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World War II Online FAQ: Game Features

Are there going to be seasons?
Yes.

Even fall?
No. :)

Is there going to be weather?
Yes.

Night and daytime?
Yes. UPDATE: "As of right now we haven't decided on how time will be compressed, but you'll certainly have a reasonable day/night cycle to fight ing. Nights are looking like a fun time to fight."

What will the icon system be like?
When they get to beta they will reveal the icon system. Here's what they can say about it:

• It will be very different
• It will take into account distance, viewing time, unit type, and cover / weather
• It will not display all detail, all the time.

"During the beta we'll be getting feedback from players and streamlining systems for gameplay. Icons are a very big issue, and we want to get a system that'll enhance gameplay without generating fallbacks or loopholes. We are also open to "no-icons" if certain instances prove both playable and compelling without them. Regardless of the system a developer looks at, there are always more issues playing on it than initially identified…always. Icons are one of the most delicate systems in an online gaming environment. We are taking a lot of time and care looking into improving the icon standard without "breaking" it."

Will the missions and campaigns be player controlled or predetermined?
Operations will all be player driven. High ranking commanders will be able to initiate operations and campaigns with the proper tools.

Will there be any special reenactments?
Special scenarios will be run in separate theaters in order to reenact some of the biggies like Kursk, The Battle of the Bulge, Midway, etc.

When will the USA enter the war?
It is assumed that they will be involved around late 41.

Which countries will be in the game?
Unknown right now, but as beta looms closer info will be made available.

Will there be waves?
There will be waves. Visualise a PT boat smashing into waves with a particle system tossing spray off the bow with each swell. That's what they are shooting for anyway. I would expect they'll have some actual screenshots at least by January sometime that will be pretty representative, but no promises.

Any word on the damage model?
The damage model will support penetration, explosive, kinetic, and proximity damage to ALL vehicles.

How will the physics model work?
Let's use the PanzerKampfwagen III as an example. Each wheel is modeled individually, rotates at the correct speed, and interacts with the terrain. Each wheel has its' own suspension and moves up and down depending on the forces of interaction with the ground.

Will there be varying terrain?
Yes, with snow, rain, mud, and grass as examples. With mud and grass, your vehicle will sink in an amount that is proper for the conditions.

Will there be trains?
Yes, but no player-controlled. They will be used for supply purposes. UPDATE: Neat quote. "Trains will be added to the strategic system and will run supplies as will truck convoys. They (trains) will be run by AI only and will respond to the strategic system's request for resources to re-supply to the front lines.

They will be interdict-able by enemy players and should provide a nice smattering of "targets of opportunity".

Will there be AI/Otto defenses?
Yes, locations such as HQs will have automated defense.

Will I be able to communicate with other players via my keyboard?
"Keyboard comms will be available as per usual, but channels will be pretty detailed. There will be separate private channels for countries, command staff, mission participants, squads, and the like. We will probably limit private messages to one side only, not sure yet. Commanders and high rankers will be able to use an announcement channel, much like the blue channel in brand W, but side specific."

Will there be unique character models and skins?
The plan is to have custom characters and uniforms for each country and each service. (they're hoping that they can show rank as well). They plan to allow you to change the appearance of your character within the limits of the nationality.

It's likely at the start you'll just get an average guy for each nationality, and they'll add in additonal choices as they get them done.
UPDATE: There are plans to have several skin bitmaps for each country, and you get to choose them via a persona viwer/editor akin to what EverQuest has in place.

Will there be female character models?
The Russians will have some female characters available, snipers and pilots at least. That looks to be about it.

Will there be non-mechanial transport (animal)?
Yes, but further along into the development cycle. Horses and mules can be expected.

What about offline training?
Offline training will be in with a few simple missions, as well as an offline vehicle qualification system - you have to qualify for a vehicle offline in order to be able to use it online.

Will there be an 'easy mode?'
No. Here's why: "There are very legitimate business issues that are connected with an "easy mode" issue.

First off I think easy mode in WB has been given a bad rap.

For most folks coming into a sim like WWIIonline it will be a very daunting task to fly a fighter plane into combat. There are two simultaneous and difficult learning curves that are encountered by every beginning pilot at issue here.

First is how to fly the plane. When WB first started the biggest initial question by most new pilots was "what's wrong with my joystick?" when torque took them off the runway at takeoff.

Flying a plane with a realistic flight model when you don't understand things like accelerated stall and spins is a big learning curve for most people.

Second is combat in a 3D environment. This a huge learning curve as well. Learning the strengths and weaknesses of aircraft as well as the art of fighting both horizontally and vertically is tough.

'Easy mode' lets folks fly without the learning curve of physics, it was the same flight model except it had limiters that cut off your control inputs when you approached stall etc., basically a fly by wire that wouldn't let you screw up, leaving you at a disadvantage as the real mode guys could hang it out a little closer to the edge and get an advantage. Then once the pilot was comfortable with the combat enough he could go to real mode and tackle his next challenge and get at the extra edge the real mode flyers have over easy mode.

Whether an "easy mode" is the right answer or not is a good question. But having approximately 45% of new customers that leave citing "the game is too hard" as their reason for leaving isn't very appealing either. Been there, done that. And when over half prefer it to real mode when they have a choice what does that really say?

AH has a good idea in that they basically set trim for takeoff, something real pilots do and works very well. I like that solution a lot.

As well WWIIOnline will have other forms of combat that are a lot less complicated than flying fighters for folks who have a hard time at it.

And lastly it is my hope that we will have enough customers to populate an "easy" world if it seems we need one in the future. Thats why the modes were mixed in WB, there weren't enough pilots to fill two arenas nightly when that was done.

At this time though there is no "easy" mode and no plans to create one in the immediate future."

Will there be non-infantry player models?
Of course, ranging from tank crew to pilots to sailors.

Will some sort of documentation be provided?
Yes, extensive documentation will be provided, probably using HTML.

 

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