Flak 36 - 88cm versus tanks. A WW2OL action report.

[Jigster]

I must say I have been having alot of fun "over there".

Seems the servers have finally settled down, and they finally got frame rates up a bit with better net code.

Course my only interest in WWIIOL was AFV's and infantry to a limited extent.


I average about 30 fps OL (everything on, minus FSAA because I can't read the text buffer in higer res), ground units, 40 consistently in aircraft, only exception is near spawn points when there's 100 or more people there at one time. It drops to 5-10.

I have a:
 
1GHZ P3
GF2 Ultra 64MB
256MB RAM

[Fishu]

I had got my 88 towed to nice plain area near Andenne, towards Eghezee-Andenne FB.
This was also my first times when I were really in good action with 88.
I saw first A13 come right ahead, I don't know about distance, but enough close to pose a threat for me.
I shot several shots at it and it managed to also wound me, but finally I got him.
Now it had become clear to me that the 88 round goes *through* the tank and what I was thinking as missing (dust cloud after every hit) could been as well a hit.
Next tank came to my side, in th bushes, but didnt fire and I ignited it on first shot. (maybe 200 meters away)

After then, it was quite peaceful there and I told HT driver to shutdown the engine so I could hear if theres any other tanks.
I heard some very distant roam of the engine from Eghezee-Andenne FB area.

After a while, I saw something tiny move left from the forrest where FB is.
I zoomed up and found out that it was a tank, but it seemed to be *way* too far and I had just 17 rounds left. (It was even further than the FB to andenne is)
I raised the gun for one range shot and shot the round, but for my surprise, the A13 caught fire!
It was awesome look to see it burn that far.

Now it was again quiet for somewhile, but engine roaming fairly close made me nervous, since I knew it couldn't be friendly, but I didn't either have idea where it could come from.
Then I see tracer fly towards the town, then another and then I traverse my turret to the right and see tank almost exactly there where the second tank was before.
I shot it, miss... again, hit, nothing.. then again and nothing.. and he still didnt realise that there was something on his side, but kept firing the AI defences of the town.
Now I had good aim, right in the turret root where 88 would go through right into the engine block from ahead.
but just as I shot, game CTD  
(server went down)
Got a screenshot anyway, of the gun muzzle, A13 and the round flying towards the target.

[Creamo]

15fps with that beast?

That's not a "how to guide" fscott. Thats a "why to Not buy WWIIOL" guide.

Which of course I won't be foolish enough to until it's working.

Btw, why did you just upgrade to 512MB RAM with that awesome system. I can't think of a single peice of software that would need over 256 for good results.

[fscott]

WW2OL is the first piece of software that uses all of 512MB ram, or somewhere between 256 and 512.  I put it in today, and now my load times were virtually cut in half.  My harddrive rarely ever runs now once the game is running after the start screen. It really has changed things a bit.

I say 15 fps, minimum.  If you take a look at the post "phnuh.." you will see in those screenshots that I'm getting well above 30 fps and around 23 fps near the city.  When I get in combat with vehicles and troops on the ground, it may hit 15 fps at the lowest.

I haven't even tried the performance enhancement suggestions in the settings.exe file yet.  People are reporting gains from 8 to 23 fps average when they tweak those suggeted settings.  The main thing is apparently the "shadow size" setting which they say will affect performance immensely.  I will lower it to see.

Also, tomorrow they are releasing a patch which apparently fixes a bug where the engine was calculating shadows for objects you couldn't even see in the distance.  That alone should help some since shadows afect performance quite a bit in most sims I've flown.  I'll report on how the new patch fixes FPS.

fscott

[ 06-11-2001: Message edited by: fscott ]

[Mickey1992]

Here's my AAR from last night:

I log on.  Pick a forward army base as infantry (since I still can not calibrate my joystick or map the throttle to the keyboard).

I spawn and find about 15 countrymen heading to battle.  My FR is about 6.  I hop on a half-track and get driven toward the front.  FR still at 6.  In the distance I can see friendly units, when suddenly an enemy tank appears in the road in front of us.  My driver swerves off the road to avoid its fire, and I jump off and run for cover.

Then I crash to desktop.  I zip up the log files and email them to the Rats.  I will say that this was the first CTD that I have had, but the low frame rate makes the game unplayable.  Even on my PIII 600.

I too am anxious for the patch.  (I just hope that it's not 60MB again   )

[Westy MOL]

"I raised the gun for one range shot and shot the round, but for my surprise, the A13 caught fire!"

AHA!!

lol.   Um? Jekyll?

lol

 -Westy

[Gadfly]

I have been having a good time in there, FPS or not.  If you can get some guys workng together, you can have some Hellacious battles.  Personally, I like the long respawn times; it is something I have asked for before.

Take a still picture of a television screen sometime.  It will look like crap, much worse than it appears on screen.  The grpahics in WW2OL are similar, in that they look outstanding from in game, but not so good in screens.

In the planes, in the armor or slogging it over hills and through the trees, it looks GOOD online.

Beta for sure, but hey, all online games are perpetual beta, how long have ya'll been paying for AH beta?

WB 2.77 is not beta, all codework on it is done, WBIII, AH, WWIIol and the rest are, and will be, constantly upgraded, so by definition are in a beta state.


Buy WWIIonline, try it, and odds are you will like it.

[Wanker]

fscott said  

I rarely drop below 15 fps even when flying.

With your system specs, fscott, that sentence alone sums it all up. The game is just not ready. As soon as it is, I'll be there.

Until then, I'll just limp along on my AH beta, as Lizking(Gadfly) calls it. LOL!

[Westy MOL]

"Buy WWIIonline, try it, and odds are you will like it."

 I intend to, in a few months.  I'll just cheer and spur on the debates in the meantime.

 Right now it boils down to being told to be grate full they got the serverss running, shut up and wait for the miracle patch(es) and in the meantime you should be greatful to throw more money at the problem by way of a hyper vid card, massively more ram and get a Pent-a-balls 1ghz cpu. In the word of the rofurmn lice living over on the StratFirst boards "you're not doing enough to make WW2O run on your old, dated and decrepit PIII 800 mhx pc <sycophantic glare>!"

 

 I honestly would love to tank or soldier more in WW2O as the FM leaves alot to be desired. After WB's and the last 1+ years in AH I won't step back to AW-ish like aircraft.  Not now, not ever.  
 I also won't pay to continue to alpha test a program by buying the box although the monthly fee right now, however, is fine.  

 -Westy

[Spitboy]

I honestly would love to tank or soldier more in WW2O as the FM leaves alot to be desired.

How do you know the FMs leave a lot to be desired if you've never tried the game?  

But yeah, wait a month or two to buy it if you haven't already. Like Gad said, there's plenty of fun to be had now, but only if you got a lot of RAM (ie, 384+) on a recommended spec box or better.

Spitboy -SW-

[Westy MOL]

"How do you know the FMs leave a lot to be desired if you've never tried the game?"

 I've only said I've not bought the game. I'll not say what I have, where I got it from nor use any names. And it is not warez or a "rippd" copy. When the ticker starts or the game goes to play I'll be s.o.l. but it sure beats having to have plunked down a non-refundable $40.  If it IS fixed by the time it matters then I will purchase my own copy.

  I'm also not the sole voice of dissent on the FM. If the current aircraft FM's are what is to be expected in WW2O, unless we know other wise and can prove the glaring errors to (whats his face), then I'm just walking away from the flight aspect because the FM of the four or five planes is pretty much universally snickered at no matter where I go and read.

  -Westy


p.s. ask Flames who, besides himself, was a BIG pro-WW2O proponant on BigWeek.

[ 06-12-2001: Message edited by: Westy MOL ]

[Gadfly]

Hell, I am not using the game for my flight fix, as you say, what you have here is by far better than WWIIOL CAN be.  However, if you want to do some ground action, or kill things on the ground from a plane(when/if the get some FPS out of it), then WWIIonline is sweet.

Bottom line is, right now there are literally thousands(and 10,000 last night) people playing it, how many are on WB and AH servers combined?

[Spitboy]

Fair 'nuf, Westy. My intention was to suggest folks try the game before forming conclusions. You've done that, which is cool.

On the FM, I don't think your statement is accurate. As I said in another post, the Rats are aware there's an issue with drag. Aside from that one issue, the FMs are pretty tight. They want to find out exactly where the error is and FIX it, not just slap in an jury-rigged solution so it meets expectations, be those expectations right or wrong.

Spitboy -SW-

[ 06-12-2001: Message edited by: Spitboy ]

[Westy MOL]

CC Spitboy!

"They want to find out exactly where the error is and FIX it, not just slap in an jury-rigged solution .."

 I hope they succeed. I have plenty of room on my HDD and would love to play it when it is finally "smooth"
 
 I love Rogue Spear and the new one Operation Flashpoint. But nother is MMP and RS only has a WWII mod. Can't play with more than 10-12 folks in a session in RS too.
 
 -Westy

[Westy MOL]

p.s.  how is the collision model??

I ask because it seems to be pretty liberal.

 

-W