WWII Online News

There are so many things happening in WWII Online right now . . . the 2023 Fundraiser for UE5, informative Rat Chat, intense operations, and a groundswell of enthusiastic youtube influencers saying positive things about our beloved 1.0 game, Chokepoint, and the future of UE5. Read on!!

Our 2023 Fundraiser for UE5 is off to a strong start as we are at 30% of our goal. Check out this video presentation about how your contributions DIRECTLY help this critical Phase 1 of our journey to UE5:



Big things continued this past Sunday as we had a great Rat Chat to preview several exciting things. The Rat Chat can be viewed here so check out the timestamp table below for YOUR favorite part!

TIMESTAMP--SPEAKER--TOPIC
(00: 05:45) XOOM:

• Introduction
  
• 2023 Roadmap Plan
  
• Development focus on UE5 / 2.0
  
• Recent shifts in WWII genre games
  

(00: 12:40) TEX64:

• Address community
  
• Production of ongoing enhancements/updates in 1.0
  

(00: 15:30) CORN:

• Production Team Lead
  
• He-111 bomb load-out demo (future load-outs for vehicles/platforms)
  
• Previous load-outs pulled for performance issues
  
• New visual effect for heavy bombs
  
• Vehicle engine fires adjusted
  

(00: 27:30) XOOM:

• Squad Missions Demo / Explanation
  

(00: 32:00) TEX64:

• Community Questions Discussed / Answered
  

(00: 35:30) XOOM:

• Proximity AO Demo
  

(00: 47:00)

• Community Questions Discussed / Answered
  
• Additional Proximity AO Discussion
  

(00: 51:00) XOOM:

• SMG Audit & Demo
  
• Historically more accurate - Thompson, MP40
  
• More recoil - Stg44
  
• MAS-38 now more historically accurate / animation remains
  
• Loss of pistols and ammo clips
  

(01: 10:00) TEX64:

• Community Questions Discussed / Answered
  

(01: 12:00) XOOM:

• WWII Online moving to Steam Full Release
  
• Youtube Influencers
  
• Community Questions Discussed / Answered
  

(01: 18:40) XOOM:

• Navy Love - 5" rounds going STO
  

(01: 26:00) XOOM:

• Wellington Demo & Stunt-Flying-Crash
  

(01: 32:30) CHIMM:

• PIMM Particle Demo
  
• PIMM Particle Questions
  

(01: 44:00) XOOM:

• 2023 Fundraiser
  

(01: 56:00) CRS:

• Community Questions Discussed / Answered
  

Social Media Influencers: click their logos to view their recent WWII Online videos and subscribe!

Do you know a social influencer who might be interested in WWII Online? Let us know!

Register now for OPERATION: Download Moar Ram on 16 April at 12pm Server Time / GMT+8.

Beginning on Friday, the 17th of March, WWIIOnline has UNLOCKED all equipment for the weekend. This unlock coincides with OPERATION FLASH on Sunday, the 19th of March, the begins at 12pm Server Time (12PM PST / 2PM CST / 3PM EST / GMT+8) on the Campaign Server so spread the word to friends and introduce them to the game and remind those veteran players who are free-to-play that "we're getting the band back together".

UNLOCKS BEGIN: 17 March 2023

UNLOCK TYPES: All equipment (ground, air, & sea)



OPERATION: Flash

COMMUNICATIONS: Discord/gg/wwiionline and/or in-game voice communications (press "V")

REGISTRATION: Discord #GLOBAL-OPS channel and select your team

WHEN: 19 March 2023

WHERE: Live Campaign Server

TIME: 12PM Server Time (12PM PST, 2PM CST, 3PM EST, GMT+8)

ACTIVE NOTIFICATIONS: Kill-A-Rat


On the Friday before the operation, CRS is UNLOCKING EVERYTHING to ALL returning vets and free-to-play gamers for the weekend. In the spirit of competition, the "kill-a-rat" notification will be turned on, too, so you know who you have killed in-game.

Form massive squadrons and engage in swirling dogfights or bombing runs over the objective as light and heavy anti-aircraft guns seek to knock you out of the sky. Meanwhile, armored personnel carriers carry expectant infantry to their objectives as friendly and enemy tanks engage one another; hoping to elude the persistent enemy infantry with anti-tank weapons only to hear the persistent whistling of incoming 105mm artillery. Rapid-firing light-machine gun sounds rip through the air, short bursts of infantry followed by the crack of rifle fire as flames engulf burning tank hulks, clouds of colored smoke rise into the sky, buildings collapse, and rust-colored earth vomits upward as big shells land across the terrain.

Unfamiliar with a WWII Online operation? We routinely promote massive combined-arms battles to showcase what WWII Online does best . . . . the shear scale of PvP combat of HUNDREDS of players fighting sometimes over a SINGLE objective. This weekend it is OPERATION FLASH - join the battle, experience the carnage, and stay for the future as CRS marches to large-scale combined arms in Unreal Engine 5.

How can you help? Subscribe to WWII Online and as a bonus receive access to WWII Online: Chokepoint while super-charging development to Unreal Engine 5.

We would like to congratulate an independent influencer who has seen the promise of WWII Online. We highly recommend you subscribe to BOOGIE5's channel!



Boogie5's latest: https://www.tiktok.com/@boogie5gaming/video/7210927640910515502?lang=en

In case you missed it, here are some happenings in the game and behind the scenes:

REBUILDING THE BIGGEST WWII GAME EVER BUILT (IN UE5!): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCFLCXbyuxw&t=183s

TEH RAT TIMES (OPERATION THUNDER PROMO): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1UF4EsKPlXA

OPERATION AMPLIFY: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8BgiyXir8Y

OPERATION PLUNDER: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jt32gVMRCMU

if you've never heard of World War II online then you've been missing out on an important part of World War II gaming history but you're not too late yet to get involved with its rebirth and once again making gaming history!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VCFLCXbyuxw

Here comes a MASSIVE update to WWII Online - arriving February 15th 2023! Includes the long-awaited TARGET voice channel which will be the new default, bringing combined arms communication to the game. Completed revamped audio to balance things out, and brand new special effects (visual and audio-video inside). Hero Builders receive an all-new exclusive - Hero Anti-Tank Soldier - equipped with a Bazooka, Rifle and Frag grenades. 28 new towns have been added. Hurricane kill bug squashed. And several polish items were added for a better-integrated voice comms (IVC) experience. This is all made possible by YOU the WWII Online subscriber - thank you for supporting our studio!

World War II Online
Version 1.37.1.0 - February 2023

This release brings a few long-awaited IVC changes for players, 28 new towns, new special effects and a new Hero Builder infantry unit.

[previewyoutube][/previewyoutube]

• IVC Target channel added
  
• IVC HC channel added
  
• IVC Multi-crew channel added
  
• IVC Squad channels will now be separated by their side
  
• An IVC tab has been added to the Keymapper pop-up (P) window
  
• A new Hero Builder infantry unit has been added
  
  • RPAT w/2 rounds
    
  • Main battle rifle w/20 rounds
    
  • 2 HE Frag Grenades
    
  • 1 Knife
    
  • 1 Shovel
    
• Sound effects audio has been equalized across all units and weapons, this may require players to adjust game audio volume in preferences
  
• Matilda, Pz2c, Pz3, SdKfz 231 and Firefly crew members have been visually updated
  
• The Triumphal Arch has been added to Brussels
  
• Players can now damage the newly added Dams
  
• New towns have been added: Chalons, Chalons South, Tilloy-et-Bellay, Attendorn, Sittingbourne, Sheerness, Juvigny, Conde Sur Marne, Les-Petite Loge, Bochum, Hattingen, Zevenaar, Elten, Bechy, Verny, Baronville, Francaltroff, Cuvilly, Montdidier, Lassigny, Ribecourt, Orbeval, Marville, Jametz, Vittarville, Rouen, Rouen East and Barentin
  
• Tongeren has had new town walls built
  
• Beauvais, Clermont and Willemstad have been rebuilt
  
• Terrain tiles around Paris have been fixed up
  
• Dover, Bergen op Zoom and Calais are now enlarged
  
• Some river barriers have been moved under water with buoys added to mark them
  
• Some in game Manuals have been updated
  
• Genobrst has been added to the Fallen Soldier Memorial
  
• A few new props have been added: Row Boat, Submarine, Aircraft Carrier and Swordfish
  
• Double ponds with a creek and bridge have been added to Sittingbourne
  
• Factories from Amiens and Abbyville have been moved to Rouen and Rouen East
  
• All new special effects have been added
  
  • Create longer lasting VFX for artillery rounds that have no fireball
    
  • Create individual SFX for artillery HE shells
    
  • Create mortar specific VFX
    
  • Improve muzzle smoke VFX on tank main guns
    
  • Improve fuel fire VFX
    
  • Improve engine fire VFX
    
  • Improve frag grenade VFX & SFX
    
  • Create new bomb explosion VFX & SFX
    
  • Create new bazooka explosion SFX
    

• Secondary "Hurricane" kill bug fixed
  
• Fixed the bug that caused some building to disappear during town captures
  
• Motorized Mortars can now shoot beyond 2,150m
  
• Repaired the Beauvais-Poix-de-Picardie FB
  
• Fixed the unkillable Stuart driver
  
• The AB Barracks buildings now have a damage model
  

S! Playnet / Cornered Rat Software

Don't forget to subscribe and support the war effort!


Connect to our Social Media to get more updates and help us gain visibility to grow the community and reach new players to play with:

Discord: https://discord.com/invite/wwiionline
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOQ90QTMviaKRqIMlUthW2A TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wwiionline Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/corneredrats Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WWIIOnline Twitter: https://twitter.com/corneredrats


Wishlist our next game Chokepoint, a prelude to WWIIOnline 2.0!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1576780/WWII_Online_Chokepoint/

Our plans are shifting full force to innovation and bringing WWII Online into the modern age. This is the moment you've all been waiting for and asking us to capitalize on! This roadmap will demonstrate updated workflows to bring us the latest graphics as we pursue Unreal, while simultaneously providing visual upgrades to WWII Online 1.0. We're going to show you demonstrable progress including the game world conversion status as well, including the first work-in-progress shots showing part of our game world in the Unreal Engine. We also have tremendous news for squads and how the player base will be able to drive gameplay.

Please enjoy this jam-packed roadmap plan which helps set the tone and expectations for our overall direction of WWII Online. As always, thanks for being subscribed and providing the fuel for Playnet/CRS to achieve these goals.


You can view specific details for released items via the 1.36 readme and the 1.37 readme.

1. Integrated Voice Communications
   
2. Artillery + Server Tracked Arty Rounds
   
3. Ju-88
   
4. Mobile Airfields
   
5. MG-42 (Vehicle Mounted and Infantry)
   
6. Motorized Half-Tracks
   
7. Free to Play fighter aircraft
   
8. Enhanced Special FX (several added, and continues)
   
9. Improved game audio (several added, and continues)
   
10. Variable capture buildings
    
11. M1919 .30 Caliber LMG
    
12. One-click despawning
    

THINGS NOT FINISHED - BUT STILL IN PROGRESS / PRIORITY

1. Bomber Loadouts: Bugs fixed, nearly ready.
   
2. Wellington: Flight model completion is all that's remaining.
   
3. Tank track repairs: Good progress made here, we estimate Q2-2023 delivery.
   

This year's roadmap shows a large shift in focus, all of which are intended to accelerate innovation and benefit what the community has asked us to do.

When we set out to prepare this roadmap we had four primary considerations:

1. Does this grow/retain new and old players?
   
2. Does this create squad development and growth?
   
3. Does this help generate bigger battles?
   
4. Does this help us innovate and bring the game into the modern era?
   

We've listened to the community's feedback, discussed our available options and ideas internally, and selected what options we found to be the most valuable and realistic that we can execute.

WWII Online 2.0 development is the overarching primary goal of everything that we do and all of these are intended to help supplement that effort. As a reminder, 2.0 remains a long-term, high-risk goal that we're working to achieve. Between now and then keeping WWII Online 1.0 healthy is essential as that's the lifeblood for us.

Timelines are intentionally not provided for 2.0 work because of the effort required, research/learning, trial and error, and overcoming obstacles. Our development team has a blueprint via 1.0 of what to do and we're not afraid of taking on challenges. But providing them the necessary grace and support to complete those objectives is paramount. All the while, just like this posting, we will aim to keep you appraised of achievements and progress.

[h2]INTEGRATED VOICE COMMS UPDATES[/h2]
The implementation of voice comms to WWII Online has forever changed the game for the better, and we're looking to expand on that. Here are some new updates coming for it in the early part of 2023:

• Target Radio Channel
  
  • If you share the same mission "target", you will be placed on the same voice channel (by default) as all other participants
    
  • This means air, land, and sea forces can coordinate together
    
• Squad Radio Channels - for each side
  
  • This means if your squad plays each side, you will have a separate:
    
  • Axis Squad Channel (secure)
    
  • Allied Squad Channel (secure)
    
• HC Radio Channel
  
  • If you're in High Command, you will have access to a secure voice channel
    
  • You will have to tune to this manually
    

[h2]Please enjoy the remainder of this briefing on our website with screenshots and videos (click here)[/h2]

• SQUAD MISSIONS ARE COMING BACK
  
• PROXIMITY AOs - PLAYERS DRIVING GAMEPLAY
  
• COMBINING ALLIED FACTORY DAMAGE
  
• HURRICANE KILL BUG
  
• NEW PRODUCTION WORKFLOW - ASSET CREATION
  
• ENHANCED SPECIAL FX
  
• AUDIO BALANCING
  
• IMPROVED VEHICLE SITUATIONAL AWARENESS
  
• TANK CREW - TRACK REPAIR
  
• ADD RICOCHETING ROUNDS
  
• WWII ONLINE 2.0 WORLD CONVERSION