Author Topic: WWIIOL for $10?? (Read 1010 times)

-dead- · « **Reply #45 on:** February 01, 2002, 11:28:25 AM »

ww2ol's worst problem is that doors are undermodelled - I can't seem to open the door on any vehicle - truck tank or plane - and get out of it.
Rather unrealistic IMHO - I am sure that both Alllies and the Axis had fully-working doors on all their vehicles by 1939...

metronom · « **Reply #46 on:** February 02, 2002, 01:45:50 PM »

Well, I downloaded and got the free trial of wwIIonline.
The first impression was not bad, a good potential in the game (was said before)
Ambushing a Tank with a AT gun was a real challenge - matter of fact i put about 10 shells in that monster and he is coming still at me, and i was wasted.
Flying, hmm. The model is looking good. Tailwheel locking, Canopy open-close, prop pitch, fuel mixture - all ok. But flyin online with 5 other guys and a couple GV's arround is desastrous. I don't know what type of servers these people got, but im hopin they will buy some faster and better

Im not so good to judge the flight model, as some of you surely are. But i noticed that the flight model offline and online is not the same. Offline its very easy - too easy and online on the runway i was dancin a walz with the 109

So, I tried this game. Was very pleased with the Tanks and Trucks, not amused with the AT guns and dissapointed with flyin online.
But the graphic of the Citys, Airfields, Barracks and Bridges was very good.
So as a conclusion I have to say that AcesHigh is still the best online Flightsim arround, with great planes, great playability and well...an online comunity what still need a few patches.

Sailor

K West · « **Reply #47 on:** February 05, 2002, 08:50:02 AM »

I second what Metronome said. Plus wil add my two centavos on my experiences online during this tfree trial

I downloaded the latest version last Friday and, surprisingly, each night since I've been drawn back to play it for an hour or two inspite of the large amount of problems I've seen and encountered. Why? The terrain and world draw me in. It's phenominal. Roads, bridges, valleys...the whole shebang. Where as the program itself with it's myriad of bugs and performance issues repulses me.

Half the time I've had fun and quite honestly the other half has bored me to tears. The fun has been spawning at a contested base and defending or countert attacking. My kill to deaths is pathetic as I've been killed 90% by someone I never, ever saw. But like I do in MOH:AA or RTCW I get up and rush in to do it again hoping to bag a scalp this time.

But the other half of my online time has been spent listening to the radio, spanwing at a contested base, running around the base looking for the enemy. Seeing none I jump on a tank or truck hoping they know where they are going but I end up jumping back off as they too are clueless. No radar and no bar indicators really show how much you need to coordinate with your fellow players and WWIIOnline has a LONG way to go in that category.

The Keymapper. Probably the number one reason I will not consider buying the box and subscribing. 8 mos later for it to be this bad still ( as well as the rest of the program) is inexcusable but I cannot get my CH 8-way hat to work at all. The diagonals do not work (numpad4 and numpad8 do not mimic numpad7). And with the WB'S back ground for many at CRS's I find that screw up amazing.

FPS is just passable, but workable. It is in the mid-teens to low 20's that suddenly drop faster than Enron stock to low single digits and even fractional. And this is as a foot soldier or ground vehicle operator. Forget flying. Strangely offline I got 30 to almost 50 depending on ground or air vehicles. I get offline in AH or WBIII the same as online. I fail to see why there is such a dramatic difference. I think part of it is too much info is being pumped to every player online to render. For instance as a grunt I do not need to see aircraft gun tracer thousands of feet up in the air and many miles away. Since I can't see the planes anyway why do I have to render thier tracers and hear thier sounds? Same with ground vehicles in many instances. Same with moving cockpit controls. Why bother? What is the point besides being a lame gimick that sucks up CPU cycles and FPS. I've followed all the tweaks by Avondell and others. Most non-WWIIOnline centric tweask I'd known about for years anyway and it's the reason AH and WBIII work well on my PIII 600 (w/384mb sdram and 32mb TNTUltra).

The sounds are horrible. They get stuck, play for sources they should not under most circumstances and are not directional. For example I can hear vehicles miles away, or aircraft fighting thousands of feet over me and miles away, but I cannot hear a truck, tank or soldier coming over a bridge 200 feet in front of me.

The clouds. They suck. Where as AH needs to work on a couple of bugs with thiers, these (and those in WBIII) are horrible. Ditch em altogether untill they are fixed and improved.

Halfbaked features like; No direct "6" view which effects ground vehicles poistions. That's bunk. Or lack of clear working guages in the forward view when piloting aircraft and vehicles. And only being able to look a little bit to the left/right as a soldier when riding a vehicle. Unrealistic to the bone.

IMO it is where it should have been last summer for an open beta. It still has a long way to go and many issues to resolve and maybe they'll last lonmg enough to have another test trial. With a good chunk of the development crew layed off I don't see this thing progressing very far or fast at all.

Westy

Staga · « **Reply #48 on:** February 05, 2002, 10:30:28 AM »

Westy I'n not sure but in halftracks can you use zoom key to watch your back ?

K West · « **Reply #49 on:** February 05, 2002, 10:47:51 AM »

I guess you can. I'd thouhg not as many times when I'm on one the drivber is always asking if anyone was not one yet or if the tow was lined up to hithc. I figured he could not see like in the other vehicles (planes or tanks, guns etc etc) So if you can that would be good for backing up and hitching a tow to say the least!

I've not driven a truck or HT yet because I've not been interested in those. (It's much like flying bombers in AH and for the much same reasons many do

)

Westy

Spitboy · « **Reply #50 on:** February 05, 2002, 11:12:37 AM »

Good points, Westy. For the most part, I agree with everything you said. My experience flying is differnet, but that's cause I get good performance. I think my rig is a bit newer.

The terrain and immersion is the best thing about WW2OL. I often wonder if that terrain is truly the cause of the performance issues, or if it was simply poor management and coding. One one hand, it's impressive that the sheer scope of the game works at all, and with 64 players in view. Folks who complain about the graphics or the server simply do not understand the work involved in putting a world of that scope online with that many people in view/on the server. It's a totally different animal from AW, WB or AH in that regard - nothing else comes close.

But on the other, like you mentioned, the stupid little things that don't seem to be easily fixed make me really wonder.The Keymapper. The chat system. The lack of structural damage to things like gear and props. Etc.

It's really a love-hate relationship at times. Like you, I am bothered by all the flaws and bugs. But I still seem to find myself clicking "PLAY" for some reason.

K West · « **Reply #51 on:** February 05, 2002, 02:09:22 PM »

"I still seem to find myself clicking "PLAY" for some reason."

I probably would too if I had a ghz plus machine

I'll have to see how things go over the next week and a half of the trial period that I have left. I may buy the box at Walmart for $10.00 (if I can find it. no one has it around here in Central Mass) and get that 30 day bonus for purchasing the box with which to continue trying it out.

Westy

Nifty · « **Reply #52 on:** February 05, 2002, 02:33:19 PM »

when they fix the bias on which 64 players are displayed, I'll reconsider subscription fees. As I've stated many times, when I'm flying a fighter, the enemy planes better all be showing up, unless there's 65 of them.

as it is, I'm flying a long, chasing a bandit, we fly over a town and poof! he's gone. A lot of players know this happens, and they game it as much as they can.

Kieran · « **Reply #53 on:** February 05, 2002, 06:28:53 PM »

Class-acts like you are the only reason I even gave the game a second look. I could subscribe if there is a resolution to my joystick being dropped after every sortie Allied. Odd thing, I can play Axis all night with no probs.

K West · « **Reply #54 on:** February 15, 2002, 08:58:26 AM »

Spitboy's always been one of, er, those kind of guys. "Smoking Wrecks" all were (are) ...Fry, Flames etc etc.

Anyway one last post re: WWIIOnline. My trial is over today and while it definately was fun using anti-tank guns, as well as the tanks themselves, the soldier and aircraft part was just a big flop for me. I won' be subscribing and not just because the product or it's gamplay just doesn't work well for me. I'd have really considered it if they worked the major issues soon enough. However recent news today on a major change to take place more or less hi-lights the character of the company behind the product and the change is now the number one reason I'll never subscribe. Well Hatch and Killer announced they are shutting down the WWIIOnline boards citing the large "noise-to-signal ratio" So they runaway, withdraw into the castle keep, raise the draw bridge to keep the uncivilized peasant-trolls at bay and prepare for the "seige" ahead. Aka the "bunker" mentality. Which is down right pathetic imo since they created that beast.

Good luck Spitboy et al.

Westy

Spitboy · « **Reply #55 on:** February 15, 2002, 09:01:38 AM »

Hey, thanks

FWIW, I think you are 100% correct with the forum shutdown. It's a case of a company blaming the players for their own failure to accomplish a goal, and it stinks.

And it's a really bad move.

VWE001 · « **Reply #56 on:** February 15, 2002, 09:39:43 AM »

PC Gamer listed total subscribers to WWII online as 40,000+ if that is true then that is a hefty chunk-o-change. Anyone know what the totals are for AH? Also other than a few online write ups why is there no mention or reviews of AH in something like above said magazine?