I started playing earlier this year and made a few observations at that time and I find your question very interesting. Generally speaking I would say 'yes', but with the usual caveats - I have pretty much played nothing but low tier (1-4) 'random'.
Bad Experiences:
As soon as I stick my head above the parapet in Co-op all 'red' guns seem to train on me and I'm blown out of the water within a few minutes. probably best to find a clan for that game.
The green 'team' communication in random is non-existent unless a few friends are playing together, which will be obvious.
Getting picked on by a CV. Depends what you are driving of course but it is a bit annoying when a CV does nothing else other than constantly torp you. The only good thing about it is that while you are taking 'one for the team' someone else gets close enough to kill the CV
There are other aggravations of course, such as someone demanding we 'do this' or 'do that' and I have been met with abuse (and indeed 'friendly fire') when declining to do so (this is more prevalent during the school holidays of course) so now I just ignore them.
AFK at start - It happens. Sometimes can't be helped; urgent phone call, girlfriend walking in half dressed, dinner burning, etc. In fact on one occasion I was distracted away urgently from the game (with BB on auto pilot) and when I came back 15 minutes later I had completed my route, shot down three aircraft and sunk a DD with my secondaries - I'm not sure I was really needed!
Other's lack of perception of your intentions. It should be fairly clear that if playing a DD, for example, you will be gettng up close and personal to enemy vessels and that you will be launching lots of torpedoes in that direction - quite often I have taken fatal damage because a 'friendly' CC has decided to loiter in the wrong place or blundered into my torp attack (OK my fault). If playing a CC or BB I let the DD's go in and support them by taking out other DD's. If I'm a BB I cover the CC's against other CC's and BB's (and sometimes get a DD... :)
Good Experiences:
Mastering various skill sets and options and recognising which ones you don't need ('Supercontainer', really?)
Sometimes people recognise what you are doing and join in - had a great game with someone the other day who 'got' the above hierarchy bit and we wiped the floor with the red's - that was a good game but very rare, didn't catch their name but gave them a good report at the time.
If it all gets silly in Tier IV (or I have to go pink for a couple of games) I go back to Tier I and play a couple of quick games - normally sink a few as a CC and then go back to a Tier IV BB and cover people. The few BB v BB fights I have been in end up badly for me as I cannot get the guns cranked around in time on target if we are circling, if I ever crack that it will be an enjoyable moment!
So yes, I think there is enjoyment to be had in different Tiers and on different levels - sometimes the games suck but so does life on occasion, so you get on with it and sometimes it all works out fine.
