Interestingly, in an attempt to justify my claims on the analysis of the F4U-1C, I took a quick check with AKDejavu's Fighter Stats:
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In my analysis, the number of Spits and N1K2s remains constant - they are the "backbone" of the air power, equivalnet to the "everyday soldier" or the "grunt" concept. The people using Spit9s and N1K2s always use these planes, and they carry out the largest fights of most gruesome, high attrition level battles in the MA. Majority of these guys fight each other.
The F4U-1C - I claim that it has split roles into P-51D, La-7, Typhoon, and the F4U-1D, F6F-5, Seafire.
According to the stats:
Tour11 * Tour 11, marks the absolute peak of the F4U-1C, which has 23% of all the kills. Interstingly, up to this point, the Bf109G-10 carries a relatively high percentage of average 7~8% - equivalent of what the La-7 holds. Also, the combined percentage of the Spit9 and the N1K2 holds average of about 20%, too - with the N1K2 doing 11~12%, and the Spit9 doing 8~9%.
Tour14 * In Tour 14, the La-7 and the Fw190D-9 appears for the very first time, and immediately the usage of the two planes goes over 7%.
Tour18 * In Tour 18, four months after the excitement of the two planes have gone down, this is the first time that the "Big Four" phenomenon shows its face. And from since Tour18, the "monopoly" begins.
The percentage of the G-10 drops down to 4%, the D-9 about to 5%. The percetage of the La-7 is embedded at about 8%. From this day forward, the G-10 and the D-9 stays near 4~5%, and the La-7 near 8%.
* The tours between 20~25, is a period where the overall percentage of the N1K2, Spit9, La-7 and the P-51D holds tight at 40%. The main changes are between those four planes - the N1K2 simmers down, and the P-51D usage rises up. Spit9 stays constant near 9~10%, and the La-7 constant at about 8~9%.
* From Tour 29, the Typhoon rises to the 5th place, with about 5% average up to now. This, is the point where current style of gameplay is finally set. The monopoly of the four planes which achieve the 40% of the kills, plus the Typhoon in the 5th place, as the most used jabo plane of them all. With the "big FIVE", 45% of the kills are achieved.
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My analysis is as follows:
1) The stats prior to Tour14 indicates the truth in the "substitute" aspect of the La-7-Bf109G-10. Before the La-7 was here, The F4U-1C was doing almost everything, with a large section of the people resorting to the N1K2s and the Spitfires. P-51Ds always remain constant at about 10%. Before Tour14, the skies were full of Chogs, Spits and N1K2s. The 10% of other people flew P-51Ds simular in the fashion now. On the low alt fights, the Bf109G-10 was doing what the La-7 was doing, but it wasn't as pronounced due to the vast numbers of Spitfires, N1K2s and F4U-1Cs.
2) Tour18, four months after the La-7 and the Fw190D-9, the Chog crowd begins to disappear. Parts of them move to form the new La-7 crowd. The "LW" crowd, from this point on, remains constant at 7~8% - two planes of the entire LW plane set, are the only planes that make up that 8% of total kills achieved. The Spit9-N1K2 crowd still remains constant.
The D-hog has a momentray surge in usage - no doubt that another part of the C-hog crowd, were in the F4U-1D as a substitute for their C-hog. This tendency, quickly dies off after another few months.
Slowly, between Tour18 and Tour29, part of the C-hog crowd are fully assimilated in the La-7s.
3) Tour29, marks the beginning of what is current. Typhoons are used en masse as suicidal jabos. Fuel porking and large scale jabo raids are visible. New crowds gather to AH.
The rise of F6F-5 hellcat is also visible - the preference for the carrier plane, has shifted from the C-hog to the F6F-5. The N1K2 crowd drops, while the La-7 crowd begins to rise even more.
4) By Tour35, the Spit and the P-51D crowd still stay constant. However, the relative difference between the N1K2 and the La-7 has reversed - now, the La-7 is doing 9~10% of the kills, and the N1K2, which previously was doing about 12~13%, drops down to about 7%.
This, is the point where people gave up on trying other planes to chase La-7s. N1K2 crowd, moves on to form the hordes of La-7s. This explains the relatively low skill levels of the La-7s - few tours back, they were all flying N1K2s!!
5) Tour38 - The Big Four remain big four, Typhoon is the undisputed jabo plane, with 5th place in kills. The LW crowd mostly just gives up on the Bf109G-10(drops down to 3%) , and moves to the Fw190D-9(rises to 4~5%). In my view, parts of the Bf109G-10 pilots gave it up, and moved to the La-7s or P-51Ds, and the Fw190D-9s.
6) Thus, the stats suggest that Spitfire9 and P-51D is always constant at 10%. Karnak once noted that the P-51D is over 10%, and this hasn't happened recently and it's a sad thing.
But he's wrong. The Spit9s and P-51Ds were always at 10%.
7) Large part of the former C-hog crowd, first moved to the N1K2, La-7 and the D-hog. The dedicated hog flyers were experimenting with the D-hog, and the average "dweeb" who flew F4U-1Cs because they were the best, moved to the planes they thought was next best - N1K2 and the La-7.
Then, the D-hog crowd dispersed, and went to the Typhoon. Former Chog crowd who tried out N1K2s, saw that it was too slow, especially against the new tendencies of super fast planes - P-51D, Fw190D-9, La-7.. so they moved to the La-7.
8) Average carrier pilots, now has no other option than the F6F-5, since the F4U-1D is a hard plane to manage.
Thus, as a result, the former C-hog crowd, is now scattered into the La-7 and the Typhoon, and the for carrier missions F6F-5 and the Seafire. La-7 + Typhoon + Seafire + F6F-5 = 22.21%. The former role of the C-hog, with 8 perks, is now divided into these four planes!
9) Simpy put, the perk on the F4U-1C split it's role to two fighters - Typhoon and the La-7. Cross breed the Typhoon and the La-7 and what do you get?
a) La-7 and Typhoon, is a very fast plane on deck
b) Both La-7 and the Typhoon is a free plane
c) Typh with four Hispanos
d) Typh with 2k ordnance
e) Lots of cannon ammo
Fast plane + free + four hispanos + heavy ordnance + cannons
That's a C-hog.
Planes that resemble certain aspects of the Chog, became preferable. There are other planes which match "fast on deck" and "free" category. But the La-7, of all those others, is naturally the only choice. The "cannon" category was the reason behind the momentary increase in the N1K2s after the Chog was perked. But N1K2s, compared to the La-7s, were too damn slow.
10) Seafire and the F6F-5 is also an interesting case. In theory, F4U-1D and the F4U-1C is only different in the armament. But strangely, when the F4U-1C was perked, people tried moving to the D-hog, but they gave that up soon. They started flying Seafires and Hellcats. D-hog, so much simular to the F4U-1C than any other plane, was neglected totally.
This means:
a) the La-7 is that much more preferable and effective for the former C-hog crowd.
b) Hispanos, mean that much in AH. To hell with all other simualrities - when the gun sucks, it's not a worthy substitue. They moved to the La-7, with sucky guns but super performance enough to cover that disadvantage, or moved to the same quad-hispano plane - Typhoon.
c) The Hellcat is now the preferred carrier jabo - somewhat like a Spit9 with heavy bombs.
d) of course, Hellcats can't really turn with N1K2s and Spit9s - they are like Spit9s only against other planes. So, when fighting N1K2s and real Spits, the Seafire is used. It's got Hispanos, too.
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Thus, in conclusion, the perks split the monopolistic 23% Chog usage into bits.
Now, we need perks to split those 7~10% planes into 3~5%. However, when other late war planes remain unperked, there just will be another 10% planes arising.
Thus, perking the late war performers, and forcing them into the 1943 era, should be considered.
Whether the 1943 version of the "Big Four" will be a shadow of the late war "Big Fours", will remain something to be seen.
