Premium Rate Revert Notice - Effective August 2022
From our president XOOM:
As you know, Playnet/CRS is actively working to modernize WWII Online and bring it to modern-day standards. In addition, we are continuously developing WWII Online 1.0 and providing new features and fixes routinely - with 11 releases shipped and an all-new game server giving the best ever European ping times over this last year. Then we have our WWII Online: Chokepoint project which is creating the basis of WWII Online 2.0 infantry and new content.
On our 20th anniversary, we made a commitment to reduce our price point in an effort to acquire more players for the game. We warned that this was a risk for us to do, but it was worth a shot. Unfortunately what we have seen is players jumping off of their higher-paying plans to the lower price point. We understand how this makes total sense from a consumer point of view, but it has now put us in the position to restore the prices as they were - which we said would be the case if required.
But this isn't all bad news. It is a special time for WWII Online and its history, where in real time a gaming community and dedicated development group is working to do something on a monumental scale - the porting of a 21-year-old MMO project onto a modern game engine. This is our primary mission, and Playnet/CRS requires funding to invest in talent, software, and resources and ensure that momentum carries forward.
At the outset of this migration to UE4 - which we've now decided to use Unreal Engine 5 because that makes sense and offers us the most bang for the buck - we said there were two major components that needed to be completed in order for us to ensure that this would be possible.
The first was to make sure we had an effective method of converting FLT (OpenFlight) assets which encompass all 3D assets in WWII Online - other than infantry. This has been completed.
The second was to create a pipeline whereby we could convert the game world to Unreal Engine 5. We have confirmed that this is possible and it is happening. We've successfully created an API to pull data points from our existing game and have created successful conversions to Unreal. Now we are working to do that on a mass scale, which is being done as we speak.
All of this combined represents what everyone in our community wants, forward progression, real innovation, and moving the game into the modern age graphically speaking. The game's design at its core has held up and we are blessed to have a community that has kept us going.
The increase in price comes out of necessity as mentioned before to ensure we keep this momentum rolling forward. We know that everyone's financial situation is different and a lot of thought has gone into this, we were hoping to see an increase in volume to make up the difference. I hope our goals of being transparent about this are well received and not our preferred choice - but it is the best for the game and the community's goals.
We know that when WWII Online is modernized it will be a massive game-changer (pun intended). At which time we will seriously reconsider this knowing that the number of people who will be there will hopefully be tens of thousands.
Effective now, WWII Online's premium rate has been reseted to $17.99/mo USD across all channels. All existing subscribers' billing information will be updated to that rate by 8/1/22 (Steam subscribers need to confirm this acceptance, follow the instructions received by email). Every paying subscriber will however receive a WWII Online: Chokepoint key - as of September 7th, 2022. This means you will be eligible for playtesting and checking out everything going on. This will be mutually beneficial to ensure we have the maximum number of playtesters and that your premium status is recognized not only with full in-game features in WWII Online, but access to our new WIP project and eventually full premium access on Chokepoint as well. Existing folks who kept their subscription rate at $17.99 will continue to receive builder benefits until November 1st, 2022 in recognition of their effort.
That means the following plans will be available at that time:
2 Week Free Trial followed by perpetual (limited) Free to Play
Premium: $17.99/mo
Hero: $29.99/mo, $49.99/mo or $359.99/yr (Not available on Steam)
In closing I'd like to repeat something from our 20th anniversary: The future of WWII Online is in our hands. We're it. There's nothing else like this on the market, and we are the best equipped to make it happen because we have the proven infrastructure, willpower, and community support to do it. This is not our preferred option but it is the right call to make so we can continue forward. We remain committed to the WWII Online franchise and its development and we will continue at full speed to share with you the progress we are making on all fronts. Consider this as a Patreon funding initiative, because these subscriptions are the primary lifeline in achieving these goals.
Notable items in development now for WWII Online 1.0 includes:
Mortar Carriers (81mm's on Half-tracks)
Artillery/Howitzers (105mm)
Integrated Voice Communications (approaching server test phase)
Gliders
This is a special time with serious work underway. Your support remains ever critical and pertinent to not only keeping operations going but enabling real innovation that brings us into the future.
Thank you from all of us at Playnet / Cornered Rat Software.
Campaign 189 has started!
Campaign 189 has started !
Here are some useful links to information on server settings and supply. We are always looking to keep our players updated on changes and make it easy to find the information to prevent any confusion.
If you have suggestions on any of these game subjects feel free to post in the forums. We are open to all ideas.
Good luck to both sides
S!
Major Update: Version 1.36.18.0
World War II Online Version 1.36.18.0 - July 2022
Features
Added the Rat Pack player decal for their 2022 squad contribution (Thank You)
New 2022 Fundraiser Platinum Wreaths have been added to the game (Thanks to Csm308, Robswede, and Bangsi)
Doom66 has been added to the Fallen Soldier memorial
Bombsights in Bombers with moveable bombsights will now be able to be locked and unlocked (default: locked) left-ctrl+z
Instant Despawn now happens when players press the Escape key without the need to click ok, press Escape again to cancel
New Motorized Mortars have been added:
British - 3in Universal Carrier Mk I
American/French - 81mm (M21) Halftrack
German - 81mm Halftrack
The game's credits have been updated
The Barrage Balloon PPO has been added to Supply Trucks
The Barrage Balloon PPO max damage and height has been updated
Windmills are now destroyable
A new capturable City Hall has been added to Brussels and Limburg
A new river island added near Grobendonk
A few new road tiles have been added
Improvements have been made to Versaille
Surf has been added to coast lines
A new Bush PPO is now available
Camo Netting PPOs have been added
Tree visual distance has been extended out to 4.5km
Updated Spa track to closer match the historic layout
25 New towns added to the map: De-Cochsdorp, Scheveningen, Ijmuiden, Herdecke, Castrop-Rauxel, Herne, Zwolle, Hoogeveen, Meppel, Eursinge, Arnhem, Renkum, Franeker, Harlingen, Woerden, Amsterdam East, Amsterdam West, Mijdrecht, Leiden, Alphen Aan Den Rijn, Haarlem, Aalsmeer, Hillegom, Dortmund, and Limburg
Fixes
The 109 F2P aircraft's "type" (ctrl+i) icon mode has been fixed
Fixed disappearing ABs in Kalmthout, Marche, and Wetteren
The US Carbine Paratrooper's weapon has been repaired
The Supply Truck's PPO info on the spawn list has been fixed
Fixed broken flags on some bunkers
Some fixes added to Hellevoetsluis (this area remains a work in progress)
Repaired a hangar in Charlois
Corrected a terrain tile near St. Menehould
Trees have been removed from the Veurne AB
AI repaired near Liege
Fixed terrain clipping near Krabbendijke
The "Play Offline" and "Settings" buttons on the Mac launcher have been updated
The PPO Name Selection issue on certain units has been fixed
EZ Mode (RA) controls have been removed from the keymapper
Note: A future variant of the 81mm Universal Carrier Mk I variant will be made available to French forces so that they can be introduced one tier earlier. All Mortar Carriers at this time will join when the US Forces do, or Tier 3 as of this writing.
S! Cornered Rat Software
Don't forget to subscribe and support the war effort!
Connect to our Social Media to get more updates and help us gain visibility to grow the community and reach new players to play with:
As we have now launched Welcome Back Soldier (WBS) (which runs from 6/1 - 6/15) we're also releasing Version 1.36.17.0 A New Dawn for Paratroopers themed patch tonight at 6PM Pacific Time, which includes the three new airborne classes, resupply canister, and three great 2022 Roadmap deliveries! Of those deliveries is the introduction of "Mobile Airfields" in WWII Online where players can deploy side-based airfield PPOs and friendly planes can land at and resupply their ammo, bombs, etc. Spread the word and let's get players in WWII Online for this WBS! Don't forget to get on voice comms and join us on https://discord.gg/wwiionline.
Happy 21st anniversary to WWII Online (June 6th, 2022) and welcome back to our veteran players! Free Full access for all vets and free players, including Steam players - on our brand new east coast server (where 62% of players are reporting improved stability and ping times) - starts now!
***STEAM PLAYERS: Create an account today or access your old account and you will receive FULL premium access immediately in-game!***
World War II Online
Version 1.36.17.0 - June 2022
Introducing three 2022 Roadmap deliveries (denoted in-line by * icon) and "A New Dawn for Paratroopers" items including three new classes and long-range resupply canister. Includes several other important fixes and features, made possible by our paid subscribers - thank you for supporting WWII Online. S!
Features
The Fallen Soldier Memorial has been updated with KMS and Deadly2u
*Free to Play aircraft have been added, BF-109E/1, Hawk 75, Hurricane Mk 1 and all-new P-40B
*The Sd.Kfz 251/1 Half-track with two MG42s has been added to the German forces
*New Mobile Airfield PPO has been added, deployed by the new Supply Trucks
Parachute turn rate/speed increased for greater maneuverability
New Paratrooper canisters: Long range ammo canisters to resupply ground forces for Para NCOs
New Para NCO: SMG w/deployable ammo canister (Hero Builders Only)
New Para Combat Engineer: HE (x4) + Repair Kits (x2), able to be re-armed 50% by ammo cans in field
New Para RPATs: Bazooka, PIAT and Panzerschrek
New Supply Trucks have been added to each country's spawn list
New crew member artwork introduced for the Trawler, Freighter, Fairmile, DD and Daimler
The first Open Area Capture models have been added to Etten-Leur, Leuven and Damvillers sheep farms
PPOs are now able to be Side or Country specific
Trench Mobile Spawns now have country flags inside of them
RPAT Ammo has been reduced from 4 rounds to 2
An update to infantry being hurt when jumping from higher than two stories has been re-added
Fixes
The Ju87's tail damage state has been fixed
The Dinant Fortress damage state has been fixed
The Empel Rail Station has been repaired
The issue causing Mac clients to show the menu bar has been fixed
A few upside-down flags have been repaired
Re-introduced missing buildings in Frankfurt
The Lille Quarry is now fixed
Note: Wetteren "Bunker" is still broken but we're working on it - this town will continue to be neutral during the campaign until a solution is released.
S! Cornered Rat Software
Here's what players are saying about our new and improved game server!
Free Premium (6/1-6/15) - 21st Anniversary Welcome Back Soldier
As WWII Online approaches its 21st anniversary (June 6th 2022) we wanted to let you know that we are opening the doors to all veteran players to return - via our "Welcome Back Soldier" program - from June 1st through the 15th. Everyone will receive full premium access AND all free players, whether they've registered at WWIIOnline.com or registered on Steam will also get full access.
We also have a really awesome patch update coming (1.36.17.0) which includes all of the Paratrooper items we discussed in "A New Dawn for Paratroopers" plus a lot of other good stuff like three 2022 roadmap deliveries (notes to follow). With large scale operations coming back to WWII Online and a renewed High Command system, an original price point and active development, this is a fantastic time for players to return and support the WWII Online community. Be sure to get on our discord to follow events and stay connected with the community at: https://discord.gg/wwiionline.
Please spread the word and mobilize the troops, we're using the all-new US East Coast server which has had a 62% positive boost on player ping's internationally. And remember: Everything else, is just a game! The WWII Online community is a one of a kind place, unlike any other. We look forward to seeing all of you vets returning!
5/21/22: Configuring new East Coast Server!
This Saturday (5/21/22 at 12PM Pacific, 2PM Central, 3PM Eastern, 7PM GMT) we are transitioning our WWII Online campaign server from Oregon --> New Jersey (all other colocation services will remain in Oregon). This means game services will be offline for several hours, and a lot of advanced work has gone into this to reduce that downtime. This change represents the very first time WWII Online has EVER been on the East Coast of the USA, and it also marks a monumental move forward in our ability to deploy services as needed throughout the world.
All of our preliminary testing (including three stress tests with players) showed better connectivity, less lag / random ping spikes. This will act as a critical middle-ground for up to 90% of our players between North America and Europe. We anticipate European customers to have the very best connection they've ever had to our servers, and we've seen ping times drop quite a bit comparatively. From a gaming perspective, this will reduce players warping / rubber banding between these two continents because the time to travel to the server and for your client to receive updates are much more reasonable. This is a big deal! Please pass the word to fellow community members about what CRS is doing to improve your gaming experience. Thank you!
Matt "XOOM" Callahan President and CEO Playnet, Inc. / CRS
A New Dawn for Paratroopers
Paratroopers are getting a massive boost in WWII Online! Introducing three new classes, all-new ammo canisters with exceptional range and a very noticeable 30% increase in parachute turn speeds so you can land where you want. Please enjoy this incoming un-announced feature set which will help bolster airborne operations and paratrooper capabilities across the entire theater of WWII Online! Pictures and announcement video within.
VIDEO BRIEFING OF PARAS (WATCH FIRST)
AIRBORNE NON-COMMISSIONED OFFICER
Introducing the new Paratrooper NCO class, capable of deploying a long range ammo resupply canister for all friendly forces. This class type will be available for Hero Builders only. Consider upgrading your subscription to support WWII Online development efforts such as these.
AIRBORNE COMBAT ENGINEER
We’ve built a powerful new combat engineer equipped with explosive satchels and repair kits, who are capable of receiving 50% resupply for both in the field by any infantryman with an ammo can. This means any rifleman can restock para combat engineer satchels ore repair kits while on mission. These will be very powerful against strategic objects such as forward bases, bridges and more.
AIRBORNE ANTI-TANK SOLDIERS Anti-Tank Soldiers have joined the airborne and if dropped behind an enemy zone of control they will be able to absolutely devastate those positions. Note they only have 2 rounds, but they can be resupplied by other friendlies who have ammo cans in the field.
NEW PARA AMMO CANISTERS Now we will take a look at the ammo canisters for each country. They have the same build parameters as the current ammo cache found in the field, with one big exception: their range of placement is within 6000m from the target, which is double than any other PPO available.
As mentioned each country has their own canister, and we’ve modeled in their primary rifles in each. Anyone on your side can resupply from these canisters, including ground vehicles and regular soldiers.
Crowdfund the game!
Your premiul subscription is already helping us a lot but if you would like to give us extraordinary support and accelerate the transition towards Unreal Engine 5, we have a crowdfunding campaign that is still running!
S! Cornered Rats Software
Connect to our Social Media to get more updates and help us gain visibility to grow the community and reach new players to play with:
Introducing two new Roadmap deliveries 1) Junkers Ju-88A4 for the German Luftwaffe, 2) M1919A6 Light machine gun for the US Army & Airborne; and the return of the mighty "Dinant" Citadel (Fortress), easily see PPO descriptions on the HUD prior to placement, Side-channel being returned to default, and a new air raid siren. There are even more features, plus a slew of bug fixes - all coming to WWII Online tonight at 7 PM (PST) server time!
World War II Online Version 1.36.16.0 - April 2022
The long-awaited Ju88a4 and M1919a6 LMG units have finally been added to the German and US forces. There have also been numerous terrain improvements that include both fixes and new additions. Finally, a bunch of bugs have been squashed in order to enhance gameplay.
Features
The Ju88a4 is now added to the German Luftwaffe
The Americans will now get the M1919a6 LMG for regular infantry and paratroopers
RDP penalties (slower resupply rates) against aircraft are now configurable (starting at up to 100%)
The Side Radio Channel is now the default for new players instead of the Origin Channel
Steam DLC units are now hidden from non-Steam clients
Specific Mobile Spawn options are now added to the UI truck descriptions
Granny, the backend system that allows infantry to work, has been upgraded to 2.12 for both Win and Mac clients
PPO Names have been added to the Primary Weapon HUD window to inform players which PPO is currently selected
Players will now receive points for destroying PPOs
When a player requests ammo (.ammo) there will now be a Heads Up Display (HUD) Waypoint added so other players can easily see where the player in need of support is
De-Cochsdorp and Amsterdam airfields have been added
Barrage Balloons have been added to Amiens, Canterbury and Koln
New road tiles have been added around Aarschot and Avesnes
Oudenaard and Charleville have had their river banks updated around the bridges
New Burning barrel, Wind Sock, Buoys and a Jetty props have been added
Brussels airfield now has a storage bunker added to it
A quarry pit has been added to Liege
All railroad tracks have been lowered
New beach terrain has been added near Breskens
A Cafe and Bar have been added to a building in Dinant
The Dinant Citadel has returned to WWII Online
The German SC250 bomb has an updated 3D model
Added a new Air Raid Siren audio
Fixes
The Crew Clipping issue for the Sd.Kfz. 251/10B has been fixed
Fixed an issue with flaps on dual engine planes
The Pak36's Suspension and Push Speed has been updated
An issue with the Matilda II and Matilda CS armor has been fixed
A bad texture on Freighters has been repaired
Broken tires on the Opels is now fixed
A visual issue with "dirty" textures on the Spawn Building has been fixed
Building textures have been fixed in Mechelen
Floating terrain near Schilde, Clervaux, Vervier and Aarschot has been corrected
Floating buildings in Hahn has been corrected
The Esch-Longwy Depot exit has been fixed
The spelling for the Bastogne Depot in Wiltz has been updated
The layout for the Wellin Power Station has been updated so infantry don't get stuck
Building layout in Roosendaal, Zandvilet, Luxembourg and Brugge has been updated to fix blocked doorways
A bad ground texture has been removed from Hallschlag
AI placement in Liege and Blizen have been updated
S! Cornered Rat Software
Connect to our Social Media to get more updates and help us gain visibility to grow the community and reach new players to play with:
We're calling on the WWII Online community for supporting the development and production of our 2022 roadmap! Go to http://www.wwiionline.com/fund to read about the details and contribute. Artillery, Motorized Mortars, Tank Crew Repair, Mobile Airfields, MG42, Gliders, Refueling Trucks, New Sound Packs, WWII Online 2.0 world conversion to Unreal Engine 5 and more!
Connect to our Social Media to get more updates and help us gain visibility to grow the community and reach new players to play with:
World War II Online Version 1.36.15.0 - March 2022
This release brings in the long-awaited AI repair points. It also incorporates a few RDP Bombing-specific changes while also fixing bugs and adds a few more features.
Features
Shockwave FX added to all bombs
The Air Raid Siren should trigger more often
Factory rebuild time has been updated from 48 hours to 72 hours when 100% damaged
The US RDP is now solely dependent on the UK factories
RDP penalties (slower resupply rates) against non-aircraft are now configurable (starting at up to 50%) instead of 100% slower
Whenever receiving an MIA past a configurable time, you will now receive a full RDP penalty
Mouse freelook automatically enabled for infantry while riding on a vehicle
Infantry are now visible up to 1,000m
Infantry level of detail distances have been updated for better graphics
Engineers can now deploy a Tank Pit PPO
Trucks can now deploy a Barrage Balloon PPO
The Credits have been updated
Players will now receive Mission Points whenever repairing AI
The Spawn Delay/balance mechanism check rate has been accelerated
Fixes
Corrects an issue with the 3rd PanzerGruppe Decal
Whenever Kill Notifications are turned on, it will now notify the Killer
The Lorraine37L AC now takes fire damage to the crew and has other minor updates
Numerous minor updates to the UC / UCV
Numerous minor updates to the M3HT / M3GMC
A grass texture has been fixed
Fixed an issue with a tilted building in Berlaimont
The Mac launcher's "Show Readme" button is now fixed
Fixed a Mission Leader issue that could cause clients to CTD
FB infantry spawns have been updated to use new sandbag models and close gaps
