|
|
 |
 |
CRS
Official Chat Event - 7/20/00
This is a log of the official
World War Two Online chat event that took place July 20th, 2000. Chris
"Mo" Sherland and Michael "Gryf" Weber were the guest
speakers, with Joel "Tongue" Solloway as the chat moderator.
Will the supply lines and the citiesbe accurately followed for
the time period?
As much as we can...cities will be a bit more "simple" than
real life, but we're going for as much as we can without making the basic
system a 1gig processor :)
Mystery Question #1
Naval side will be used for whatever it's used for in real life. You use
it to either support your gains, make your gains or protect your supply
lines. It's all in there and it's all gonne be good :-)
Mystery Question #2
Well as far as that we have yet to determine who will do what. Right now
we're looking to make sure that folks have some leadership but I'm inclined
to wait until the beta is well advanced before I consider who will be
right for what command slots
What belt/pack equipment, loadouts will we see for infantry?
We'll do the most used stuff first, then add the esoteric stuff later,
after we're up and running. Rifles, SMG, MGs, grenades and pistols to
start...extra ammo etc.
Any word on the infantry HUD? Can you compare it to any other
games, will it be there at all, or will it be completely different?
We are looking into that now. Many choices there, but some kind of HUD
seems to be a given. We'll see soon :)
How will you keep people working as a team, and not have rouges
forgetting their units?
If your side doesn't work as a team they will lose :)
How realistic are the flight models .. what is the learning curve?
Flight models will be as realistic as possible. Hoof has an awesome physics
loop that allows us to do things that have never been possible. Look for
VERY realistic models.
when will you be inviting the new beta testers I got mail about
non disclosure but nothing since ?
When you get an NDA you're "in" , till then, hang tight. Patience
counts for points on this issue <grin>
Will the "D" varient of the Ju-87 be modeled (the naval
version that was never put into mass production)
As of right now no. However if we see Lots of german carriers we might
:-)
rotate the old guys out
Can you be descriptive with the virtual cockpits, will mouse clicks
activate switches and buttons on the consoles? Will there be a place to
hang a nice pine air freshener in the Opel?
No pine, only Jasime. But switches w/ mouse clicks are possible. We are
testing that stuff now. I like the idea myself :)
How will the "front" be defined, and how will issues
such as observation and AI defense of the front be handled?
AI defense will be used for certain areas. We're looking for front defination
to be these choke points and who holds.
Will padlock be in place or not?
Not sure. We don't have it now and I'm not pushing for it. The whole Idea
of targeting with a mouse is one that not many here like. We'll see what
the players want.
Will artillery guys be able to aim by looking through the breech
and down the barrel at their targets? (If they're at flat trajectory range.)
Golly, I dunno if we've even thought of Artillery as a direct fire weapon.
I'd have to check and see if there were any waepons they did type of boresighting
with.
Will it be open for certain elements that an enemy has (ie. the
Enigma coding machine) that could be stolen for intelligence?
Right now we have no specific plans for that. However as the game develops
we'll have to see if it's something we need to add.
I'll ask again, I understand that when 2 guys are fighting hand
to hand, that they will deal out "shock" damage, will they be
able to die from this shock damage, or will they just become incapacited
or "knocked out". Once they are incapacitated, can you keep
hitting them, untill their head caves in, or untill they die?
All of that. :) First you'll tire and your ability to withstand shock
will go down, and eventualy you'll be unable to get up and defend yourself
:) I'm looking forward to the first WWIIOL Boxing tourney :)
Will some kind of voice keys be available allowing players to
say pre scripted voice comments for each country...like having the germans
speaking german, allowing all players to hear if they are close enough,
or having brits be able to speak king's english...in other words not the
real players voice, but a recorded one saying stuff like Charge....Run!....Bogies...6
o clock high....etc
Right now it's not in the picture. We'd like to have them yell and such
in their native tongues but I don't think that will make the first release.
I have Suncom Strike Fighter Serier Throttle. Its a split throttle,
and can control the throtlle for two seperate engines if the game supports
it. Will ww2ol support it?
Yes, you'll be able to run more than one as well. Imagine a 4-engine aircraft
for example :) We'll be supporting a lot of axis.
Will this engine be able to accurately and cleanly depict long
distances as well as up close? Basically bringing the best of Voxel and
straight 3dFx together?
Yes, this engine does a fabulous job of depicting items.
How about infantry identification, how will we be able to verify our team
mates in a very crazy fire fight?
Uniform colors were quite unique, we're hoping that will do. It'd be a
shame to put icons on the FPS :(
I know it's a pain to implement but will we be able to take weapons
from our fallen comrades? I'd hate to have a mission fail because our
heavy machinegunner or the guy with the bazooka dies early.
Not initialy.
Will Dr. Jones be able to uncover the Ark of the Covenant and
prevent the Nazis from using it?
It depends on who allocates resources to obtain the ark and who can find
soldiers foolish enough to carry it into battle :-)
Will you be able to adjust your scopes, for the scoped weapons?
For instance, adjusting it for lcertain ranges.
We are thinking that you'll have to clibrate your sight before action,
otherwise it'll have some margin of error. We'll look into what it takes
to calibrate sights (We have a lot of them in this group :) and we'll
make it advantageous to calibrate.
What CAN actually be destroyed? Can terrain be destroyed by artillery
and such?
No. Only objects like buildings etc. Natural stuff will be undamageable.
Will the military commanders take over the resources of the country?
Not entirely. Each rank will have specific responsibilities and each office
will have specific premissions. So while a country leader will determine
the overall direction things take he'll need subordinates with permiossions
to carry those orders out.
Will there be bullet drop? Can bullets, bombs, and artillery be
affected by the weather and wind?
Yes.
What keeps people from disobeying orders and not doing their mission?
Nothing at all. In fact folks never have to even take a mission, they
can just sortie and go lone wolf it. We want to support all types of gameplay.
Missions will be the key to getting battles won, and goals accomplished.
Not to mention rank points.
Will it be possible to represent "immersive" type terrian
features? (ex. Tall grass, swamps infantry will have to wade through.)
How can you graphicly represent that?
We'll have terrain that will certainly affect your movement like those
items.
When a mission is completed .. does everyone involved in that
mission receive rank points?
Yes.
How will friendly fire be dwelt with? Will it be the same as enemy?
As soon as we get folks shooting at eachother in the beta we'll be able
to impliment a few things and see what works. Something that gives the
shotter and shootie a "timeout" needs to be in place, but the
issues are big and hairy after that :( Also, one system can't possibly
deal with the variety oif weapon systems we'll offer...like the system
that works for two guys with pistols will open holes for the Iowa's 16
inchers, and the P47's Bazooka rockets. It's a big fish...but we WILL
FRY IT!!
After accumulating enough rank points to become a Col., for example,
can you cash them in for the rank even though there really isn't another
opening for that office?
Well there is a difference between rank and office. Rank is what you can
advance through regardless. Offices are positions of responsibility and
authority. So yes, we can have 500 Colonels and only offices for 15 of
them.
Will we be able to have camoflauge since the SS isn't being modeled...in
other words will you just change the uniform slightly to reflect that
it's just regular heer...or will you just not model anything that pertains
to the SS as far as uniforms go?
Nothing with the SS symbols will be added.
If a tree falls on Sixxo in the forest and Corn forgets to make
the sound does he still go SQUISH?
actually he makes more of a squash noise .. same difference tho
Say an Infintrymen gets shot in the Leg, will this affect movement?
Absoulutely! THink this way: If it will affect me in real life it'll affect
you in the game.
How will commands be sent to squadron mates? Will there be shortcut
keys, text chat, or do you have to plan everything in advance? It would
be great if you could tell squadron mates to change formation and fire
at a selected target with the touch of a key.
You'll have both a typed chat interface and an option for a VOX system
(real voice comms). >From there, pre - planning would help :)
What will people run into if they go beyond the created boundaries
of the theatre? Will they just run into a brick wall?
Well theater boundaries are still being defined right now. Right now you'll
just end up in an unpopulated section of the map. Brick walls around the
boundry are expensive and take time to build :-)
If a tank or plane's ammunition or fuel gets shot, will it ignite?
We will model realistic damage for hits. If your tank is full of fuel,
it'll probably just leak out. If it's full of fumes you'll go BANG!.
What happens to your parachute after you jump out of a plane?
You'll need it to make a soft place in the barn for the French farmgirl
I guess :) We'll probably have it "fade" at first, later we
might make you "hide" it with a timeout animation.
Will the NDAs be sent Via Snail mail or an E-Mail form that can
be printed put then snailed back?
No, Snail will not come to your house
How long is the whole war expected to last? Are there time limits,
or will it end when the death count hits a max?
There is no time limit on the war. You need to defeat the enemy to end
it.
How will time scale be determined if my fighter squadron moves
to Pacific from Europe.. will we all have to physically fly there in the
related time it takes to get there... or will we miraculously fly there?
You probably won't have the fuel to fly there :) You'll be able to sortie
aircraft in any theater you want, just tell your squad what base to meet
at. However, getting your "Mustangs" to the PTO, might take
the commanders a few days, or even weeks :)
If an infantry unit is critically wounded can he chose suicide
instead of delaying the mission?
We are not going to model suicide, but I've heard that dropping a grenade
at your feet is "bad".
If you can creat a character for both axis and allies, dont you
think that would defeat any Recon operations? If i want to see something,
i can just change characters and go have a look. I'd like to see something
to keep this from happening
Recon will be needed to define targets and get missions made for certain
items. You cannot create a bomber mission with no recon for instance.
Recon from the other side will not enable you to create missions.
will there be offline access to the mission editor so we can plan
missions then e-mail them to squadmates?
That is not currently in the plans.
If My Mustang goes into flame and I hit the silk do I have to
hoof it home ?
Well if you want to make it back with the max points for the mission you
just did, yes. But if you just don't care, you'll have other options.
So each arena is a different area of land....Do they all run on
the same time zone as well? Do they high Generals control all the Arenas?
They will run on the same timeline, so it may be night in the PTO and
noon in the MTO :) Theater commanders will only have control of "local"
resources...the PTO commanders won't be able to swing their rank in the
ETO for example.
will there be unit number limits per side?
Not of players, but definately for advanced or rare weapons syetms...like
Tiger tanks...Me163s etc...
Will carriers have a unlimited supply of aircraft.Meaning could
people just spawn thier and take off. Or will carriers only allow a certain
number of spawns then they have to go back to port to "resupply"?
Well remember this is a game that people need to enjoy. There will be
no limits on how many of what you can grab. Hoever you may only be able
to grab certain equipment from certain places. That's going to restrict
things an aweful lot.
Will there be P.O.W s?
Not right now. Dunno how we could implement that.
What happens if the war lasts beyond 1945? What happens, as far
as R&D is concerned, to countries that survive longer than they are
"supposed" to (Poland, France..)?
Once it get's to '45 we'll see what kind of dev schedule we're on...I
personaly would like to go on to '46 :) We may force a restart...it's
a ways off still tho :)
Will intelligence officers and others have to go into commanders
headquarters and personally report, or will that be automatic?
Intelligence will be automatic. Go, do your mission and return to base.
At that point we assume you went and gave the info to the proper people.
Will the whole PTO consist of multiple arenas of just ocean, and
arenas for US West coast, and Japanese coast?
There will be arenas of just water for sure, but they will all "connect",
ships being the only types that can navigate that far though...convoys
etc.
if the battles are persistant worlds than what is to stop a side
from watiing until most people log off to attack ?
Well generally the sides decline in number proportionally. However remember
there will be automated defenses when people are not there to man the
defense.
Can we pick up/carry a dead teammate?
No.
So in theory if a carrier gets attacked it can launch 200 planes
to defend itself?
Nope. The CVs will have limits on "planes airborne" at one time.
That will be close to historical limits. So multiple CVs will be a big
issue for carrier ops.
Will a as earlier described "lonewolf" operator be able
to inturupt or disrupt a planned assault by a group or squadron?
Not really. THey may be along, but it's not likely that they will be able
to create problems for you.
+How will you defeat the horrendous lag that we expect to occur
with that many objects in the arena??????????????
That my friend is a secret :) You could be the anti-crist, so if I tell
you that, it might mean cirtain failure for CRS :) Seriously, that's a
trade secret, but we are designing the most advanced game server system
that any of us have ever seen.
Is the graphics engine Hardware intensive, or will it be hardware
frendly, that is to say you dont need dual PIII 800s to run it reasonably?
It's rather hardware friendly. Right now we're checking exactly how friendly
but ambitions are for a 300 or so to run it (266 if we get it right :-)
Can you steal enemy vehicles?
Not initialy.
As far as player-level supply goes, and the "loading"
of supplies onto equipment, will we have to go through and manually select
the types/amounts of fuel, ammo, etc to load, while taking weight into
consideration?
Yes.
Will you consider giving us simple celestial navigation and dead
reconning? I'd love mission clocks and compasses. The same old "magic
map" is so old. :-)
THe starfields will correlate to the time of year and the area. Sure you
can do all of the navigation that you do in a regular aircraft.
will the game be monitored to boot disruptive players?
Yes.
Can tanks run over people?
Yes. (Crunchies :-)
How will shrapnel work? Can debris from blown up buildings affect
people?
shrapnel will work like this: Tiny hot pieces of lead will fly out very
fast and be a possible deterant for any futher ops :) But we'll probably
only model shell frags initialy.
How will new spawn points be decided, ex. will the mission commander
who has captured a town be able to designate that as a supply point, or
will it be automatic once a preset list of conditions have been met such
as no enemy firing on the zone, no enemy in the zone, etc...?
Yes there is a certain set of criteria that needs to be met. But the span
point will also have to be moved there, taking time. No instantanous Panther
spawn points.
Can you confirm whether or not infantry will be able to use their
fists if they're out of ammo? Or even helmets?
No helmet, but we'd like to do that. We'll have to see what we do.
will officer assasination be possible in the field?
YES :) But you can't kill a players' rank, only a player
Will friendly collisions be enabled?
We want all collisions. Fighter Ace seems to do well. So that's the direction
we want to go. We'll see what happens techologicaly.
If two planes collide will there be real physics as in if two
P-51's collide they both blow up, or a Messershmit rams into a C-130 wing
will the wing break off and the C-130 plummet into a dive while the messershmit
blows up?
Yes we're gonna have as realisitc an event as possible.
Will there be ground radar during Blitzkrieg?
No.
DO you think you are making this system so Complex right off the
bat that if implemented how will the Common Schmo without so much knowledge
and just wants to Enjoy the game Get along? Like will the VGUI use a Mouse
based clicking System?
Yes, this is a big issue for us. We want the UI to be very intuitive,
that takes a lot of design and testing. Newbies will have a lot of stuff
to do right off the bat and have very clear cues on what's needed to get
into a fight.
You mentioned the difference between rank and holding an office
- if a player that holds an office gets killed, will he keep both his
rank and his place in office or will he just keep the rank?
Offices are positions of responsibility. Death and such does not effect
that.
how long can we expect game play to last for a mission ?
Depends on the mission. If it's a bomber or recon mission it'll be a long
one. A base defense mission might only last for a few minutes.
What is the radar, unit identification system that will be used
on the map if any?
Depends on what map it is. A grunt in the field will have none....a battleship
will have good radar, a base will, a tank won't. All these will be different
maps. We'll always give you a "steer for home" que, but if your
a grunt, you'd better pack a compass, and hope for air cover :)
If you are a soldier in the field and low or out of ammo .. how
do you resupply?
You can either go back to a friendly choke point and resupply or get a
supply truck to come dump supplies.
Can you clear up how the Capaign's move on.. Let' s say we all
start off with the 1940 model and the Germans Win we all move on to The
next campaign Right? What happens if the germans lose? will that all be
fiction?
Yes. After we start the game it'll all be player controlled.
Once again Snipers yea or nea? will there be room for practice
and improvement in shooting ability? or will a 1600 yard shot simmply
not be possible to calculate?
What is the facination with Snipers? If you can see him and hit him sure,
you can be a sniper. Just don't expect that to be a major portion of the
game. Snipers generally are easy kills. :-)
Will it be possible for people to be blinded?
Hmmm. Had not thought of that. Sound's easy enough. Not initialy though...but
maybe, then again, possibly not....hmm, yes, er, no. SHEESH!!
Mo - I hear you are a big fan of "Panzer Commander"
- Do you have any plans for setting up the controls in similar fashion?
Can we expect to see Turret explosions lift the turret off the chassis
and send it flying? I just got done with some great games - The GeForce2
is saweet. ;)
Turrets will fly :) PC rocks
Any more ideas as to medals and how they will or will not be implimented
in the game?
We're working on that right now. Still have yet to decide how to implement
that particular one. We'll let ya know when we decide. :-)
Will Russian soldiers be issued a ration of vodka?
If I have anything to do about it they wi-'hic'-ll
How will camouflage for AFV's work? Will there be several schemes
to choose from?
Theater skins will be in there, so the same model tank in the snow will
be white...etc. But player-custom camo is not in the plan,
Can you tell us about friendly Icons, I am worried about trying
to find my Company members when my whole squad spawns to a base.
All I will say is you will be able to tell frind from Foe and it's gonna
be a great method. Right now we're keeping the lid on how it's done.
What will happen as far as R&D is concerned when a country
survives longer than it did in RL? For example, if France survives past
1940, will the they start being equipped with British/American weapons
and vehicles, or do we get access to the "Char B-5"?
We'll have to get to '45 once, and get a good solid vehicle set up for
the whole war...then we will intoduce R&D
Will it be possible to launch V1 and V2 rockets?
Eventualy.
Will there be some major battles that really happend, when modeled,
be set up like their real world counterpart characterization? Ie. Stalingrad
had big sniper warfare.
Snipers again. Go figure. :-) If we decide to make special scenerios we'll
have it as real to life as possible, even snipers.
Can I be a full time truckdriver in the game?
Yes. In fact guys like you will be the real heros.
If the Japanese commanders choose not to attack pearl harbor,
can they delay the United States' entry?
Not sure...we may force that...lots of AMIs want to get their Mustangs
:)
Will there be craters in the ground from shells and explosives?
We're still working on how to do that. We'll have something in there.
What positions will be available for infantry? will there be medics,
comms, etc.?
Well there will be combat arms for sure. The other items we're still debating.
Any thoughts on player built/repaired structures? (especially
bridges) I don't expect to be able to build my own bunker all the time,
but sometimes you need a pontoon bridge right here, and right now.
Yes, we want to have players be able to span a river with "engineers".
will there be a cease fire period at the begining of each phase
to prepare or will it just GO?
Beginning? Phase? Nope just go. You're wither at war or not. this is Real
time guys, not turn based. :-)
Will there be an Information Screen pop up to Inform you on things
that happened when you were sleeping or.....may i say it? Working? That
would be very Cool if it was in a form of NewPapers!!
Yes, the "World@War" will be a dynamic newspaper on the site
that will update all war events of importance and display the front lines
dynamicaly.
Is there alimit to squadron size?
Haven't discussed it yet. However I imagine a reasonable number will be
arrived at for a max number.
how dense will forest area's be? do you expect these area's to
impact game performance?
We are just now getting some cool technolgy together that allows massive
cover with very little CPU hit. It's looking like we'll have a lot of
cover.
will combat engineers be AI positions that will do the job automatically
given a certain amount of time, or can we humans do it?
Right now just AI. If we get 5,000 players screaming to drive dozers we
may rethink that :-)
what about flares and smoke grenades? Will they be implemented
eventually
Smoke will make it sooner than later.
can tanks run over trees?
No. It's a bummer, but we have to let trees be indestructable for now.
The hqFAQ states that the servers will be places in Texas, will
that make the game a LAG nightmare for european players or do you have
a solution to that problem?
Well no matter where they're located lag can be an issue, even with a
server down the street. We're doing everything humanly possible by providing
huge pipe into the servers and great equipment on our end.
Say I’m low on fuel and some other pilot comes in hot for
a landing and crashes will that affect the flight deck? Meaning I canā€™t
land until they clear the wreckage
Hmmm, cool idea. At least the wreck will stay there for a bit. Maybe damage
to the deck too...haven't got that far yet. But I like that one.
Will their be "displayed damage" for example a sniper
(yes again =)) misses his shot will you be able to see the bullet hole
in the wall?
Snipers again. :-) Yes, we'll have that type of damage.
Can a soldier climb up into a tree? like if i was a sniper could
i get up into a tree?
Quite possibly.
Will carriers have catching nets for those of us, uh, unable of
controlled crashes on pitching decks?
We'll have a barrier for those *AHEM* unable to decellerate fast enough
on landing :-)
Will there be rip currents and tides to deal with during an amphibious
operation?
Maybe. We'll be doing wind....so tides should be simple...we'll see.
will binoculars be standard issue for most troops?
No.
Will the red light district be modeled in Amsterdam?
Yes, but I'll be the pimp
Can thrown grenades be thrown back?
Not as of yet. We'll think on it.
Can a pilot ditch in the ocean and be rescued?
Yes.
will the italians be able to win the war?
Sure they will.
Will there be tread marks in the dirt from vehicles and if so
how long will they stay (That way we will know if heavy hardware went
through and area before us)
Yes....but they'll fade if players are not in viz range. We will probably
have a time out too. Some combo of the two.
There's a rumor that pictures of Mo and Gryf will soon be available
on the web. Do you guys think someone will cut and paste them into amusing
photographs the way folks are doing with Rafter and Tongue?
Yes but certainly they are not as good-looking
will temperature affect said pilots survivability rate?
Hmm, I don't think that has bee discussed with me but I imagine that it
will.
Will spawn points limit units based on Alliance, or nationality?
(Historicly, Britian was only in the N part of France, but could we supposedly
distribute a few British infantry and tank units in with the French so
both nationalities units could "spawn" there?)
Yes, it'll take time and those bases will have to be "moved"
from somewhere. For instance the brits may only have 10 bases supporting
Spits...move one to France, lose on the the UK :)
I'm afraid MO missed the point of my question, let me rephrase.
If France survives into 1944, will they be stuck using 1939/40 equipment?
Nope
IF u get lost as a pilot and away from your squadron will you
have to fight your way back home? or will you be able to log off and back
on right back at home agian?
You can A) find your way back home and collect mission points or B) auger
and lose the points. It's your choice.
Can parachutes get shot, and then drop?
depends on how you damage the chute. A couple of holes won't do much.
Shooting them with incideiary and setting them ablaze will really hasten
decent speed.
If someone spawns to a different area how do you get them to show
up without just jumping infront of someone?
Players will have to spawn at facilities...not out in the middle of nowhere.
There will be dynamic spawn points, but they will always be in a facility
or "base" format
will there be a 8 track player in my tank?
No, We only have a reel to reel player availible in 1940.
How many different specialties will there be? Will there be training
for each one, or atleast guidence?
Lots. We want to have a training course for each weapon system...guns,
tanks, planes etc. There will be offline practice as well.
Will there be engine problems or niches, for example German Panthers
had to be warmed up for 15 minutes before they could deploy or else the
engine would choke out, will this be implemented?
We're going to have to run a fine line between playability and real life
problems. We could implement all of the problems all the equipment had
but it really wouldn't be very much fun.
What inspired you all for making the game?
Our general love for the era and history as well as the lack of any game
that currently fills this niche. Ingernal we're making a game we've been
dying to play for years.
How will the seasons work, If I want to do a night mission, when
will that bey, How long is a day in the game?
We want multiple night cycles per day, and we'll post the timeline on
the web when we get it set. Seasons will change the weather and ground
conditions...sea too. And they will follow a very familiar pattern :)
If I am a gunner and killled in a bomber do I jump to another
gunner point or spawn back at base?
If you get killed, you're dead.
Will ditching the plane take away from the resources?
No.
Will there be duds in ammunition?
Not sure. Random defects are not cool in a game. We will model barrel
failure before dud shells.
Thanks to Mo and Gryf for attending and answering our questions. Kudos
to Tongue for moderating like the hero he is.
|
