I am a little confused...

I thought this was just a re-package of the game so they could get more people to play.

But it's an expansion? So like if I wanted to start playing it again I would also have to go out and get this?

I like the new packaging and everything including the website. It shows that cornered rat has caught up with the times, I still have my original WWII Online Readers Choice Edition that came with all the extra stuff, the wallpapers are very different than the new ones on that website.

It's just a repackage of the existing game, or at least, the version of the game as it will exist when the presses roll and the CD's come tumbling out.

If you've still got an account you don't need to buy the new box, unless you're after a new map of the theatre or the new manual.

The first 'retail add-on' is currently expected to be the North Africa theatre sometime (maybe) in 2006, assuming CRS gets enough revenue from the BE box release to hire some coders.

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I thought this was just a re-package of the game so they could get more people to play.

But it's an expansion? So like if I wanted to start playing it again I would also have to go out and get this?

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It's a retail re-release of the newest version of the game.

Over the past four years, CRS has done a major patch, including new weapons and terrain and revised and new game mechanics, every six weeks on average. The game keeps getting bigger and better and more complex. All such patches are free and automatic for current game subscribers, though if you've been gone too long it's possible that you might have to download a free re-install to get yourself up to an automatically patchable level. The Rats just re-wrote practically the whole core of the game-code to make it easier and faster for them to add further content and more flexible mechanics, and to improve game performance. They're also working on a project to re-write their whole graphics engine, to improve graphics performance in general and to facilitate an even more detailed version of their satellite-data-derived game-map of western Europe.

If you already have the existing game and a current subscription, you won't have to buy the retail box version to play the Battleground Europe version of the game. You might want to buy it, though, to get some of the goodies in the retail box, including a new 150+ page printed game manual (very useful for newbies, this game involves a lot of knowledge and has a very steep learning curve), a large-format printed game-map, free-trial keys to give to friends, a promo video trailer for the game, a bunch of WWIIOL humor-cartoons, various wallpapers etc., and possibly other stuff that I'm forgetting.

I laugh at those who say bugged as if they have expert knowledge of everything!  That is not comment it's simply ego.  This game is so much more than the other bang/bang, swing /swing, stab/stab stuff I  see offered elsewhere.   If you want arcade go play some shooter variant because this game is for those who want a reality based experience not some high on killing the most spiders or bunny rabbits.  I have played since it was first available and yes it was real bad those early days.  The freindships, team play and organization of the game kept me there while the incredible job the Rats have done on the game, graphics, mechanics etc. have made me glad that I stayed.  This game is ahead of the wave and that means the occassional "Bug" but that is the price of being first and staying ahead of the ones who play safe by selling the same boring game play over and over and over......................................  .

Learn it, play it and join a Brigade/Squad and unless you have a ten minute attention span you will be hooked.