|
CRS
Official Chat Event - 4/27/00
This is a log of the fifth
official World War Two Online chat event that took place April 27th, 2000.
Chris "Mo" Sherland, Mark "Snail" Pribe, and Michael
"Gryf" Weber were the guest speakers, with Joel "Tongue"
Solloway as the chat moderator. The special topic of the night was: our
new game manager, although many questions strayed off that topic.
how do you see the
flat rate affecting the amount to time players can spend in online training
if you start one
Ok, I don't see unlimited time being much of an issue at all.
You see the system we are working on is being built from the ground up
to take advantage of what WWII Online will offer. In fact I expect the
system to require a bit of "homework" for the players to be
able to complete the toughest phases of training. Not the familiarization
training, but the training thet grants privliges.
Will there be training before major campaigns; i.e. an in-game war game
to determine whether or not a strategy will work before its actually tried
in the field?
The training we will be doing will infact always be for campaings..
the whole game is setup to run as a continuous campaign. What we'll do
is make sure that the commanders know their stuff before they command
and that the players know the roles the commanders will have to use. It's
going to bit quite a bit like real military training only more fun
What do you mean by events....will you guys stage events like D-Day?
Right now I'll say there are plans to execute special events
like D-Day or Peal Harbor, but I can't say when right now. It's certainly
something we are considering and mulling over.
Lets say I have 15 minutes to spare before I have to go to work, will
I be able to jump into the game and get some combat action before I go,
or will it take bit of planning to get into the fight?
SSure you can jump in and play. You may not be part of an organized
mission, but there will be no restrictions on what you can and cannot
do. The structure of WWII OL will cater to organization, but you can burn
your time any way you might like.
What pricing plans will we have, will it be the same for the FPS and Flight
sim, or will they have seperate prices?
Everything will be priced the same.
Will I even see combat action during the game? I mean, the world is half
size, but the player base within that area is a very very low percentage
of the actualy population during WWII..How can you guarantee that two
groups on different missions will just happen to run into each other?
Will intelligence be involved in finding out the enemies plans?
We're going to channel people towards each other in a creative
way...smile. I don't want to let that particular cat out of the bag yet
though...:)
will you police the arena for cheaters and/or a**hole proofing?
Yes we are proofing the system against cheaters and people who
would ruin the experience. However you the player can send a stronger
message by playing in a fashion that doesn't promote that.
As for the compley controls for aircraft, will there be easymode to ease
newbies in like WB's or everyone is thrown in together?
Both. Easy mode will simply be agrigated systems, not easy "play".
Just taking the load off the player during weapons and vehicle systems
operation. However, there will be a "grognard" mode for all
vehicles where players can control everything, like manifold pressure
and prop pitch controls to analog clutch control. We plan on making the
hard mode capable of eeking out better fuel economy and range etc. But
not general performance.
Will the networking engine be very efficient... the FAQ spoke of as many
as 1000 players at once, on a map which is ... to say the least, expansive.
How would a guy say... on a 56k modem stack up aginst someone on... 512k
cable?
Our current planned minimum connect is 28.8. If you have a 56k...you'll
be fine. Other than that, differential in your connect speed vs someone
else's isn't going to mean much.
How big is the map and will you guys have to detail the entire terrain?
1400 x 1700 km or so. We're working off DEM data, so most of
the elevation is already in there. We've also got some auto-texturing
to help us before we go in and start working by hand. Anything else is
hard work and sweat. But we're not going to detail every square inch of
all that land either. Also, it will "evolve" over time....what's
present in initial versions can be updated, expanded, or detailed further
if necessary...and that will an invisible process to you folks.
Hidy killas! Any ideas on offline training yet?
Well, we'll have some training missions. I can't say that there
will be structured missions offline, but i can tell you you'll want to
practice your skills before you try to take your exit exams
Will aviators be able to get in and out of their plane on the ground?
Yes :) All the canopys open and we will have an animation of
getting into all of the vehicles. Should be fun.
Any word on the effects of slogging through difficult terrain with troops?
How many can be squeezed into a truck? Oh yeah, how many sheep can one
man carry? ;)
Mud will be slippery. That what ya mean? How many can be squeezed
on a truck depends on the truck. I don't think anyone's going to be making
off with the livestock.
will there be invasions?
If players can organize them there will be :) We will definately
supply the tools to use.
is there any one gameplay issue you are more comcerned about at this point?
can we help?
Well I can't think of any real gameplay issues we are worried
about. What you might want to do is go tell everyone what a cool game
this will be and get them in there so you can gun them down
Will there be Game Manager positions available in the future? And can
I put my name down at the top of the list for them? :)
It's possible. But I'm not looking for another paid position
at this point. If you're *really* serious, feel free to drop a resume
on me and I'll keep it on file.
Will you guys have people in the game at all times making sure things
are running smoothly?
In short, we won't know what needs done until we get it into
beta. Of course everything we do will be done to the best effect. Hopefully
we won't need too much help to keep the game right.
Will players have the ability to surrender, and an in-game motivation
to surrender?
Individuals will be able to "surrender" by exiting
the game world....if you're in a place where that makes sense. For countries,
country commanders will most likely have an option to give up if things
ever get that far out of hand.
do you expect to have online trianing? Pilots will need some nursing along
who come from fps and the like?
We will have online training. In fact I see at least wto different
levels of training. Familiarization training that gets them ready to use
the equipment and vehicles, and an OCS style training where tactics, strategy
and deployment issues are tackled. I see a very comprehensive model being
put forth.
will wwiionline be shown at E3?
Yes we will show WWII Online at E3.
Can I model the German U Boat commander after Snail?
I'm thinking of going the van-dyke route too. It's kismet!
If I'm the pilot of a C-47, Ju52 or other transport will I be able to
look over my shoulder and see the troops in back?
Welll...that's a "wanna-have-not-gotta-have that aint been
decided yet. Depends on what we can squeeze out of the technology.
do you execute also europe friendly mission ?, how do you handle different
time zones in this games.
The missions wil be generated by the commanders in the game at
the time. the top commanders wil dertermine the direction they want the
war prosecuted, then the local commanders will have to figure a way to
acheive their objectives. I forsee this being timezone independant for
th emost part with the overall direction determined and the details being
worked on at the local level.
Lets say I have high enough rank to get into a Tiger tank, but during
battle I decide to get out of it and run silly face down the street towards
the ocean. Will anyone be able to get into my tank and use it or will
they have to have the same rank that I have?
We want vehicle "stealing" in the game, but we are
not sure if we can get it technicaly. There are a few gotchas that we
want to avoid, and leaving vehicles laying around a lot can eat up packets
fast. Think of it this way: If a player leaves his tank laying there,
then grabs another vehicle, do we "vanmish" the first one? And
if so what about the poor bastige that was hiding behind it? And if someone
steals it, we need to transfer ownership and that intails a lot of information
going over the 'lil phone lines.
Can tanks and other vehicles be used to ram the enemy in desperate situations?
Yes :)
I've heard of something called cmeye in that other game...will WWII Online
have something similar?
Hmm, well right now are not sure if we are going to use that
on the player level, but yes we will have a tool like that so we can check
out how the war goes
is gryf now Mo's monkeyboy?
Only as much as Mo is my moneyboy and I'm Killer monkeyboy.
Will the component-based damage modelling mentioned for vehicles apply
to soldiers as well, or will they have more of a "health" system
like in a FPS, or what?
Definately component based. We'll support 3-4 levels of damage
for most "components". legs, arms, whatever. Troops will also
be damageable with "shock" and "fragments". Limping,
blood loss, fatigue, etc. It's going to be as detailed as the vehicle
system, in fact it's the same system :).
Who's monkeyboy am I?
Mine
Are bullets sensitive to areas on a unit? For example if I am shot in
the hand can I go on fighting or will it kill me?
Yes, your person is very sensitive to such things Headshots
will kill, gut shots will wound and you'll die without attention. You'll
get tired and not be as effective.. we are going to model this as close
as we can without destroying playability.
Will ricoche and shrapnel have an effect in this game? If I'm standing
close, (but not too close) to an artillery hit that blows a wall of bricks
up, will there be a possibility of me being hit by a brick? Or can I shoot
at a tank and have the bullet bounce back and smack me in the face?
Area effect damage will be calculated, but I don't think we're
gonna model every brick in a building that gets hit....grin. Ricochets
are gonna happen...so that tank round can come back and say hello...yes.
What do you guys consider the most enjoyable aspect of being apart of
this game?
I think this will be different for everyone. But personally I
like nothing better than seeing the operation I put together acheive it's
task and do it well. Some will just like the see the body count they amass
has it been decided if medics will be included? or is it still in the
air?
Still up in the air. There's a few thorny problems under the
surface of that one.
Can you have multiple accounts in-game ... like in Ever quest.. can you
have one account where your an American bomber pilot, and one where your
an S.S. Panzer leader ... off of the same Key or whatever you plan to
use?
One account to play WWIIOL, One account to explore it, One account
to die over and over again in WWIIOL, and one account to rule it :)
Are there going to be 'chaotic' events? Like mud slides closing roads,
lava flows from Mt.Etna, or plagues decimating the troops who get too
friendly with rats?
Right now we are going to have weather and it will affect gameplay.
However I don't forsee catastophic events occuring.
Will the Desk be modelled?
The desk is unmodel-able. It hink it's evil. I must say this
softly but...(whispering),,,if the dest finds out we are talking to the
players it will...AIIIIIEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!
when will we see some troops?
Not quite yet. We're still working on animation stuff. It's not
going in front of the public till we're happy with it.
Any progress on foxholes and craters?
No changes yet. We are thinking hard about it though :)
Lets talk about shrapnel. Will it be put in by "you were this close
to the explosion of a 105mm round, so you die, while joe bob 5 feet farther
away is only mamed" or will there be something more to the equation
such as random chance, amplication of a wall forcing shrapnel this way...ect.
(btw, I noticed a question above that is similar. Sorry about this, I'm
not just taking his idea, I promise! )
Yes...it's going to be a "you were this close so it's this
likely you got hit" sort of thing.
How is the plans for the "world @ War" online paper coming,
and how would one become involved in writing for it?
Well Doc is really the person to takl to regarding "World
@ War". He is the cheif cooke and copy writer for it right now and
he's the guy to deal with it. docdoom@playnet.com
Could an artillery shot destroy a road? Or cause a mudslide to close the
road? Is there concussion? If so can it destroy hearing or vision?
Yes on concussion, no on road distruction. However it will leave
a nasty crater that vehicles will have a hard time with for a while.
My first one of these.....could you guys briefly explain the command setup
for playability......Will it be AI or will it be a real person and if
so how are you going to determine that part?
All command will be player run. Look to the HQ site for the WWIIOL
FAQ, it get's the basic accross real well. Players will gain rank as they
complete missions. Higher rank will allow players to control deeper game
functions. It's quite an elegant system in it's detail. But I don't have
room here to flesh it out.
Are the theaters connected? I.e. if a group of merchant vessels make their
way to the northeastern corner of the Atlantic map, will they then appear
on the western side of the European one?
It may not be as simple as that, but yes the theaters will be
connected. The commanders will share resources and such between them as
they see fit. As far as players moving theater to theater, we'll have
to see what we can do in regards to that. We have questions ourselves
and need to play it to see.
How long will one "game day" be?
Not sure. We want multiple night cycles per real day so players
can get some night fighting in no matter where they live. But until we
get a good idea of production time for a theater/vehicle set we cannot
determine a time-line. We'll know that once all the core technology is
done and we are under play.
does Toto worship the devil?
Only on Tuesdays, I think
Will artillery be called in only on command , or will you be able to man
a fieldpiece yourself if you so choose?
You'll be able to be a cannon-cocker if you choose, or you can
drive ahead and tell the cannon-cockers where to shoot. Your choice.
Can ya tell us a bit more about the view system? adjustable FOV? adjustable
hed position? nudge buttons.... fixed views for infantry so I can look
one way while moving in another?
For FPS type stuff, you'll have mouselook. For planes and such,
you'll have the view system we've seen before. We've talked about customizable
views/head positions, but that's not in stone.
Will destroyers and the like be able to mine shipping routes?
Maybe. We have talked about mines before, but we need to make
sweepers as well. Not sure. It's like the whole "Medic" thing...Who
would want to sweep for mines?
Do you expect a full set of features during the open beta test..will anything
be missing?
We expect a full set of features for the open beta. However we'll
have to see how it goes in the closed as to how quickly we implement the
whole deal. I can assure you everything will be working in open beta before
we go live... that's what the beta is for
Mo: You once said "I'm *not* leaving my wingman!" How did Bennigans
inspire you to think up such awe-inspiring words of wisdom? Or did that
come from a movie...with Tom Cruise... no... that's not possible.
Top Gun is a great quote quarry...no denying that. I live proud
to know that at any given time I can say: "Cougar couldn't handle
it...turned in his wings!"
Have you given any thought to server wide instant comm links via the chat
buffer affecting gameplay. Like bailing and "calling" a friend
to pick you up.
Yes we've considered the issue, we've considered the historic
sense and it's weighed against the gameplay issues. It looks like we'll
have several different radio channels, but no global ones.
Will you gain an automatic rank if you shoot nigel?
Dear Officer Krupski, you must understand, it's not that he's
delinquent he just got outta hand. It's not that he's evil, or up to no
good. It's just a simple case of being misunderstood. :)
Can we put our own/division icons on our tanks, airplanes and other things?
We're planning on having personalized insignia but we're not
sure to what scale we can acheive that with.
How much ammo will one be given... Will there be little ammo bunkers or
stuff layin around or can you just get ammo magically or what?
NO MAGIC AT ALL EVER IN WWIIOL!! You'll have what ammo the guys
in the forties did. If you want more, go back to base, have a friend carry
it for you, or get a buddy to follow you or meet you in the field. Again
I'll say this to all: DRIVE TRUCKS IF YOU WANT TO WIN
Can anybody see me typing?
I can :)
Will there be a Mac version in the closed beta, or only PC at this point?
The mac version is running now :) We plan on getting the Mac
beta started after the initail PC beta bugs are "skvished" well.
What happens if the Allies are pushed back? Surely, we don't get to invade
America, DO WE?
Well, we won't force you to do anything ;)
Would one be able to "overload" oneself with extra bandoliers
and such maybe at the cost of reduced movement?
We'll have a number of "loadouts" for you to choose from. That
will depend on what's reasonable and historically accurate for a given
troop type.
WIll submerged subs be deaf and mute?
Sorta...we'll have proper "listening" info for the
types. But clearly, you won't be able to see anything unless you are surfaced
:)
I think I love you
How flattering! I think all you guys are swell, but i'll reserve
judgements on love till later.
Are you guys planning on releasing a new video clip soon?
Yes.
Does that mean you'll go to all the trouble of modelling America, in case
it's attacked? Or will you have to pull of an all-nighter if Hawaii falls?
:)
G We plan on modeling both coasts eventualy...and if we need
to we'll model the midwest too :) But Texas will be a dangerous place
to attack...we get M1A1s from day one :)
Are there going to be super weapons in the game..ala German secret weapons
like the V2?
We're hashing out how weapons development will go right now.
We haven't decided how many options we're gonna give or how we want them
to go. Lets just say we're considering it.
I've asked a lot of good questions...can I join the beta test?
Please send $1,000 in cash to me and I can assure you a slot.
Can communication lines be damaged, so units can be "cut off"
in the command sense?
A multiplayer game without communications is not a particularly
multiplayer game, IMHO. Since I can't police ICQ or phones etc etc etc,
I'm not going to design a gameplay advantage to having or not having access
to that sort of thing. However, there will be certain abstract things
with the way the strat AI works that might simulate that sort of thing.
Also, there's info players will see due to other players doing recon missions...and
you can stop those from happening to limit info being used to construct
missions.
Do all vehicles "exist" at all time? I mean, if I join the game
and choose to fly an aircraft, does it simply "appear" for me,
or do I simply spawn, as a man, at a base and climb into one of the available
aircraft sitting at that airbase? And further, does that mean one could
attempt to destroy enemy aircraft on the ground?
It will spawn whan you select it. Capitol ships, Subs and DDs
will all be persistant though :) There will alos be aircraft on the bases
in "repair" facilities that will be available to destroy, and
more importantly, they will give you clues as to what types of aircraft
are available to the enemy at THAT base.
Will realistic visual constraints be in place? For example, if I'm clipping
along at 10,000 feet will I be able to see a single soldier on the ground?
Oh I *seriously* doubt it. Grin. You might see a nice column
of armor that needs pasting, though.
If a persistant unit that is running on auto is attacked, will some kind
of message be sent to players at large to come help defend it? (CV might
call that radar has japanese air group inbound X miles out or some such)
Yes. In-theater for sure. I'd personaly like it to be able to
page it's commander as well. Can you imagine being at work in a meeting,
and your pager goes off. you look at it and it reads: "Mayday from
USS Arizona: Under attack, defending at GQ and awaiting orders SIR!!"
Will i as a pilot be able to shoot down V1 rocketplanes over england?
Not sure if we'll put V1's in or not. It's certainly possible for the
engine to handle.
WIll aircraft systems be modeled as acurrately as possible? For reference,
The FW-190 D-9 had an automated system to control the prop rpm, mixture
,etc, based on throttle setting. Will automated systems such as that be
modeled?
Yes that one and many many more :)
How many versions of the 190?
When does this game start beta?
Will players be able to man AAA? if i'm playing as a german, can i turn
an 88' or a set of 40's skyward and start blasting away at incoming Spit's?
We'll have a certain number of fixed emplacements at certain
areas to provide automatic cover. However we'll certainly have those types
of weapons availible for the player to man.
If vehicles can just be spawned at a players request, how will attrition
be modeled. Won't unlimited tanks, planes, and guns make it hard for one
side or another to gain ground?
Gaining ground does not rely on the ammount of vehicles you sortie
oh grasshopper. But we are not modeling vehicle attrition. We will be
"leashing" advanced vehicles in a few different ways so that
when say the Tiger Tank comes out there won't be 3000 of them all in one
area. More on that as we test the design under play.
If I leave a sub while its underwater, and leave it on auto rather than
passing off command, will the "crew" run out of air? Will the
auto pilot automatically surface to recharge etc?
Ships will operate by themselves as if they had a competent crew
aboard. They won't be doing anything offensive, but they'll keep themselves
afloat and defend themselves as much as they can. We want to balance this
so that having players aboard is a definite advantage, however...if the
player's worth his salt.
will there be flak belts?
Yes, but they will not hold up your pants!
Will infantry have to undergo training to carry out specific kinds of
missions? Paratrooper training if you want to take part in the invasion
of Crete? Marine training if you want to take part in a virtual Tarawa?
Well we won't have operation specific training. However you will
certainly want the training to know how to operate in those conditions.
What level of gore will there be? Will I be able to tell by looking at
someone where they have been hit?
Yes you'll be able to tell. But it won't be SOF levels...we're
looking into R6 level gore :)
Will there things like campaigns and the like that we can get ribbons
for or something?
Yes! You will recieve cool stuff in the mail after taking part
in decisive battles etc :)
Will documentation for each vehicle be provided or is that something for
the players to fiddle over?
We'll provide the data we use and whatever else is useful to
help folks understand what they're playing with. On the other hand...I
am certainly hoping the playerbase expands on that to the nth degree.
will a tank crew be able to select their ammo type? like AT vs HE?
Yes.
Will you be allowed to switch sides?
Yes you can switch sides, however you will not carry your rank
from side to side. you will have a rank for one side and then another
for the other side.
oh, please thank Corn, and beg 'em for more sounds!
we thank him everyday :)
Will there be any spying in this game.. or will it matter or what
I'm sure folks will find many ways of transfering info :)
please explain the chain of command from high command to squads/units...
what about groups coming into this already established?
Well we're working on how to do just that. Right now lets just
say we're fleshing out an equitable solution for all involved.
More screenshots!
Send check to : Mo at playnet.com
I only saw British, French, and German equipment listed. What will populate
the Luxemburg/Netherlands area? French troops?
If it's a country that players are not able to play, then the
land there will be defended by AI troops/emplacements. It's basically
there for someone to conquer.
hey
whats goin on
i didnt get my quewstion answered :(
now im really sad :(
Once we open an account, will we be able to switch between the different
types of combat units, ie, air, ground, sea, with that one account? Or
will we have to pay separate for each type of combat?
There will be no price difference between services. One account
serves all.
Will recon infantry only be able to tell their commanders about what they
saw by 'saying/typing' it or will they have the ability to take pictures
of the terrain and post it somewhere in the game?
There will be recon for sure. You'll be able to take photos and
get them back to base. That info can be used for intel on missions after
that :)
Thanks to Mo, Snail, and
Gryf for taking the time to answer our questions, as well as Tongue and
the rest of the Playnet.com staff for setting
this all up once again. Great work!
|
