Yepp, simulations have gone a long way...
After the energy maneuverability theory got widely implemented, modern planes are being tested and described in every possible way. Today's fighter jocks know stuff that nobody had at hand in WW2: corner speeds, turn rates, acceleration performance, performance for different climb profiles, turn radii, sustained turns and much more. Yet, by testing properly modeled simulated planes, we can find out stuff about the real planes that hasn't been covered in history books, and that sometimes wasn't even known at that time. When a bunch of good sticks duke it out online these days, the tactics are very much TOP GUN (in the most positive meaning of the word), whereas back in the days there was lots of trial, error, and luck.
I hope COD offers even better ways for us to test the planes, like proper g force readouts in replays.
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