Salute!

I am part of the JG27 group and mostly active on TAW. But I consider Frontline to be one of the best servers available. I really love your concept and your approach. I play on Frontline since the very first campaign in early 2025. So I do notice the changes and I do have a few questions regarding balancing. Because to me it looks like Axis players are on a very strong disadvantage. I understand that you are aiming for the server to be authentic and historic, and I know that VVS had much more planes in the air than Axis, but the balancing is just way too off. You can also see it in the statistics. Reds achieving 10 times more points than blue, winning almost every map. Axis are steamrolled, especially in later phases of the campaign. And I think this is mainly due to the avialability of planes. On the red side, planes are available at much lower levels. For example, now on Kuban, red players just need to be Rank 2 to fly the most advanced fighters for the time (P39 at Rank 1, P40 and Yak1 at Rank 2) while Axis players need to be Rank 1 just to unlock the basic german fighter 109 E7. So at the same ranks, I would have to fight P39s in an E7 on Kuban or be of a much higher rank (Rank 7) to unlock the next best fighter (109 F2) and still be at a disadvantage. I love myself a good challenge, but even for me as a fan of this server, this is demotivating. I think new players who would like to join the server would straight up stop playing when they see that they have to fight P39s in a god damn M.C. 202 and have the need to win those fights in order to progress. Again, you can see the impact on balancing in the overall statistics.
I am sure you have a specific reason for this. Please help me understand why you choose to balance it that way and if you plan to do any changes on that system. I know a lot of players from other groups (my group included) that are interested in the server but turned off by the balancing.

EDIT: Also, now that I think about it, why is it that some more advanced planes are easier to unlock than planes that are objectively worse? For example, For the 109 G2 I need to be Rank 6 but I need to be Rank 7 for the 109 F4? Or on the red side, the before mentioned planes like P39, P40, Yak1 are all more easy to achieve than the MiG3. Seems strange to me.

Thank you for your time.

With respect,

JG27_Tschogga

Edited March 2Mar 2 by Tschogga

The developer will answer your questions later. I just disagree with the statement that the Reds win almost every card. Here is a screenshot of the parties' wins in the campaigns as a whole.

To address you concern in regards to balance. Do not judge the balance by this campaign alone. The reason the red side is skewed is because last campaign there was a large sway towards the blue side. So, many blue pilots switched to red side. I believe it will balance itself out next campaign, that should start shortly, considering the advances of the red forces on the map.

Regarding aircraft. I am not an expert when it comes to fighters, but bombers and ground attackers are very close. I would even say that the blue side has a bit of an advantage in bombload right off the bat.

Edited March 2Mar 2 by Kap-the-head

From my observations:
The server is a war, not a duel, and the tactical principles here are different—not like in games, but like in the real world. And here, the balance is in the players, not the planes! The advantage is primarily in numbers, secondarily in teamplay (which means communication with all players, not just your friends!), and only then in planes. It's technically impossible, and unnecessary, to balance different numbers of players on different teams based on plane parameters.
This is the first unexpected thing about the balance. Secondly, the balance is asymmetrical! One side has better fighters (they're versatile and allow for good attacking—which is very important on this server!), while the other side has better attack aircraft, but highly specialized fighters. And so on. This requires different warfare tactics for each side. A group of fighters with bombs alone, a mixed group of fighters and attack aircraft, or a group of bombers (they also attack!)—these are different tactics, and proper planning is more important than plane parameters.
There's also an economy—it allows you to choose your strategy. War is a chain of missions, not individual missions, but a combination of them! You can bomb an airfield and prevent the enemy from taking off for the next couple of missions, or you can bomb factories and prevent aircraft resupply altogether—if an aircraft can't take off, its stats don't matter, right?)
Furthermore, the goal of players on this server is not to shoot down aircraft; the goal is to win, and that doesn't necessarily require shooting down aircraft! You must complete your objectives and prevent the enemy from completing them. To do this, you simply need to disrupt the enemy's flight—you can scare them with your attack, they'll drop bombs for maneuver combat—and that's it, they can't attack without bombs; they must return to base. You haven't shot down or even injured anyone, but you've accomplished your defensive objective. Take a broader look at gameplay—there are so many different options, sometimes the enemy doesn't even realize where they're missing out. You can also control ground attack patterns—troops attack weak settlements from strong ones. However, settlements can be bombed or resupply delivered to them, and this affects the appearance of ground tacticians and their direction. If all settlements along the enemy's front are bombed, they can't attack—you can, but they can't! You can capture airfields, but they can't!

PS The purpose of high aircraft access requirements is to prevent everyone from flying the best aircraft right away. When players have access to the best aircraft, they only fly them; the rest are not used. This is wrong. The creators of this server want players to fly medium aircraft, so they overestimate the requirements for the best aircraft (best is achieved through practice, not by stats. In skilled hands, the F4 is better than the G6). They also want players to value their aircraft, so losing aircraft is painful. Hunt for those with high ranks, shoot them down, and they won't be able to fly their best planes again. To earn points and ranks, transport supplies to airfields and settlements! Transport planes are the best for farming and greatly help the front in skilled hands. Fly in large groups – a large group is less likely to be attacked by the enemy, meaning you lose fewer points and money, and therefore fly more on better planes. Ideally, all players on the same side of the server should be able to hear each other – this allows you to monitor the enemy and coordinate your actions. This significantly increases the effectiveness of our flights.

translated from

(Из моих наблюдений:

На сервере война а не поединки, и здесь другие принципы тактики - не как в играх, а как в рельном мире. И тут баланс состоит в игроках а не в самолетах! Преимущество имеет в первую очередь число, во вторую - командная игра (а значит - и связь со всеми игроками, не только с твоими друзьями!), и только потом самолеты. Технически невозможно и не нужно балансировать разное количество игроков в разных командах за счет параметров самолетов.

Это первое что является неожиданным в балансе. Второе - баланс является несимметричным! У одной стороны лучше истребители (они универсальны и позволяют хорошо штурмовать - а это очень важно на этом сервере!), у другой стороны лучше штурмовики но узкоспециализированые истребители. И прочее. Это требует разной тактики войны у разных сторон. Группа одних истребителей с бомбами, либо смешанная група истребителей со штурмовиками, или группа бомбардировщиков (они тоже штурмуют!) - это разные тактики, и грамотное планирование важнее параметров самолетов.

А так же, есть эще экономика - это позволяет выбирать стратегию, война это цепь мисиий, не отдельные миссии - а их совокупность! Вы можете разбомбить аэродром и не дать взлетать противнику на следующие пару мисиий, а можете разбомбить заводы и не дать пополнять самолеты вообще - если самолет не может взлететь то не важны его параметры, не правда ли?))

Более того, задача игроков на этом сервере - не сбивать, задачей является победа, и для этого не обязательно сбивать самолеты! Вы должны выполнять свои задачи и не дать выполнить задачи противнику. Для этого вам достаточно просто сорвать полет противника - вы может его напугать вашей атакой, он сбросит бомбы для маневренного боя - и все, он уже не может штурмовать без бомб, он должен вернутся на базу. Вы никого не сбили и даже не поранили - но вы выполнили вашу задачу по обороне. Смотрите на геймплей шире - много самых разных возможностей, иногда противник даже не понимает где он теряет. Так же, можно управлять атаки наземных войск - войска атакуют слабые населенные пункты из сильных населенных пунктов, но населенные пункты можно разбомбить или привезти туда припасы, и это влияет на появление татк наземных войск, на их направление. Если вдоль фронта у противника разбомблены все поселения, противник не может атаковать - вы можете, а он нет! Вы можете захватить аэродромы, а он нет!

ПС Задача высоких требований для доступа к самолетам - не дать всем сразу летать на лучшей технике. Когда игрокам доступны лучшие самолеты - они летают только на них, остальные не используются. Это не правильно. Создатели этого сервера хотят что бы игроки летали и на средних самолетах, поэтому они завышают требования к лучшим самолетам (лучшие - на практике, а не по параметрам. Ф4 в умелых руках лучше чем Г6). Так же они хотят что бы игроки ценили самолеты, поэтому терять самолеты - больно. Охотьтесь за теми кто имеет высокое звание, сбейте его - и он не сможет снова взлететь на лучшем самолете.

Для заработка очков и звания - возите припасы, на аэродромы, на поселения! Транспортные самолеты - лучшие для фарма, и сильно помогают фронту в умелых руках.

Летайте большими групами - большую группу реже атакует противник, а значит вы меньше теряете очки и деньги, а значит больше летаете на лучших самолетах.

В идеале, все игроки одной стороны на сервере должны слышать друг друга - это позволяет контролировать противника и координировать свои действия. Это значительно повышает эффективность наших полетов.)

Aircraft balancing is ongoing. We consider the overall performance, not just the "fighter" or "attack" variants, which is why we tune the aircraft.

Over time, the better aircraft arriving at the front are promoted to higher ranks, while the worse ones, in our opinion, are promoted to lower ranks.

That's why you see the P40 and P39 where they exist. These aircraft are difficult to compare in performance even to the F2/4.

15 hours ago, Tschogga said:

Salute!

I am part of the JG27 group and mostly active on TAW. But I consider Frontline to be one of the best servers available. I really love your concept and your approach. I play on Frontline since the very first campaign in early 2025. So I do notice the changes and I do have a few questions regarding balancing. Because to me it looks like Axis players are on a very strong disadvantage. I understand that you are aiming for the server to be authentic and historic, and I know that VVS had much more planes in the air than Axis, but the balancing is just way too off. You can also see it in the statistics. Reds achieving 10 times more points than blue, winning almost every map. Axis are steamrolled, especially in later phases of the campaign. And I think this is mainly due to the avialability of planes. On the red side, planes are available at much lower levels. For example, now on Kuban, red players just need to be Rank 2 to fly the most advanced fighters for the time (P39 at Rank 1, P40 and Yak1 at Rank 2) while Axis players need to be Rank 1 just to unlock the basic german fighter 109 E7. So at the same ranks, I would have to fight P39s in an E7 on Kuban or be of a much higher rank (Rank 7) to unlock the next best fighter (109 F2) and still be at a disadvantage. I love myself a good challenge, but even for me as a fan of this server, this is demotivating. I think new players who would like to join the server would straight up stop playing when they see that they have to fight P39s in a god damn M.C. 202 and have the need to win those fights in order to progress. Again, you can see the impact on balancing in the overall statistics.
I am sure you have a specific reason for this. Please help me understand why you choose to balance it that way and if you plan to do any changes on that system. I know a lot of players from other groups (my group included) that are interested in the server but turned off by the balancing.

EDIT: Also, now that I think about it, why is it that some more advanced planes are easier to unlock than planes that are objectively worse? For example, For the 109 G2 I need to be Rank 6 but I need to be Rank 7 for the 109 F4? Or on the red side, the before mentioned planes like P39, P40, Yak1 are all more easy to achieve than the MiG3. Seems strange to me.

Thank you for your time.

With respect,

JG27_Tschogga

If we consider specific cases, like the P39 and the E7, and ignore the overall picture, the E7 would likely be the clear winner.

However, there are loss statistics, and they paint a somewhat different picture than you might think.

Please study this section, and you will understand that rank is not a strict limitation on aircraft use.

The BF-109F4 was used more often than the Yak-1 Series 69.

https://il2-fl.ru/en/stats?campaignId=17&tab=campaign-losses

UPD. The page is only available to subscribers.

Screenshot from the page

16 minutes ago, MDA said:

If we consider specific cases, like the P39 and the E7, and ignore the overall picture, the E7 would likely be the clear winner.

However, there are loss statistics, and they paint a somewhat different picture than you might think.

Please study this section, and you will understand that rank is not a strict limitation on aircraft use.

The BF-109F4 was used more often than the Yak-1 Series 69.

https://il2-fl.ru/en/stats?campaignId=17&tab=campaign-losses

UPD. The page is only available to subscribers.

Screenshot from the page

Interesting Statistic. What do the specific numbers for each plane mean? Does the 22 / 136 for the F4 mean that out of 136 spawned planes 22 got shot down?
It seems that I wrongly assume that everyone will be flying in a much superior fighter than me. Still I would suggest that the overall Rank limitations adjust during the campaign. Or am I wrongly assuming that the Rank requirement for a specific plane stays the same on all maps? For me it feels like I should be able to unlock the F2 on Kuban more easily than on Stalingrad. Or maybe this is just my TAW experience messing with me. It feels like I am at a disadvantage because I joined this confrontation when Stalingrad was almost over. Now we are at Kuban and I need to grind my way up the same way everyone else already did on Moscow.
Anyway, thank you all for your input.

45 minutes ago, Tschogga said:

Does the 22 / 136 for the F4 mean that out of 136 spawned planes 22 got shot down?

In total, the F4 flew 136 sorties, 22 of which failed to return to their airfields.

It doesn't matter when you start. You can lose your rank and money at any time and start over. If you don't like Macchi and IAR, you can do a couple of transport sorties and then fly the E7, and then it's up to your abilities.

Ok understood. I think I get the picture now.
What do you guys think is the reason VVS dominated so hard this confrontation? I was looking forward to playing on Kuban, but the map only lasted 2 days :/

During this war, so many players registered for the Reds, even those who always fly for the Blues! That's why the war was so short-lived!

Alright, makes sense.
Thank you all for your answers. I stole enough of your time. New confrontation awaits!

I will add my vision of the failure of the Blues in the previous campaign.

The Blues played without resistance. I mean, they gave everything to the Reds without a fight. We flew only for our personal statistics, we didn't work at the front.

For example: when the Reds destroyed the defense, the blues didn't even try to destroy the attack. They were just engaged in free hunting. For the most part. Or they earned titles , etc . But, as practice shows, if you just save up personal points, raise your rank, etc. This makes no sense, because points are needed for good planes that will arrive at the front in the future, but the future may not come if the enemy closes the front with weaker planes))

2 minutes ago, -DED-Zlodey said:

Acrescentarei a minha visão sobre o fracasso dos Blues na campanha anterior.

Os Blues jogaram sem resistência. Quero dizer, deram tudo de si contra os Reds sem lutar. Nós só nos esforçamos para melhorar nossas estatísticas individuais, não trabalhamos na linha de frente.

Por exemplo: quando os Vermelhos destruíram a defesa, os Azuis nem sequer tentaram destruir o ataque. Estavam simplesmente caçando livremente. Na maior parte do tempo. Ou então ganhavam títulos, etc. Mas, como a prática demonstra, se você apenas acumula pontos pessoais, sobe de patente, etc., isso não faz sentido, porque os pontos são necessários para bons aviões que chegarão à frente de batalha no futuro, mas o futuro pode não chegar se o inimigo fechar a frente com aviões mais fracos.

My group/clan, SE.VH, hasn't attacked those targets because whenever we've tried, most of them have died or been severely damaged. We prioritize survival, and we're not a very large group/clan. I don't know the minimum number needed to attack those targets and have most of them survive, even if damaged.

I've been wanting to know this lately because sometimes I see three attacking defense or attack targets, and I wonder if it's because they're using the IL-2 or if the A-A isn't powerful enough at a certain altitude.

(I know it's good that these defense and attack targets are difficult because they're very important for the teams' advance or defense.)

(Note: If my English is bad, I apologize; I'm not very good at English. I just wanted to know what list of aircraft is currently available in the front line and in what years they are released. I have this question.)

7 minutes ago, SE.VH_DARK-BR said:

My group/clan, SE.VH, hasn't attacked those targets because whenever we've tried, most of them have died or been severely damaged. We prioritize survival, and we're not a very large group/clan. I don't know the minimum number needed to attack those targets and have most of them survive, even if damaged.

I've been wanting to know this lately because sometimes I see three attacking defense or attack targets, and I wonder if it's because they're using the IL-2 or if the A-A isn't powerful enough at a certain altitude.

(I know it's good that these defense and attack targets are difficult because they're very important for the teams' advance or defense.)

(Note: If my English is bad, I apologize; I'm not very good at English. I just wanted to know what list of aircraft is currently available in the front line and in what years they are released. I have this question.)

I forgot to mention, I also wanted to know if you're going to add the maps of Odessa and Leningrad?

8 минут назад, SE.VH_DARK-BR сказал:

My group/clan, SE.VH, hasn't attacked those targets because whenever we've tried, most of them have died or been severely damaged. We prioritize survival, and we're not a very large group/clan. I don't know the minimum number needed to attack those targets and have most of them survive, even if damaged.

I've been wanting to know this lately because sometimes I see three attacking defense or attack targets, and I wonder if it's because they're using the IL-2 or if the A-A isn't powerful enough at a certain altitude.

(I know it's good that these defense and attack targets are difficult because they're very important for the teams' advance or defense.)

(Note: If my English is bad, I apologize; I'm not very good at English. I just wanted to know what list of aircraft is currently available in the front line and in what years they are released. I have this question.)

The minimum number of participants for a successful target attack is two pilots.

One distracts the air defense. The second destroys the air defense. Then, when the air defense switches to the one who attacked the air defense, he begins to play the role of a distraction... And so on until the air defense on the target is completely destroyed. After that, knocking out the target is not difficult.

11 минут назад, SE.VH_DARK-BR сказал:

(Note: If my English is bad, I apologize; I'm not very good at English. I just wanted to know what list of aircraft is currently available in the front line and in what years they are released. I have this question.)

Now we don't show the entire list of planes and when they arrive. It takes time. There are plans. We are currently busy with more priority tasks.

1 час назад, SE.VH_DARK-BR сказал:

My group/clan, SE.VH, hasn't attacked those targets because whenever we've tried, most of them have died or been severely damaged. We prioritize survival, and we're not a very large group/clan. I don't know the minimum number needed to attack those targets and have most of them survive, even if damaged.

I've been wanting to know this lately because sometimes I see three attacking defense or attack targets, and I wonder if it's because they're using the IL-2 or if the A-A isn't powerful enough at a certain altitude.

(I know it's good that these defense and attack targets are difficult because they're very important for the teams' advance or defense.)

(Note: If my English is bad, I apologize; I'm not very good at English. I just wanted to know what list of aircraft is currently available in the front line and in what years they are released. I have this question.)

1. Air defenses can be distracted – while the guns are firing at the first plane, the second plane can attack those guns. If the guns start firing at the second plane, the first plane can attack. The same goes for the third, fourth, and so on planes.

2. Air defense fires at a lead point; the aiming device is located on the aircraft's movement vector. If the plane is flying straight, it will arrive at that point. If the plane is flying in an arc, it will be in a different location when the shells reach the aiming device.

3. Speed is life. The faster you fly, the harder it is for air defense to hit you. Fast and maneuverable aircraft have an advantage (the Il2 is slow and cumbersome in a dive, making it more difficult for it. Its only help is its armor and the VYA-23, but that's not enough). According to my observations, air defense lead tables are compiled for speeds up to 600–650 km/h; if the plane flies faster, the air defense starts to miss more often.

4. Air defenses are often positioned in clusters or groups (especially at airfields) – a single bomb in the center of a group destroys or frightens the crews of several guns in that group. The Me-109 has a 250 kg bomb – it does good damage to an air defense group. The USSR has a 100 kg bomb – it does less damage to a group. 500 kg bombs allow you to drop them not on the center, but somewhere nearby. And then finish off the survivors with machine guns.

5. Light air defense fires at altitudes of up to 3-3.5 km. Heavy air defense often misses at altitudes of 3.5-5 km. Bombing from this altitude is safe (to some extent, of course). You can also bomb from a steep dive: fly at an altitude of 3.5-4 km, set the throttle to idle, roll vertically downwards, dive at an altitude of 1.5-2 km (approximately the lower edge of the sight), and level off at low altitude in a smooth arc. This maneuver doesn't require air brakes and is easily performed by the BF-110, ME-109, and, of course, the PE-2. The player must quickly and accurately aim vertically and control maximum speed (use the stick smoothly and carefully!); as a bonus, you get a high escape speed. Minimal time spent in the light AA fire zone.

Results: a light and maneuverable aircraft bombs AA guns at high speed and low altitude and finishes them off with machine guns (if there are as many aircraft as AA groups, you can destroy them with machine guns in the first pass). Otherwise, dive vertically with bombs, make a long turn, and then make a second pass with machine guns to finish off the survivors. After destroying the air defenses, you can move on to other targets. (Hide behind trees and hills as you turn for the next attack)

The IL-2 requires a slightly different tactic: fighters distract the air defenses with the first wave, while the air defenses fire at the fighters, the second wave of IL-2s attacks and destroys the air defenses with machine guns. (If an IL-2 attacks the air defenses head-on without support, many IL-2s are shot down.)
The Pe-2 (and probably the BF-110) can drop large bombs (or many bombs) from afar (from level flight or a dive), which will scare off the air defenses, after which it will descend and finish off the remaining air defenses before they escape. The BF-110 has many cannons for this, and the Pe-2 also has a machine gun (yes, it also destroys air defenses!). But you must act quickly and in a coordinated manner and fly away before the enemy fighters arrive.