WWII Online News

On D-Day, Thursday, June 6, 2001 WWII Online was launched to the public .....and as you know the rest is history. This week WWII Online and Cornered Rats Software (CRS) celebrates our 18th year anniversary with 4 days of special offerings culminating with a 4 hour special event "Operation Rat Trap" on Sunday. Read on for more details!


This week on June 6, 2019 WWII Online and Cornered Rats Software celebrates its 18th Anniversary. That’s right… in 2001 the first iteration of the game was released to the public. To mark this milestone, we have planned some events and activities starting Thursday, June 6th and continuing through the weekend. So, let's get started:

On D-Day, Thursday, June 6th. Starting at 5:00 PM server time or 6:00 PM EST or 10:00 PM GMT all troops Axis and Allied will assemble in Rotterdam. The ceremony will start promptly at 5:15 server time. Xoom will offer remarks and we will pose for a group photo. This event will be live streamed. We will also pause for a moment of silence in remembrance of D-Day and start of the liberation of France and Europe in 1944.

After the ceremony concludes, join the RATS in-game for some Kill-A-Rat action! Top killers of RATS from both the Allied and Axis side will receive WWII Online mouse pads!

• Friday, June 7th starting around 9:00 AM server time we will unlock all VEHICLES for all players to use regardless of subscription and rank. We are planning 24 hours of large tank battles!
  
• Saturday June 8th starting around 9:00 AM server time we will unlock all INFANTRY for all players to use regardless of subscription and rank. We are planning 24 hours of intense infantry fights!
  
• Sunday, June 9th starting around 0900 server time we will unlock all AIRCRAFT for all players to use regardless of subscription and rank. We are planning 12 hours of WWII Online crowded skies air battles!
  
• Every player will have access to these groups of equipment on those days as part of our anniversary weekend.
  
• Finally, Join us for Operation RAT TRAP on Sunday, June 9th starting at 12:00 noon server time or 1:00 PM EST or 5:00 PM GMT. This will be another live server event led by the Allied and Axis High Commands and will run for 4 hours. All access aircraft will be available for the event.
  

During this 4 hour event we will tracking your stats and trophies and some 30 day subscriptions will issued for the top Axis and Allied killers as well as a couple other top player categories TBA and the top 2 runner ups in each category will also receive WWII Online mouse pads.

During all 4 days we will turn on the “Kill Credit” player notification and Kill-A-Rat will also be activated.

We hope you can rally your squaddies and join us in-game as we celebrate our first 18 years by doing what we know best "creating great battles" with great friends!

On behalf of all the RATS we thank you for your support!



The D-Day landings are something that will always resonate deeply with me and many others. I grew up in Portsmouth on the south coast of England, around which many of the embarkation points could be found, and throughout the city, you can still see the legacy that the landings left on us both as a nation and as a city.

To the east of Portsmouth in Langstone Harbour, there’s an old mulberry bridge that was built in the lead up to the invasion in 1944, and it’s a permanent reminder of the period which WWIIOL is based. As you follow the coast round into Southsea to look out across the Solent, it becomes pretty easy to imagine what that strait must’ve looked like 75 years ago as troops were embarking onto the transports that would later allow them to kick down the front door of the German Reich and kickstart the liberation of Europe.

Of course, it wasn’t as easy as it sounds, for months beforehand there was a massive campaign of deception which fooled the German Army into believing that the invasion would actually be at Calais, opposite Dover in Kent. MI5 and the SOE were heavily involved, as was King George VI and our current monarch, Elizabeth II. Their visits to troops across the country were recently revealed to be in concert with the deception program and orchestrated by MI5. The plan was a stunning success.

The landings started at 6.30am on June 6th 1944 with US troops assaulting Utah and Omaha beaches, plus a detachment of Rangers at Pointe du Hoc, to whom the unenviable job of climbing the cliffs was given. British Forces landed at Sword and Gold beaches, along with free forces from several countries already under German occupation, while Canadian troops landed at Juno. The German defenders were forced to retreat back towards Paris before the breakout broke their backs with the formation of the Falaise pocket.

As we pause to remember the sacrifice of the soldiers of yesterday, let’s also remember exactly what they gave their lives for.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning, we will remember them.

United States

• 4th Infantry Division
  
• 82nd Airborne Division
  
• 90th Infantry Division
  
• 101st Airborne Division
  
• 1st Infantry Division (The Big Red One)
  
• 29th Infantry Division
  

British and Canadian

• 50th (Northumbrian) Infantry Division
  
• 6th Airborne Division
  
• 79th Armoured Division
  
• 3rd Canadian Infantry Division
  

S! to those who served and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice.


CRS is pleased to announce that HEAVY265 will be transitioning from Lead Forum Moderator to Assistant Community Manager. Heavy will join KMS with a focus on the Axis side and the Axis High Command. HEAVY265 is another CRS volunteer who cares about the game and its future and we are glad to have him!

Blkhwk8 has announced that he is leaving CRS as Assistant Community Manager due to real life commitments. We would like to thank him for his service to CRS and the WWII online community. S! Blkhwk8 we will see you on the battlefield.

The Community Management team will be looking to replace Blkhwk8 and and new ACM to join WESTY91 as ACM with an Allied side focus.

Servers will come down around 9:00 PM CDT/3:00 AM BST. 

This is a maintenance patch fixing a list of your bug reports.
Please continue to use the in-game chat command .bug to directly report to the QA team!
The patch also includes some updates and new features (read bellow):

• The issue preventing a player from being able to walk behind the French TT crane has been resolved
  
• The RPM Gauge, used in some British and French aircraft, has been reverted to its original form
  
• The Italian Rifle unit now has the same PPO options as the other Infantry units
  
• The FlaK38 has been added to FMS and Depot spawning options
  
• The Gouda and Aalst city name has been fixed
  
• A floating berm in Charlois and Warmeriville has been corrected
  
• The river bank near Vise is now updated to be corrected
  
• The Barracks location has been adjusted in Warmeriville, Rotterdam, Den Haag, Zaltbommel, Gouda, Faulquemont, Luxembourg, Wyler, Nijmegen, Heijen, Longwy, Thiaucourt, St.Quentin, Mons and Hillesheim
  
• A clipping issue is now resolved in the AB Vehicle spawn, Abbeville Railway and a City Building
  
• Fixed an issue that caused a Japanese flag at a Hellevoetsluis FB
  
• Found and fixed the issue that was causing some Depots to have incorrect ownership on the map
  
• Removed an ATG from a Gent AI MG pit
  
• Corrected an invisible tree in Maubeuge
  
• Fixed an issue that allowed non-aircraft to be able to be spawned at the Ypenburg Airfield
  
• Fixed an issue that allowed aircraft to spawn at the Rotterdam Aircraft Subassembly Store
  
• Infantry Grenades and Smoke Grenades are now using the proper image and textual indicators
  
• The PzIII-N now has a proper weapon barrel
  
• Removed a grey panel that appeared in the German 38t's commander view
  
• The British P40 Kittyhawk's windshield has been updated to correct an issue with its appearance
  
• Player Decals have been fixed on the British Sherman M4A3 and M4A2 tanks
  
• Offline Infantry clones can now be positioned properly
  
• The position of the pilot and gun sight for the H87b3, P40F and KittyHawk has been fixed
  
• A bush has been removed from an Eind building
  
• Third person tracers are now fixed for the Ju87B/G and the Vickers IB
  
• The Crusader III tank's weapon breach texture has now been corrected
  
• When deploying a PPO from a truck, players will now see "Backspace to Cycle | Z to Place" similar to what they see with infantry placed PPOs
  
• Whenever a player joins a Paratrooper mission, the Paratrooper Infantry selection menu will be the first to open instead of the plane selection menu
  
• The RTB text when despawning during the Tutorials has been updated
  
• Flags within the City Detail map menu has now been fixed
  
• Changes have been made to better help with handling engine sound bugs
  

• The sound for a large bomb's explosion has been replaced
  
• The Steam Up-sell message has been updated with recent pricing changes
  
• The "Netcode 3" text alert has been disabled from always showing up during spawning
  
• The French R35 tank now has an updated exterior texture
  
• Numerous planes, ships and all ground vehicles have been updated to have closer to realistic crew body mass values
  
• The German Sd.Kfz. 251's white internals have been toned down in order to not be so bright
  
• Xxsalxx and Hvyoutput have been added to the Fallen Soldier Memorial
  
• New translations for the Italian and Chinese languages have been added
  
• The manual pages have been updated to remove references to the British HEAT rifle grenade
  
• The French LMG's texture has been updated to look better than it was
  
• The British Havoc Mk I has been updated to be the British Boston I
  
• Ammunition variance has been updated to be a maximum of 1% difference from their currently set values
  
• The Fliegerhorst Airbase has replaced the old airfield at Brussels
  
• Autopilot has been updated to better deal with the ability to "float" a plane
  
• The default aircraft convergence has been updated from 0 meters to 200 meters
  
• The Pentagon bunker's map icon has been added
  

• The in-game AAR screen will now list the player's name that you have killed during your sortie
  
• Standard SMGs (Submachine Guns) have been added to the HCMS (High Command Mobile Spawn)
  
• Bombers are now able to destroy both the FB Vehicle spawn and the "Other" objects
  
• Contact reports can now be removed by the player that placed them
  

From TMAN, community manager:

Salute WWII Online Community! Today's update will cover changes to the capture timers which have gone into effect today; two top players awards, some veteran tips and advice for surviving a bit longer in-game, and of course World War II Online's 18th anniversary is coming June 6th, and we'll have some events to announce here shortly which will include player prizes - WOOT!

 

Recent in-game polling has shown that a huge proportion of our active players were looking for faster capture speeds. We decided to take this opportunity to support real squad-based actions:
we have accelerated capture speeds up to 50% for 2+ capper teams. The capture speed for a single capper remains the slowest with 240 second, since we don't want a town to change side within the first few seconds of a battle.
You'll notice we do not go beneath 60 seconds as a maximum capture speed.

Balanced capture timers remain in-effect (here's how balanced capture timers work - article). Which means if you're underpopulated, you'll have a bit faster capture speeds, and if you're overpopulated there will be a little bit slower capture speeds. 

These changes are in effect from now on. We will closely monitor its impact on the game.




This is a clear demonstration of how your feedback is being incorporated into actionable solutions, whether that is features or fixes. Thank you for your participation in our in-game surveys and those which are e-mailed. It is always important to participate in them and pay close attention to them.


Announcing the Top Killer for the Allied side so far in Campaign #163 is:MATAMOR with 2,321 kills and 2.88 K/D. A powerhouse for whatever side he plays on. Great numbers mata!

Announcing the Top KD ratio to a player with a minimum of 150 sorties so far in Campaign #163 is:SMOOTHIE with a KD of 60.33. Yeah that’s right… 194 sorties and 181 kills with only 3 deaths. Most of Smoothie’s kills come from hi well aimed sniper rifle!

Congrats to both players who will receive a wwiionline custom mouse pad.

Towns 

Taking towns is part and parcel of the WWIIOL experience. It's where 99.9% of the really meaty action takes place, and it's often where most of our squads play out (mostly) friendly rivalries with their pals on the opposing side. Whether you're fighting to liberate Europe or popping over to the "dark side" to change history, towns are a critical element of the warfighting experience. Here are a few things that happen when you're on an attack objective (AO):  

You will be found.   

Nine times out of ten, someone, somewhere, has an FMS being deployed in what may look like the most insane of positions. Early deployment is going well, you and your squad mates are spawning in one-by-one, and you rally up for the first charge into enemy territory - and BANG - you've all been dropped by the LMG gunner who saw the truck coming in and thought, "Well I'm having some of that!"  

Top tip: Don’t drive to an AO alone. The more trucks you have going in multiple directions, the more chance of getting your FMSs up and your team into town before the enemy can react.  

Realizing that this really isn't going to be easy.  

Ever been in that position where you've faced ridiculous levels of resistance merely getting into that spawn CP in the middle of the biggest fight of the night? Frustrating, isn't it. The spawn is the lynchpin of every attack and taking one, two, or even three can swing the balance decisively in your side's favor. If you don't move quickly to lock it down, it'll slip from your grasp and signal the knockout blow to the attack. Don't be afraid to commit everything you have, and give everything too. Sooner or later that resistance will crumble and you'll want to be there to claim the glory for capping the spawn.

When players get desperate, they spawn tanks.  

Tanks are curious little things. They look cool, do some severe damage and provide some much-needed spice to an attack that would otherwise get bogged down very quickly. But they're also a serious defensive multiplier. If you're pushing a town and you start seeing calls on your chat saying that tanks are spawning in then it'll be pretty safe to assume that the defenders are either very nervous or very annoyed. WWIIOL is famous for the emotion and competition it elicits, and there's no other game like it. No one wants to lose, but if you've got an entire armored battalion coming at you, it pretty much means squeaky bum time for this AO.  

Top tip: Anti-tank guns are the bane of any tank commander's existence. It's one thing to grab one in a hurry, but another thing entirely to bring the right one for the job. A powerful and well protected Anti-tank weapon will help you maintain control when you need it most.  

Forward Bases are more vulnerable than you think.  

You've landed FB duty. It's cool, though, because someone's got to do it, right? Same idea with attackers. You don't have to be "good" at it, you just need the sheer nerve to sneak up on an FB with a couple of your squad mates, watch the other side spawning kit, hit them with everything you've got. Forward bases are at their most vulnerable when the attacking side is committing to the bunker rush to finish off a town. A well-executed counter-attack from the rear will either catch the opposition completely unaware (it's the SWEETEST feeling to kill off an FB at the 11th hour if you didn't already know), or do just enough damage to lure the bulk of the attacking force back to the FB and thereby buying your side some breathing space. Try it on the next attack, you might find yourself a new in-game hobby.  Don’t forget bombers can now be used to help destroy the vehicle spawn at FB’s. Expect more bombers and more AAA to greet them!

See you on the battlefield
S!

There are some important (positive) changes coming to new accounts, as to the Starter Subscription - Effective June 1st, 2019.
The results of the Welcome Back period during May, combined to our latest community surveys, confirmed the opportunity to adapt our offer. These changes will be made to both our organic and Steam channels. (Content additions added in article)

We believe these changes to be well received and should encourage more players to subscribe and have a more enjoyable on-boarding experience to WWII Online. Career Based Subscriptions announced for the organic channel are in development and closing in on being ready, more details to follow. 


Every player creating a new account will get a 2 week premium trial. Rank restrictions and Tier restriction will still apply.
Once the trial period ends, they will keep a free access with the rifleman unit.
This change applies to both organic and Steam players.


We decided to add more content to the existing starter subscriptions with armored cars, medium tanks and bombers. These will automatically be unlocked for all our existing starter subscribers as well:

• Armored Cars
  • German: SdKfz 232
  • British & US: Daimler
  • French: Panhard 178
• German Tanks
  • Panzer III H
  • Panzer IV G
• British Tanks
  • Crusader Mk II
  • Churchill Mk III
• French & US Tanks
  • Somua S-35
  • M4A2 Sherman
• Bomber Aircraft
  • German: Ju-87B (Stuka Dive Bomber)
    
  • Allied Forces: Blenheim Mk I and Blenheim Mk IV

This will also ensure the Starter subscription is more viable beyond just Tier 0-1, and it marks the very first time we've opened up Aerial Bombardment options for Starter subscriptions, which comes by pair with the return of FB bombing in the next patch.
Note that this extra content is not added to the DLC packs.

CURRENT STARTER SUB CONTENT(reminder)

• Infantryman
  • Rifleman
  • Submachine Gun
  • Mortarman
  • Grenadier
  • All Paratroopers
• Paratrooper Transport Planes (All)
• German Tanks: Panzer IIc, Panzer III F
• British Tanks: Vickers, A-13
• French Tanks: Renault 35, Hotchkiss 39
• Light Anti-Tank Guns: Tier 0
• Light Anti-Aircraft Guns: Tier 0
• Base Fighter Aircraft
  • Bf-109E1
  • Bf-110c
  • Hurricane Mk I
  • Spiftire Mk Ia
  • Hawk 75
  • Dewotine 520
• Armed Patrol Boat
• 2 Rotating Premium Unlocks Per Campaign

We need your help to raise awareness about these changes and should also let you know this is the lowest price entry for a subscription that we've ever gone (or will) go to!

We fully expect that new users joining the game will have an optimal experience with not just the 2 week premium trial but now a very fulfilling and competent line up  of vehicle unlocks with our starter subscription. For the price, you can't argue the value at this stage.

As always, the #1 way to get maximum access is to become a Premium subscriber which is $14.99/mo.

FROM SCKING (QA LEAD):

coming 1.36.1.0 Release Overview
Happy Friday! I had asked Xoom if I could do the Friday Dev report this week in order to talk about the development that is in the pipeline and my team is currently testing. We are working on 1.36.1.0 which is our first release after the big release of Hybrid Supply. We aimed for this release to be a “Maintenance” release to try and focus on the little bugs that have been around. Both the production team and development team have been focused on these tasks. That doesn’t mean we have ignored adding a few features to this release as well.

 Some fixes we have in this release are:

•  Offline Clones are finally fixed. They can finally be placed in whichever direction and be killed as well.
• Many model texture fixes and even some new textures. The R35 will have a new texture, several of the infantry weapons will have new textures, some tanks have had minor texture fixes as well. The ultra bright interior of the 251 has been changed.

• Added the Barb Wire PPO to the Italian Rifle, Flak38 to depot and FMS spawning.
• Fix some tracer round issues with both JU87s as well as the Vickers.
• Many terrain fixes as well as fixing clipping issues into many different building types have been taken care of.
• Improper ownership data showing in some towns should now show the proper information.
• Bomber EWS will no longer show in the Mouse Hover on towns.

 We are still working on a few other fixes that we hope will make this release but haven’t finished testing yet. With the limited resources we have, we weren’t able to fix everything that we wanted but already have another “Maintenance” release planned for the near future that is populated with bugs we could not get to in this release and will add more as we find them.

 Some new things that are planned to show up in this release:

• AAR will now have a tab that will list what you killed and show you the name of the person who was operating that weapon.
• Contact report removal by the player that placed the contact report.
• To add more targets for the bombers, we have added the ability for bombers to partially destroy a Forward Base. You will still need to get boots on the ground to finish it off, but bombs can now destroy the vehicle spawn and the others tents but can not damage the infantry spawn. This will also draw more bombers towards the FBs which in turn will give the AA guns more targets at the FBs. And maybe with more bombers in the air, it will spur on more fighters.
• We have updated Brussels airfield with a new design

 The lists above are just some of the fixes that will be a part of 1.36.1.0. We have approximately 80 tickets in this version. As long as we do not run into any hiccups, we plan to release around the end of the month.

 As a small volunteer team, we at CRS are putting in a lot of time to help try and better the game for everyone. Our community is very passionate about this game and everyone has a different view of what is best for the game. We appreciate your subscriptions. Without your subscriptions, keeping the servers running, so that we can all play the game, would not be possible. Attached are just a couple before and afters for the R35 and Sdkfz251.

 S!

 SCKING – QA Team Lead