WWII Online News

From our President XOOM:

Since we announced our intention to move WWII Online over to the Unreal Engine (aka: WWII Online 2.0) in the "Future of WWII Online" article, CRS has been working behind the scenes to address our initial milestones to help make that possible. Today we wanted to focus on Vehicle Conversions, which is one of our first major objectives to accomplish. Continue reading for a work in progress screenshot and some additional commentary.


One of our primary goals is to bring over existing assets that we currently have into the Unreal Engine and include all of the fidelity that comes with it - you know, those deeply detailed things that make WWII Online's physics and damage models so compelling, not to mention all of that historical data associated with them. Thousands of man hours over the course of 20 years have gone into developing all of these data points and the path of least resistance for getting into Unreal is to bring them over. Once we've brough them into the engine, that is the point we can then start to improve the assets themselves over time and leverage the engines amazing graphics capabilities.

But even then, as you saw in our brief demo what our existing assets look like by comparison is quite an improvement with a 1:1 conversion alone (lighting engine, shadows, etc). So again once we get the assets ported in, updating them is much more tangible. However unlike our demo (which used static objects alone), now we're talking about vehicle assets which of course having moving components and a whole lot more under the hood going on with them.


We knew that this was going to be a difficult task in general, because no conversion kit is on the market (not even from Presagis - the company that owns Creator and the FLT file format). So we've had to build one in-house and work through the difficulties of just getting to the point we're sharing today. The thing is, WWII Online's vehicle files contain lots of proprietary comments and DOF (degrees of freedom) data. All of which have to be categorized, accounted for, and ported over. Then we have to get Unreal's engine to work with our code.

But for now, just getting the assets into the Unreal Engine and retaining that data is our current focus.


We're pleased to let you know that tremendous progress is being made here. The screen shot below is evidence of the "Opel Blitz - SPAA" within the Unreal Engine with its materials attached to it (LOD1) and several data points retained (as seen on the hierarchy to the right side of the shot). This task is no doubt a heavy work in progress and will take some time to complete.




We said we would keep you in the loop as progress comes along, and we know it's been a little bit since we've reported much on WWII Online 2.0 progress. We'd like to kindly remind you that this is going to take a long time to achieve, and the above screenshot does not mean that this task is complete or will be done very shortly. What we're doing has never been done before (we seem to have a knack for doing things like that), and we'll need your ongoing support to get the job done.

Everything that you see happening with WWII Online: Chokepoint is a supplement to WWII Online 2.0 as we have announced several times - and will continue to so that it sticks. All assets being created there will be transferrable and we are unlocking new knowledge and opportunities with our all-new "Wing 2" section of CRS. Emphasis there is intentional because Chokepoint is not taking away from WWII Online 1.0 or 2.0's conversion in any way.

SUPPORT FOR DEVELOPMENT

On that note we should identify that WWII Online's premium subscription price was reduced to $9.99/mo. This was done to encourage all of those folks who were concerned about the price point to step up and become part of our community once again (or for the first time) and back the RATS to fulfill "The Future of WWII Online."

To help make these things possible now and ongoing, we need everyone to subscribe.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/667291/World_War_II_Online__PREMIUM/

S!

Congratulations to the Axis side who has won campaign 183 after almost a full month continuous battle, and a total of 374 567 sorties.

Campaign 184 has started so we are back to Tier 0 equipment. The only changes to this campaign are to the supply numbers for Air units. We found errors to when some units enter the war. We made these fixes and lowered the amount of supply to make them more valuable.

the new list is HERE .

Remember, WWII Online is now $9.99/mo for premium access, take this time to subscribe!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/667291/World_War_II_Online__PREMIUM/



Now is the time to experience the command side to WWIIOL. Can you rally boots to achieve field objectives? Can you direct a bombing raid to raze the factories? Can you lead a patrol to clear the air of the enemy and give our boys air supremacy below? Sign up, now. Do it!

If you are interested in joining the High Command please submit this form

There are now two types of HC roles:

[h2]1) High Command[/h2]

The High Command is our standard entry level program that puts you in an active position to grow in rank, command position, and take priority as an active officer.

• Full time officer
  
• May become Branch Commander or Commander in Chief
  
• No rank limitation
  
• Powerful .allied / .axis communication tools
  

[h2]2) Reserve Program[/h2]

The reserve program is for squad leadership and members who want to help support the High Command program without the full-time requirement. This is beneficial to help improve game operations, but there are limitations.

• Limited to rank of Colonel
  
• Any active officer has command
  

A long time ago, in a WWII Online client far - far away... a Chapel building was introduced and is quite heavily placed throughout our game world. However around 2010 (when a new character model was introduced) the ability to climb the ladder was broken. For sometime that has been the case, but now we're very close to releasing a game update that adds in a new staircase that will once again return the former glory of fighting in this building back. Shout out to TR6AL for taking the initiative here! Screen shots of the building inside.

You see the Chapel throughout WWII Online, but you probably don't use it much anymore because well... you haven't been able to go up to the roof top for a bit. With our upcoming version 1.36.13.0 you will be able to. Pictured here is a US rifleman at the top of the tower. And yes you can jump out the back and get on the main building roof as well. So if you see this building, watch out!





We'd like to let you know that there are many continuing developments taking place here at WWII Online. You've seen progress updates on WWII Online: Chokepoint quite a bit as of late, but we wanted to show our flagship game some love and let you know that there's a lot more than this happening behind the scenes and we look forward to sharing some more news on those items shortly. This particular building will expand the footprint of play space options available and we wanted to give a shout out to everyone who really used to enjoy playing here, and let you know, it'll be valuable once again.

Thanks for your continuing subscriptions - they are helping make WWII Online development carry on with forward momentum.

Thank you, and SALUTE!

This patch has brought a massive Terrain Patch, which includes many new features and a ton of player reported fixes. A big thanks to TR6AL (our Terrain guy) for the countless hours grinding away at providing the WWII Online players continued content delivery. You'll want to read all of these notes carefully because it will have an effect on map strategy.


This update reintroduces the terrain release from 1.36.9.0 plus some additional items. Keep on using the .bug function in-game to report on known terrain related issues and TR6AL can fix them faster.

[h2]Features[/h2]

• New and improved type of pillbox's added to the game (see Lier - Aarschot FB).
  
• New ketch object added for extended early warning on some coastal towns.
  
• Two new types of lake and pond tiles added near Aarschot and Zandvliet.
  
• Small graveyard has been added to some churches.
  
• Polders terrain tilesadded, a very common form of field structure with ditches around it filled with water.
  
• Logs and stumps added as obstructions in some terrain tiles.
  
• Welcheren Causeway added to the map southeast of Veere.
  
• Road and bridge landings added to some tiles.
  
• Cows have been added to the game.
  
• New climbable crane objects added to some of the ports.
  
• Adjusted some map images to suit terrain styles (dunes).
  
• Dyle river added around Brussels.
  
• Amiens and Gilze airfield's have been upgraded.
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Chimay empty AI MG pit has been repaired.
  
• Dunkerque southwest bridge model corrected and is now crossable.
  
• Fixecourt has infantry spawns moved so the stairs are no longer blocked.
  
• Frevent- St.Pol FB has had a berm removed from the infantry spawn.
  
• Havelange warehouse has had 2 trees removed from inside.
  
• Ieper-Diksmuid spawn has had a tree removed.
  
• Ijzendijke-Terneuzen FB has had trees removed from vehicle and infantry spawns.
  
• Jodoigne- Gembleau FB has had a tree in the infantry spawn removed.
  
• Kaisersesch vehicle spawn no longer clips out of the AB walls.
  
• Knokke-Brugge FB has had a berm clipping into the infantry spawn removed.
  
• Landrecies floating building has been grounded.
  
• Lillers floating berm has been grounded.
  
• Merbes - Maubeuge FB infantry spawn is no longer buried.
  
• Montreuil - Bernay FB has had a berm removed from the infantry spawn.
  
• Northeast of Knokke has had a water tile gap fixed.
  
• Piennes barracks rear exit has been unblocked.
  
• Ronse-Tournai FB has had a tree from the infantry spawn removed.
  
• Rotterdam North Harbor floating building has been grounded.
  
• Roulers-Ieper FB has had a tree in the vehicle spawn removed.
  
• Roye empty AI towers are now fixed.
  
• Roye North AB vehicle spawn moved to fit in the AB better.
  
• Schilde tree clipping a building has been relocated.
  
• St Quentin oil tanks removed from inside a building.
  
• Stekene no longer has buildings sunk into the ground.
  
• Tielt-Kortrijk FB had a large berm removed from the infantry tents.
  
• Tielt-Roulers FB has had a tree in vehicle spawn removed.
  
• Valenciennes-Tournai FB has had a berm removed from both spawns.
  
• Verviers - Spa spawn rear exit unblocked.
  
• Vireaux - Couvin FB infantry spawn no longer floats.
  
• Waalwijk-Oosthout capture point berm has been removed.
  
• Zeebrugge-Brugge FB has had the tree removed from the vehicle tent.
  

S! Cornered Rat Software

From our President XOOM:

As we announced in our, "The Future of WWII Online", article/videos (which places all the plans on the table) - we have now completed all elements of our transition with consolidating our subscriptions and we're back to having a "Premium" subscription only. With that, we've unlocked the games original pricing of $9.99/mo (USD), this is the first time it has been at this retail rate in over 15 years.
As we said in our original announcement unveiling this plan, this is a big risk for us to take and in order for us to keep it at this rate, we're going to need to see a growth with this new rate (free players or returning players subscribing). We've done it to meet customer requests and remove as much entry barrier as possible, we can't go any lower than this. We do reserve the right to roll this back if required, as we have briefed everyone upfront.

This isn't just about keeping the lights on, or focusing strictly on what content and features you get... it's much bigger than that. It's about the FUTURE of the game. I want you all to think of this like an internal funding campaign ~ because it really is. Help us innovate and bring the next 20 years of WWII Online to the masses. We need 100% of your support - right now. Spread the word about this exciting and big news and help us get everyone involved, let's go!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/667291/World_War_II_Online__PREMIUM/



This patch removes the "Mission Target" changes which we believe are directly responsible for the recent server crashes (sorry about that everyone). We've collected a lot of feedback from you all, and the server logs to get back to work on refining that for future deployment. WWII Online development continues and we sure appreciate your support!

World War II Online - Version 1.36.11.2 - June 2021

• Removes the new addition that allows for updating the Mission Targets
  

S! Cornered Rat Software

Monday - June 21st 2021 - 1.36.11 will be released to the live campaign server around 3-4PM Server Time (expect minimal downtime around then).

Version 1.36.11.0 re-introduces two critical roadmap deliveries that have since been fine tuned and improved upon, which are
1) Bomber Loadouts and 2) Target Change for Mission Leaders. Stutters that were occurring when large quantities of bombs were being dropped have been cleaned up nicely thanks to a joint effort between our Development and Production teams, along with a pretty rigorous test cycle by our QA team. Continue reading to see additional features and fixes.



[h2]Features[/h2]

• Bomber pilots can select their payload choice (Bomber Loadouts)
  
• Mission leaders may now adjust their "TARGET" while on the same mission
  
• Updated Playnet address within installer text and terms of service
  
• Updated Antwerp river mouth bridge texture
  
• Capture Point exterior textures updated
  
• Updated textures for AB vehicle spawn stairs and balcony
  
• Dinant hill has a new pathway for infantry
  

[h2]Fixes[/h2]

• Invisible collider removed from docks
  
• Bofors no longer able to penetrate Churchill armor
  
• Deuce and a half wheels may now be blown off independently
  
• Several enhancements to mission target change made from 1.36.9 feedback
  
• Users can no longer hover their mouse over a town to see Bomber EWS
  
• Bombs overloading CPUs resulting into crashes has been fixed
  
• Missing road texture added
  
• Riverbanks are more climb-able
  
• Map now shows larger airfields correctly
  
• Several SpeedTree fixes
  
• Corrects and issue that caused the Primary Ammo and Health HUD windows to be not movable
  

Remind that from 1July the Premium monthly subscription is going to be reduced at $9.99, and in counterpart the Starter subscription will no longer be available.

If you haven't heard about our new stand-alone FPS WWIIOnline: Chokepoint, it's time to add it to your wishlist! Read more here
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1576780/WWII_Online_Chokepoint/?l=french

S! Cornered Rat Software