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great game, if you can play it

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: June 22, 2001
Author: Amazon User

Now don't get me wrong, this game has its flaws. It takes a long time to load, and has its bugs. However, if you want to do a bit of polishing, and have huge amounts of processing power and something above 56k, this game works out fine. But if you're willing, you can find a gem as big as a basketball under all the rubble. WIth 56k, I found it greatly troublesome that i had to download a 70 mb patch. I also found it troublesome that without the patch my gun would not function. However, after downloading the patch, i started to play this game for hours on end. It's simply addictive. However, i always keep a book next to the computer so that during the long loading times (I have a pentium 4, 1.5 gz) I have something to do. But the game is simply addictive, assuming it loads, or you have the connection to play it.

INCREDIBLY ADDICTING IF YOU CAN GET IT TO WORK RIGHT

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 8 / 11
Date: June 28, 2001
Author: Amazon User

I have a piece of crap HP Athlon machine (Don't ever buy HP products) with only 128 MB RAM and 8MB Video RAM with AT&T@HOME cable modem service. I have had frame rates range from 0-40 fps (40 when I'm alone). Based on the reviews from other players with superior hardware, it seems that boosting RAM and having more powerful video card has marginal impact on the overall performance. I seem to be getting similar performance with incredibly inferior hardware. It has to be a combination of network problems and code optimization.

I have not had problems with connecting to the server like most other people have experienced. The game has been incredibly addicting when things are going smoothly. The world is vast and it feels like real combat instead of some hyper-active shooter like Quake III.

One of my biggest gripe was that they did not have all of the features that were advertised. Not all of the weapons were modeled (no MG, no grenades, no bombers. My other gripe is that the frame rate would drop at the most crucial time. I'm sneaking up on a tank ready to kill it with a flank shot and my computer would grind to a halt and ten seconds later I'm dead because during that ten seconds, my opponent had time to react and shoot me into pieces. It really angers me to know that I made careful preparations ambush my opponent and I get killed because the software isn't optimized and yes, the load times are incredibly long.

At its current state, the publishers cannot expect to charge a monthly rate. Not until all advertised features have been added and the code has been optimized will I pay a monthly fee.

It doesn't live up to its promises

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 07, 2001
Author: Amazon User

You can read any other review of the game to get the basics of the gameplay. I am going to focus on why I think it doesn't deserve more than 2 stars.

Although I enjoy some elements of it, the game itself is really an exercise in futility. Most of the important (and advertised) elements of the game are not implemented, and seeing as the developers spent the last 2 months fixing bugs rather than adding much, they won't be there for a while either. The same bugs are still there, although maybe with somewhat less frequency. They are making progress, but it is oh so slow.

The "realism" of the game is killed by the fact that armor is overrepresented, and infantry is is made incredibly hard to play with. Effectively, infantry becomes a flag capturing mechanism. Even die-hard infantry players are turning to armor to get something close to an enjoyable experience, rather than get cut down by tank MG fire they never even saw.

And that is really the essence of the problem. CRS want to recreate WWII, but at the same time want to allow players to play whatever they want. Unfortunately a tank is worth about 20 infantry, and you can not spawn in control of more than 1 infantryman. So everyone spawns as tanks. Once the much awaited supply system is introduced, most tanks that can always be spawned will be worth only 15-20 infantrymen. But they will still be invulnerable to all but other tanks and the virtually useless AT guns.

So what about the teamwork? Teamwork is essential for this game to be even remotely interesting. Unfortunately it doesn't exist. It is made impossible by 1. 80% of the players don't REALLY have the patience required to play with a team, especially given the harsh requirements of waiting for transport/other players, keeping together etc. It can take 3-4 hours to mount any sort of an operation, even with days of planning. Jump in and play? No. 2. There is no infrastructure in the game to support teamwork, making communication and coordination virtually impossible 3. The frequent crashes makes it almost impossible to keep even a force of 3-4 men together, much less a platoon. 4. The different units are so vastly different in their usefulness/effectiveness, that playing infantry becomes a chore or duty.

Add to this the fact that there are many annoying, artificial constraints. For instance, a "realistic" map missing townnames, zoom-in/out, units displayed on it, and who holds what ground.

Or the infamous night-time, where most players simply log off the present server and find another one. Who wants to buy black screens to cover their windows, turn off all lamps and shut all doors to the outside world just to be able to see what is going on in the game? It is impossible to find keys on the keyboard under these lighting conditions, of course, making it harder to do things like communicate or duck when you see the enemy. What happens when there is only one gameworld, and you can not log onto a different server? Dinner time?

This is what I consider the bottom line: I feel there is the potential of running a Steel Panthers/West Front/Operational Art of War campaign, with REAL people commanding the units instead of you/the AI micromanaging orders. The problem is that 60% of your force is L337 S/\/1P4's with their associated MTV-generation attention span. They are not seasoned Wehrmacht troops or sturdy British career soldiers with their professional, life-long trained officer corps.

And that is where things go wrong. You are left wanting what the game promises but can never really deliver. Because the bottom line is that although it is neat to have the option of working with others, the more people you depend on the less likely it is that you will actually find more than 2 hours of frantic administration and inevitable disintegration of your force. Even belonging to a 3 yr old squad of above-21 only/mostly ex-servicemen, we can really only get organized at MOST once a week, and then still only 10-15 people. It is an infantry unit, but invariably the majority will play as tanks.

If you enjoy playing a Tank Quake game, you may enjoy this, even now. If you get the game working. If you, like me, dream of the terror of dropping a battalion of paratroops behind enemy lines for harassment and securing bridges/supply points, or combined arms operations, or infantry battles in the cities: look elsewhere. It will be years before the game reaches anything close to an enjoyable war experience, if it ever will. All I can hope is that other developers see the potential of the genre and are able to create something better.

It's not a game, it's as close to a simulation as can be had

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: November 11, 2003
Author: Amazon User

When WWIIOL was first launched, it was in horrible condition. Ok, that was 2 1/2 years ago. It wouldn't be around now and have the hardcore following that it does if it were still in bad condition.

The game offers things you just can't find anyplace else.

Things like a map that is Europe half scale, Air, Sea and Land forces all fighting for a common cause on a grand scale, etc. It even has actual strategic bombing. You can fly a round trip flight in bombers that lasts 1 1/2 hours and you are nervous the whole time because you know the enemy has fighters looking for you. Sometimes they find you, sometimes they don't till it's too late and you are rewarded with the sight of their factories in your bomb-sight.

There is nothing like rolling up to an enemy town in an armored column of 20, 30, 40, 50+ tanks and forming a line formation as you approach. You are nervous because you know the enemy is laying traps for you, like Sappers hiding in bushes, Anti-Tank guns, and Tanks, all waiting for you to make a mistake. If you do, it's lights out.

Ever wanted to come to the grunts rescue in your Spitfire? Well here it is possible and the guys on the ground are all smiles when they see the enemies Stukas going down in flames. Now they can get their armored column on the move again.

In short, WWIIOL can be summed up in a word.........Addiction.

A Great Multiplayer experience in a Good game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: August 22, 2005
Author: Amazon User

As noted by other reviewers, WW2O has some problems: graphics are not as good as other FPS (BF2, etc.), and there is occasional instability (CTD's are rare but happen). What makes this a Great MP game? The players. While you can run around lone-wolf style, the bottom line is that you are part of a side--Allied or Axis--and you win or lose based on your side achieving victory. The amount of equipment available is impressive--from Destroyers at sea, to 2-engine medium bombers in the air to Sherman and PzIVG tanks on the ground.

What sold me on the game was the fact that from day 1 a player can kill someone who has played for 4 years straight. The first guy I shot was ranked as 'major general'--unlike other MMORG's there are no magic doo-dads to make sure you don't get killed. Everyone is equal; rank only gives you access to the top-line equipment (Focke-Wulf 190 fighters, Sherman tanks, etc.). Players are cooperative and team-focused and extremely helpful to new players.

The new release coming out in September should bring even more players. CRS is doing a better job than in 2001 in preparing for this release, and the improvements in the game system--from up-to-date graphics to player organization--promises a game experience second to none.

Been here since before the beginning

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: May 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I've been involved with WWII Online since before the launch. Due to circumstances beyond their control, the developers had to release the game against their will, about 8 months too soon. The first few weeks were rough, as demand for the game was about ten times what was expected. Although it had a rocky start, the game has matured considerably since its release in June of 2001. The upcoming 1.6 patch, which is in open beta testing, routinely has over 300 people in pitched battles lasting for hours. This patch marks a new beginning for the game, with a new underlying code base, and completely reworked infantry models, with recoil, reloading, and fatigue affecting bullet dispersion, just to name a few things. There is a brand new user interface and keymapper, making custom control layouts a snap.

There is no other game on the market with the scale and scope of this game. You have a two mile line of sight instead of 400 ft like other shooters. One town can be 4 times the size of a Wolfenstein multiplayer map, and there are almost 300 towns! This doesn't include the countryside between towns. All buildings are enterable.

You can be a trooper (rifle, SMG or "sapper" with demolition charges), a tank, an anti-tank gun, an anti-aircraft gun, a fighter pilot, a bomber pilot, a gunner/bombadier on a bomber, pilot or gunner on a patrol boat, even drive a truck or half track to haul troops and guns. You and a buddy can also split duties in a tank, with one guy driving and the other gunning.

There is literally nothing like this in the world. This is the game that the "big guys" in the gaming industry said couldn't be done. The graphics have improved since the beginning, but you still have to remember that today's video cards can only draw a certain amount of "triangles", and with a two mile line of sight, there is a lot to draw. You can't have 20,000 triangles to make one tank with the scale this game has, so you won't see Medal Of Honor type graphics. Considering this, the graphics are pretty darn good. ...

Performance continues to increase, though you'll want at least 256MB for optimum performance.

Amazingly, this is one Massive Multiplayer Online game that does *not* give you a huge edge if you have a cable modem or DSL. I have a friend playing on a 38k connection from New Zealand, and he flies fighter planes! The only bonus to having broadband is being able to download the patches faster. The way the game is structured, framerates in the high 20's feel very smooth.

The one complaint I hear most is from folks trying to just jump in and have instant fights. The way to find a fight is to read the mission board before spawning. That way you can find where the fights are. If you like to play house to house infantry, look for the city icons with an explosion. That means both sides own part of the town, and usually means a fight. When traveling from one town to the other, there is some time involved, because they are modeling all of Western Europe at half scale. This means that if two towns are 100 miles apart in real life, they are 50 miles apart in the game. Right now, all of Belgium and most of Holland and Luxembourg are modeled, along with Northern France and Southern England.

All vehicles are as close to realistic as a computer simulation can be, with actual factory drawings and performance data used to make the tanks, trucks, and aircraft.

This game has ruined Day of Defeat, Medal of Honor, and Castle Wolfenstein multiplayer for me. There is simply nothing to compare to being on an attack with tanks, bombers, fighters and trucks of infantry. It's even fun to defend, seeing tanks prowling in the brush outside of town, and hearing the scream of a Stuka divebombing your base. It isn't perfect, sometimes you will see airplanes warp or skid as the predictor catches up with them, but once you find a group of people to team up with, it can't be beat.

Not a perfect 5, but darn close

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: June 05, 2002
Author: Amazon User

If you're like me, you have tons of video games stacked in CD towers around your room. You'll look through them every once in awhile and load an old favorate up and play it for about 5 min before you realize why you had stopped playing it. You'll go out and buy a new game, only to beat it in a week or less, then it goes into the pile with the rest.

Well WWIIOL is nothing like those other games. It is the only game that I have played coinsistantly from the day I bought it, and I still cant wait to get home from work to load it up. True, it had a bad start, really bad, thats the reason I didnt give it a perfect 5. It has gotten better though. With the new 1.6 version coming out, its only getting better.

Everytime you spawn in something different happens. No two outings are the same for me. I mostly fly in this game (which for now requires a pretty heafty system, but that too should be fixed for 1.6), but I have played all aspects. You're always battling a real person, no soldiers running around on pre-designated paths, no events that get triggered just by your current location, anything can happen (and usually does). And best of all, no Zones like in other MMOGs. If you want, you can get in a plane and fly from Ramsgate, England to Aachen, Germany with no loading times in between (that is, if your fuel holds out).

This game will never be finnished, they're going to constantly add new weapons, features and upgrades as long as they can.

One last tip. For max fun, join a squad. Orginazation makes this game fun.

"Everything else is just a game" - Docdoom

Incredible Role Playing Experience and Simulation

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: May 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I think someone needs to step in and write a review worth reading -

The date is 5/10/03 - which is important due to updates of the game (which auto update by the way when you start the game) - ALL games continuously need updating, so that is fine, and the updates are very often new weapons, better textures, better explosions, things of that sort.

You need to understand what this game IS, and what the game is NOT - it IS a virtual battlefield, with over 100 cities, you can literally drive or fly IN game to any city you want, fly right over ongoing battles (all moving objects are REAL human players), etc.. its a massive battlefield, yet the structure of the game makes it rather easy to get to battle.

You MUST expect to play at least 2 - 3 hours per session on this game, but you will probably want to play more when you find out how entreanching this game is.

This game is NOT a quick first person shooter, its almost overly realistic, the planes are even someone hard to fly, you literally feel like you are flying a somewhat un-refined plane built in 1940.

There are 2 ways to play, either defend or attack, if you are attacking, you would start from a Front Base and take transport into the city (transport is even driven by actual human player), you use in game chat (only seen by your side) to communicate with your squads and attacking front, then you move into the city and play a "capture the flag" type of game, moving tanks in to cover the infantry, air suppurt, etc.. and there are LOTS of players, i've literally seen air battles of 15-20 planes overhead cities with over 75 players with tanks and infantry, the cities aren't oversized either, so you can get battle, but still get the realism.

This game again, is heavy simulation, the graphics are actually very good now, so don't let that hold you back, and its not difficult what-so-ever to climb the ranks and get all the new weapons, 1 or 2 nights and you can have access to everything.

WWII Online has excellent support, almost weekly updates with new things, and LOTS of players fighting it out even at 4am, its incredible and highly recommended if you are looking to remove yourself from the current world you are in for at LEAST 3 hours.

I hoped this helped and answered some of the "negative" comments which really hold no merit, as they are referring to the game which existed a while back, MUCH has changed now.
---- look for me in game when you join up and i'll help you out -
Turbo24 of the 101st Airborne Division (Allied)

Great possibilities, poor execution

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 6 / 8
Date: June 14, 2001
Author: Amazon User

There are few games that I awaited with such anticipation as I did WWII Online. In fact, I've been waiting for the virtual battlefield to arrive since 1990(remember the rumors surrounding Spectum Holobyte's Falcon 3 and its once-planned world?). With the release of, and resulting problems encountered with, WWII ONLINE, I must admit that the virtual battlefield is a bit closer to reality...but it's not quite perfect.

First off, the complaints you hear are real: WWII ONLINE is apparently a bear of a game, and it requires a bear of a system. Why? Who knows? The graphics you're going to see are not even to par with the worst of the current crop of 3D games. It would appear that the biggest limitation is net bandwidth (lots of talking between the clients and servers), but this game still requires an astronomical amount of RAM (256+, based on reports) and a quick processor (700+, again, based on reports). A good 3D card helps (you'll have no idea why...the 3D is terrible. Good means: GeForce 2 or better, forget the rest), of course. I'm running it on a 1Gb Athlon, 768Mb RAM, GeForce 2 MX, Windows 2000 Pro, a 90 Gb striped RAID disk array, and 2.2 Mbps on cable modem; I get about 13 - 25 FPS in the game. You decide if THIS is acceptable to you.

If you've gotten past the hardware requirements, dive in, but be warned: there is no help to be found, the servers are often down, and, even if the servers are UP, you might not get online. Really. The WWII ONLINE authentication servers are one of the biggest bottlenecks of the game. You might try for some time to get on one of SEVEN servers, or you might not get on at all. Last night, the servers were down for hours, without one explanation or posting explaining why, even after they came online. This lack of attention will really incite a rage. The game forums are afire with the flame wars of angry customers (many of whom have returned the game).

That said, WWII ONLINE is FUN. Really, really, really fun. If you can get on, you'll have a blast, even though the controls are awful, the environment is hyper-unrealistic (sheep will flip a Panzer, and you can't drive through ANYTHING), and the single-player vehicles make life a nightmare. How many of you have wanted to drive in an armored column deep into France, surprising lone tanks with 10 Panzers and infantry. Two nights ago, I did it, and it was WILD. Group attacks against the French Char B1 Bis tank, with everyone gunning for the weak spot (port side radiator), HE rounds exploding over dug-in infantry, trying to unhook an 88mm FLaK from your halftrack while the shells are hitting - this is INCREDIBLE. Three days ago, I bombed and strafed Ricon (re-taken by the French after much fighting) with a Stuka - the Stuka even has a dive siren! After taking Ricon, the Axis defense of the town was incredible, with 25 or 30 people all fighting together in Bf109 fighters, Panzer III tanks, a whole line of 88mm guns, and countless infantry, AND THIS WAS ONLY ONE TOWN. Wow!

WWII ONLINE has great potential. If I were smart, I would wait for awhile until the game either levels out or fails entirely. This is really a poor pre-beta of a game that costs good money to try, but when it works, it works wonderfully, and it's sure to drag you back to 1940...at least for a couple of hours at a time.

I would give this game zero stars if I could

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: July 10, 2001
Author: Amazon User

The publishers flat-out [falsified] about the game having features that it does not, and they somehow managed to wrap that nothing up in the absolute WORST user interface. Your character is NOT persistent (no gaining rank), no command structure, no supply lines. There are no sea units (ships). There are basically 2 types of soldiers, 2 tanks, 2 trucks, 2 planes, and 2 anti-tank guns for each side. I consider myself a pretty hardcore gamer, and it still took me hours to figure out simple things like how to join the game and what city to start in so that I have something to attack. The documentation was either non-existant, confusing, or just plain wrong for even the simplest tasks. This game REQUIRES a joystick to play, and requires you to make changes to your windows virtual memory setting. The game takes 10 MINUTES to load (on my P3-800) initially, and about 2 minutes to join the first mission. Graphics are very cheezy. Sound is very buggy, many times I hear tanks firing around me when there are none. I played this game for about 2 weeks because I am a hardcore gamer, and I was able to tolerate it for a while, but it's not even persistent like they said. Gets boring after only a few weeks. People who have given this game a good rating either did NOT play the game, or they have not played some of the other FREE WW2 online games out there, like the Half-Life mod called Day of Defeat. People who do not have broadband internet access BEWARE - Out of the box there is a 67 meg patch file to download, and another patch file that is 1.5 megs.

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