The "Race" to be released first: WW2 Online vs WB3

[Ripsnort]

This is an interesting race, to see who gets their respective product 'on the shelf' so to speak....

Here's my take, and the following text is all IMO:
If WW2 online makes it to open beta before WB3 makes it to open beta (I assume WB3 will have a beta period), then I believe that WB's will be all but history....alot of WB'ers have expressed they will convert  to WW2 online granted the FM's are somewhat decent (no worries  there, I doubt Killer would release a FM that isn't near perfection...HT could comment here, he knows Killer better than any of us)  In addition to this, if WB3 doesn't have a flat rate, and WW2 online does, say, $10-30 a month, then iEN is in real trouble, as we all know they're pricing scheme is outdated.

If WB3 makes it into open beta first,with a pricing scheme change, then iEN may be in a good position to retain its loyal customers, and WW2 Online will still get its  share of revenue due to the expansion of war it has set its sites on..ie.they will please first person shooters, role players, tank sim nuts, naval and flight sim enthusiasts.


Here's my analogy:

If WB3 makes it to open beta first, they *may* survive for a while.

If WW2 Online makes it to open beta first, kiss iEN all but goodbye.

Where  does this leave Aces High?  IMO, somewhere in the middle.  If Aces High gets the Navy, and all that is forseen by its creators, they have a good chance of going head to head with WW2 online.  If both companies have a flat rate, you'll see many that will probably use both sims.

This brings up another point, its a race, the software programmers are  under  alot of pressure to  put their  product out first... how many major bugs will accompany these two (WW2 online-WB3) when they hit open beta?

Being in AH beta from certainly a late stand-point of V.34, there really were  no major bugs  that prevented me from playing..a tribute to excellent, and obviously skilled programmers.  But what about WB3 and WW2 Online?  Theres alot of names  that we see from being online with, but how many have actually got 'their hands dirty', and what flight sim experience do they have from the past (Programming that is)?

Either  way, I see 3 going HtH in the next year, even though there are more online sims out there, I see these as 'the big 3'.

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Ripsnort(-rip1-)
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[This message has been edited by Ripsnort (edited 07-12-2000).]

[Karnak]

I plan on having an Aces High account for the late war stuff and a WWIIOnline account for the early war/authentic forces stuff.  No WBs account, canceled it long ago.

Sisu
-Karnak

[Dnil]

 

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Dnil
JG-2
Part time aircraft restorer. www.kingwoodcable.com/jheuer

[This message has been edited by Dnil (edited 07-12-2000).]

[Ripsnort]

You are correct, GJ is not with WW2 online, my mind is thinking Killer, but I'm typing GunJam...editted above post.

[Udie]

 I'll be flying both AH and WW2 online, and I WON'T be flying WB3.  I may d/l it and check it out, but I refuse to give any of my money to a place where it has that posibility of ending up in Wild Bill Stealey's pocket.

 I just hope a big war doesn't start between ww2 online and AH like it has between wb and ah.  I plan on being prominent in both comunities  

 AH for arena style furballing and WW2 OL for the full on war   As for now I agree w/ HT that ww2 OL and AH are two diferent markets.  Regardless they WILL be the 2 best sims out there  

Udie

[Westy]

 I'm interested in WWII Online. But I have some serious doubts as to the fit and finish of the final product. I've been a bad boy over in thier squad forum (out of boredom I'll admit. Picking on the 3rd army) but my observations on the community forming there is that it comprises 80% absolute dorks and idiots with the remainder 20% more regular or normal. Not sure that's where I want to "play" but it could be fun for a little while.

 WB III interests me only because anything innovative that it introduces (and I've yet to see anything innovative from the screen shots or mentioned in topics about it anywhere) will "raise the bar" and help advance the expectations in WWII aircombat flight sims. At the same time I have no intention EVER of paying an hourly fee to fly online. So unless they go flat rate it's out of the running for me, period. Even if what I would spend in hourly fees would equal my AH $30/mo flat rate plan I do not want to watch a clock and be conscience of my time spent online to ensure I do not surpass a specific budget.

 Another on the far horizon is a remake of AW from the ground up. No specifics at all yet but they could become a contender once again unless the sim remains a game and aimed at the "gEnErAl MaJoR d3WDz" - as it is now.

 -Westy




[This message has been edited by Westy (edited 07-12-2000).]

[Ripsnort]

I think hourly rate is a thing of the past, and I hope that WW2  online realizes that...end-users can thank HTC for that!

I would be VERY surprized if WW2 online has an hourly package, and even more surprized if WB's does  after WB3  is released, again, end-users  can thank HTC for that.

I agree somewhat Westy,  with the market  that WW2 OL will targeting,  you'll find a much more ...diverse...crowd over there, but, this is all speculation..alot of the posters on the BB over there are going to be in WW2 online while its in open beta, once they go pay, Mom and Dad ain't gonna flip for the kid to sit in front of  a tube for 8 hours a day (well, most Moms and Dads!)

[This message has been edited by Ripsnort (edited 07-12-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Ripsnort (edited 07-12-2000).]

[Cabby]

WWIIOL???  Who knows?   I am anxious to see/try it, though.

WBII is already a more fun sim than AH.  If iEN goes Flat Rate, WBIII will be the sim for me.  There will be a WBIII.  If you are waiting/hoping for iEN's demise, don't hold your breath.

Sorry folks, i tried AH(again) and except for AH's graphics and pricing, WB's is a superior game.  Don't get me wrong, i like AH a lot, i just don't care for the current FM and the Terrain/MA is boring.

Perhaps a few more new AH releases and i will change my opinion.  In the meantime, it's back to WB's WW2 Arena and the S3's!!

Cabby

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=44th FS "VAMPIRES"=
"The Jungle Air Force"
Welcome To The Jungle!!!"

[This message has been edited by cabby (edited 07-12-2000).]

[jihad]

 Warbirds is a shambling corpse that won`t lay down-kinda like something from a Stephen King novel. It really is a shame that the idiots/suits at iEN ruined a good thing.  

[ArkanReb]

Ripsnort the Rats have already stated ww2online would be flat monthly rate-it's just a matter of how much.I plan on playin both AH and ww2online.I enjoy AH but at the same time would like the option of bein able to be in other branches in a historical setting.

[Spitboy]

I'm pretty sure WB's is finally going to see the light and go with some kind of flat rate pricing. Littman said as much during Con in interviews. It's long friggin overdue. It'll be interesting to see what that change brings - will they be able to support an influx of players, etc. Personally, I think they should have done so long ago. WB just ain't worth $2 an hour anymore. It stopped being worth that about 12 months ago, really.

As to WW2OL vs. WB3, I tend to think the real competition will be more along the lines of AH vs. WB3, since both will primarily be aimed at the late-war flight sim nut.

Neither AH nor WB have put the amount of thought required into planning for a game that revolves around more than just planes.  They will always be primarily air combat sims. That's not a bad thing, necessarily. It's not a slam, just a statement of fact.

WW2OL OTOH is designed from the ground up to be a plane, tank, infantry and naval sim. Everything in the game revolves around that interaction, and the strategic model is well defined and integrated deeply into the game. It's not just "let's add a tank," or "let's add some ships." Each branch has an integral and NECESSARY role to play. Even if the flight sim aspect fails to draw large numbers, WW2OL could be kept afloat by the other three arms of service. I highly doubt AH in its current incarnation could be kept afloat by tankers.

Will it work? Time will tell. I think that in a year, we'll see WW2OL has created its own niche. AH and WB will respond by falling back to their niche, which is late-war air combat, or spend the time necessary to develop a new version of their sims to compete with WW2OL. I also believe that WW2OL will draw a lot of the "hard-core" flight sim fans despite its initial lack of late-war iron and Big Fargin Gun planes, but I could be wrong.

As Westy said, AW4 could prove to be a dark horse in all of this. Seems like they are also angling for the flight sim dollars in the late-war, air combat niche.

Just my .02.

Spitboy -SW-

[Downtown]

I don't see iEN going away that fast, and WWIIOnline is in Phase II, or III of their closed beta.  The Core programming for WBIII isn't even finished yet, they had a playable demo at the WB Con, hey, didn't they have a playable demo at last years con too? Two years and two playable demos for WBIII?  Gee WWIIOnline hasn't had a playable demo yet, I guess its two years off at least.

I am first and formost a flight simmer.  WWIIOnline will be a War Sim.

Between AH and WB I understand that WBIII will have basically the same strategy that WB 2.76 has.  Cabby thinks AH is boring and the terrain not interesting, WB has had the same limited strategy for a long time.  HTC gives bombers a reason to fly.  WB has had that same limited capture the flag strategy for a long time.

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"Downtown" Lincoln Brown.
    lkbrown1@tir.com    
 http://www.tir.com/~lkbrown1
Wrecking Crews "Drag and Die Guy"
Hals und beinbruch!

[SpyHawk]

Um...My understanding is that WWIIOL will progress, once the Battle for France is over they will progress with other periods of conflict. BoB? Greece? Eastern Front? North Africa?

I don't think it will remain JUST an early war sim.

So at some point it WILL challenge the late war crown as well, only time will tell.

[Ghosth]

I guess I see WWIIOL as being a lot different than the current generation of Flight Sims.

Even not going into the total war integration. From the reading I've done I see WWIIOL being a LOT more mission based. As such it will be a very different product than AH.

As to how well it will all hang together, well perhaps after beta we'll have a better idea.
For now I am glad to see HTC giveing us as much as it is. I think that when they get around to doing ships & naval opps that it will add a lot of depth here.

Currently IMO Planeset is the only thing that WB has over AH currently. Looking at the video of WBIII I am really not impressed.

If WB does NOT go flat rate & with a better product soon I see it being sold to AOL down the road like Fighter Opps. May not happen this year, but thats my prediction.

Meantime AH rocks and WE ARE JUST GETTING STARTED!

Hang on to your hats guys it's going to get interesting.

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Maj Ghosth
XO 332nd Flying Mongrels

 

[This message has been edited by Ghosth (edited 07-13-2000).]

[Karnak]

Yes, WWIIOnline will progress, but for a long time it is going to be early war stuff.

Sisu
-Karnak