Jump to content
Welcome to the virtual battlefield, Guest!

World War II Online is a Massively Multiplayer Online First Person Shooter based in Western Europe between 1939 and 1943. Through land, sea, and air combat using a ultra-realistic game engine, combined with a strategic layer, in the largest game world ever created - We offer the best WWII simulation experience around.

WWII Online 2025 Roadmap


Cornered Rats
 Share

Recommended Posts

  • CORNERED RAT
Cornered Rats

rssImage-35470b17388526546b49989ebbe5233e.png

This year we are focused on improving, stabilizing and innovating on WWII Online. This will be achieved by addressing issues that are impacting players today, while making sure those efforts are forward thinking and utilized in the future. This also includes creating new assets that look substantially better now, and in the future. Additionally, WWII Online’s future infantry system, aka: “WWII Online: Chokepoint,” will see a continuous restoration of content and fixes in Unreal Engine 5.


Pour some coffee and take your time to thoroughly read, watch the videos and view the pictures below. This represents our current plan of action. S! from our entire team at Playnet/CRS, and thanks for your support!


NEW PROCESSES AT PLAYNET/CRS

As an organization we continue to evolve and it's important that like in sports, we're able to call an audible and make adjustments based on new or unforeseen conditions. To that end our team is starting this year with an overall annual plan but we will be conducting a quarterly review and making adjustments to ensure we are hitting objectives important to you (our stakeholders) while producing maximum results with our available resources.


BUG FIXING & CRASHES

Our top priority is to continue to address issues affecting game play utilizing our bug reporting system, engaging with you to get to the bottom of it. We are also actively working to provide ourselves with enhanced CTD handling and reporting tools to help us generate better reporting and weight behind issues affecting players more than others.


Some current examples in progress:

  1. Infantry stamina variances depending on terrain.

  2. High explosive ordnance performance.

  3. Speaker attenuation vs headphones.

  4. Textures appearing differently than they should with lighting.

  5. Various vehicle material fixes.


Continue to report bugs and impacting issues at https://www.wwiionline.com/bugs


CLEANING UP THE COMMUNICATIONS LAYER

The foundation to any successful online MMO FPS is going to be its communication layer. There’s serious work to be done to address packet management refinement and managing player expectations in combat environments.


The work being done here will not only create a better experience for 1.0 (today) but also 2.0 (our future), as CRS has aimed to leverage its proprietary game host(s) in our future endeavors within Unreal Engine 5. Therefore this is not throw away code or only utilized here, it will be long-lasting and instrumental into getting things right.


COMMS CODE, LIKE NETCODE3 (ETC)

At the final quarter of 2024 we reactivated netcode3 and we obtained good actionable intel on where we’re at, and what needs doing. This directly relates to TCP/UDP management and is a deep layer in legacy WWII Online architecture that needs help to be modernized and more efficient. 


PREDICTION SMOOTHING CODE

This area of code needs serious re-work so that when you see paratroopers falling to their target, or infantry running around a corner, to vehicles smoothly moving and not rubber-banding or looking funky. This has often led to a misinterpretation of poor user behavior in the game, resulting in many erroneous reports. Understandably there’s work to do here and we have a confident path forward in how to manage this better.


POPULATION BALANCE & GAME PLAY

There’s nothing more devastating to a side's morale than getting pummeled by an overwhelming force, and while that happens in war, it’s imperative for the health of the game that we take this head on and aim to provide a healthier experience for all. A game imbalance with 2:1, 3:1 or even 4:1, is a recipe for a tough night of gaming. 


We therefore intend to introduce the following if balancing mechanisms are activated, such as there’s a persona delay or a side is requesting reinforcements:


SPAWN QUEUE

The spawn queue option provides users with freedom of choice to select an overpopulated side, but it comes at the price of having to wait to spawn in until it’s your turn. Initially, this will only be setup to impact Free Play users, but it may be extended to other players if the result(s) of a population balanced game are not achieved.


How it works: When active, players will be unable to spawn in until the person ahead of them has either, 1) died, 2) de-spawned, 3) left the game, 4) balance has been achieved.

  • Players will select a unit like normal.

  • They will click the “enter game world” button which actually would now state “enter queue.”

  • A pop-up window with their current position will provide real-time countdown feedback, and finally automatically spawn them into the game world once it’s their turn.


SIDE LOCK

As a more aggressive option, we will force all incoming Free Players to join the underpopulated side. This will be initially deactivated, but already in position if the above Spawn Queueing system does not yield the results the game needs.


How it works: When active, players will be unable to join the overpopulated and must join the side requesting reinforcements. Once side balance is achieved, this will deactivate and new players joining or rejoining the game will be able to switch sides.


GAME PLAY: DEFENSIVE CAPTURE CONTESTMENT

During the capturing of any building ingame, attackers simply need to be anywhere inside of a capture poly in order to take the building. You can have 10 defenders, and 1 attacker, and that 1 attackers will take the position. 

This feature calls to reverse that, by saying if you have 1 defender in the position, the attackers (often the overpopulated) must clear the position in order to capture.


For example: If the attackers have secured a CP by 50%, and a single defender arrives, capturing will get locked at 50% until the attackers clear the CP. Once this is complete, capturing will continue where it left off, and repeat until the position is secure. 


COMPLETELY REBUILDING AUTO-PILOT

WWII Online is literally built from the ground up as a flight simulator and we want to get more pilots airborne, especially our new players joining. Additionally, we’re going to expand capabilities of our current auto-pilot by making it smoother and more functional.


AUTO-TAKE OFF

You have all seen that poor new player green tag start his very first, exciting air sortie… only to crash into a hangar ahead of him. Our recent change to enable maximum RPMs has helped with that but we’re going to go further, by implementing a system that will automatically conduct a start up and take off sequence to get new pilots airborne.


It will not, however, automatically fly them to the target or conduct maneuvers. It simply and safely gets them in the air into a random direction and it is up to them to then “touch” the controls which will then put the controls into their hands manually, the rest is on them.


To that end, we are confident we will at least get better buy-in and a fighting chance for new pilots to survive their initial experiences. And yes, there will absolutely be a way to disable this for all users, as many of our veteran players would like to have immediate and full control right away.


maxresdefault.jpg


AUTO-PILOT ENHANCEMENTS

Our current auto-pilot is very clunky, prone to breaking and when you feel confident it’s set, magically you end up in the dirt. This is a frustrating experience and has resulted into a lot of lost aircraft over the years. We also wanted to add some new functionality to allow you and your wingman or squadron to work together en masse. Here’s some of the new stuff we’re adding:


  • AutoLevel (LCtrl=A) = AutoPilot tries to maintain LEVEL flight at the altitude at which AutoPilot Level was activated

  • AutoSpeed (LShift+A) = AutoPilot tries to maintain user controlled SPEED setting using nose up or nose down attitude of the aircraft. (default speed setting is max climb speed)

  • AutoAngle (LAlt+A) = AutoPilot tries to maintain the pitch ANGLE of the aircraft at which AutoAngle was activated.

  • AutoWingman (LCtrl+W) = When in range (100-200 meters) of designated Wingman "target", AutoPilot tries to maintain positional formation on designated Wingman.


maxresdefault.jpg

AIRCRAFT STRESS DAMAGE

A long-awaited increase in our game's engine capability is for aircraft performing insane levels of G's to have their aircraft impacted realistically. We have a working prototype of aircraft stress which causes not only progressive structural damage but also catastrophic damage (such as wings being ripped off) aircraft who exceed their maximum G limit.


All aircraft have different G limits, some are tougher than others, but with enough force bad things will happen. This will definitely cause pilots an initial learning curve, particularly those rapidly diving and pulling up.


HYPERLINKING $MISS COMMAND

We will be hyperlinking the $miss command usage so that it is a clickable link within the Chat UI, and it will leverage the .join (.j) command functionality. Any player will continue to be able to initiate a command with this function, globally. High Command officers will also find this to be very valuable when using the .Allied / .Axis tool.


Usage Example:

  1. Player 1 issues $miss command (anywhere), and output is:

    1. [Click to Join] Antwerp Garrison/Xoom

  2. Player 2 can click any part of that text when de-spawned, and it will initiate a pop-up confirmation to join.

  3. Player 2 can confirm and it will automatically place them in mission ready room.


HIGH COMMAND TOOLS 2.0

The new HC Tools 2.0 are almost completed with final testing underway. We've connected it to the live game database and things are working accordingly, which was the last major hurdle.


A new consolidated chain of command is being established prior to launch, proportionate with our current HC staffing and eligible for growth or modification as needed. The older tools were really ancient and stuck in their way, these are being built to be a bit more modular. Allied Forces will see a unified Allied command structure vs country differentiation, and both will see several un-necessary command positions removed.


High Command is still a very valid element to WWII Online and we hope to see more of our players and Lt. Colonel's convert over to being a regular officer, participating in your side development and strategic/tactical coordination between squads.


COMPLETING THE NEW TANKS

Last year we announced the Panther, Valentine X and M18 Hellcat. These vehicles represent the first time CRS 2.0’s adding ground-up tanks to work within both Unreal Engine 5 and WWII Online 1.0 and we wanted to get it right. These are rapidly approaching testing and we’re pleased to showcase what these vehicles are looking like:


Let's start off with the Panther Ausf A, first showcasing it in WWII Online 1.0, then showing you how we're building ahead for the future in Unreal Engine 5. The Panther will be a bit vulnerable on the sides but its gun and frontal armor is outstanding, watch your flanks! The interior of this vehicle is thoroughly designed and it really feels like you're inside of it. Out of this lineup this is probably the most sought after tank in WWII Online history so we wanted to take our time to get it right, and final touches are being applied to it.


file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png


Here is a series of pictures related to the Valentin Mk X, starting with WWII Online 1.0 and then showing you how it's being built for the future and showcased within our Unreal Engine 5 demo. This is a pretty cool tank, it's very versatile and future variants are likely to follow. It maintains a low profile and has some pep allowing it to move around.


file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png


And for our final tank nearing completion, the M18 Hellcat, starting again with our WWII Online 1.0 pictures followed by our future building methodology. You should notice the care and attention placed on creating a believable crew area. On this particular model the first time I saw our artists complete it, I loved that it had a range card for the gun sight taped up on the side next to the gun. The gunner also has an auxiliary sight by pressing "0-num" to look around. This is a very fast tank with thin armor, but it packs a punch. The commander has access to the .50 caliber M2 gun when he presses "O" to open up.


file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png
file.png


MODERNIZING ASSETS

To further illustrate the work that our team is doing we’d like to point out some of our additional vehicle models that we’ve created and set into our Unreal Engine 5 demonstration map. 


file.png
file.png
file.png

WWII ONLINE: CHOKEPOINT

When we moved over to Unreal Engine 5, a lot had to be replaced and fixed at a foundational level. The good news is, the majority of the ground work has been completed for us to begin restoring content so we can get to our minimum viable Early Access launch. Here’s what remains for us to do to re-introduce content, which does not necessarily include the additional bug fixing and optimization passes needed.


As a reminder, the work we do here to get these assets (characters, animations, weapons, sounds, etc) are all related to future production efforts for WWII Online 2.0. Chokepoint will act as a gateway introductory product in standalone form to grow our community and increase available resources for CRS to deploy and grow all efforts.

 

  1. Restore map(s).

    1. La Fiere

    2. Carentan

    3. Eglise

  2. Restore weapons.

    1. Grenade(s)

    2. Mk2 Frag

    3. Potato Masher (M18 Frag)

    4. M24 Smoke Grenade

    5. M34 Smoke Grenade

  3. Submachine Guns

    1. M1A1 Thompson

    2. MP40

  4. Rifles

    1. M1 Carbine

    2. Geweh43

    3. Sturmgewehr 44

    4. Kar98 Sniper

    5. Browning Automatic Rifle

    6. FG42

  5. Machine Guns

    1. M1919 .30 Caliber

    2. MG34

    3. MG42

  6. Restore admin panel to manage maps/game rules.

  7. Restore ingame VOIP.


Here's some recent footage from our first UE5 keyholder play test, February 2025:

maxresdefault.jpg



MARCH FOR WWII ONLINE

Between March 1st and March 31st 2025, WWII Online 1.0 we will be opening access to as many players as possible to join us and populate the campaign server.


  • Steam: New & Returning free users will receive full access unlocked.

  • Organic WWII Online: New & Returning players will receive all-infantry access.

    • We'll also unlock Artillery, Mortar Carriers and Destroyers for you.


During this time we will see a 25% boost in rifleman supply to ensure maximum playability for all. We encourage you to start raising awareness about this now and prepare your squads to grow. We will be pushing heavily to market this and drive as many players into the game to further develop our current growth underway.


WWII Online is experiencing bigger, better, battles due to recent game changes and since November 2024 we have seen a 20%+ increase in concurrent population.


FUNDRAISER 2025

We will be launching our yearly fundraiser early March 2025 to help boost the above objectives and more. These fundraisers are crucial to continue development of the game and make forward progress, and each year we get a little better and a little faster. We look forward to starting that with you and ask that you prepare and raise awareness of this.


SUBSCRIBE & SUPPORT YOUR GAME!

WWII Online is 100% player funded, without you, this is not possible. We're calling on the community to do your part to make sure your subscription is in good standing and if you believe in the plan of improving your play experience NOW and in the FUTURE, that you please back us up without delay. Review our available Plans (WWII Online), and pay for a year to save 2 Months on either All-Infantry or Premium.


Go to the account page and subscribe at https://account.wwiionline.com.


Please be sure to vote below and comment and let us know what you think. S!



View the full article on battlegroundeurope.com

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Looks good, one question.

What about hero FPA?  Will they be exempt from low pop rules?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...