WW2OL receives a graphics update

[Zakhal]

ORIGINAL: Faceless16

Yea, that was another thing about the game, it was pretty boring being infantry and trying to walk all the way to a fight. On top of that, dying when you get there and having to respawn on the other side of the world and walk there again lol!!!!! Wasnt really that exciting at all. I tried to love it but I guess it wasnt meant to be.[:(]

The game has depots now for inf where you can spawn close to the battle. No need to walk long distances or hitch rides anymore. You can spawn right into the battle. Infact recently I have done almost nothing else but depot fighting. Long drawn infantry fights over depots and other key places in town.

Here is an example pic of depots in town: http://www.okw-ressourcen.com/maps/flavion.jpg

A bit closer picture of depot, it is the brown three floor building behind the white gas tanks:



In the depot you can spawn:

Rifle infantry
SMG
Grenadier
LMG
Sapper

And soon:

Officer
ATR

Also the game has enhanced 3rd person footsteps for infantry in beta:

Infantry Sounds

This feature is in beta awaiting some sound support. Basically we have added two features here. First, all infantry footstep sounds will be synchronized in first and third person. Secondly, we will be adding new footfall sounds in first and third person for walking on dirt, cobblestones, roads, wood floors, rubble etc.

[hardcase]

An update concerning some stuff for 1.13

http://discussions.playnet.com/viewtopic.php?t=56340

[Egbert]

The sound is very usable in WW2OL and is the aspect most improved since release. Using a headset I can tell the direction of attacking aircraft before I see them. I can hear the doppler effect of enemy aircraft as they pass nearby and the whistle of bombs as they fall upon my head. As infantry I often listen for and know an enemy vehicle is coming by the sound it makes. I can tell the sound of a German tank from an Allied tank. I can hear infantry moving about in buildings and take appropriate action.

The next patch promises different infantry sounds depending on the type of ground walked upon. The sound is constantly being improved upon. There was a bug in one patch that made sounds when they should be present but that was fixed within a few days. As in every online game I have played there are constant improvements being made but sound is an area that has had the most improvement and is one of the best elements of gameplay.

[hardcase]

Here are a couple of pix to show why ww2ol has to use fewer polygons than a standalone. This is just one of 400+ cities.

[überrobin]

So much garbage indeed that our squad (around 100 members) has enjoyed it for almost three years. (with few brakes here and there)

Grouchy and I were in a squad about 100 strong too; which got together and thought about playing it for 2 years before the game was released, and 3 years after it was released.

I will agree with most positive posts in that graphics do not make a game. Concepts make a game. The problem is that ww2online's concept is really only large scale play and realistic simulation. The stategic elements in ww2online really only mimic other flag-capping online games. They make no attempt to mimic real warfare. The reason why you spend hours not finding any viable enemy (besides über tanks and planes) is because no realistic organization is ever enforced. Why have all that unused terrain space when nobody uses any of it?

At the time I quit CRS was coming up with lots of small patches which only changed time-limits and superficial tweaks. They never actually had a firm concept of how the game was supposed to turn out. One idea I had 3 years ago that I expressed many times after; was the idea of enforced biological army formations; be they large or small. This would have been only the beginning of realistic warfare in ww2online, and would have permanently changed strategy and play-balance alone.

To give you an idea, "lots" of infantry in ww2online is about 5 in a single line of sight. That is not even half a squad in real warfare. Without vast numerical superiority, infantry would never have a role suffice enough to make up the most basic aspect of real warfare. (Remember, tanks were originally made to overcome the numerical superiority of infantry).

Another thing that bothered me is that they bent over backwards for realism in some areas, and didn't give a hoot-in-purgatory over other areas. They wasted a whole year not implementing MG's; which is the key role in German infantry. After they released COMBAT KNIVES (not bayonets) before MG's and in opposition to other vastly needed changes, I quit.

All in all I would say ww2online gave the gaming industry good advise. Firstly that vastly different games from the norm have huge potential, and secondly that realistic wargames potentially have a huge audience. But I will never return because CRS never had enough people to finish the game in the first place. Notice that they STILL have NOT fixed the rifle bolt bug?

[riverbravo]

Im glad to see the game going in a positive direction.

It looks WAY better than it did last time I played it.

So how does the scoring for rank work?And what advantages do you get for achieving rank?

[Grouchy]

Aloha wehr [:)],

"lots" of infantry in ww2online is about 5 in a single line of sight

Lots of infantry means no inf in your line of sight because of the 64 limit. Remember losing track of the rest of the Windies on sundays because they where 10 meters further [;)]



Riverbravo,

To gain rank you have to complete missions For infantry it bassicaly means stay alive for 10 minutes and then RTB and despawn. For vehicles/planes/boats you have to kill 1 enemy (& stay alive for 10 minutes). You get extra points if you kill more enemies in better platforms.
Gaining rank allows you to spawn better platforms and get better equipment (bino's for infantry).

[hardcase]

Brigade spawning is coming very soon, which is suppose to concentrate fighting so fights will be bigger. Have you played since depot spawning was implemented? Inf captures depot bilds in enemy towns and is allowed to spawn after a few mins in that town a limitted number of inf..but all types. In 1.13 dpt spwning will no longer be limited but will be fed by the spawn limits of the neighboring town. Inf fights are bigger than you remember.

Check out the some more new screenies.

http://discussions.playnet.com/viewtopic.php?t=58485

[Grouchy]

Yup, poor infantry. Now you can setup camp without having to travel far [;)]. Another annoying thing is players hiding/staying in there when the depots changed sides and kill infantry as soon as you spawn in there.


I have no doubts the new facelift is an improvment over the current one. Now the leaves/brushes are not longer collidable, your Panzer IV and some of the ATG/AAA guns don't blow up/kill you as soon as you hit them under the wrong angle.
However for me there is still nearly not enough cover for ground units. Air still will have a field day strafing/killing them.

[hardcase]

The overhaning tent trees still provide cover, but no protection from bombs, just like they should. It will still be difficult for air to CAS without someone spotting for them. Once they know where you are, CAS ac can probably kill you thru the overhang where for now they can't. What ww2ol needs after the ATG gun coming in 1.14, is mech AAA platforms.

[überrobin]

Really its the big things combined with the small things.

Brigade spawning is coming very soon

No less than 3 years after it was suggested in the (insert Greek word here) forums.

which is suppose to concentrate fighting so fights will be bigger. Have you played since depot spawning was implemented?

Yes, I returned for a day for a free trial session. Still the same old game as far as I'm concerned. Lack of fighting was just one problem. I remember playing many nights in order to secure a town with random attacks peering out of here and there with no general direction. Lack of cohesive cooperation and direction was the biggest problem for me. You could be very organized during the initial spawn and travel to a particular town, but once you got there it become a complete .....fest. The reasons for fighting shouldn't be flag-cap spawn based imho.

In the end, there is only so much you can do by upping numbers here and there, whether it be time or limits. What ww2online really needs is a complete redesign of the so called "strat" system. Mo has already stated that the game will not change so much as to be unrecognisable according to the original plans.

[überrobin]

Alot of things contributed to a non-immersive infantry experience; such as the lack of infantry friendly or allied, unrecognisable and constant noise, too much close range combat, not enough cover...etc.

[Zakhal]

ORIGINAL: überrobin
In the end, there is only so much you can do by upping numbers here and there, whether it be time or limits. What ww2online really needs is a complete redesign of the so called "strat" system. Mo has already stated that the game will not change so much as to be unrecognisable according to the original plans.

Deployment and UI redesign is coming. Even the ranks will be re-utilized.

[Zakhal]

V1.13 Pre Release Read Me

=====================
World War Two Online
=====================
version 1.13.0.15 (Pre-Release Read Me)

Vehicles:
-Added visible damage to Laffly
-Added visible damage to Lafflyw15
-Added visible damage to Morris
-Added visible damage to Bedford
-Added visible damage to Sdkfz232
-Added visible damage to Sdkfz251c
-Added visible damage to Sdkfz7
-Added visible damage to Opel Blitz
-Added visible damage to PzIIIF
-Added visible damage to PzIIIH
-Added visible damage to P38t
-Added visible damage to Daimler Mk1
-Added visible damage to Panhard 178
-Added visible damage to Vickers MkIV
-Added visible damage to R35
-Added visible damage to A13
-Added visible damage to A15 (crusader2)
-Added visible damage to Stug3b
-Added visible damage to Matilda2
-Added visible damage to PZIVD
-Added visible damage to Charb1
-Added visible damage to H39
-Added visible damage to S35
-Added visible damage to PZIIC
-Added new visual effects for VDM on ground vehicle ammo explosions, if ammo explodes tank blows up, otherwise, tank will burn
-Added visual fuel fires to tanks
-Fixed bug with Matilda fuel tanks sticking out beyond the outside armor
-Fixed bug with crew not all dying in armored cars in fires
-Fixed Pziiif, PziiiH, 251C, Stuart and sdkfz7 could be tracked with sub-20mm ammo
-Fixed incorrect armor values on Crusader
-Fixed incorrect armor value on Driver Shutter on Stug
-Fixed double sided armor bug on 232
-Fixed bug with 38T where external toolboxes weren't modeled as hit objects
-Fixed bug where it appeared a tank would burn if you tracked it
-Fixed armor overlap bug on charb1 front hull
-Fixed reload sound not playing on Stug3b main gun
-Fixed tires on trucks, now takes the equivalent of 20mmHE to blow off a wheel
-Fixed tire thickness on 251c
-Fixed bug with Morris where right front wheel would not take damage
-Fixed damage component zero bug in Bedford and Daimler
-Fixed incorrect armor value on Matilda coupla
-Removed ability of Brit RG to sink DD's
-Completed critical damage audit cycle for kill reporting on ground vehicles and aircraft
-Increased functionality of VDM when tracking a tank. You will now have to destroy the "tension" points to track a tank, e.g. drive wheel, return wheel etc.
-Fixed front armor values on Stuart
-Fixed drivers slit armor on PZIII
-Fixed bug with Stuart that rendered its tracks invulnerable to damage
-Raised the volume of 3rd person sounds in aircraft with canopy closed
-Removed ammo from turret in PZIIIF and PZIIIH
-Adjusted the reverse gear on the Laffly W15

Infantry:
-Added initial implementation of texture based infantry movement sounds (note: sounds are not currently different, will still be same sounds, just back end support is added, sounds coming soon)

Terrain:
-Replaced all foliage with new 3d objects
-Replaced all non enterable forests with new 3d trees and berms
-Added frond and leaf sway to all foliage (vertex shaders)
-Added berms to many new objects
-Added builders statue
-Adjusted AI flak to help FPS performance around heavy flak
-Changed lighting to just use sun direction only (instead of position)
-Changed for near future implementation of multiple light sources
-Changed near/far lod limit constants
-Fixed fov culling

Global:
-Added new splash screens
-Added new Settings.exe
-Updated Settings Help file
-Added vertex buffering (still in developement)
-Added new Settings.exe
-Added new PlayGATE
-Fixed a CTD on loading with cards that don't support vertex shading
-Added .friends (see OGM for more detail)w
-Added .hc
HCStaff: ".hc" sends them the HC roster
HCStaff: ".hc my messsage" sends "my message" on HC channel
Player: ".hc" sends them the HC roster too
Player: ".hc my message" sends them the HC roster

Kill Scoring:
Kill Scoring post v1.13
_______________________

In order to "kill" a vehicle now, you need to prevent it from completing
it's mission objective, defined according to it's intended mission intentions.

Single Engined Aircraft:
-------------------------

Pilot dead = kill
Engine dead = kill
Wing catastrophic damage = kill
All guns damaged to point of not working = kill
Both horizontal stabilizers catastrophic damage = kill
Vertical stabilizer + one horizontal stabilizer catastrophic damge = kill


Twin Engined Aircraft:
------------------------

Pilot dead = kill
Both engines dead = kill
Wing catastrophic damage = kill
Both horizontal stabilizers catastrophic damage = kill
Vertical stabilizer + one horizontal stabilizer catastrophic damge = kill

Tanks:
--------

Driver dead = kill
Gunner dead = kill
Engine dead = kill
Ammo storage brew up = kill
Both tracks destroyed damage = kill
Main gun damaged to point of not working = kill

Armoured Cars:
----------------

Driver dead = kill
Gunner dead = kill
Engine dead = kill
Ammo storage brew up = kill
Both wheels (all 4 in case of SdKfZ232) on one side destroyed = kill

Trucks:
---------

Driver dead = kill
Engine dead = kill
Both wheels on one side destroyed = kill
Fuel tank brew up = kill (because this will blow the truck up)
Laffly W15TCC is officially a truck but is gunned, same deal as an AT gun (below)

AT and AA guns:
-----------------

Both crew (commander and gunner) dead = kill
Main gun damaged to point of not working = kill

Fairmiles:
------------

Engine dead = kill
Fueltank brew up = kill
All gunners (crew) dead = kill
Any flotation tanks destroyed = kill
All guns destroyed (20mm's and 2 pounder and MG's) = kill

Destroyers:
-------------

Engine dead = kill
Fueltank brew up = kill
All main (5") guns destroyed = kill
Any flotation tanks destroyed = kill
All AA guns destroyed (20mm and 37mm) = kill
(there are no crew deaths on DD's only gun destructions)

Freighter:
------------

Engine dead = kill
Fueltank brew up = kill
All AA guns destroyed (20mm) = kill
Any flotation tanks destroyed = kill
(there are no crew deaths on Freighters only gun destructions)

[Egbert]

The new trees and bushes are in the game and infantry play is completely different. Plenty of concealment but no more bulletproof leaves.