WWII Online: Blitzkrieg
Description official descriptions
WWII Online: Blitzkrieg is a massively multiplayer online game that features land, air, and sea action with accurate vehicles from World War II in full 3D. Players participate in a persistent world where success affects supply and territory, and where players must coordinate and unite to capture, hold ground, and defend against enemy attacks. Players can accumulate experience in any or all of the three branches of service on either side (and respective countries), and gain access to better equipment and more sophisticated features.
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Credits (Windows version)
94 People (16 developers, 78 thanks) · View all
Senior Producer |
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Assistant Community Manager |
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Chief Marketing Officer |
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Chief Technical Officer |
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Assistant Game Manager |
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Lead Artist |
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Support Director |
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Producer |
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Game Manager |
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Community Manager |
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Lead Client Programmer |
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Lead Forum Moderator |
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President & CEO |
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Intern Programmer |
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Lead Game Moderator |
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Our gratitude for talent, vision and dedication goes to all former RATS |
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[ full credits ] |
Reviews
Critics
Average score: 66% (based on 21 ratings)
Players
Average score: 2.9 out of 5 (based on 12 ratings with 6 reviews)
The Good
WWIIOL has many thing you won't find in any other game, but realism is top notch and unmatched. The game is a massively multiplayer combined arms simulation. That is, it includes air, sea, armor and infantry all in the same virtual world. Realistic ballistics. Realistic damage modelling. Realistic ordinance penetration. Realistic simulation of cover and concealment. Realistic dimensions (5000 meter visual range, not 200 meter as typical in video games). Realistic sound (for instance vehicles moving 1km away sound distant to the point of almost being undetectable). If you love simulations (flight sims, tank sims, and so on), you'll be amazed by this game.
The Bad
Most of the things I didn't like about the game are long past. The launch was horrible. Lag, dated graphics, missing functionality, billing problems, you name it, were present when the game was launched in 2001. But since then, all of these issues have been addressed and then some.
If there's anything to not like, it's that the game is not easy to get started with for new players, and this results in a somewhat limited and very talented player base.
The Bottom Line
WWIIOL has many thing you won't find in any other game, but realism is top notch and unmatched. The game is a massively multiplayer combined arms simulation. That is, it includes air, sea, armor and infantry all in the same virtual world. Realistic ballistics. Realistic damage modelling. Realistic ordinance penetration. Realistic simulation of cover and concealment. Realistic dimensions (5000 meter visual range, not 200 meter as typical in video games). Realistic sound (for instance vehicles moving 1km away sound distant to the point of almost being undetectable). If you love simulations (flight sims, tank sims, and so on), you'll be amazed by this game.
Windows · by Chris Jones (2) · 2007
Dont Judge this Game from Old reviews
The Good
The game had a very rough start. Publishers forced a release that was not ready. The software company that developed this game reminds me of the early Microsoft team. They have a big vision. I have been with this since release, and CRS, Playnet has worked their tails off on this. The current version is at 1.50. The game in its current state is very much worth the 9.99 subscription. This is no Quake. It require a lot of thinking and strategy. Players must work together to accomplish a common goal. I play an average of 3 hours a day. If the game gets any better, I may end up getting a divorce, as my wife hates it.
The Bad
I only wish it had been at this point at release
The Bottom Line
Very enjoyable game, with lots of action. The players and the Forums make it a total experience. There are even players making movies of battles set to music. Other players are making downloadable maps of the theater. If you are into WW2 and like sims, this is for you.
Windows · by william allen (2) · 2001
The Good
WWII Online gives you the freedom to go anywhere and shoot anyone. Normal first person shooters send you down "alleys" and there is no diversification allowed. Well this game has broken that mould and you are free to explore! There is also the freedom to walk, drive and fly in most of the equipment available at the time. The rank system allows the more experienced the better "toys" and this saves wasting your countries resources on noobs. The overall experience is absorbing and the players can group in different squads resembling units from that era. I joined the 3rd Panzergruppe and we have over 100 members playing on and off.
The Bad
It can control your whole life it is so addictive. Lag is a problem and if you are up against an opponent with a better spec computer he tends to get the jump on you.
The Bottom Line
If you can afford it give it a go it's excellent. Please do not blame me if your partner leaves you due to excessive game play!!!
Windows · by Steve McGinnigle (4) · 2004
Trivia
Post-launch problems
The June 2001 launch had many woes, but for some the worst part was that 'online' part. The servers were either unreachable or unbearably laggy. The publisher extended the 30-day trial period (as included in the retail box) until the reliability issues were solved. The trial lasted until November 2001.
Behind the scenes, the games' primary ISP and facilities host had botched the transition from the beta-testing T1 to release 100Mb pipes. Massive initial interest in the game choked that lil' T1 stony cold dead.
After a showdown between WWIIOL's VP, John "Killer" MacQueen and the ISPs chief tech guy, it was divulged by a concerned employee of the ISP that the gaff wasn't entirely unintentional, not least because the ISP was in a position of not actually have 100Mb transit at the time.
Perhaps hoping the WWIIOL money would allow them to buy peering, the ISP followed up with a quick invoice for a year's connectivity and hosting in advance. As a show of good faith, they upgraded the 1.5Mb-connection-being-charged-at-100Mb rates to a 10Mb connection. When WWIIOL's developers declined to pay the 100Mb rate for this connection, the ISP promptly issued a legal filing against the game company and, without notice, turned off the connectivity.
Apparently "Killer" is no slacker. Within 8 hours he'd gotten agreements and connectivity from 3 major ISPs, rented facilities at a coloc on the far side from Dallas and conducted a covert-op truly befitting of an online wargame to quietly "recover" their hardware from the original ISP and redeploy it across town. The servers went down a little after 1pm and started coming back online around 6pm, with full connectivity and service somewhere between 7.30 and 8pm.
Unfortunately, the legal battle with the original ISP put the developers into Chapter 11 and forced radical staffing cuts that pretty much sealed the game's fate as a minor MMO few have ever heard of.
Awards
- Computer Gaming World
- April 2002 (Issue #213) – Biggest Patch of the Year (for the bad launch)
- GameSpy
- 2001 – Sim Game of the Year (Readers' Choice)
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Related Sites +
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The Fate of the World Rests With You
An Apple Games article about the Macintosh version of World War II: Online (December, 2005). -
WWII Online
Official site
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Contributors to this Entry
Game added by Kasey Chang.
Macintosh added by Shoddyan.
Additional contributors: nullnullnull, JPaterson, mw, Kabushi, Oliver Smith, Zeppin, Patrick Bregger.
Game added June 13, 2001. Last modified January 20, 2024.