitfire Mk XIV the only perk fighter with a K/D lower than some free fighers, despite its being the third most expensive? Why is the Spitfire Mk XIV's usage so low? Why is the F4U-4's usage so low? Why does the F4U-1C, a fighter that is no match for any of the other perk planes in a one on one, have such high usage numbers and such a positive K/D ratio? Lets see if we can deduce these.
  
  1) Why is the Spitfire Mk XIV the only perk fighter with a K/D lower than some free fighers, despite its being the third most expensive?
  It is claimed that people accidentally use the Spitfire Mk XIV for base defense, mistaking the Roman numeral "XIV" for the Roman numeral "IX".  This is surely true as there have been ten or so accounts of this posted on the BB, and only 5-10% of AH fliers even use the BB.  Other claims are that it is because people try to fly it like a Spitfire Mk IX, i.e. turn and burn.  This is also probably true.  However  there are some other reasons, in my opinion.  The Spitfire Mk XIV is not fast enough to use sheer speed to escape from many of the free fighters as the Tempest and Me 262 are. Rather, the Spitfire Mk XIV must rely on its incredible climb to escape.  This has several practical failings. One, the Spitfire Mk XIV's climb rate is not particularly impressive once its 5 minutes of WEP are expended, something that happens all to frequently in combat. Two, the fact that very frequently higher fighters arrive while a fight is in progress, and higher fighters cannot be climbed away from. Three, the perk icon, that is the common curse of all perk units (other than the F4U-1C), makes certain that the higher fighters always go for the Spitfire Mk XIV.  The Spitfire Mk XIV is only perk worthy due to its incredible energy gathering and climb while on WEP, otherwise it is quite ordinary. Because this is the bonus the Spitfire Mk XIV brings to the table it is what must be used in combat in order to gain the advantage of the perk purchase.  However, using the WEP in combat means that little of the 5 minute duration is rarely available when the Spitfire Mk XIV needs to disengage. All of these things drive down the Spitfire Mk XIV's K/D ratio.
  
  2) Why is the Spitfire Mk XIV's usage so low?
  This one is easy.  It isn't seen as being worth the perk price attached to it.  It must also be noted that these usage numbers are somewhat inflated by the people who accidentally selected it instead of the intended Spitfire Mk IX.  The Spitfire Mk XIV's intended usage numbers may be significantly lower.
  
  3) Why is the F4U-4's usage so low?
  This one is also easy, and the same.  It isn't seen as being worth the perk price attached to it and, like the Spitfire Mk XIV, the perk icon renders it's slight performance advantage moot.
  
  4) Why does the F4U-1C, a fighter that is no match for any of the other perk planes in a one on one, have such high usage numbers and such a positive K/D ratio?
  This is pretty easy as well.  The F4U-1C is seen as an attractive purchase due to its low price and the lack of a gangbang calling perk icon.  It is fun and effective because it can operate without being the center of enemy attention.  Once close in its identity is revealed by its cannon barrels, but at ranges greater than 1000 yards it is simply an F4U.  Those who correctly ID it very rarely annouce to those too far away what it is they are fighting as they are usually in a good gun position when they ID it.  This annonimity also explains why it is able to achieve a significantly higher K/D ratio despite its markedly inferior performance.  Interestingly, the small 10 point price is quite effective in controling the usage of the F4U-1C.
  
  
  Based on this, I feel that these are reasonabe conclusions:
  • Perk prices are excessive in most cases, and the average AH player earns points too slowly to feel comfortable spending that many for such a marginal boost in performance.
  • Perk icons serve no purpose except to render perk planes unenjoyable to use.  A "reward" of being gangbanged seems highly dubious.

[Karnak]

Originally posted by SKurj
sp14 out climbs.. out runs, out turns a jug at all alts doesn't it...? +)

Sorry if i'm mistaken can't be bothered to look it up


SKurj

Since when were Jugs the aircraft that things were measured against?

No, measure its performance against the common fighters.  Note how dramatic the difference between its WEP performance is compared to its MIL performance.  I believe that the Spitfire Mk XIV very well may have the largest difference in  WEP and MIL performance of any aircraft in AH.

[Kweassa]

Good points Karnak.

[akak]

Maybe the reason for the poor stats of the Spitfire Mk XIV is that maybe some that fly it aren't flying it properly.  Seems like a lot of people assume that it's an angles fighter like the other Spitfires when it's not.  Spitfire XIV is an E fighter all the way and would excel in that role when flown properly.  


Ack-Ack

[phishnut]

What Karnak said.  How can I enjoy a dogfight in my tempest when every plane with a visible id tag frantically zooms up under me, stalls out, and sprays and prays from d800? Riding with 50 or 60 perks under my seat is one time when I don't want to be the center of attention of 10 badguys.  I'd have a much better chance down in the mud in a supposedly much-worse, but free, typhoon.

[Roscoroo]

I feel yes the spit 14 is way over perked ...

It really isnt that great of a plane, its heavy, turns slow and has a Look at me im a spit 14  icon on it !!  its not really worth even perchasing most of the time . I'd rather buy TA152's and F4U-1c's.

[Karnak]

akak,

Read my long post.  I debunk the idea that you just put forth.

Its performance style (all WEP based) isn't good enough to allow it to succeed as an E fighter (which it is) with a perk icon and its fuel consumption prevents it from being used in an ultra conservative manner.

Additionally, look at its numbers.  It's not being used.

[Seeker]

Good post, Karnak.

[Saintaw]

I did Latin at school, so I should be aware, but.... in the excitement

Lost 8 of them in a Row, tryiing to take off with my Spit 9 (*cough* XIV...) from a vulched field

It's a good plane, but 60 perks is too high (F4U4 as well).