WWII Online News

[p]
Version 1.38.0.0 - September 2025

We've completely re-written how your client detects another player's position and overall movement for the better. This includes all vehicle types, air, land and sea. This is a major roadmap delivery and should cure a number of player reported issues.

This update heavily focuses on fixing bugs impacting game play today, addressing dramatic campaign shifts in lower population periods, and creating global awareness of when new battles are beginning.

[/p][h2]FEATURES[/h2]

• [p] Completely re-written client prediction and smoothing code.[/p]
• [p] Re-wrote how AFK players are managed and calculated.[/p]
• [p] Time zone 3 settings to manage late night capturing.[/p]
• [p] New alert sound plays globally when an Attack/Defensive objective is placed.[/p]
• [p] New code created to manage how AFK is handled from Client to Server.[/p]
• [p] Several GUI vehicle images have been replaced with higher res versions.[/p]
• [p] New lakes placed around Roermond area.[/p]
• [p] New roads added between:[/p]
• [p] Florenville - Habay.[/p]
• [p] Clervaux - Prum.[/p]
• [p] Manningham - Lumbres.
  [/p]

[h2]BUG FIXES[/h2]

• [p] AFK Players are no longer considered in AO availability calculation(s).[/p]
• [p] Second pass on revised HE - energy multiplier for concussive effects.[/p]
• [p] Aircraft no longer produce black streak in sky after death.[/p]
• [p] Vehicles no longer have any input (like firing) once dead.[/p]
• [p] Destroyers no longer CTD when shooting PPOs, like the baileys bridge.[/p]
• [p] Mouse wheel can be keymapped again.[/p]
• [p] Mouse wheel allows for fine adjustments to bomb sight.[/p]
• [p] Playgate launcher cleaned up to consider additional install directories.[/p]
• [p] Mac patching notification URL corrected.[/p]
• [p] Alt-tabbing should now work seamlessly.[/p]
• [p] P-39 rudder cleaned up, more responsive.[/p]
• [p] HE Satchels no longer kill tanks but can impair crew via concussive effects.[/p]
• [p] Panzer IV D corrected road wheel textures.[/p]
• [p] Bf 110-FB wheel brakes correctly work when engine idling.[/p]
• [p] M18 Hellcat (2) MG mouse fixed, plus first person (crew) art fixes.[/p]
• [p] Panther (3) gunsight, (2) audio, (2) bino bouncing fixed + new hulk art.[/p]
• [p] Panther and M10 drivers now die to fuel fire.[/p]
• [p] Bunker stairs backwards crawl fixed / now visible.[/p]
• [p] Object cleared from Kalmthout bunker entry.[/p]
• [p] Knives can no longer easily destroy vehicle wheels.[/p]
• [p] Several berms removed from various forward bases that were clipping.[/p]
• [p] Geel-Grobbedonk office building no longer explodes on capture.[/p]
• [p] Bad "AI" FOV/angles corrected for better defense across many towns.[/p]
• [p] Fixed Allied Howitzer shifting when changing ammo.[/p]
• [p] Fixed spare capture building in Panningen.[/p]
• [p] Balanced audio levels from different crew position of same vehicle.[/p]
• [p] Fixed missing RRstation interior for Dinant and Charleville.
  [/p]

[p]
S! Cornered Rat Software

Copyright 1999-2025 Playnet, Inc.[/p][p][/p][h3]WHAT IS PREDICTION & SMOOTHING?[/h3][p]In an online game like WWII Online, every player’s actions (movement, shooting, turning, etc.) are constantly sent over the internet to the game server, and then shared with other players. But because the internet has delays (called latency), your computer can’t always know exactly where another soldier, tank, or plane is at the exact moment.[/p][p]To solve this, the game uses Prediction & Smoothing:[/p]

• [p]Prediction – Your client predicts where another player should be right now, based on their last known speed, direction, and actions.[/p]
• [p]Smoothing – When updated data arrives from the server, the game gently corrects any differences, so the motion looks natural instead of jerky or teleporting.[/p]

[p]Why is it Important?[/p]

• [p]Fluid Motion: Without prediction and smoothing, enemies and teammates would constantly appear to “jump” around the battlefield as new updates arrive. That would make tracking targets or coordinating with allies nearly impossible.[/p]
• [p]Fair Shooting: By smoothing out player positions, your aim feels accurate and fair even when there’s internet delay. Without it, you might shoot at where someone was instead of where they are.[/p]
• [p]Immersion: WWII Online is all about scale and realism. Smooth, continuous movement keeps the battlefield feeling alive and believable, instead of looking broken or robotic.[/p]
• [p]Playability with Latency: Not everyone has the same internet speed. Prediction and smoothing allow players across the globe to fight together without constant stutters ruining the experience.[/p]

[p]In short: Prediction & Smoothing is the hidden tech that makes the massive battles of WWII Online feel smooth, fair, and immersive—bridging the gap between internet delays and real-time combat.[/p]

Version 1.38.0.0 - September 2025

We've completely re-written how your client detects another player's position and overall movement for the better. This includes all vehicle types, air, land and sea. This is a major roadmap delivery and should cure a number of player reported issues.

This update heavily focuses on fixing bugs impacting game play today, addressing dramatic campaign shifts in lower population periods, and creating global awareness of when new battles are beginning.

[h2]FEATURES[/h2]

• Completely re-written client prediction and smoothing code.
  
• Re-wrote how AFK players are managed and calculated.
  
• Time zone 3 settings to manage late night capturing.
  
• New alert sound plays globally when an Attack/Defensive objective is placed.
  
• New code created to manage how AFK is handled from Client to Server.
  
• Several GUI vehicle images have been replaced with higher res versions.
  
• New lakes placed around Roermond area.
  
• New roads added between:
  
• Florenville - Habay.
  
• Clervaux - Prum.
  
• Manningham - Lumbres.
  

[h2]BUG FIXES[/h2]

• AFK Players are no longer considered in AO availability calculation(s).
  
• Second pass on revised HE - energy multiplier for concussive effects.
  
• Aircraft no longer produce black streak in sky after death.
  
• Vehicles no longer have any input (like firing) once dead.
  
• Destroyers no longer CTD when shooting PPOs, like the baileys bridge.
  
• Mouse wheel can be keymapped again.
  
• Mouse wheel allows for fine adjustments to bomb sight.
  
• Playgate launcher cleaned up to consider additional install directories.
  
• Mac patching notification URL corrected.
  
• Alt-tabbing should now work seamlessly.
  
• P-39 rudder cleaned up, more responsive.
  
• HE Satchels no longer kill tanks but can impair crew via concussive effects.
  
• Panzer IV D corrected road wheel textures.
  
• Bf 110-FB wheel brakes correctly work when engine idling.
  
• M18 Hellcat (2) MG mouse fixed, plus first person (crew) art fixes.
  
• Panther (3) gunsight, (2) audio, (2) bino bouncing fixed + new hulk art.
  
• Panther and M10 drivers now die to fuel fire.
  
• Bunker stairs backwards crawl fixed / now visible.
  
• Object cleared from Kalmthout bunker entry.
  
• Knives can no longer easily destroy vehicle wheels.
  
• Several berms removed from various forward bases that were clipping.
  
• Geel-Grobbedonk office building no longer explodes on capture.
  
• Bad "AI" FOV/angles corrected for better defense across many towns.
  
• Fixed Allied Howitzer shifting when changing ammo.
  
• Fixed spare capture building in Panningen.
  
• Balanced audio levels from different crew position of same vehicle.
  
• Fixed missing RRstation interior for Dinant and Charleville.
  

S! Cornered Rat Software

Copyright 1999-2025 Playnet, Inc.

[p]We wanted to let everyone know that in order for us to maintain our development boxes we need to enforce our minimum requirements a bit more rigorously as of November 1st 2025. If you are currently operating under those minimum requirements, you will not be able to play.
[/p][p]Minimum System Requirements[/p]

• [p]Windows 10[/p]
• [p]Mac OS 11 (Big Sur)[/p]
• [p]Processor: Intel Core i3 or Ryzen 3[/p]
• [p]Memory: 8 GB[/p]
• [p]Hard Drive: 3 GB Free[/p]
• [p]Sound: On-board or better[/p]
• [p]Graphics Card: NVIDIA GeForce 10xx series or Radeon 400[/p]
• [p]Broadband Internet Connection[/p][p][/p]

[p]For the most part, this shouldn't affect anyone as these are fairly older. But we wanted to do our due diligence inform you of these being enforced.[/p][p]We strongly recommend you aim for your upgrade(s) to be our recommended (or better) system requirements as outlined below:[/p][p][/p][p]Recommended System Requirements[/p]

• [p]Windows 11[/p]
• [p]Mac OS 14 (Sonoma)[/p]
• [p]Processor: Intel Core i7, Ryzen 5 or Apple M1[/p]
• [p]Memory: 16 GB [/p]
• [p]Hard Drive: 3+ GB Free[/p]
• [p]Sound: On-board or Better[/p]
• [p]Graphics Card: GeForce GTX 30xx, Radeon RX 6000 Series, Apple M1 or Better[/p]

[p]If you have any questions, please contact us at [/p][p]https://support.wwiionline.com[/p][p][/p][p]S![/p]

[p]A massive code re-write, the biggest in my 15 years here at Playnet/CRS has just occurred on Prediction & Smoothing - our top deliverable item for the 2025 Roadmap. Our team has been hard at work completely re-creating how your game client views another, tracking their velocity and trajectory more accurately across all players and unit types in the game.[/p][p]This Open Beta is crucial to participate in and is now live. We will be locking the Campaign server on these dates to receive maximum participation and validate that this important update is as ready for primetime as possible.[/p]

• [p]Confirmed: August 29th-30th 2025.[/p]
  • [p]Normal Campaign operations will resume by 8/31/2025.[/p]
• [p]Tentative: September 11th-12th 2025.[/p]
  • [p]Only if more fixing required from our initial testing.
    [/p]

[p]Review the below Readme notes carefully and we'll work on scaled normal game play. Bug reports should go to https://www.wwiionline.com/bugs, with a title of "Open Beta:" and include bug information there.[/p][p][/p][h3]Open Beta Downloads[/h3]

• [p]PC: https://downloads.wwiionline.com/WWII_Online_1.38.0.0_PublicBeta.exe[/p]
• [p]Mac: https://downloads.wwiionline.com/WWII_Online_1.38.0.0_PublicBeta.dmg[/p]

[p]Open Beta is only available by having an account through our main website at https://www.wwiionline.com. This is temporary and we will be back online shortly. It's a great opportunity to test your local client to fly, practice and get ready for the continuation of the longest Campaign in the last decade![/p][h3]Release Notes[/h3][p]Patch release notes can be found here: https://www.wwiionline.com/post/open-beta-1-38-0-0[/p][h3]Thanks for supporting our team![/h3][p]We thank you all for your patience during this crucial test. We're going a little further in this test phase to ensure what we deliver is as prepared as possible we limit any potential issues when we release live. This just so happens to act as a great breather opportunity for folks who have been playing a very long (110+ day) campaign.[/p][p]Campaign will resume at 0900 PDT (GMT -8) this Sunday![/p]

[p]On our first major pass of fixing High Explosives (H.E.) we made it so that externally detonated concussion and shrapnel could be restored, and shrapnel penetration was enhanced to penetrate if physics dictate rather than always stopping in the first surface it hit. This was a big deal because it was actually not functioning correctly for along time.[/p][p]Now coming as part of our second major pass, is the introduction of a "confined space" energy multiplier for concussive effects of HE munitions that detonate inside an object (such as a wing or fuselage) rather than using the same energy expended on a surface detonation, and the results have been significant. We've all probably heard the stories about a few of "Darwin's favorite's" showing off by setting firecrackers off on the palm of their hands, that then made the mistake of closing their fingers around said firecrackers and ended up losing digits? Same concept. Detonation inside inclosed spaces, bigger boom. We captured and compiled some internal test footage for you, which will do most of the explanation.[/p][previewyoutube][/previewyoutube][p]This also means that bombers will be able to have greater effects against all unit types, particular against armored vehicles. The concussion generated via the blast will have the ability to seriously rock (wound or kill) even heavy armor. The greater the size of the bomb, the greater the impact will be.[/p][p]Anti-Aircraft gunners (as seen in the video) will also be able to do significant damage to aircraft components and even detonating the aircraft with a well-placed shot.[/p][p]Fighter pilots (also as seen later in the video) with H.E. cannons (both sides) will equally see greater effects, particularly in dogfights. The video does not do enough justice to show what the receiving end feels like. Although the aircraft integrity may appear to be intact, the pilot on the receiving end could be seriously wounded.[/p][p]Naval captains should also have greater defensive capabilities with its AA guns being boosted. We strongly recommend multi-crewing destroyers, even the slightest hit or two could be devastating to enemy aircraft.[/p][p]The RATS are working very hard to address longstanding community concerns and interests. All of this is made possible by our paid subscriber base. To those of you subscribing, thank you![/p][p]Please consider re-subscribing or upgrading to further support WWII Online development. We are a 100% community funded indie studio, and your contributions directly go to the game's continued operation and development.[/p][p]To unlock everything, become a premium subscriber.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink]To unlock a good portion, join the Starter subscription.[/p][p][dynamiclink][/dynamiclink][/p]