WORLD WAR II ONLINE- 2003 IN REVIEW
This year we added client support for the German, French and Italian languages. Now players from around
the world can play WWIIOL in their own language. This has resulted in the growth of players from outside
the U.S. outpacing growth from inside the U.S. for the first time. The introduction of a localizec client
will assist in our plans for releasing the game into new territories.
The Special Events Team (SET) launched the Special Events program utilizing a new toolset that allows
mission launching from the web. While this may not seem like a huge step, it dovetails into our deployment
design and represents a crucial technology for brigade support for the primary campaign server.
SET Ran a series of scenarios linked together in a common historical thread called Battle of Britain,
featuring the period at the end of the Battle of France leading into the historical Battle of
Britain.
Operation: Dynamo was a recreation of the evacuation of Dunkirk. A force of British and French players
tried to hold a perimeter around the Dunkirk CP while German attackers, consisting of infantry with assault
gun support, tried to penetrate the defensive line and prevent the evacuation of British troops to destroyers
arriving from England. The scenario ended in a defeat of the British, who lost most of their fleet trying
to evacuate isolated pockets of infantry. It reduced the number of extra British infantry and destroyers
in Sealion.
Adler Tag was a two frame scenario that featured battles between the LW and the RAF as well as some naval
elements. Each frame exposed one of the phases of the historical Battle of Britain.
Kanalkampf was a simulation of the attacks against the British navy in the months leading up to the Battle
of Britain. The Luftwaffe tried to destroy a British navy convoy off the coast of Kent while the German
navy tried to get a group of destroyers within close proximity of the coast of Kent to “mine” it. At the
same time the Germans had to safely get a certain number of transports for the Sealion landing fleet. The
scenario ended in the Germans achieving all the objectives save destroying the Royal Navy convoy. It
reduced the British destroy numbers for the upcoming Sealion event slightly and increased the amount of
landing freighters available to the German forces.
The Few featured a series of air battles with the Germans trying to knock out British air bases with
bomber runs while the RAF tried to intercept and destroy the german forces. The result was a draw for
both sides, with each one losing a small number of reserve aircraft available for Sealion.
Operation: Sealion was a recreation of the german plan to invade England. Although it never occurred in
history, it was planned for and the failure of the Luftwaffe to dominate the Battle of Britain was the
reason for its cancellation. The scenario featured a large german landing of troops on the southern
coast of Kent, both sides deploying a large Destroyer force to try to disrupt or defend the sea
landings. Meanwhile a large air contingent tried to support each sides’ efforts. The result was a
large scale battle along the beaches which culminated in the Germans narrowly retaining possession
of a thin beachhead in England, and a minor victory.
Watch for new events in 2004 by visiting www.events.wwiionline.com
The first phases of the [un]official WWIIOL Training Corps launched in 2003 combining an online
repository of [un]official and player-made documentation and guides with a 24x7 training server. A
small band of players run scheduled training sessions on a variety of gameplay aspects. Be sure to
visit the Training Corps at www.training.wwiionline.com
Without the on-going support from every player who decides each month to choose WWIIOL we could not
continue to create and improve on the game we all want to play. Special thanks go out to the entire
Beta test team, High Command staff, Training Corp staff, HQ forum moderators, U.S. and foreign HQ
website staff, translation team, Squad Commanders, Gms. Also thanks to all the community members who
find time to create fantastic resources like TGPO's maps, WWIIOL Polls and many, many more.
Our plans for the future of the game are no less encompassing than what we've been able to accomplish
in the past. Expect to see tons of new features and additions- and maybe a few surprises- in the coming
months. We plan to publish a development roadmap early this year after a few things become clearer which
should give everyone an idea on what we'll be writing in the 2004 edition of the year in review.
Cheers!
Chris 'Mo' Sherland
Executive Producer
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