Author Topic: WWIIOL Revisited (sos)  (Read 2801 times)

Offline AKWeav

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« on: August 08, 2003, 02:47:17 PM »
(sos)=same old stuff, with regards to the way things are handled there.

First the reasons I left in the first place:
1. Game refused to recognize my usb CH pro rudder pedals, had to unplug them so the twist on my MS PP would work.
2. Lack of any tech support on the part of the game providers to rectify problem 1.
3. Tired of having the plane in my sights wink out (because of a 64 plane limit).
4. Hunting to hell and back to find an airfield offering the plane I wanted to fly.

The story: Surfing around and I see where ww2ol is reactivating accounts for former subcribers for a free trial. I figure AH2 ain't here yet, so just for something to do I take them up on it.

I get my account reactivated with no problem, get the dl installed, and open up the offline practice to get everything mapped out. Problem is the MS PP has long since died, and has been replaced with a usb Saitek X-45 joystick and throttle. Still have the CH pedals.

The keymapper for ww2ol will not give any indication of which button on your controllers you're pushing, so I go into windows, controllers, advanced, and push each individual button to see which number lights up. I then write them in the Saitek manual next to the corosponding pictures of the buttons on the joystick.

Back to the ww2ol keymapper, and spend 20 minutes setting everthing up, just as I did earlier under my other account. Save everything, go back to the selections screen and grab a Spit V and launch. Hmm, views don't work, aircraft controls don't work, nothing works.

Exit out of the offline game and head to the ww2ol forums to see if anyone has an answer. See, that the way it works there. Need tech support? You have to get it from the community, and that may or may not work. It can be a long process.

Anyway, I head to the forums, get logged in, and try to start a post in the "Hanger" (dedicated to discussions of the air side of things). When I click on the start a new post button, I'm rewarded with the message: "It appears you have a trial reactivation account. Only members with a premium account may post on these boards."

I could only laugh. I have no more energy to waste in generating any frustration with these folks (CRS).

Is it any wonder why when their customers post on other games boards to try and get people to try ww2ol, that they are met with such distain and intolerance?

I would venture that there are most likely more ex/customers out there who have had a negitive experience with that group then positive. Mine have certainly not been positive in nature, in any of the mutiple times I have tried their product.

Nuff said, I now leave you to go and de-activate my trial account, and remove that waste of harddrive space from same.
« Last Edit: August 08, 2003, 03:25:28 PM by AKWeav »

Offline boxboy28

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #1 on: August 08, 2003, 02:58:25 PM »
LOL i did the same damn thing it took em 2 days to send me my creen name and password (i figured it out first)  

Still a crappy crappy game and the support sucks balls!

only thing i got good to say about it is it has nice explosions!
« Last Edit: August 08, 2003, 03:01:19 PM by boxboy28 »
^"^Nazgul^"^    fly with the undead!
Jaxxo got nice tata's  and Lyric is Andre the giant with blond hair!

Offline Curval

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #2 on: August 08, 2003, 02:58:28 PM »
A friend of mine, who I convinced about a year and a half ago to try WW2OL, forwarded the offer they sent him to me with only a 2 word comment:

"as if"

I must have sat and played with his machine for about 40 hours back then because he had the dreaded "head-shaking" bug due to the fact that he had a Dell.  That doesn't count the hours of discussions on the BB attempting to find an answer.

Then CRS released a patch which fixed it after essentially denying that there WAS a bug....tough to deny anything when they never actually responded to my e-mails, it was more like the fanboys who would say that it wan't the game it was his machine.

No way am I spending the time trying to do what you did...no way.
Some will fall in love with life and drink it from a fountain that is pouring like an avalanche coming down the mountain

Offline AKWeav

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #3 on: August 08, 2003, 03:06:48 PM »
Lol, alittle more to the story: can't find any way to delete the trial account:D  And of course, no way to get help doing so!:D :D :D

Guess I'll just have to let the trial run out.:rolleyes:
« Last Edit: August 08, 2003, 03:10:58 PM by AKWeav »

Offline Mini D

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #4 on: August 08, 2003, 03:13:20 PM »
I don't think there is a need to delete the account (from my experience with past free trials on WWIIOL).

MiniD

Offline Westy

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #5 on: August 08, 2003, 03:22:27 PM »
The GUI still sucks herring turds, I still get killed thru base walls, my available weapons are now limited to just the rifle, pistol and grenade for I'm a lowly ranking soldier (bless those selfless, magnanimous players who post missions with goodies), enemy and friendly contacts still wink in & out a lot (obviously the con bias issue is still there), dying to sudden, soundless shots is still a crowd pleaser,  enemy infantry continue to walk and run like they're on the moon's surface, soldiers still have to use Q and E to look left and right 45deg, my radio requests for help and queries on where to go to help out go ignored and I still cannot use my CH sticks 8-way hat which I like to use in aircombat.

 So just what is new?
« Last Edit: August 08, 2003, 03:36:22 PM by Westy »

Offline AKWeav

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #6 on: August 08, 2003, 03:34:41 PM »
ROFLMAO, easiest thing I've ever done regarding my computer and ww2ol was getting it off my HD. Everything worked as advertised!:cool: No tech help needed. ;)

Offline boxboy28

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2003, 03:41:20 PM »
god those damn flat bushes real bug me!  or the stupid tree snagging your tankas you try  to go under it!

Man that game still needs major work!
^"^Nazgul^"^    fly with the undead!
Jaxxo got nice tata's  and Lyric is Andre the giant with blond hair!

Offline Revvin

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #8 on: August 08, 2003, 03:57:46 PM »
I've found the latest version (1.90) very playable. I've been a strong critic of WW2OL since it's BETA but it's changed a hell of a lot. The keymapper is a huge improvement over what it used to be. The 64 player view limit has caught me out sometimes but not all that often, most instances of this may stem from poor SA as the icon system IMHO is one of the best ever used in a MMOG, combine this with the lack of a Linda Blair view you have to be a lot more vigilant so you don't get bounced.

The radio system still leaves a lot to be desired, I have gotten used to it but it's not as intuitive as others more tried and tested solutions, seems they went for something different and were not quite sure what that 'different' was going to be.

The graphical 'chunks' are a huge improvement from the old way of displaying damage but still not far enough but this is under review and the way it is now is not really a show stopper for me.

I'm not a RL pilot so it's hard to comment on the FM's but they do feel a lot more believeable than before. The luftwobbles are already moaning they can't turn fight without their Messerschmitt Tri-Plane from version 1.8x :) Now they have to use boom and zoom tactics to survive although I feel the experienced 109 pilot will still be able to mix it up but right now most of them are too busy moaning about Allied bias :D I like the way in WW2OL you take off across a bumpy airfield and without some care you'll end up stuck in a bush where as in WB or AH you can just go full throttle and not have to worry to much about flaps etc, the planes especially the bombers do really 'feel' heavy.

The gunnery is more challenging, how realistic this is I don't know but it feels more realistic compared to guncams from history archives for planes of that era.

The mission system really needs fleshing out it feels like more of a placeholder than anything and you do see a lot of lone wolves in the arena just using a mission to launch without bothering to check it's goal or to fly with others or even fly to the designated target. That being said as as happened in AH it does offer the facility for players to link up properly with a common radio channel and the organisations behind the two sides have put up some good missions. The attrition system at first can be frustrating but it soon teaches you the value of landing your aircraft and I've not seen the kind of gamey suicide tactics used in other sims like AH or WB.

Bombing is where WW2OL really keeps my interest, it's a shame there were so many show stoppers before v1.9o for me as right from the start CRS have opted for realistic bombsights that require time and skill to use to good effect and requires good co-ordination between the bombardier and his pilot. I wish all online sims would use realistic bombsights.

The graphics won't win any awards but this sim is a few years old now but does still cut the mustard for me. A terrain fileld with landmarks that can be used in conjunction with a printed map means GPS is not needed and the lack of inflight radar is very refreshing yet it's still easy to find a fight. I like flying low on the way back home from a mission following roads skipping over lines of trees and watching hedgerows whizz by. The ack is'nt uber here and it is possible to fly across a city and take only a few pings and not loose vital parts from an uber accurate otto. The cockpits are nicely done apart from the unreadable instruments at 800x600 res, at 1024x768 it's much improved and you can make out the information you need from the dials without always having to drop to instrument view. I like the restrictive view system, IMO it's more realistic than some sims I've played.

It's got it's bugs there is no denying that, some may find them show stoppers such as the 64 player limit but as I said this has effected me only a few times but I do wish there was perhaps an option to switch the bias of this 64 limiot depending on what you were doing so if you flew planes you could tell the system to show 64 planes first and not ground units as well and vice versa, perhaps even have it a toggle option as you select you mission so if you're up high in a bomber you can bias towards planes, if you're going to jabo then perhaps leave it the way it is and if you're on the ground bias towards GV's etc. The damage model needs serious attention but it is being worked on and CRS are now delivering on the promises they made, it may be too late for some but if you're a flightsim fan you're doing yourself a dis-service by not taking up the offer of a free trial and finding out about this sim for yourself.

I'm sure some smart mouth with an agenda will want to quote and tear this post apart, save yourself some time I'm not going to be responding. I saw the thread and popped in my two cents, don't agree? don't like it? tough sh*t

Offline AKWeav

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #9 on: August 08, 2003, 04:13:59 PM »
Not tearing anything here revin, but the original post has nothing to do with playability of the game, but with customer support issues as pertains to the providers of the game.

Hell, can't even check that stuff out if ya can't get the controllers to work.:rolleyes:

Offline Wanker

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« Reply #10 on: August 08, 2003, 04:30:57 PM »
I think all the major players in the flight sim world should take a page from the Aces High customer support page. By far, HiTech Creations has the best technical and customer support.

Offline Vulcan

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« Reply #11 on: August 08, 2003, 04:36:43 PM »
The keymappers not that bad, once you get the hang of it. I think its because it caters to vehicles, infantry, and aircraft its so complex. I have a TM FLCS stick, TQS throttle, and CH USB Pro Pedals setup fine on it.

The single shot kills? Well, thats kind of like the 'cheaters' in AH :) - in real life how common was it to hear the shot that got you?

Last night I was pissing around and nailed I guy in a Church tower with a fairly long shot. What happens next? The handsomehunk respawns and goes right back there and I nailed him again.

The flight side is still 'sloppy', its improving. But there are things such as no structural damage modeled on aircraft (only control surfaces, pilot, fuel, engine and associated engine fluids).

The ground war is really what its all about, and I find the game at its best riding with my rifle on the back of a panzer into a big battle. Then you realise the air campaign is secondary so it doesn't matter the FM/DM in the air isn't as sweet as AH.

It probably took me a month before I got comfortable with the gameplay, control setup etc. Its definitely not a 5 minute job to setup.

Offline Westy

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #12 on: August 08, 2003, 04:46:21 PM »
The keymapper is a huge improvement over what it used to be...

 It does look better and it's appears to be easier to use but it still has (for me) the same bugs as the original. But for most people I imagine it looks and operates eaier than the old version.
 


The 64 player view limit has caught me out sometimes but not all that often, most instances of this may stem from poor SA as the icon system IMHO is one of the best ever used in a MMOG, combine this with the lack of a Linda Blair view you have to be a lot more vigilant so you don't get bounced.

 The cons vanishing has always been a show stopper for me - be it when I'm ina vehicle or in the air.  It's the vehicles, EI or the plane right in front of me, that I'm watching/tracking, that simply go poof.  It happens every time I play, every spwna session and anywhere on the map. It's not the enemy that snuck up on me I'm complaining about ;)




The graphical 'chunks' are a huge improvement.. not really a show stopper for me.

 Not a true show stopper. It is an immersion sinker for me however. Same with being unable to bail out.

 


I'm not a RL pilot so it's hard to comment on the FM's but they do feel a lot more believeable than before.

 Ditto!



I like the way in WW2OL you take off across a bumpy airfield and without some care you'll end up stuck in a bush where as in WB or AH you can just go full throttle and not have to worry to much about flaps etc,

Semi-ditto.  It feels nice and real until.. the undercarriage is accidentally retracted and you still zoom along on and IN the ground, engine running without a hick-up and you have laugh as you lower the gear again to continue the takeoff unscathed ;)


I wish all online sims would use realistic bombsights...

 BIG ditto. I was glad HTC changed the simple "point and click" method AH once had. Even then what he added is still a long way from anything realisticand what I would prefer. WWIIO has icons, terrain and bombing down better than al the others.


I'm sure some smart mouth with an agenda will want to quote and tear this post apart...

 Nah :)  Nothing to rip apart IMO.  Your opinion is valid (and always been respected by me whethr expressed here on when IRead it on AGW) and more imoprant (to me) your not trying to shove developer mantra or the "PRl"  down anyones throat unlike Hardace & Zerohead.  All that keeps me from playing WWIIO are the disappearing cons and the lack of CH 8-way hat support.  Much of the rest is tolerable till it gets changed (radio and the GUI for instance).

 

Westy

Offline AKWeav

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #13 on: August 08, 2003, 05:28:22 PM »
Quote
The keymappers not that bad, once you get the hang of it


True, they work quite well when the game recognizes your particular controllers. The problem lies in when it doesn't. You're hosed unless someone on their bbs has the answer.

Not having access to that bbs, plus no help from CRS is what prompted this post. Nothing to do with game features or playability.

I could go on about how with bated breath I followed the development of the game for two years. I participated in the beta as much as my lowly P2 at that time would let me. How I preordered the game for 50 bucks prior to release. How utterly deflated I was when it did come out. The frustration of trying to reactivate my account when 1.80 was released, and getting the game to run on my P4, 512ram with higher than 5-15fps. The hours spend adjusting the scaling on the MS PP so the slightest twist on the rudder wouldn't throw the plane out of control. Those same hours spent working on elevator control so it wouldn't spike suddenly killing my pilot in a nano second from gee overload. How after all that work, I was still dying to 109s out flat turning my hawk 75, only to finally saddle up on a enemy plane with a good shooting solution, to have him vanish from in front of me. Nah, won't go into all those other frustrations.  

Quote
I think all the major players in the flight sim world should take a page from the Aces High customer support page. By far, HiTech Creations has the best technical and customer support.


Ahmen to that!

Offline Habu

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WWIIOL Revisited (sos)
« Reply #14 on: August 08, 2003, 07:23:37 PM »
One comment on flight models. This not only pertains to WW2OL but every other flight sim I have tried.

No one seems to model ground effect at all. In real life when I land my ultralight I come in steep and fast and then flair about 10' off the ground. The last 10' the planes really wants to stay off the ground. The air under the wing gets compressed as it is being pushed down and the ground stops its flow. The net effect is you really notice a difference when you come to round out. In WW2OL et all you just keep decending at the same rate and slam into the ground if you do over correct when you flair.

I would love to see ground effect modeled just for the fun of having a more realistic landing.