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Author Topic: 2 weeks free WW2OL for old accounts  (Read 16697 times)
Comstar
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WWW
on: June 04, 2004, 12:05:25 AM

Details started here, and more here.

Basicaly, if you had a WW2OL account anytime from Jan 03 to April 1st 04 it's back on for 2 weeks, free.

So if you had an old account and want to see if the new graphics/speedtree/exploding tank turrents are any good to your frame rate, now's the time.

Rats also stated that free trials for everyone else is coming. Also a SPECIAL DEAL on TRACKIR for everyone (including those with the free trial accounts) will be coming in the next few days.

TrackIR appears to be woulderful for situational awarness, if I have thr cash, I plan on buying one (assuming the deal is for non-US people too!).

Total download is probably around 150 meg for the game, and you want a 1GZ+/512megram+/Ge4200+ video card if you want a frame rate over 15 or so (which is what I get, so arn't in game as often as I would like, I need a new PC).

Right now the axis seem to be carrying all before them (Gent just fell yesterday). Grenades and Grenade Laucnhers are DEADLY now too.

Defending the Galaxy, from the Scum of the Universe, with nothing but a flashlight and a tshirt. We need tanks Boo, lots of tanks!
Nebu
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Posts: 17613


Reply #1 on: June 04, 2004, 08:49:31 AM

I played this game at release (oh the pain) and remember tweaking my system every which way just to get 12 fps.  Thanks for the link, I may give this game another look.  

BTW, does it still take key re-mapping to shoot a gun with less than 3-4 keystrokes?

"Always do what is right. It will gratify half of mankind and astound the other."

-  Mark Twain
Ezdaar
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Posts: 164


Reply #2 on: June 04, 2004, 09:32:16 AM

By default, right mouse button held down brings the sights up, left mouse fires. Left mouse will fire from the hip as well. No crosshair naturally.

Rifle grenades are a bit more complicated in that you need to attach the cup at the end once before firing. Machine guns are best fired while prone with the bipod deployed as well. In those cases though after you've set it up you just press left mouse to fire by default.

It really is a vastly different game now, well worth a look.
WayAbvPar
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Posts: 19268


Reply #3 on: June 04, 2004, 09:55:52 AM

Quote
Rats also stated that free trials for everyone else is coming.


Gimme a heads up when this happens (although I might be eligible for the current promotion...can't remember when I last subbed). My USB ports are still fucked up, so it is strictly infantry for me. If I could get my joystick working (so I could use vehicles), I would probably still have an active subscription.

When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM

Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood

Libertarians make fun of everyone because they can't see beyond the event horizons of their own assholes Surlyboi
Krakrok
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Reply #4 on: June 04, 2004, 10:10:07 AM

Yo, Bruce, have the Rats put up a BitTorrent download of the client. You'll save on bandwidth.

--

Interesting, WWIIOL supports TrackIR now (moves the camera based on your head movement). Planetside might want to add that.

--

And the email I got says:

"On Friday June 4th we will reactivate accounts which were closed prior to April 1st, 2004 for full access to the game and forums."
Comstar
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Reply #5 on: June 04, 2004, 10:00:01 PM

They added in mouselook as well. Press N while infantry and you now mouselook, rather than move to face.

Also, in vehciles RIGHT CLICK and you mouselook. Not nearly as good as trackIR, but useful in same scenerio's (particaly if you have 3 hands, or just use a joystick and no thottle)

Defending the Galaxy, from the Scum of the Universe, with nothing but a flashlight and a tshirt. We need tanks Boo, lots of tanks!
Furiously
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Reply #6 on: June 07, 2004, 08:06:45 AM

Planetside is also offering a free two weeks right now.

I loaded WWII online, just to see how it has changed. Looks better.

But - Planetside is a lot more fun.

Krakrok
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Reply #7 on: June 07, 2004, 11:41:00 AM

Ugh. Doesn't seem that much different to me -- in fact it seems worse. The only thing I can spawn is a rifle infantry and it mainly consists of running for 10 minutes to find something to shoot. When you finally get somewhere you get nicked by something you can't see and you're dead. But you're not quite dead, the screen is just black and you can't move as you slowly bleed to death which takes forever.

The heavy machine gun infantry was cool in the offline area, to bad I can't spawn it in game (or SMG's for that matter).

And there are still no medics. If they spent half as much time implimenting real features instead of super complex damage models with invisible flying shrapnel they might actually come up with a half decent game.

I'll stick with Planetside for the moment, instant action is your friend.
SirBruce
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Reply #8 on: June 07, 2004, 12:51:28 PM

If you want instant action, you need to spawn in depots in contested cities.

As for the "the screen is just black and you can't move as you slowly bleed to death which takes forever" that's either a bug, or a very rare event.  Most deaths are not like that.  Your vision does get affected from being wounded, but you usually die pretty quicky, sometimes instantly.

So, my advice would be to try it again.

Bruce
Ezdaar
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Reply #9 on: June 07, 2004, 01:33:00 PM

Quote from: Krakrok
Ugh. Doesn't seem that much different to me -- in fact it seems worse. The only thing I can spawn is a rifle infantry and it mainly consists of running for 10 minutes to find something to shoot. When you finally get somewhere you get nicked by something you can't see and you're dead. But you're not quite dead, the screen is just black and you can't move as you slowly bleed to death which takes forever.

The heavy machine gun infantry was cool in the offline area, to bad I can't spawn it in game (or SMG's for that matter).

And there are still no medics. If they spent half as much time implimenting real features instead of super complex damage models with invisible flying shrapnel they might actually come up with a half decent game.

I'll stick with Planetside for the moment, instant action is your friend.


Equipment is a function of rank. Gain rank, get better stuff. Having said that though I most commonly use a rifle since I think it's the most lethal weapon for inf. The learning curve is extremely high in this game. The good players are very good and the new players like you have this terrible experience. The only way I can think of to remedy it is to practice a lot or find a good squad to do training with.  It's entirely possible that the game just isn't for you though, it tends to be aimed at history grogs and simulator types. Instant action can be found to some extend with depot spawning, but the most rewarding gameplay comes from other things.

I enjoy Planetside a lot and would love to see a lot of the features in it ported to WWIIOL. However, PS only holds my attention for a short time whereas WWIIOL has been the only MMOG I've kept my subscription to active continually.

By the way, to spawn out hit Shift-Escape. You can spawn out at any time, dead or alive.
WayAbvPar
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Posts: 19268


Reply #10 on: June 07, 2004, 01:36:50 PM

Quote
Equipment is a function of rank. Gain rank, get better stuff.


Have they ever done a rank reset? IIRC, I was mired as a Colonel in both the BEF and the Armee Francais (or whatever the Frogs are called).

When speaking of the MMOG industry, the glass may be half full, but it's full of urine. HaemishM

Always wear clean underwear because you never know when a Tory Government is going to fuck you.- Ironwood

Libertarians make fun of everyone because they can't see beyond the event horizons of their own assholes Surlyboi
Ezdaar
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Posts: 164


Reply #11 on: June 07, 2004, 04:25:24 PM

Quote from: WayAbvPar
Quote
Equipment is a function of rank. Gain rank, get better stuff.


Have they ever done a rank reset? IIRC, I was mired as a Colonel in both the BEF and the Armee Francais (or whatever the Frogs are called).


Nope. Apparently with Deployment will come a new rank system, but I don't know the details.
Krakrok
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Posts: 2189


Reply #12 on: June 07, 2004, 05:14:39 PM

Quote from: Ezdaar
Equipment is a function of rank. Gain rank, get better stuff. Having said that though I most commonly use a rifle since I think it's the most lethal weapon for inf. The good players are very good and the new players like you have this terrible experience.


Actually, I'm not new to it, I bought WWIOL when it came out and was subscribed for about a year. I prefered the "being able to spawn anything" it originally had. In essense I am able to spawn less stuff than I use to be able to (which is why I said it had gotten worse). Hell, being able to spec in a single weapon type (ala PS) would be preferable to what it has now.

The rifle is great and everything but when there seems like 50 enemy planes flying around overhead and nothing around on the ground what I'd really like is an SMG.

I refuse to treadmill rank in WWIIOL (having to backtrack to base to despawn for rank is asinine).

You are probably right in that I'm not cut out for the hard core simulator it has evolved in to.


Quote from: Ezdaar
By the way, to spawn out hit Shift-Escape. You can spawn out at any time, dead or alive.


Right, I know I can despawn at any time but one would think after all this time death wouldn't still be so bunk.

For example, it'd be nice instead of a black screen where you feel like a moron for getting hit by invisible shapnel, how about a bullet time animation of your death with the rotating despawn camera?

It would be much more heroic.
Comstar
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Reply #13 on: June 08, 2004, 01:06:46 AM

Quote from: WayAbvPar

Have they ever done a rank reset? IIRC, I was mired as a Colonel in both the BEF and the Armee Francais (or whatever the Frogs are called).


ALL equimpent is avilable once you reach Lt (which is the Spit V and 109F I think, mabye DD's too), everything else except binocs comes at Sargent (bincos at Captain).

With Deployment, everyone's rank LEVEL stays the same, but there's more inbetween ranks, and OFFICERS can move briagdes and divsions and corps around the map. DEPLOTMENT is the FUTURE of WW2OL (Click links to see where WW2OL is headed over the next 6 months).

Krkakok- well you got 2 weeks free access, check it out :). Spawn Any FLag means you often despawn in an enemy town, just do it close to you're friendly spawnable :)

BTW, the TrackIR : Discount for is RUNNING. If you've got an account, you can get it. 65 bucks US shipping outside the US though.

World War II Online's "Welcome Back Soldier" Discount

We would like to offer you a discount on one of our new generation of TrackIR™ products. Either :

    * $30 off the premium TrackIR 3-Pro™ (120 frames per second, MSRP $139)

      Or

    * $25 off the entry level TrackIR 3™ (80 frames per second, MSRP $109)

Defending the Galaxy, from the Scum of the Universe, with nothing but a flashlight and a tshirt. We need tanks Boo, lots of tanks!
schild
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Reply #14 on: June 08, 2004, 01:18:26 AM

I just looked at the track IR-3 thing. Mind you, I've never played WWIIOL and I normally avoid flight sims at all cost. But this device seems absolutely ridiculous.

When I play a game, every game, my head is perfectly still, I didn't do the jumpy shit when Nintendo came out (You know, jerk around the controller like it's going to help Mario jump or whatever) and I don't do it now. How does this device fare? If I turn my head in UT2k4 I will be looking away from the screen.

So....what's the point? Seems gimmicky, and personally I'd rather spend my money on a Banshee Pad and another Logitech MX510 (of which I already have one).
SirBruce
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Reply #15 on: June 08, 2004, 01:33:37 AM

You may be an exception, but a lot of people who don't move their head do so because, well, there's no reason to.  If there was no mouse, you wouldn't have one of your hands out over there, either.

TrackIR's primary benefit is that it adds yet another input in a very natural way.  Your body is already adept at moving your head in coordination with your hands and such; this simply allows you to hook that into your video game.  It's very big for flight sims, where a large part of situational awareness is being able to "look around" just like real pilots do, and given that instrument panels are so complex and detailed, they often take up large amounts of the default visual space.  But it is also great for FPS.

Eye movement tracking would be even better, but this is still a very good device.

Bruce
schild
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Reply #16 on: June 08, 2004, 01:42:50 AM

Monitors are only so big Bruce. Look at the problem inherent. Unless you have a widescreen monitor with a 48 inch diagonal, move your head 4 inches and you are looking outside the monitor. Move your head 4 inches but keep the screen in your peripheral, and you're uncomfortable. Move your head 4 inches and then move your head BACK those 4 inches to focus on the screen and you haven't actually looked anywhere. So, really a lot of people don't move their head because they want to keep looking at the monitor.

Sounds like a stupid device to me. Someone sell me on this gimmick, cuz it's expensive and I want to know how gameplay benefits from it, right now it's up there with the cue:cat on the list of 'useless shit you just don't need.'
Kairos
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Reply #17 on: June 08, 2004, 02:30:35 AM

Don't the really serious driving and flight sims just use multiple monitors, anyway?
Comstar
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Reply #18 on: June 08, 2004, 04:05:45 AM

Ok, imagine you have 3 hands. You can get the same benift by using mouselook while having one hand on ther thottle and the other on the stick. You also don't NEED multiple moniters any more, and the abiltiy to look everywhere is far better anyway.

That's trackIR. One minute and I'll find a movie to download showing it off.

Movie here, right click and save, and another (15meg) movie here. The 2nd movie is actually quite good by itself, with it's accomping music.

Now that dosn't show off the person, just the incrediable amout of situaional awanress bonus you get with it. You don't move your entire head 90 degrees to look 90 degrees right, but enough for the tracker to do it.

It's not for everyone, but it looks far better than HAT controls on a joystick. For a comparison, try doing this stuff with the keyboard. The difference seems to be the same between someone using the arrow keys and a joystick hat switch.

If you already HAVE a HOTAS set up, this looks to be the next level.  If you don't think a HOTAS is worth it, I doubt trackIR is going to impress you either.

Defending the Galaxy, from the Scum of the Universe, with nothing but a flashlight and a tshirt. We need tanks Boo, lots of tanks!
Catalan
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Reply #19 on: June 08, 2004, 04:25:04 AM

I have tried some el cheapo software alternative  that uses a regular webcam for the same effect.
It works good enough, moving your head 5 inches causes a "Linda Blair" on screen. Is somewhat hard to stay in that position glancing sideways for long, but I guess the real thing would be harder on your neck :). You just check for baddies and look back ahead.
The real problem is setting a nice center position and deadspace, so you can be in a relaxed position and don't get a stiff neck when looking just ahead.

I also bought WWIIOL when it came out.  It was going to fulfill my dreams of the "Virtual Battlefield". But I really hate the resulting gameplay.

I spawn my german rifleman, hop on an opel, get unloaded near some cover if lucky, get nailed by something I never see, rinse and repeat.  I have never been able to complete any mission.
I have tried hooking up with some squads, but I hate spending 40 minutes looking at the bad quality trooper animations while we wait for missing people, unhooked artillery, CTD victims etc... only to find the war going elsewhere when we are ready. Even squads fall into disarray after the first few deaths, the survivors keep going, the rest respawn and go elsewhere...

WWIIOL continues to be the worst FPS on the market. People claim it is more "real" but you keep moving there like a crash test dummy with a broomstick up its ass. I love hardcore simulation, but Day of Defeat and the rest of the WWII FPS are a much better combat experience.
The air part has been done better elsewhere (Aces High or IL-2)
The tank stuff is nice, but  something is still amiss.

The only thing that it has provided for me are some "Hey that's cool" short moments, but they are too far inbetween. I still try every "come back soldier" promo campaign, tho.
Ezdaar
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Reply #20 on: June 08, 2004, 09:35:01 AM

schild, you have to use a TrackIR to really appreciate it. The flightsim crowd embraced it about a year ago and there's no going back once you have it. My flightsim purchases hinge on whether or not they have TrackIR support. Pushing buttons to look around seems so 20th century now. With a TrackIR I can look anywhere I want without thinking about it. I can track fast moving objects from any point in the sky to another without making a conscious effort. It's absolutely the closest thing to real life visibility so far. It sounds odd, but you only move your head 15-20 degrees at most and your eyes stay focused on the monitor without any effort. Our bodies are incredibly good at translating head and eye motion, much better than finger and eye motion.

Edit:

Catlan, I don't know what to say. The movement feels much more fluid now than it ever did and I find that I rarely get hit by something and not know what it was. The majority of my infantry deaths come from other infantry, usually because I was stupid. I can easily last 30 minutes on one mission and RTB without a problem. Attacking is still a pain in the ass if the defender is prepared, but I would expect this to be the case. Statistical(read: effective) HE has been added for grenades, larger weapons should soon follow. When this happens I think we'll see attacks start to become more coherent as the tanks and large HE weapons will be able to recon by fire correctly and ferret out hidden positions. Again though, the pace of this game is much much slower than anything else out there. I'm quite happy to wait 30 minutes watching for enemies while a tank slowly advances and blasts things out of the way. I also enjoy flying formation for 30 minutes in IL-2 or shooting approaches in FS2004 so ymmv.
SirBruce
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Reply #21 on: June 08, 2004, 10:55:43 AM

Quote from: schild
Monitors are only so big Bruce. Look at the problem inherent. Unless you have a widescreen monitor with a 48 inch diagonal, move your head 4 inches and you are looking outside the monitor. Move your head 4 inches but keep the screen in your peripheral, and you're uncomfortable. Move your head 4 inches and then move your head BACK those 4 inches to focus on the screen and you haven't actually looked anywhere. So, really a lot of people don't move their head because they want to keep looking at the monitor.


You might want to see a doctor about your "condition".  You seem to have difficulty looking in any direction but straight ahead.

Bruce
Big Gulp
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Reply #22 on: June 08, 2004, 12:09:33 PM

Quote from: SirBruce

You might want to see a doctor about your "condition".  You seem to have difficulty looking in any direction but straight ahead.


Bullshit.  Glance off of the screen a tiny bit and your focus turns to shit, because peripheral vision absolutely sucks.  I'm with Schild here, I'm already a frickin' nerd, I don't need to descend to the depths of geekitude with something like this, or a HOTAS (what a stupid goddamn acronym) setup, or 3D glasses or any other jackass piece of gear.

Especially not for a piece of shit game like WWIIOL.
daveNYC
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Reply #23 on: June 08, 2004, 01:18:53 PM

You do realize that you can move your eyes one way while moving your head the other?
schild
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Reply #24 on: June 08, 2004, 01:20:32 PM

Quote from: daveNYC
You do realize that you can move your eyes one way while moving your head the other?


Yes and ANY substantial movement accounts for why periphereal vision has been mentioned twice in this thread already.
daveNYC
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Reply #25 on: June 08, 2004, 01:27:56 PM

And I'm not sure why substantial movement is even coming into the discussion.  The driver software they have allows you to scale the screens movement to a huge multiplier of what your physical movement is.

I could see a severe dislike of having your viewpoint shake like a drunk handi-cam shot at a birthday party, but periphereal vision isn't something that should be an issue.
Ezdaar
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Reply #26 on: June 08, 2004, 01:42:39 PM

Sorry guys (schild, BG) you're completely wrong on this and talking out your ass since you've never even seen a TrackIR. I own one, have owned one for a year. Every serious flightsim player has one or wants one because it works. It doesn't matter if you think it's a neat idea or think it doesn't work. Fact is it works and it's much more natural than any other type of viewing system in use currently. Head over to Frugalsworld, SimHQ, Combatsim, Netwings, Avsim, etc and check some of the threads about TrackIR.

Whether or not you think being a flightsim player has merit is irrelevant to the discussion at hand. Like daveNYC said, there is NO SUBSTANTIAL MOVEMENT of the head. Your eyes remain focused on the screen at all times. Your eyes can move +/- 40 degrees horizontal and +/- 30 degrees vertical. With a TrackIR I don't think I move more than 20 degrees either way. You can also set a nice deadzone in the center so that small unconscious movements don't set it off.

Until you've used the thing long enough to get used to it you've got no place to comment on how well it works, sorry.
schild
Administrator
Posts: 60345


WWW
Reply #27 on: June 08, 2004, 01:49:15 PM

We weren't commenting on how it works, don't get so defensive. We were making assumptions based on it's design and you answered our questions. But, thanks.
SirBruce
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Reply #28 on: June 08, 2004, 02:17:26 PM

I will disagree to the extent that I believe there is substantial movement of the head, but that it doesn't cause the eye-focus problems you guys seem to think you have when doing it.  I guess your defense now is you were talking about far more substantial movement than it turns out the device actually requires.  Perhaps so, but that's hardly our fault; you were still wrong.

TrackIR isn't for everyone.  I thought it was pretty freaky when I first tried it out; other people find it very natural.  If it's not for you, it's not for you, but don't spew shit about the device just because you're not comfortable with it.

Bruce
Bokonon
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Reply #29 on: June 09, 2004, 09:57:14 AM

For the record, one's periperal vision is actually more sensitive to movement (and illumination, look up info regarding 'averted vision' that visiual astronomers talk about) than direct vision.

The big problems are that it looks dumb, is kinda expensive, and it is awkward (turning your head while keeping eyes on the monitor, while possible, is not comfortable until you train yourself to do it).

What can I say about F13?  It's really my favorite website in the entire universe!  I love the irreverent banter and sly wit these keyboard jockeys produce.  And I especially love the staff, they're AWESOME.
Comstar
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WWW
Reply #30 on: June 09, 2004, 07:17:33 PM

Ok, go HERE for ALL you're trackIR movies.

Some of the movies are ads, showing how much movement is required. It's not much.

Only problem for me is it's 65 bucks US to get it shipped outside the US! GAH. That's nearly 100 dollers australian :(.

Defending the Galaxy, from the Scum of the Universe, with nothing but a flashlight and a tshirt. We need tanks Boo, lots of tanks!
speedwaystar
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Reply #31 on: July 10, 2004, 10:51:59 AM

There's an Australian dealer with free shipping:

http://www.spectronicsinoz.com/product.asp?product=17116

$AU250 all up. *Looks tempted*

That "Flying For The First Time" TrackIR video brought a smile of recognition as I recalled my utterly shocking dogfighting skillz (or lack thereof) in WWIIonline's last free preview.
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