World War II Online: Difference between revisions
→Playable equipment: removed POV. Seriously??? "Which are one of the most fun missions to go on"??? Says who? |
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==Criticisms== |
==Criticisms== |
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The focus of WWIIOL design is on realism, teamwork, and historical accuracy of weapons and vehicles. These alone place the game into a tough market in the game industry. While |
The focus of WWIIOL design is on realism, teamwork, and historical accuracy of weapons and vehicles. These alone place the game into a tough market in the game industry. While some WWII style PvP players crave this design, the effects of this design often does not appeal to many conventional "shooter" players and the higher demands on skill and weapons performance knowledge this places on the more typical gamer can be a source of criticism of the game. The common mantra among the games fans is that WWIIOL:Battleground Europe is the "toughest PvP on the planet" and this is almost impossible to deny. It takes the new player longer to come to grips with the knowledge and skill of the veteran WWIIOL player than many have the ability to muster. |
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===Steep learning curve=== |
===Steep learning curve=== |
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World War II Online has been criticized for having a difficult learning curve. This is due to several forms of complexity. There is a large offering of vehicles - each with a slightly different interface to control. (Example: The Panzer 38T has no RPM gauge, while most other tanks do.) Aircraft are extremely hard to fly without a joystick, with some being next to impossible without one. Players coming in from non-simulation game genres may have to try several times before they can even get an aircraft off the ground. There are no third person views to tanks or planes, enhancing the realism but also increasing frustration in new players not accustomed to simulation-type games. Getting a better view from inside a tank often involves "unbuttoning" which exposes the crew to enemy fire. In 2008, version 1.29 added the beginnings of a tutorial system to combat the learning curve. |
World War II Online has been criticized for having a difficult learning curve. This is due to several forms of complexity. There is a large offering of vehicles - each with a slightly different interface to control. (Example: The Panzer 38T has no RPM gauge, while most other tanks do.) Aircraft are extremely hard to fly without a joystick, with some being next to impossible without one. Players coming in from non-simulation game genres may have to try several times before they can even get an aircraft off the ground. There are no third person views to tanks or planes, enhancing the realism but also increasing frustration in new players not accustomed to simulation-type games. Getting a better view from inside a tank often involves "unbuttoning" which exposes the crew to enemy fire. In 2008, version 1.29 added the beginnings of a tutorial system to combat the learning curve. The latest patch 1.30's training system was expanded enormously to encompass every aspect of the game, including focusing on several different classes of infantry and all the starter rank vehicles. <ref name="gamespot">[http://www.gamespot.com/pc/sim/worldwar2onlineblitzkrieg/review.html?om_act=convert&om_clk=gssummary&tag=summary%3Bread-review&page=2 World War II Online: Blitzkrieg Review] - Gamespot, Jun 20, 2001</ref><ref name="IGNreview">[http://pc.ign.com/articles/165/165364p1.html World War II Online: The electronic battlefield arrives too early and promises too much.] - IGN Review, August 6, 2001</ref><ref>[http://www.mobygames.com/game/windows/wwii-online-blitzkrieg/reviews/reviewerId,101317/ WWIIOL Review]- mobygames.com, September 21, 2007</ref><ref name = "G4TV">[http://g4tv.com/xplay/reviews/1156/Battleground_Europe_World_War_II_Online.html G4 TV Review]</ref><ref>[http://www.battlegroundeurope.com/index.php/component/content/article/10-production-notes/931-129-release-read-me]1.29update</ref> |
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===Realistic vulnerability=== |
===Realistic vulnerability=== |
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Several reviewers have pointed out that the combination of realistic vulnerability and the learning curve might serve for a difficult beginning. The damage model for each individual player is complicated, as is the ballistics of every shot and every piece of shrapnel. When a tank fires a high explosive round at an infantryman the system checks to see if the infantrymen is in the instant kill zone. If not, it checks to see if any pieces of shrapnel would hit him, and where. This system causes many complaints by players |
Several reviewers have pointed out that the combination of realistic vulnerability and the learning curve might serve for a difficult beginning. The damage model for each individual player is complicated, as is the ballistics of every shot and every piece of shrapnel. When a tank fires a high explosive round at an infantryman the system checks to see if the infantrymen is in the instant kill zone. If not, it checks to see if any pieces of shrapnel would hit him, and where. This system causes many complaints by players. <ref name="IGNreview"/><ref name = "G4TV"/> |
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===Slower-paced, strategic gameplay=== |
===Slower-paced, strategic gameplay=== |
||
Many players find the game to be slower paced than they desire. In early versions of the game, it was common for players to spend 30 minutes or more before finding enemy players to engage. They would often have to wait for a truck, and then drive for miles to the action. This level of realism appealed to the gamer craving authenticity, but left the casual gamer feeling disenchanted. Recent efforts by developers have focused on bringing more immediate action to the field, through the introduction of a feature called "mobile spawn points". Similarly, changes have been made to add more structure to the game by limiting battle to certain arenas designated by players whose experience qualifies them for service in the "High Command". This helps reduce the necessity of wandering around in an unoccupied and inactive area, and reduces the "where is the fight" syndrome of the older versions of the game in years gone by. <ref name="IGNreview"/> |
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===Graphics engine=== |
===Graphics engine=== |
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The WWIIOL engine renders a detailed environment for many kilometers in every direction, including trees, towns, as well as character and vehicle models. Because this high view distance is a more realistic model of actual battles, the graphics must be simpler than the average 500 yard sandbox "shooter" in order to maintain a playable frame-rate. Compounding this compromise is that you may have more players around you than the environment first reveals to you as skilled veteran players employ the environment to conceal their presence |
The WWIIOL engine renders a detailed environment for many kilometers in every direction, including trees, towns, as well as character and vehicle models. Because this high view distance is a more realistic model of actual battles, the graphics must be simpler than the average 500 yard sandbox "shooter" in order to maintain a playable frame-rate. Compounding this compromise is that you may have more players around you than the environment first reveals to you as skilled veteran players employ the environment to conceal their presence.; in fact as many as 128 players could be in your immediate vincinity. The level of detail in the depictions is accordingly lower than in other mainstream games involving smaller polygon counts, sprites, and fewer active elements, causing the game's appearance to be less detailed. This has resulted in graphic depictions generally considered below the current industry standard for FPS games.<ref name="IGNreview"/><ref name = "G4TV"/> |
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The developers claim their long awaited Unity 1.5 engine will bring the graphics closer to the standards that consumers expect. |
The developers claim their long awaited Unity 1.5 engine will bring the graphics closer to the standards that consumers expect. |
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===Complicated Spawn System=== |
===Complicated Spawn System=== |
||
The game's user interface can make it difficult for players to quickly find and join a battle. Due to the games complex command and control systems and a dynamic supply/attrition mechanism that is persistantly linked to the lifeblood of each armed forces unit (Brigades and their HQ Division formations) ... the UI seems a little too complex for the new WWIIOL player, although the new training system alleviates this somewhat better than the older versions of the game could ever manage. However, once a player understands how to access the battle itself |
The game's user interface can make it difficult for players to quickly find and join a battle. Due to the games complex command and control systems and a dynamic supply/attrition mechanism that is persistantly linked to the lifeblood of each armed forces unit (Brigades and their HQ Division formations) ... the UI seems a little too complex for the new WWIIOL player, although the new training system alleviates this somewhat better than the older versions of the game could ever manage. However, once a player understands how to access the battle itself through the UI ... wishing to ignore the "bigger picture" of the command and brigade/division structure ... getting into battle is nowadays much quicker and easier than it used to be. |
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The latest Updates introduced a new kind of training ground which gets used by an interactive training guide. In the game you have the possibility to get involved better and learn the basic knowledge step by step in this tutorial. Every branch from Army, |
The latest Updates introduced a new kind of training ground which gets used by an interactive training guide. In the game you have the possibility to get involved better and learn the basic knowledge step by step in this tutorial. Every branch from Army, Air Force and Navy has its own training ground and the tutorial makes it possible to have a better learning curve for a faster gameplay success in the game itself. |
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==Developers== |
==Developers== |
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Revision as of 20:32, 19 July 2009
 | This article may be too long to read and navigate comfortably. (June 2009) |
| World War II Online: Battleground Europe | |
|---|---|
  | |
| Developer(s) | Cornered Rat Software and Playnet Inc. |
| Publisher(s) | Trisynergy GMX Media Strategy First Matrix Games |
| Engine | proprietary (Unity 3D) |
| Platform(s) | Windows, Mac OS X |
| Release | New releases: 2005-2009 Original version: June 2001 |
| Genre(s) | MMOG Simulation FPS |
| Mode(s) | Multiplayer |
World War II Online: Battleground Europe, also referred to as WWIIOL:BE, WW2OL or BE is a massively multi-player online first-person shooter computer game (MMOFPS) first released June 6, 2001. The game is set in 1940-43 World War II Europe. It is a combined arms war simulation otherwise known as a virtual battlefield. A player can command or crew a variety of accurately modeled aircraft, armored fighting vehicles, anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft artillery, and three naval vessels, or fight as a foot-soldier with a variety of infantry weapons. The game is played in real time alongside or against other players as German, British and French forces in a persistent world. Command structures and missions provide strategic and tactical layers while ranks provide a RPG layer by demonstrating leadership roles. WWIIOL online uses a ½ scale map of Western Europe with 30,000 km² of accurate terrain (800 m resolution satellite data). It is commonly recognized as the first MMOFPS.[1]
WWIIOL was re-packaged and re-released in 2006 under the new name of World War II Online: Battleground Europe, and the name Battleground Europe is sometimes used to refer to the game.
Gameplay
In imitation of the war itself, there are two sides: Axis vs. Allied. The Axis consists of the German forces and the Allies are the combined British (UK) and French forces. Other forces from the actual war, such as those from the rest of Europe, the rest of the British Commonwealth, the United States, Soviet Union, China or Japan have not been introduced into the campaign yet. Players can play whichever side they want and may even switch sides after waiting a mandatory period of fifteen minutes that begins when they resign from their current enlistment.
Gameplay occurs on a single server, with a 1/2 scale map of Western Europe. It is the largest MMOG game world map, at over 350,000 km², with most play occurring in a 30,000 km² central area in which capturable cities, airfields and ports have been placed. Two alternate servers are available for training events and beta testing the next version.
The general organization of the forces is historical, with the exception is that SS units are excluded, along with all political elements (for instance, the Nazi Party, Gestapo, swastika).
WWIIOL is team-oriented. Players are various troops, pilots, gunners, tank commanders, naval destroyer captains, mission leaders, high commanders and are organized into brigades. Everyone plays in the brigade of their choice. Smaller military units of heavily-themed squads are independently managed by players and can use their own tactics but must follow the brigade and strategic rules set by the high command players and cooperate with other squads and non-squad players. Being a squad member is optional but encouraged. Some squads have vigorous membership rites. Anyone can, however, form their own squad, solicit members and register the squad with the high command for brigade assignment.
Each player holds a title of rank, based on the military ranks of the time. Ranks are gained through a performance-based scoring system. Rank is never lost as a result of an unsuccessful mission or death.
Detailed statistics are tracked by the server, and made available through a web interface, known as 'Combat Statistics and Records', or CSR. Statistics are very detailed, recording a history of every mission the player has attempted over the campaign. Summary statistics are available to compare player performance to those of other players. Statistics include elements such as number of kills, damages, deaths, time spent on each mission, and depot captures. The top 100 players for several categories are updated regularly.
In WWIIOL, it takes skill, teamwork, tactics, strategy, planning, patience and perseverance to win or lose battles, make progress and individually rank upward.
Communication between players via text is supported by a variety of communication channels for messages exchanged between players. Channels are automatically created for players in the nearby region, on the same mission, and players in the same squad (a voluntary group similar to a clan in other online games). Channels can also be manually created. Additionally, it is common for players to communicate via TeamSpeak, since cooperation with other players can be critical for success.
Playable equipment
WWIIOL has a variety of playable equipment, each modeled with data from historical references. Like many other RPGs, the more experience the player has, the more equipment that becomes available to him or her. New recruits start with a limited equipment selection. As the player progresses in rank, better vehicles and more infantry classes become available.
The following tables list the playable armor, anti-tank guns, anti-aircraft artillery, and aircraft for each faction:
In addition to the vehicles above, there are several options for infantry gameplay, including paratroopers. Players choose equipment from several predefined load outs (Rifleman, submachine gunner, light machine gunner, light mortar, engineer, anti-tank rifleman, and sniper). Each load out selects equipment from the following list:
| British | French | German |
|---|---|---|
|
.303 inch Lee-Enfield Rifle |
Fusil MAS.36 (rifle) |
7.9mm Karabiner 98k Mauser Rifle |
In total, there are currently 130 different playable weapons.
Damage model
The damage model in WWIIOL is more complex than surface appearance indicates. Several critical components within each vehicle are modeled, and often interact. For example, if a radiator is punctured, it may boil off its coolant, causing the engine block (an independent critical component) to seize. Damaged components also provide feedback into the flight or ground simulation model; for aircraft, damage to flight surfaces will result in increased drag and reduced performance of the vehicle. Armor is placed in all vehicles to protect these components, with historically accurate detail on armor angle and thickness[2]
The ballistic model is also detailed, taking into account drag coefficient properties, muzzle velocity, and mass of each individual type of ammunition. For instance, High Explosive (HE) rounds typically travel a shorter distance than Armour Piercing (AP) shells, when fired from the same cannon, due to higher drag coefficient and lower mass[3]
The game engine considers the physical details of all rounds at point of impact, calculating the angle of impact and energy of the round, and thickness of the target vehicle's armor. Rounds which manage to penetrate may go on to cause damage to components or crew members, depending on the point of penetration, in relation to them. Rounds that do not penetrate may cause spall (high velocity metal fragments) within the vehicle, if close enough to penetration[4]
Because rounds may fail to penetrate or damage critical components, the complexity of the damage model can lead to incorrect beliefs about opposing vehicle's invulnerability, particularly amongst new players. Frequently a player has killed or mortally damaged an enemy vehicle without being aware how extensive or fatal that damage is to the enemy player unless visible evidence (it blows up or burns) is immediately appearent. You can't see the dead crew inside an ememy tank for example.
Strategic Layer (High Command)
Both sides in Battleground Europe have player-run groups, known as the High Command (HC), responsible for strategic management of the side's forces. High Command players have their own avatar and their playername has a 'C' after it, making their responsibilities easily recognizable to friendly players. An in-game list of all currently logged in HC players is available.
HC players have abilities that are not available to the rest of the playerbase, namely in the placing of Attack Objectives (AOs).
When an AO is placed on a town, the other side gets an automatic Defence Objective (DO) on that town allowing all players to know that it is under attack. When an AO is first placed on a town, tables appear in the town's Depot Office building, City Office building, and Rail Road Office buildings. These capturable buildings are collectively known as Capture Points (CPs).
After 10 minutes from the placement of an AO, a radio will appear on each table signifying that it is now able to be captured ("capped"), by the attacking side. Doing so gives the attacking side control of the corresponding building linked to the Office. If the Office links to a Depot that has a link to a friendly town, the Depot is referred to as "Spawnable" and players may spawn from new missions there, making them an important objective.
When an Office is captured, a table will appear in all the town's Army Bunkers, Airfield Bunkers and Docks. If the attacking side is able to hold ownership of any Office building for 10 minutes, radios will appear in these buildings allowing them to be re-captured. Once all the town's Office buildings, Army Bunkers, Airfield Bunkers and Docks are captured, the AO and DO are lifted and the town changes ownership to the attacking side.
AOs can also be placed on bridges. An AO on a bridge enables that side to destroy it, while a DO allows it to be repaired.
High Command players are able to move their side's "brigades." Each brigade can be moved once every Hour. A friendly brigade in a town allows players to spawn in that town to either defend or attack.
Each army division has a Head Quarters (HQ) unit and three combat brigades. Two of the brigades are Infantry brigades (with a high proportion of infantry and artillery, with only light tanks) and one brigade is classified as an Armoured brigade (with a high proportion of heavy and medium tanks and fewer infantry and artillery). The HQ unit is mostly used to resupply the other three brigades, and is vulnerable when placed on the front line by itself. It is common practice to attach the armoured brigade to one of the infantry brigades and use the HQ unit to resupply both.
The game's movement rules only allow the brigades to be moved to a friendly town that is no more than 1 town away from another brigade or the HQ in its own Division. The rule though does not apply in the case that the brigade is the only one left in its division and if this occurs it is free to move to any surrounding town. This occurs through the routing of brigades. Routing removes brigades from the game map for 6 hours and can happen in a few ways. Brigades in a division will normally "fallback" if the AB is captured, but only if the game's movement rules allow it, that is, move to within 1 link of a brigade or HQ in its own division. If none of the surrounding friendly towns are within 1 link of a brigade within its own division when the AB is captured, then the brigade will be routed off the game map for 6 hours.
High Command players that are Commanding Officers (CO) of a Brigade or higher can give out side wide messages known as dot Axis or dot Allied messages. They are named thus as the command to type one out is, ".axis" or ".allied". These messages are seen by all players on a side and are used for a number of purposes. The usual purpose of the message is to inform players of important battles. The message will tell players what town is being attacked or defended, what brigade or brigades are involved, who the Officer in Command (OIC) of the attack or defence is and what chat and possibly Team Speak channels are being used. Most high command players liven their messages up beyond just the generic and quite humorous messages can often be seen. These messages can also be used to boost the "morale" of the troops by telling them how well they have been fighting and to announce future Operations that are being planned.
Requirements
In addition to other necessary computer system components, such as a mouse, Internet connection, this game requires a powerful CPU (PC or Macintosh), an abundance of fast RAM, a fast graphics display interface with pixel shader version 2.0 or better, and any recently manufactured high RPM ATA-100 or SATA hard drive. Joysticks are optional, but frequently used for convenience, and are especially recommended for players choosing to fly airplanes.
See the Battleground Europe Wiki for current specifications. There are minimum system requirements listed, but players with systems of this spec may find it difficult to compete.
The connectivity bandwidth requirement, minimal for this game, isn't usually an issue unless there is a real problem with an internet service provider. CRS is generally committed in the near-term to maintaining playability for 56K modem users. Broadband connections are not as widely available, and while desirable, are not necessary for online play.
As WWIIOL is an FPS, better performing systems will result in more responsive gameplay, improving their ability to react quickly to enemy players. In addition, because the game is constantly evolving to support newer graphical features and a more detailed environment, a system which performs well now need to be upgraded in the future to maintain the same level of performance.
Mid-range and lower-end computers may require system tweaking, and it is not unusual for players to discover their system settings aren't quite as stable as they are used to in other games. Tuning can help by reducing calculation lag, frame rate stuttering, and even system crashes. The majority of these problems are related to individual systems and it can be a complicated task to iron-out individual issues with individual players' computer systems.
Unlike the traditional MMORPG, Battleground Europe is a simulation based PvP. This means that military grade simulation calculations regarding ordnance and weapon performance, damage models, collision, and movement across the terrain need to be calculated on the player's system. WWIIOL also models a 6000 meter visual range, compared to a more standard 500 meter range typical in other games, significantly increasing the number of items that may need to be rendered, and thus decreasing the number of polygons used to detail each item. These issues make the game unusually demanding in terms of CPU requirements.
Technical support
Technical support for player problems is provided mostly by other players in the discussion forums found at the WWIIOL website. Support directly from the developer is provided through the Battleground Europe website. Volunteering players, collectively known as the 'Player Support Corps', have managed to master, in most cases, the technical complexity of identifying individual system performance problems, finding, and offering solutions with developer support. The Player Support Corps stays in contact with the development team in resolving any software bugs that are found. Subscription billing and account problems are directly handled by Playnet, Inc.
Criticisms
The focus of WWIIOL design is on realism, teamwork, and historical accuracy of weapons and vehicles. These alone place the game into a tough market in the game industry. While some WWII style PvP players crave this design, the effects of this design often does not appeal to many conventional "shooter" players and the higher demands on skill and weapons performance knowledge this places on the more typical gamer can be a source of criticism of the game. The common mantra among the games fans is that WWIIOL:Battleground Europe is the "toughest PvP on the planet" and this is almost impossible to deny. It takes the new player longer to come to grips with the knowledge and skill of the veteran WWIIOL player than many have the ability to muster.
Steep learning curve
World War II Online has been criticized for having a difficult learning curve. This is due to several forms of complexity. There is a large offering of vehicles - each with a slightly different interface to control. (Example: The Panzer 38T has no RPM gauge, while most other tanks do.) Aircraft are extremely hard to fly without a joystick, with some being next to impossible without one. Players coming in from non-simulation game genres may have to try several times before they can even get an aircraft off the ground. There are no third person views to tanks or planes, enhancing the realism but also increasing frustration in new players not accustomed to simulation-type games. Getting a better view from inside a tank often involves "unbuttoning" which exposes the crew to enemy fire. In 2008, version 1.29 added the beginnings of a tutorial system to combat the learning curve. The latest patch 1.30's training system was expanded enormously to encompass every aspect of the game, including focusing on several different classes of infantry and all the starter rank vehicles. [5][6][7][8][9]
Realistic vulnerability
Several reviewers have pointed out that the combination of realistic vulnerability and the learning curve might serve for a difficult beginning. The damage model for each individual player is complicated, as is the ballistics of every shot and every piece of shrapnel. When a tank fires a high explosive round at an infantryman the system checks to see if the infantrymen is in the instant kill zone. If not, it checks to see if any pieces of shrapnel would hit him, and where. This system causes many complaints by players. [6][8]
Slower-paced, strategic gameplay
Many players find the game to be slower paced than they desire. In early versions of the game, it was common for players to spend 30 minutes or more before finding enemy players to engage. They would often have to wait for a truck, and then drive for miles to the action. This level of realism appealed to the gamer craving authenticity, but left the casual gamer feeling disenchanted. Recent efforts by developers have focused on bringing more immediate action to the field, through the introduction of a feature called "mobile spawn points". Similarly, changes have been made to add more structure to the game by limiting battle to certain arenas designated by players whose experience qualifies them for service in the "High Command". This helps reduce the necessity of wandering around in an unoccupied and inactive area, and reduces the "where is the fight" syndrome of the older versions of the game in years gone by. [6]
Graphics engine
The WWIIOL engine renders a detailed environment for many kilometers in every direction, including trees, towns, as well as character and vehicle models. Because this high view distance is a more realistic model of actual battles, the graphics must be simpler than the average 500 yard sandbox "shooter" in order to maintain a playable frame-rate. Compounding this compromise is that you may have more players around you than the environment first reveals to you as skilled veteran players employ the environment to conceal their presence.; in fact as many as 128 players could be in your immediate vincinity. The level of detail in the depictions is accordingly lower than in other mainstream games involving smaller polygon counts, sprites, and fewer active elements, causing the game's appearance to be less detailed. This has resulted in graphic depictions generally considered below the current industry standard for FPS games.[6][8] The developers claim their long awaited Unity 1.5 engine will bring the graphics closer to the standards that consumers expect.
Complicated Spawn System
The game's user interface can make it difficult for players to quickly find and join a battle. Due to the games complex command and control systems and a dynamic supply/attrition mechanism that is persistantly linked to the lifeblood of each armed forces unit (Brigades and their HQ Division formations) ... the UI seems a little too complex for the new WWIIOL player, although the new training system alleviates this somewhat better than the older versions of the game could ever manage. However, once a player understands how to access the battle itself through the UI ... wishing to ignore the "bigger picture" of the command and brigade/division structure ... getting into battle is nowadays much quicker and easier than it used to be.
The latest Updates introduced a new kind of training ground which gets used by an interactive training guide. In the game you have the possibility to get involved better and learn the basic knowledge step by step in this tutorial. Every branch from Army, Air Force and Navy has its own training ground and the tutorial makes it possible to have a better learning curve for a faster gameplay success in the game itself.
Developers
WWIIOL is continuously developed by Cornered Rat Software (CRS) located in Bedford, Texas, USA. The development team, who are affectionately known as The Rats, includes members with experience developing World War II flight simulations such as Air Warrior, WarBirds and Aces High. CRS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Playnet Inc. which administers subscriptions, billing, accounting, the world-wide networks and game servers.
Cornered Rat Software was founded by a core group of former WarBirds staff, for the purpose of developing WWIIOL. The founders also saw potential to sell excess capacity, over what they would require to run WWIIOL, such as facilities management, co-location, networking infrastructure, and accounting. A parent company, Playnet, was created to manage those assets. When the launch of WWIIOL met financial difficulty, the company effectively dropped the Playnet concept and now the only real distinction between Playnet and Cornered Rat Software is on paper.
Although the presence and involvement of some of the original developers, such as "Mo" (Chris Sherland), "Hatch" (Rodney Hodge), "Frying Tiger" (Roger Long), and "Squirm" (Kevin Rivas), have been missed over the years; many developers, some of them from the original WWIIOL core team such as Killer (John MacQueen), Doc (Geoff Evans), Ramp (Troy Lowe) and Kfsone (Oliver Smith) and Rafter (Al Corey) are still highly active within the game community and players often find themselves in a situation of communicating directly with developers at a level that is considered fairly unprecedented for the more normal industry standard.
Screenshots
History
Initial release
After a lengthy closed beta stage, WWIIOL went live on June 6, 2001 under the campaign title Blitzkrieg. The release was timed to coincide with the anniversary of the D-Day: Operation Overlord invasion of Normandy.
Like most online games, WWIIOL is a continual work in progress, and so has a history of updates that are frequently released to add new features, fix problems and improve existing features. Updates, or patches to the game code, were released every 6 weeks, on average; but recently have moved to a less frequent but larger content format of 3 or 4 times a year. These patches generally include a wide range of features and problem fixes. Everything from new weapons and vehicles to audits of the performances of existing weapons and vehicles are part of the patching process as well as terrain, structure, game play and performance improvements.
The initial launch had a number of technical difficulties. The game required a 70 MB update to be downloaded before they could play online.[5] At the time, the majority of users had 56k modems, requiring around 3 hours to update the game. As the developers worked feverishly behind the scenes to complete other promised features and fix the software bugs on the gold CD, even more updates became necessary.
Three days prior to release, the colocation network facility had a bad fiber optic cable. This failure reduced the player capacity of the server cluster, from 10,000 players down to only 1200 players. As a temporary workaround, Playnet set up multiple copies of the game-world on different servers, distributing the network load, but at some cost in game play. This solution lasted for several months while the developers resolved the server-side issues, after which all servers were merged into a single game-world.
Some features advertised on the game box were partially implemented, or missing, such as rank and high-command strategic features.
The combination of the above problems resulted in game returns, complaints from customers, and a drop-off in sales as word spread of the game's state. Subscription fees for the first several months were waived, until the major problems with the game were resolved. This helped to retain many of the players, especially the long-term fans of the project, but it was not long before Playnet had financial problems. They filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in late 2001, and cut costs, resulting in a number of lay-offs within the company.
Statements from both the developer (CRS), and publisher (Strategy First), indicated that CRS wanted a longer open beta, but the game was launched anyway, due to financial reasons[10].
Accolades
World War II Online has received numerous industry press awards including GameSpy's 2001 Gamers' Choice Sim of the Year and IGN's 2001 Persistent World Game of the Year.
2002-2006
Despite the problems in the early release, the CRS development team continued to support and improve the game, through frequent patch releases, upgraded servers and periodic investment in improved network infrastructure.
A number of patches have been issued[11], introducing significant gameplay improvements, including:
- Introduction of ranks
- Introduction of combat statistics (accessible through a web interface)
- Introduction of new vehicles and weapons
- Introduction of paratroopers
- Introduction of naval combat
- Introduction of the "high command"; functionality for high-ranking players with a strategic focus
- Introduction of brigades that regulate force movement (directed by high command)
- Additional in-game support of squads
- Expansion of the in-game map
- Improvements to the graphics engine (higher-polygon object models, improved shading, fog, performance improvements, SpeedTree(tm) technology)
- Improved cover and concealment
- Replacement of impassable "hard forests" with navigatable forests
- Multiple user interface revisions
- Server tracked mortar rounds & objects (allows for persistent player placed objects such as hulks)
- Variable weather states
- Introduction of player-led missions (OIC system)
- Semi-persistent Corpses
Re-release
WWIIOL recently completed a third retail release under the new campaign title Battleground Europe. This new title was chosen because of legal considerations with the old title of Blitzkrieg, whose trademark was owned by another game. The Battleground Europe re-release was distributed across Europe in late 2005 and in the US in early 2006 by the game's new publishers GMX Media (Europe) and Matrix Games (USA).
World War II Online: Battleground Europe was largely a compilation of fixes already available through patches to the original game. However, compared to the initial 2001 release, the game was drastically different due to these changes.
The launch of Battleground Europe included an extensive open beta, and was based largely on a proven product. As such, it was met with considerably more favorable reviews in the media.
2007 to Present Day
Some of the features released in WWIIOL from 2007 to the present day include:
- Addition of mortars as infantry units
- Six new medium tier planes (Hurricane IIb, Spitfire IIb, Hawk-87b3, Bf109F-1, Bf109G-6/U4 and Bf110F-B)
- 500lb MC bombs to augment the Allied GP bombs
- TOEs (Tables of Equipment), allowing better control of weaponry assignment at a strategic level.
- Persistant supply based on dynamically attrited and resupplied from the rear Divisions and Brigades
- Air Warning System, to help airborne players better locate enemy aircraft.
- Personalized vehicle markings.[12]
- Differentiated army brigades - Every division has two infantry brigades and one armor brigade.
- Tutorials, improving the accessibility for new players
- Predefined mouse/keyboard controls for vehicles
- Improved performance
- Improved town layouts and building designs
Future releases
Battleground Europe, like many MMOGs is a continual work-in-progress. The game continually expands in terms of gameplay, equipment, cities, etc, often introducing radical changes to gameplay.
As with other frequently patched online games, players are sometimes puzzled by, and in disagreement over the development priorities of the team. The game's producer, Geoff "Doc" Evans, is very active in the forums, listening to player feedback on designs and game flaws, helping to avoid disastrous design decisions.[13]
Patches occasionally introduce new bugs and other gameplay regressions. When unintended by the developers, the developers work quickly to resolve the problems. Players are generally invited to test new patches on an open test server, before their general release, to find the problems early.[14]
To provide additional financial support for new features, devoted players have taken the initiative to organize their own private funding for the game, and private contributions are recognized by the developers through a program known as the "Builder's Program".
WW2OL is also receiving a massive graphics update in the near future. Its original engine, Unity 1, was created in 1999 when the most advanced graphics card on the market was a Voodoo 3. The developers have stated that the current game graphics are like 'band-aids' on top of a large problem, and the only way to solve the problem is with a massive engine overhaul. The new engine is called Unity 2, and will feature vastly improved graphics.
- UPDATE* In early 2008, CRS was contracted by Chinese investors to design a version of "World War 2 Online: Battleground Europe" for the Chinese market. This version will include Chinese language support, "anti-addiction" software as required by the Chinese government and tutorials to aid new players in understanding the complexities of the game.
This event has delayed the development track slightly but CRS has promised the subscriber base that the infusion of new capital and exposure will insure that WW2Online will continue to grow and evolve for the foreseeable future. Many features propelled to the forefront of development priority by this Chinese franchise, such as the new instanced training for new players, are benefitting also the players of the game in the non-Chinese domestic market; as will other features that are given new priority in development as a result of this work.
References
- ^ Battleground Europe: WWII Online - www.mmorpg.com
- ^ Playnet Forum discussion - Developer discussion on game damage model, with detailed pictures from testing (requires account).
- ^ Playnet Forum discussion - Developer discussion on game-calculated ballistics (requires account)
- ^ Playnet Forum discussion - Developer discussion on damage model, showing individual components on a Tiger, with diagrams showing fragmentation and spalling from a 76mm AP penetration (requires account).
- ^ a b World War II Online: Blitzkrieg Review - Gamespot, Jun 20, 2001
- ^ a b c d World War II Online: The electronic battlefield arrives too early and promises too much. - IGN Review, August 6, 2001
- ^ WWIIOL Review- mobygames.com, September 21, 2007
- ^ a b c G4 TV Review
- ^ [1]1.29update
- ^ World War II Online free trial period extended - Gamespot.com, June 8, 2001.
- ^ Patch notes for updates since 2004 - wwiionline.com wiki
- ^ 1.28.1 Release Notes - Features released in January '08, wwiionline.com wiki
- ^ Playnet Forum discussion - List of recent developer participation in public game discussions.
- ^ Playnet Forum discussion- Typical invitation to open beta testing before a major patch.
Additional Sources
- Playnet, Inc.
- WWIIOL:BE's website
- Dev Announcements by Playnet employees
- Battleground Europe Wiki
External links
- Battleground Europe WWII Online homepage
- Battleground Europe Wiki Official Battleground Europe wiki
- World War II Online community page
- Axis High Command Axis strategic coordination site
- Allied High Command Allied strategic coordination site
- Battleground Europe Game Monitor Third party Battleground Europe game monitoring tool.