WWII-Online getting a graphical upgrade.

[Mrbloodworth]

v1.31 Preview- huge update to include variable weather and rag doll physics

Some engine additions:

v1.31 Beta- Weather Test

v1.31 Beta- Infantry Rag Doll Effects Test

v1.31 Beta- Effects & Terrain Objects Test

[fuser]

I wonder if they still have my launch character...

[Nebu]

How cheat ridden is this game?  I really enjoyed my early time and would consider playing again if I knew that they didn't give too much information to the client so that hacks coudl unbalance gameplay. 

Hell... does anyone play this anymore?

[Mrbloodworth]

Not that I know first hand, but the client is extremely dumb. Has to be because all the physics are done server side (Talking about the ballistics) and I dont think they use movement prediction.

They still have a free trail going. But I am not sure this has gone live yet.

[NiX]

I've been debating signing up for the tutorial, not I'm wondering if it'll still be going on when this update rolls out.

Edit: Upon further inspection, these are loafers. Actually, check their forums to make sure the game will run with your current driver set. Lots of ATI issues.

[Mrbloodworth]

The update isn't live yet AFAIK.

[Malakili]

This is actually one of my favorite MMOs, but the engine was a bit of a sticking point.  I'd be interested in checking this out again I think.

[Ghambit]

Honestly, after WoW I considered WW2O the best MMO made.  Some of the best gaming I've ever experienced was playing this sim.  Now, that largely has to do with the squad I was in though (the 94th Armoured Brigade).  If you're new to WW2O I HIGHLY recommend getting your ducks in a row b4 you login.  It's absolutely imperative you sign up with a squad that you can identify with and perhaps learn the ORBAT.  If you roll solo you will hate it, period.  And lone wolfs are deeply frowned upon in this game, and yah... everyone will know you're unsquaded because your tag will be green.  So prepare for endless recruitment /tells.

The biggest piece of advice I can give is once you've had your fill of one type of combat, shift to another.  For instance, become a sniping master and after a few rolls of the map perhaps fly for the RAF strat. bombing group... or maybe work on your DD skills.  Once you've got a deep enough grasp of the game maybe even try for some officers/command work.  Or maybe become an instructor.

There are a million layers to this game if you're willing to dig into them.  It's been said many of the higher-ups end up quitting their jobs and playing the game full time.  Similar to EVE I guess.  But even a lowly foot soldier can effect the game pretty deeply, to the point of ingame recognition (stat. tracking is pretty robust).  There's a point where you dont even have to really play to effect the game. (command)

I could go on and on.  Overall, it's a deeply rewarding game if you stick with it for at least a few months.
Frankly, the only reason I stopped playing is because I just got tired of the same map.  It's still the European theatre even though years back they promised an African theatre and a Pacific theatre.  They have yet to deliver on that.

[WayAbvPar]

Interesting. I have played off and on since release, but pretty much quit after BF2 came out and I got my FPS jollies from that. Does it still take fucking forever to get into a decent fight? Is defending bases still an exercise in rape survival? Is the infantry game any where near as compelling as <insert name of modern FPS>?

[Ghambit]

Interesting. I have played off and on since release, but pretty much quit after BF2 came out and I got my FPS jollies from that. Does it still take fucking forever to get into a decent fight? Is defending bases still an exercise in rape survival? Is the infantry game any where near as compelling as <insert name of modern FPS>?

Well, just b4 I stopped playing they added paratroopers and changed the way you supply bases.  You cant back-supply (as much) anymore so attacking with overwhelming forces isnt as possible as it was originally.  I believe the rear supply is also much more limited unless command shifts resources around.  It isnt as cut and dry as it was and now more than ever the "Quartermastering" squads are really important.  I remember many battles having to be much more multi-faceted instead of just a tank zerg from over-supplied ABs.  So you'd need air supp., paratroopers, inf., and armor together or it was a lot harder to rape bases.  Which is good imo.  It also extended maps and kept them from getting rolled too easily.  (the ol' afternoon Euro swarm that takes 8 towns was effectively done in)

The only other FPS I've thought was close to as good as WW2O was Arma(2).  Everything else is an arcadey joke to me.... if you're talking "compelling."
There's a difference between shear fun and compelling.  Compelling FPS's require some blood, sweat, and tears to get to the fun.  Resupplying tanks for 2 hours only to get raped by a Stuka during an offensive action sux, but it does indeed make for tense gameplay.

There are very few stories to tell playing shyt like BF2 or Crysis, etc.  But play WW2O for a while and you'll have some stories guaranteed.  And tellin those stories is a good way to pass the time while you fly a few hours doing Bomber deliveries       (I do believe they added an autopilot btw)

[NiX]

The update isn't live yet AFAIK.

I'm referring to the current version.

I'll second Ghambit. I had a friend who was a realism fanatic and loved WW2O, so much so that he paid for a second account just to get me to play. We had some good times in that game and I still recall doing a half hour Opal run with a squad to take a town right behind the frontline. This was before the AI town defense, so it was easy as pie and a good time watching the attackers get rolled from behind. We even drove our opals all the way back.

God I hated driving Opals.

[Ghambit]

Opals made nice targets.  Laffly's ftw.
geez Nix, if you played before they even had AI, that was well before even MY time.  Jesus, the game barely even worked back then.  That had to be back in 01-02 maybe?  I remember doing screening actions in a truck with the 2nd best rifleman in the game.  "Omoto" I think his name was.  The two of us would run around skirmishing FBs and towns to draw nme assets away from the main thrust - those were good times and every now and then you felt the weight of the entire game on your shoulders (many times HQ pops in and demands progress reports, etc.).  Strat. bombing runs against factories had me phuckin sweating.  I could go on and on with all kinds of stories.

In checking the Wiki seems as if the Chinese govt. has contracted the Rats for a Chinese version of the game.  That's good news because they get new capital, but it seems that the past few years have had delayed development because of it.  (explains why the african theatre never started)

Another interesting tidbit, the U.S. military often used WW2O for strat./tactics training.  Dunno if they still do.  Nowadays they probably use custom scenarios using VBS or Arma.

[NiX]

Yeah, it was awhile ago. The worst part was my computer could barely run the game at the time cause I had a really shitty computer, so for fun he would grab his flight stick, I would be gunner and we'd see if I could shoot anything with my abysmal ~10 FPS. Those were some good times, I definitely loved stuka bombing with that FPS, if I successfully bombed something my squad would go nuts because I probably had a 1/1000000 chance of ever getting it without crashing.

I also remember when AI first went in and we tried an Opal run. The AI originally had pinpoint accuracy and could shoot you from a KM or two away.

[Comstar]

The news was surprising to me, I hadn't expected rag-doll physics, blood splotches and rain. Also nicer trees and cover.

Big cities like Antwerp are going to lose the death-star like trench runs and every building will be individual (though you won't be able to enter all of them). Capturing depots just means you need to be IN the depot, the more friendlies inside the faster it goes, and all enemy infantry need to be eliminated first, which adds some gameplay bonus (as does the weather making the air-to-mud bombing more...interesting).

[NiX]

I remember you being very big on WW2O at one point, Comstar. You ever sub up or is it all EVE now?

[Ghambit]

Wait wait wait.  Comstar is THE Comstar from WW2O??  Seriously?  (ur like... famous n' stuff)
If so, nice to see you dude!  I was "Blkhawke" or "Blackhawke" from the Allied 94thAB (now defunct).  We used to have some good times eh?

[Comstar]

I remember you being very big on WW2O at one point, Comstar. You ever sub up or is it all EVE now?

I still play WW2OL from time to time, my account has always been active since Feb 2001.  Mostly I play Eve though. That will probably change with the patch for awhile too. I still need to see the changes Docdoom made to a lot of the old towns, I hear St Trudien'a west depot got a lot of building's added around it.

[Ghambit]

I remember you being very big on WW2O at one point, Comstar. You ever sub up or is it all EVE now?

I still play WW2OL from time to time, my account has always been active since Feb 2001.  Mostly I play Eve though. That will probably change with the patch for awhile too. I still need to see the changes Docdoom made to a lot of the old towns, I hear St Trudien'a west depot got a lot of building's added around it.

You've got a lifetime sub dont you?
What squad are you in?  I've been thinking about resubbing.  They've still got my soldier even.

[Comstar]

I *should* have gotten a liftetime sub by now, I just pay for a yearly account (who would imagine WW2OL was still going for 8 years, and some of the code was written in the 20th century!).  I'm still in the ANZAC squad, which is still going strong so I hear from Rabbitlldr (He's still playing, and still playing in/helping run the RN).

Does Planetside get updates any more or is just in a maintenance mode? Hell, the only 3 MMFPS's I can think of are WW2OL, PS and (soon) Dust514 for eve on the console, and there arn't any MMSim's except WW2OL either.

[UnSub]

There's a Chinese version of PlanetSide called Welkin4591 that I think is in closed beta. Other MMOFPSs at this point probably include games like Huxley, Global Agenda and APB, but they aren't released yet.

[Redgiant]

You just know someone would bring this up ...

TAXI TO VICTORY! 

[Ghambit]

I'm still in the ANZAC squad, which is still going strong so I hear from Rabbitlldr (He's still playing, and still playing in/helping run the RN).

Wow.  ANZACs are still going; that's pretty impressive.  Allied this whole time?
And Rabbit is still there.... another legend.  (sigh)  aw man those were the days.  I remember kickin ass and taking names with both you guys.  Small world.

Is there ANY talk about changing the campaign map??  Sorry, I dont have the energy to sift through the forums.
I'm so tempted to re-sub but that game eats your soul like no other if you give it the chance.

[Fmar]

Wow, a few names I recognize from a long time ago.
I played for a few years after the release of the game under the name 'Alucard'.  Played with the 1stFJ, then JG2.

I've always said that if the Ww2online devs would put as much love into the infantry combat as they do the air combat, that the game would be much more attractive to the masses.

When is this update suppose to go live?

[Ghambit]

Wow, a few names I recognize from a long time ago.
I played for a few years after the release of the game under the name 'Alucard'.  Played with the 1stFJ, then JG2.

You the same Alucard from MxO? (mxoai.com)

[Yegolev]

If you're new to WW2O I HIGHLY recommend getting your ducks in a row b4 you login.

Fuck that shit.

Also, I'm not a fan of the "b4".

[Ghambit]

If you're new to WW2O I HIGHLY recommend getting your ducks in a row b4 you login.

Fuck that shit.
Also, I'm not a fan of the "b4".

Alrighty then, but dont come cryin when the learning curve messes with your fun.

Ahh, Life is but an abbreviation of reality.

[Yegolev]

Ahh, Life is but an abbreviation of reality.

Well... you got me with that one.  Good show.

[Fmar]

You the same Alucard from MxO? (mxoai.com)

No.  Wwiionline was the only game I used that name.

[Comstar]

Is there ANY talk about changing the campaign map??  Sorry, I dont have the energy to sift through the forums.

No, same map. It's described as the Unity 1.5 engine. Unity 2.0 will be the big terrain-everything-is-automated-wonder.  So the battle of France, which has now lasted for twice as long as the entire war, continues. It's the MMOG version of 'Allo 'Allo.

No release date as yet, it's in closed beta as of now. They'll be an open beta (subscribers only, so not in the more traditional open beta to everyone open beta). My guess is a month or more at least before it's officially released.

[Ghambit]

What do you mean by "big terrain-everything-is-automated-wonder?"  The map will push itself slowly?
Anyways, I really like these changes... the biggest of which imo is Shader 3.0 stuff.  Although niggling things like verifying a kill will be much easier with "rag doll."  The weather stuff looks like a pilot's dream/nightmare.  Will the AAA-AI be able to pick off planes even though they're above the cloud-deck? (might be nice to loiter over a town this way) 

I'm gonna also assume the weather thing was finally added so that you dont have the unit limitation air assets seem to cause.  In the olden days many times you never saw a swarm of planes until they were right on top of you or you'd just see them fleetingly or not at all (until the bomb exploded on your head).  At least with the weather there's a graphical "cut-off" to only allow assets below the deck to be rendered (one would hope; works well with the new object instancing).  Nice trick/fix if it indeed does this.  Also helps the air quake to be more fluid above the cloud-deck, w/o performance issues caused by irrelevent ground assets.

[Mrbloodworth]

There were some "Exclusive screens" in the recent news letter:





Not to shabby.

[Big Gulp]

Alrighty then, but dont come cryin when the learning curve messes with your fun.

There's fun in WWII Online?  When did they patch that in?

[Simond]

There's a Chinese version of PlanetSide called Welkin4591 that I think is in closed beta. Other MMOFPSs at this point probably include games like Huxley, Global Agenda and APB, but they aren't released yet.

Also: http://twitter.com/j_smedley

# PlanetSide Next...3:04 PM Sep 2nd from web
# you will like.3:16 PM Sep 2nd from web

[Lantyssa]

Are they naming everything 'Next'?  What are the games following those?  X Next Next?

[Mrbloodworth]

There's a Chinese version of PlanetSide called Welkin4591 that I think is in closed beta. Other MMOFPSs at this point probably include games like Huxley, Global Agenda and APB, but they aren't released yet.

Also: http://twitter.com/j_smedley

# PlanetSide Next...3:04 PM Sep 2nd from web
# you will like.3:16 PM Sep 2nd from web

That has to be a lie, SOE doesn't care about Planetside 2, it would be to awesome if done right. They don't do awesome, or done right.