Speaking of running the game, how much resources does it take to get decent frame rates? Well, since I have a P4 3.0ghz system with 1 GB RAM and a Radeon 9800 Pro, I'm the wrong person to ask. With my system, I run at 1600x1200x32 with 4x FSAA and 8x AF, and typically get fps in the high 70's and 80's. There is still some stuttering when first flying into view of a large city, but this lasts for only a few seconds. It must require some intial load into memory or hard drive cache when nearing a large city. However, once that happens, the stuttering disappears altogether and flight is very smooth.
Many people, Sunking included, have complained that the graphics of WWIIOL are poor compared to such new titles like Hidden and Dangerous 2 and Call of Duty. Seeing as how the graphics engine for WWIIOL is over 3 years old, I can't disagree. AHII looks much better than WWIIOL, that's for sure. Except when it comes to rendering the trees, however. The trees in WWIIOL look fabulous from the air, unlike the weird looking ones in the AHII beta.
At any rate, at the resolution I fly at, the graphics of WWIIOL are more than acceptable to me, especially when the gameplay is of such a high quality.
Oh yes, there is also a naval aspect to WWIIOL, but since I have yet to dabble in that, I'll have to leave the critique of that to others who have spent some time playing with the ships.
In a nutshell, the old arena style combat found in games such as AH, Warbirds and AW have grown old and tired in my opinion. WWIIOL is new, fresh, and the gameplay is much more advanced in terms of strategy and tactics. It truly is a combined arms game, where all three aspects(air, ground, naval) are required to work together to capture cities and choke points. In this game, the lowly truck driver or the supply driver make a difference. In WWIIOL, air units can and do work together with ground units to capture cities. A timely air strike by a few planes can sometimes spell the difference between victory and defeat for the defense of offense.
In short, Aces High has stopped being the dynamic, ever-changing game it once was. Gameplay enhancements and additional units have stopped almost two years ago. Stagnation has crept into AH, and the number of guys who have jumped ship, or at least gone over to try WWIIOL in my squad alone, is staggering. AHII looks nice, but what else does it really offer in terms of gameplay? AHII ToD could be something revolutionary, but how long is it going to be before we get a chance to try it? One year? Two? Pyro and HiTech have been about as communicative about AHII ToD as a mime, so what am I supposed to do, just sit back and support them forever?
For now, I still have an account with AH. But the writing is on the wall for me, and for at least some of my squad mates. The more fun we have in WWIIOL, the more we start to think about the wisdom of continued support for a company that does not communicate with it's player base, and has let their game wither on the vine while they pursue God-knows-what.
Getting back to the topic, the best thing I can say to anyone wondering about WWIIOL, is to give it a try and see for yourself whether its your cup of tea. But to really give WWIIOL a fair shake, I would use the two week free trial and play it as much as you can, because there is so much to learn and do, that a one or two day trial is not a fair trial. Also, join a squad right away, as it makes a huge difference in the fun you'll have.
As always, your mileage may vary.
