1.32 Features Revealed 
Written by RAFTER    
Friday, 30 July 2010 08:21 

It's time to lay out the feature plan for our next point release. 1.32 is currently in development and will include Player-Placed Objects and Bail-out for Aircraft along with a few other goodies.

Player-Placed Objects (PPOs)

As previously outlined in our Development Note of July 14th, we have defined the first three PPOs.

The Field Reinforcement Unit (FRU) which will allow truck drivers to drop an infantry spawn object onto the terrain and drive away to conduct other operations. The FRU will follow the same rules as current mission-based MSPs with restrictions on where the object can be placed as well as limiting the number to one per mission. Once the new FRU is placed, mission leaders can decide to destroy it and create an opportunity for a new one to be placed. This is the same as current MSPs. FRUs will take damage and can be destroyed and will provide the same resupply function as a truck.

The next two PPOs are for infantry units and for the first time, allow players to build objects on the terrain;

Infantry Fighting Position (IFP)
The IFP will be a small berm- big enough for a couple of infantry to be concealed and covered from enemy fire. One of the goals is for the object to blend in with terrain as much as possible with characteristics similar to existing berms. IFPs will have a build timer for placement and a lifespan timer for removing them from the game world when unused.

Gun Emplacement (GE)
Sappers will have the ability to build a Gun Emplacement on the terrain which will serve as an AT/AA pit offering cover from enemy fire. GE's will not provide any spawning capability but will have a resupply function similar to trucks. GE's will be destroyable by enemy fire, a build timer for placement and a lifespan timer for removing them from the game world when unused.

A server-based area grid will track these objects and limit the number of PPOs in order to manage performance issues. A HUD element will provide feedback to players on build availability. A change in this feature design from the original article should be noted; the arbitrary player limit of (2) PPOs per sortie has been deleted from the design as we believe that the combination of build timers, lifespan timers and server managed limits eliminates this requirement.

Along with these two features, we've got a short list of items we're working as well as some fixes/changes that are being moved from the 1.31 branch to the 1.32 branch. We will be sure publish details of other items that get officially added to the 1.32 release plan as they get the green light.

Work on 1.32 has been underway for some time and we are taking an aggressive approach to the schedule. We have not yet set a release date for 1.32 but we will post updates as available.

Also a special event is being held this weekend. If you were a former player many accounts have been opened up again to let you participate...

Welcome Back Soldier Event - July 30th 
Written by MOTORMOUTH    
Monday, 26 July 2010 11:04 

It's time to tell your former squaddies: A Welcome Back Soldier event is coming this weekend! From July 30th to August 2nd, Playnet and the Special Events team will be hosting the "Breakthrough at Cassino" mini-campaign on the Training Server. We'll be activating hundreds of accounts for access to the event. And all active players are encouraged to fight alongside staff and former players in this exciting and unique scenario!

Operation Diadem: Breakthrough at Cassino

In the beginning of 1944, the western half of the Winter Line was being anchored by Germans holding the Rapido, Liri and Garigliano valleys and certain surrounding peaks and ridges, together known as the Gustav Line. The Germans had not occupied the historic hilltop abbey of Monte Cassino, founded in AD 524 by Benedict of Nursia and which dominated the town of Cassino and the entrances to the Liri and Rapido valleys, although they manned defensive positions set into the steep slopes below the abbey walls.

It is May, 1944…as part of Operation Diadem the UK 8th Army and French Expeditionary Corps will assault Cassino and achieve a breakthrough of the Gustav line.  Once a breakthrough is achieved, these Allied forces need to make a priority of taking the western valley towns (Ferentino, Guarcino) first to “herd” the German forces towards the east before finally taking Avezzano to force the German 10th Army into central Italy and deny reinforcement to the German 14th Army on the Caeser Line in front of Rome which is to be assaulted by Allied forces from Anzio.

Victory Conditions

Allied side gets a “decisive victory” score by occupying towns Ferentino (Sedan), Guarcino (Herbeaumont), and Cobreville (Avezzano) in that order; a “major victory” if occupying those towns in any order.

Allied side gets a “minor victory” if both Sora (Virton) and Frosinone (Carignan) are captured.

Allied side gets a “minor loss” (axis minor victory) if Ceprano (Stenay) and Arce (Stenay) are captured.

All other results are Allied “major loss” (axis major victory)

Axis get a decisive victory if  they still hold Cassino and the Allies only have their starting CPs.

The scenario will begin at 2pmCST (19:00UTC/GMT)

A huge thanks to Malize and Jammyman for getting this event designed and set up.

An invitation is going out today to all former players from the past 3 years with details.

Be sure to tell your buddies and mark you calendar!
 

I'll see you on the mountain.

Tried it.  Trouble with the special campaign server so had access to the regular one.  Logged in and seems with the regular people and all the welcome back peope on a Sat night... game could only manage having one battle going on in the whole map.   Was the ending of one, Sedan with the AB shut down (campfest). 

That's why I won't pay $15 a month.  To log in on the weekend night to find nothing on is just not worth it.

They had trouble with the training server running the scenario. You can log onto the regular ongoing campaign using your old account. They've activated  hundreds of them.

Many good battles going on now.

I'm with Tontoman.  I enjoyed the game but I don't think it should cost much less $15 bucks.

Heh I did log onto the main server, why I mentioned the main server access.  At the time I tried, Sat night EST, there was one battle going on in Sedan (that's with regular players + the welcome back!!).  It was at it's end with the last AB being camped.  Nothing else going on so.  That's not what I'd pay $15 a month for, logging in on what should be a busy time to find only one battle and the worst part of it which is the last 30min campfest.

Rat's should really do some research on pricing. At $5 a month they might (have to research) get three times the subsciptions which would balance out.  Then the more players would mean more action which means more players etc.   Regardless of the actual game, the player numbers themselves and the potential of nothing worth playing going on at the time I log in just doesn't justify a subscription for me.

Originally posted by Tontoman

Heh I did log onto the main server, why I mentioned the main server access.  At the time I tried, Sat night EST, there was one battle going on in Sedan (that's with regular players + the welcome back!!).  It was at it's end with the last AB being camped.  Nothing else going on so.  That's not what I'd pay $15 a month for, logging in on what should be a busy time to find only one battle and the worst part of it which is the last 30min campfest.

Rat's should really do some research on pricing. At $5 a month they might (have to research) get three times the subsciptions which would balance out.  Then the more players would mean more action which means more players etc.   Regardless of the actual game, the player numbers themselves and the potential of nothing worth playing going on at the time I log in just doesn't justify a subscription for me.

 I think pricing won´t do it (alone).

Their last major patch took them almost 2 years to implement  = drove lots of players away

Half-hearted implementation of TOEs (seeing stupid brigade rotation/stacking; which took another layer of the game <manual resuply> away) = drove (driving) players away

No new armoured vehicle for almost a half decade = drove (driving) players away

Reducing AOs numbers to 1 in low pop (another variety gone) = drove players away

Reducing the max vis distance down to 2.65k = drove players away

Coding the RDP-war out of the game (another variety gone) = drove players away

Now, CRS might be able to correct all this with thinking about the price? - Sorry, i wouldn´t play a second more even when the game is free.

FUN is the element what will attract players - not PPOs!

CRS should really sit back and think of the game many years back - and also think about how much fun they took away from their game with all their half-thought-through changes. Each person in CRS who claims the game is better now and have done a great job ....... should be pointed with the nose at current players numbers and

get fired!

According to the latest post I recieved they are going to try and have 2 upgrades before January. I guess 1.31 should have been called 2.0 because it really opened up the ease of development. I agree that the 18 months it took to get 1.31 to our screens was very bad for the games community. We did loose a lot of players.

I hope it's all for the good. So far it has been for me. I really don't miss riding in a truck for 30 min only to get wasted by a tank sitting in the middle of nowhere.