Tomba's Emporium

Call of Duty: World at War

2008-11-13T10:26:00.002+11:00

It's rare that I'll devote a post to another game. I'm not sure if I ever have, in fact. Nonetheless, I was walking through town yesterday to discover Call of Duty: World At War was for sale at my local EB Games. I picked up a copy and sat down to play the game.

I didn't realise, nor intend, to play it for the entire day!

Ok, so we're back to the COD4 style leveling. Bit of a shame. Perks are still there as well, but I guess I'm just a COD1/2 fan of "each team has a unique set of weapons," instead of the unlocking, leveling and everyone using everything all-teams-are-the-same approach. Regardless, they have done a nice job on these aspects of the game. I suppose.

People argue it's just COD4 reskinned. Well, it uses the same engine but it's set in World War Two, I guess it pretty much is COD4 reskinned, with new maps, new weapons and a different gameplay. Yeah, there's a lot going for COD5 even if it uses the COD4 engine. Reminds me of Colonization - yes it uses the CIV4 engine but it's a very, very different game.

I heard someone say that the single player was not the selling point for COD5, but it's multiplayer capabilities. If this is true then Treyarch have hit the jackpot because you can play singleplayer in co-op mode with your online buddies, nullifying any bad comments about the SP as you and your team whoop some serious butt. It's a lot of fun, let me assure you, when four of you are on Ventrilo and progressing through the campaign together.

Actual online MP is great too. The game modes are pretty standard but I find the maps are excellent - well, maybe not Dome, but hey everyone has their own opinions. Visually stunning and well planned out, the maps provide some great fights between opponents. So, online MP gets a big thumbs up from me as well.

If you're looking for a game which will provide you with lots of fun, with 'spawn, kill, spawn, kill' type FPS action, this should be considered. I personally had a great time playing it yesterday, and in between my WWIIOL addiction will be finding time to play COD:WAW as often as I can. It runs well, it plays well, and it's a tonne of fun.

Oh, and did I mention there are Zombies? Yup; Zombies!

So I'm still here

2008-11-13T10:23:00.001+11:00

Yes it may seem like an age since I last posted. That's probably because it has been. In fact, by my watch, it's been about a month on the dot. However, as exams are over and holidays begin, I feel I might be around a bit more now.

Don't forget the From the Allied High Command site. That's where I'll be spending most of my time :)

From the Allied High Command

2008-10-13T22:12:00.001+11:00

Just incase you missed the link...

http://ftfahc.blogspot.com/

Feel free to PM me across the forums with AARs, pictures and video links, and they'll hopefully be placed on the Allied section!

Cheers,
Tomba

Capturing video harder than depots

2008-10-12T00:08:00.002+11:00

You wouldn't believe how much time I spent today trying to get a free video capture program that did what I wanted, and how I wanted it. With this new PR role, I wanted to get set up so that I can not only include screenshots in my reports and articles, but videos as well. Considering my computer specs, I can afford to run a video capture while ingame and still play very comfortably with FPS, and it would make for better news, I believe.

Anyhow, I download FRAPS and discover a host of things that don't suit me - obviously the 30 second limit - but the sound doesn't work either. I cannot record sound, it seems, from the game. Slightly annoying. Well, more than slightly annoying!

Then, I try CamStudio in which I encounter the same problem. I cannot get it to recognise a sound device and therefore it will not record ingame sounds. A video without ingame sounds isn't that great, and can become tedious rapidly. So I'm stuck at a crossroads with no clue which way to head, as I delve into the universe of - most likely - having to pay for a program.

So which program do I get? Which one can I guarantee will work with my sound? Which one has the quality and doesn't strain my computer too much? Then there's the issue of image hosting. At least that's a little more simple!

Anyhow, I didn't give up, but I deferred that struggle for tomorrow, while I instead racked up a 15 kill mission in Grobbendonk, followed by two 6 kill missions and capped off with a 10 kill mission. A few bomb runs and a discussion of the theatre and I am ready to hit the hay. All in all, it seems it's far easier to capture depots than it is to capture video!

Neither gone nor forgotten

2008-10-11T02:21:00.002+11:00

Well it may seem like I've neglected my blog for a week. The main reason behind this is that I have, but with good reason. Well, at least some form of justification, at the least. A myriad of in game and out of game issues, along with real life have made me either too tired or just not in the mood for a good blog post. Nonetheless here I am in the wee hours of a Saturday morning posting to ensure this blog is not forgotten.

Some things that have been happening this week...

I'm hoping to pick up some more PR things, and to work with Svedala - hopefully - to bring wider PR coverage to the Allied side. This is quite an exciting prospect, and would be both fun and rewarding I feel. Along with blogging, this PR would be a way to promote World War Two Online, and I this is a prospect I don't want to avoid. With RL becoming busier over the next few weeks, November will see a sharp increase in time for WWIIOL as RL issues fade away, and PR is a great way to spend some of that time, I believe.

The map progresses and I've been having a tonne of fun. Whether flying or as infantry - I'm yet to take a ship out - I've been fighting alongside my Allied peers and it's been a tonne of fun. I seem to take the rifle as a weapon of choice - a good thing considering my death rate - and have managed a few 5+ missions, which is a welcome return for a player such as myself.

The French Country continues to advance, and each of our Branches is fighting strong. While slightly under-manned, CE and I have been working tirelessly with the Branch CO's to get everything back on track and branches functioning in the best possible way. It's a game afterall, and the aim is fun - so I figure lets get people in game and having fun, not sitting outside of game doing 'paperwork'. N.B. Blogging and PR isn't paperwork, it's all for fun!

Anyhow, that's about it right now, so I'm off. I'll post more in the near future, no doubt, on the broad spectrum (and ever increasing) of issues! This post breaks the week-long drought on my blog, which is neither gone nor forgotten, I assure you!

Defence of Montmedy

2008-10-04T23:31:00.002+10:00

I posted this in the Allied Section too, and it's worthy of a blog post. I included awards, as they're important I feel.

-----------------------------
What an amazing defence.

Starting around 7pm Australian time, the Allies faced 4 Axis Brigades against our poor, little and very lonely single brigade. None the less, we engaged in a form of defence not seen by this command for a long time; an overly organised one

Right from the AO placement Allied troops were defending our only FB (Orval), and giving the Axis hell from a perimeter around town. Others guarded flags, and all flags were covered within the first ten minutes. This continued for the entire battle. As well, the Axis MSP's were being marked and destroyed, and more Allied players continued to spawn, creating a good number for defence.

As the battle progressed, the Allied line of ATG's and sappers in the field continued to wreak havoc against enemy PZ's, and it was a welcome sign for players in town not to see any panzers, bar the occasional 232, until the final stages of the battle. As well as our line outside of town, in each CP we had dedicated guards, who served right until the end. In fact, the communication was fantastic, and only four times did a CP fall in the first three hours.

It was the final twenty minutes which saw, after repeated Axis paratrooper attempts, a wave finally work and depots fall. They all fell, very quickly - as expected. While we attempted to fight back and keep hold, the Axis had far greater numbers, and the panzers rolled into town after smashing through our lines, supporting their infantry very well and taking hold of all of the CP's. With three spawnables, there was nothing left for the Allies to hold on with.

Rather than waste supply, the call was made to fallback. Allied players responded positively to this, and rather than running to their doom, they despawned and allowed the fallback to work. It was after this defence that many players spawned straight into another town, to defend and to push back the Axis forces.

Montmedy was an impressive case of teamwork. It was a town that statistically stood no chance, yet through communication, organisation and participation, the Allies held it for over 3 hours and 19 minutes against the Axis forces outnumbering them 4:1. I was extremely, and am extremely proud of the way Allied players conducted themselves, responded quickly and held their heads high in this defence, even when we had to fallback. It was a pleasure to OIC the defence as players did anything and everything to keep the town for as long as we could.

It is in this light I would like to thank the following depot guards. I apologise if I missed anybody, but as I guarded the "Long CP" for the entire battle, I'm fairly sure I managed to scout out those on the map who were guarding a CP. The following people spent time in a CP guarding - some longer than others - and deserve a big thank you. Well done guys!

Depot Guards
Ckdex
Greatone
Adv
Seumas13
Pierro
Downu
Jd7
Cwo4evil
Ajems
Spikey
Assour
Bionicg
Mondy
Klodvig
Pas2nom9
Genric
Snake44
Catfive
Cordad
Gagsy
Dirtpig2
Three6ty
Covdad
Salador
Wedgehed
Lucard
Janus
Iiiihhad

However, it also gives me great pleasure to annouce a few awards.

Combat Merit Brigade Recognition

For outstanding work in the field of duty, awarded to:

Snake44
Pierro
Assour
Bionicg

These players went above and beyond the call of duty. They assisted greatly in the defence of the town, and served the Allies dutifully.

Combat Merit Hero Recognition

This player served for long periods of time guarding depots, and without him the defence efforts would not have been nearly as successful as they were. He is awarded the highest level of Combat Merit Recognition; the Combat Merit Hero Recognition. Congratulations sir!
Ckdex, well done mate, and congratulations!

Axis Denied Commander Cross

It is a distinct pleasure to be able to even think about giving this award to a player. This award is a very new, very high award for those who meet this criteria:

Awarded to both AHC Officers and Pbase for doing the day in day out guarding duty in CP, FB or a Bunker preventing the Axis from gaining a stronghold. Awarded by Country level CinC or CoS and CinC or CinC Staff .

In this defence there was a player who was present from the near beginning. His communications and efforts guarding one CP stopped the Axis from taking it for the entire battle. His positive attitude and dedication is constantly noticed - by this commander especially - and he is a credit to his squad, the 22nd Mech, and the Allied side. For his efforts tonight, and his efforts at all times, join me in congratulating Spikey for the "Axis Denied Commander Cross," a very high Allied Award.
Well deserved Spikey!

Again, well done to all players, and I'll see you defending the next town - or taking it

Note on Svedala's Blog

2008-10-04T15:47:00.004+10:00

It seems very appropriate to mention Svedala's "From the Front" blog. It's an amazing site, with a tonne of information. Certainly worth checking out at http://prkorps.blogspot.com/ if you have any interest in WWIIOL!

Cheers!

Intermittent Confusion

2008-10-04T15:31:00.002+10:00

Well, what a terrible pun, if I say so myself. I guess that's one thing I do enjoy, though, is naming the titles of my blog posts, just about as much as I enjoy writing the posts. Some sort of pun or witty (hah) dimension, hopefully, to be achieved each time. Well, from now on, I guess.

Anyhow, there was a sense of confusion as the map reset came and went, and a feeling of still being in intermission has plagued both sides, it seems, all morning. I've not heard the amount of "Is it intermission?" questions as I have today! I can assure everyone, it is most certainly not intermission, it's game on! And so it is!

After a campaign such as the last one, and the shock GHC actions this morning (Australian time here people), one would not expect the Axis to be in high spirits at all. Yet, they pushed hard, they moved quickly and swiftly, and showed experience in map movements, a very promising sign that the Axis are well on their way to recovering. It is from the perspective of a WWIIOL'er that we can all appreciate the importance of having both sides 'fighting fit' and able to provide endless hours of entertainment, so here's to a strong and healthy game.

The battles were a tonne of fun, as we fought tooth and nail to stop the Axis moving in, or around, and to take ground ourselves. While a little shaky to begin with, the line became solid and the battles tougher. It was good to see people online, but I did notice there were not nearly as many as one would think a map restart would attract. This is no doubt due to the intermittent confusion; after all, is it intermission?!

So as I take a break, after just over four hours online and assisting in running things, after paratrooper drops, tank missions, from the Northern-most parts of the map to the Southern-most, I think I'll take a few minutes to reflect on the amazing aspects of this game. The fact that players really can, and do, actively control the direction of the in game world. The fact you can walk from one side to another if you chose, can fight people in a variety of scenarios, in a myriad of towns and locations across Europe, in a somewhat realistic situation. A game like no other; certainly.

I'll see you all online, hopefully, and know that I'll be putting in some more hours tonight, and most likely some more blogging time!

Allied Forces Victorious

2008-10-04T15:28:00.001+10:00

After an amazingly quick campaign - 7 days officially - the Allied forces were proclaimed victory; stunning at that! It was a triumph for the TO&E gameplay, but the campaign contained a somewhat bitter-sweet twist for some GHC members.

As the Allies celebrated, the top three GHC Officers - CinC, CoS and DCoS - each stepped down and returned to the life of a regular grunt in the WWIIOL Battlefield. I just hope we see a strong Axis side again this new campaign, and from the opening moves, it seems that way.

Nonetheless, congratulations Allies on a sterling victory, very well done. Here's hoping another great, fun and fantastic campaign to come!

Kills, Kempen, Krefeld and a 'Kreigsmarine CinC'

2008-10-03T19:04:00.004+10:00

Tonight I had fun like I've not had for a long time. Not only fun, but a few missions like I've not had for just about as long - the kills were flowing like the taps during happy hour at the local! It was a great day not only for me, but for WWIIOL sportsmanship also, with the sides overcoming an issue bilaterally; impressive by any measure. To cap the night off, it was an alliteration like no others.

So I log in and we've got a newer HC officer running the show - Seamus13. And by running the show, I really mean it. He had everything planned to a tee, along with Bohratom and Manecoon among other HC. Now, my 'view' on HC is not that it's a static duty, a militaristic chain of command, like the real army. No, I prefer a team, a group of people escaping from the 'real world' to have a few hours online with people who like to play this game. Team was certainly the best way to describe what was happening tonight, and a people escaping for fun - that was very apparent. Regardless of the 'banging your head against a wall' type situation we almost always end up with where one side only needs a few more towns, but how to get them, etc? tonight was ridiculously fun.

Krefeld and Kills go hand in hand, at least for me. What was a fun little operation turned into spawning, running North East from the MG spawnable to a factory, and then into the building to the East of it - a white coloured house type building - where many EI and I fought it out for supremacy of that most fashionable address with views out into the fields, and into the Army Barracks. With impressive floor space and open planned living, the numerous windows provided equally impressive LMG and Rifle positions, while the spacious three levels saw an increased ability to hide and sneak with my Axis counterparts. The house produce for me two 10 kill missions, a 7 kill one, and many 2, 3 and 4 kill missions. Needless to say my kill death ratio rose dramatically; this location is one I must invest more time into, I feel! You know what they say, location, location, location!

Kempen and Kreigsmarine CinC too fit nicely together, and this is where I can tie in an aspect of sportsmanship within a game. Don't forget the bilateral stuff to! Well, Kempen is an interesting little town West of Krefeld. We discovered, albeit too late, that the Northern depot doesn't actually exist in the game world. Yes, it's on the map and counts towards ownership, but it doesn't appear in game. In its place an impressive new square can be found. Location, location, location? Anyhow, after .reporting, posting and pming, we had to pull the AO and head elsewhere. There was still a danger Axis could move in, and it severely hampered our efforts to link our British Division back up. With everything Allied, the town should have been Allied too, but alas for that depot. Nonetheless, what can one do? Laugh, and move on, that's what! However, it was necessary to drop the Axis a PM and let them know, but who would be on, I asked?

Eyeshank, that's who :-) GHC's 'Kreisgmarine CinC' responded quickly, looked at the situation, and together agreed the Axis wouldn't move in and Allies not AO again until CRS had a proper look at the situation and got back to us. A very sportsman like, honourable and noble decision, which I humbly thank Eyeshank for. It's occurrences like this which make such a positive game culture, and make World War Two Online what it is for me. The sense of actually belonging to a community like no other, where people are genuinely intent on assisting the game, and seeing it grow. An amazing reflection on CRS as a company, I feel.

To cap off - no pun intended - the night, I began my alliteration; Tomba's terrifying terrific transport. I grabbed a Ju52, put messages across the Ops channel, and before long had a cast of thousands (ok, maybe 10 or so players) to drop at various targets across the map to 'softcap' our way back to ours lines. It was a great time as we flew, making jokes with the players and HC alike, chatting on TS and generally just enjoying the game to the fullest. I truly hope our Axis counterparts do that too - take time to step back, relax, and just play the game for what it is.

After all, the last mission is what it's all about, right? Fun; not serious HC positions, militaristic simulations of a chain of command, but people getting together to escape the real world for a bit with a bunch of people who all want to have fun. So, my advice to you is the same - get out there, kick back on TS and in game, lighten up, have a laugh, and enjoy this great game!

So I received a PM

2008-10-01T21:56:00.003+10:00

It's quite funny how some things happen. Whether it be by chance, coincidence, luck, fate - whatever you want to call it. Recently, as I became once more fully immersed in WWIIOL, I've been trying to find my 'old blog'. I'd started it back in the day when I read SRES' I believe, and Comstar's, so it's been here a while. As it was, I just couldn't find the link to it, or remember the username or password. I thought it was a rather lost cause, and it drifted to the back of my mind.

I got a PM today from one "Svedala," who said he'd been waiting almost three years for me to update my blog, and provided a link to it. Well, more welcome news I couldn't have received - or perhaps I could, in the form of the Allied map breakthrough. So it's been a decent day on a few fronts - excuse the pun. After spending a few minutes getting the account fixed up - apparently there have been a few changes since 2006 or whenever I was last here, fancy that - I logged back in to write my first blog post in a very long time.

Today in game was a fantastic show of teamwork on the Allied side. I think that it has been a great day, too, for the mechanics of TO&Es to be fully realised. What we have seen is opportunity taken, risks embarked upon, and so far as the game mechanics should be concerned, in a fairly successful way. It has occupied a large portion of my time, which should have been spent studying and doing other work, watching and helping the map move. Don't get me wrong, by helping I mean grabbing a rifle and walking towards the nearest enemy with the hopes that the large "BAIT" above my head will guide the Allies towards safety through showing them where not to go. I'm certainly not as proficient with the map as many others are - and there are quite a few.

So what about HC's ability to influence the game and the fact that they can control where supply is. Well, what I've seen tonight, as HC and players are both struggling to work together between three towns, is exactly that. HC are providing the resources correctly, players are getting in there and fighting. It is a tribute to CRS that the mechanics are - at least currently seem to be - working well; for the Allies they are working well, I should say.

It has not been the great day for our Axis counterparts. Regardless, it has not been a great day for the game in general, if we are looking at it this way. While one side prospers, another is torn by apparent HC infighting, and while I would rather not delve near to this, it seems apparent that there is tension, friction and fighting which is causing havoc among the Axis players and HC equally. It is only in the best interests of the game that this is resolved.

Spawn timers in action have been seen tonight. As we battle for Kreuzberg, defend Musch and attacked Liege, we were and are sitting on a 60 second plus timer. That's longer than a CP table! It is interesting to see this in action, because it has been severely impeding Allied advance, as has the AO limit and restrictions, but still created a decent battle. Well, sort of - a lot of players logged, and even I grew very tired of spawning into a camped CP to die, wait a minute, rinse and repeat. None the less, it has stemmed the flow of Allies Eastwards, for the moment.

So what started as a post that I had no idea what to write ended in exactly the same way. I try to avoid any Allied/Axis bias; it's a game and we're all in it for the game. There are some issues currently which cannot be avoided though, unfortunately, which threaten the harmony of WWIIOL, and that is not good for any stakeholders. We're definitely stakeholders, we spend a lot of time in front of the comptuers - all warranted, by the way. I keep asking people who question $15 a month - I can see one movie a month for that, or have a game which I enjoy and interact more, for far longer, whenever I want, from the comfort of my own home and chair. Plus, the food's cheaper around here than at the movies!

And it is with that I leave you for tonight, a rambling mess of a blog post, but at least it's a blog post, Svedala!

/Tomba

Been a while

2006-01-24T18:15:00.000+11:00

Well, it's been a while since I've posted here. Been on hols, been busy in game, and just haven't had time to post.

Few short things now though:

1) I've rejoined AHC as an Army 7IC of a BDE
2) Version 1.21 is really, really awesome
3) Allies just lost a campaign, so new one is iminent
4) Tiger's not that good :-)

Cya soon,

Tomba

New BDE Rules

2005-12-24T22:28:00.000+11:00

Here are the new rules for the Brigades. They're very interesting and are worth the read. WWIIOL is now much more strategical, and is certainly more awesome!

-----------------------------------------------------------

HQ Unit Deployment:

Terminology:

Brigade – The men and equipment that make up a tactical fighting unit
Brigade HQ – The current base of operation for a given Brigade where missions may be posted (also BrigHQ or HQ3)
Division – An administrative organization of two or more Brigades
Division HQ – The current base of operation for a given Division from which resupply missions may be posted for member Brigades (also: DivHQ or HQ2)
HQ Unit – The HQ of either a Brigade or Division

Army Vehicle - Infantry, Trucks, ATG, AAA, Armor, etc
CP - Choke point or "City" (not to be mistaken for 'capture point')
Displacement - Causing HQ Units to be withdrawn from a CP by capturing it
CP Controller - Side that last held all MFs in a CP simultaneously
CP Owner - Side that last held all facilities simultaneously (uncontested)
MF - Military Facility (Army base, Airfield, Naval base)
Off Map - Location for out-of-play HQ Units (Stromness, Brest, Kiel)
Placement - Moving a HQ Unit from Off Map back into play
Return - Delivery a vehicle to the spawn list that it was drawn from
Rout - When HQ Units are not able to withdrawn from a captured CP
Supply - Delivering a vehicle to the spawn list you despawn at
Vehicle - Any unit spawnable by a player, including infantry, armor, planes, ships, etc.

Structure:
• A division is a collection of units
• Each division is comprised of a Division HQ and 2 to 3 Brigades
• The Division HQ may not be joined by a player (see mission origins below)

Initial deployment at map start:
• Each Division HQ has an initial home that can be set by the HC
• All brigades tied to the division are placed at the DivHQ location and can then be moved based on the rules below

Placement (Moving an HQ Unit on or off the map):
• The Off Map locations are the "Training Grounds" placed at the edges of the map near the cities of Stromness (UK), Brest (FR) and Kiel (DE).
• HQ Units can be placed Off Map at any time [same delay penalty as a rout, however]
• DivHQ cannot be placed from Off Map to a frontline town
• Placing a DivHQ from Off Map will also place Off Map Brigades belonging to it
• Brigades are automatically placed from off map at their DivHQ

Movement:
In order to move a HQ Unit the following rules must be met.
• HC players can move the brigade they are in by selecting the destination on the map and typing /moveb
• HC players can move the DivHQ of the brigade they are in by selecting the destination on the map and typing /moved
• The destination CP Owner must be of the same side as the HQ Unit
• The destination CP must have one or more country and branch matching military facilities (An army base for ground brigades, etc.)
• Manual movements may only occur 5 minutes or more after a proceeding manual or automatic move of a member of the same Division.

Additional movement rules for Army Units.
• The destination CP must be within one link (land or water)
• The destination CP must be shared by or adjacent to at least one *other* member of the Division UNLESS all other members of the Division are Off Map

Overrun, Fallback and Routing:
• Players who are defending against an attack may issue the /overrun command to inform the HC of the status of the defense
• An HC Officer in a Brigade operating in a contested town that is reporting overrun may choose to Fallback using the /fallback command
• When the /fallback command is issued, all HQ Units in the CP will attempt to fallback
• When the CP where an HQ Unit is located becomes controlled by the enemy, the /fallback command will be executed automatically
• When a fallback is attempted the HQ Unit will try to move first to the CP in which it was last located
• If it cannot move to that CP based on the movement rules above it will attempt to move to another CP preferring to move towards its Divisional units
• If a Brigade cannot fallback it will be routed
• Routed units are placed Off Map and can be re-placed per the above Placement rules

Mission Origins:

Players can post missions with an origin that is:
• In the same CP as their DivHQ
• In the same CP as their Brigade HQ

Additional Mission Origins for Army Brigades:
• A depot in a contested CP adjacent to their Brigade HQ with a valid link (own both depots, no enemy firebase) back to their Brigade CP
• Army bases in a CP with an Air or Naval HQ Unit

When an origin becomes invalid, all missions from that origin will be closed. Players on the mission will be able to continue on-mission until they despawn, but then must choose a new mission.

Mission OIC:
• Mission leaders can transfer leadership of the mission to another player with the /makeleader command
• If a mission leader goes link dead a new mission leader will be automatically chosen based on rank and time on mission
• If a mission leader chooses to leave the mission the mission is cancelled and all players are notified

Spawning and RTB:

Whenever a player requests to reserve a new vehicle, they do so at their current mission origin. If the player is on a mission for which the origin is no-longer valid, they will be unable to reserve a new vehicle.

If you RTB to a same-country, same-branch facility (e.g. a British Rifleman to a British Depot, a French Destroyer to a French harbor, a German BF109 to a German Airfield) then your vehicle will be reserved for you at that facility for respawning. For this to occur the facility must be open but does not require a valid supply link.

However if you cancel the reservation or allow it to expire (7 minutes) then the vehicle will be surrendered to the supply system.

Return/Supply rules:

Manual vehicle resupply is controlled by Brigade HQ and Division HQ locations. Depending where you spawn your vehicle and where you return it, the vehicle will either be supplied (delivered to the spawnlist at that location), returned (delivered back to the original spawnlist) or returned with a delay.

Rules are, in order:

Supply occurs if:
• Vehicle is despawned at its origin CP
• Vehicle spawned from your Brigade , despawned at your Brigade
• Vehicle spawned from your Division , despawned at your Brigade (resupply)
• Vehicle spawned from your Division , despawned at your Division

Returned (Sent back to origin with no delay):
• Vehicle spawned from your Brigade, despawned at your Division

Returned with a delay:
• Vehicle spawned from your Brigade, despawned at another Division/Brigade
• Vehicle spawned from other than your Division/Brigade, despawned at any Division/Brigade
• Vehicle is despawned anywhere else

Oversupply:
• Oversupplying is only allowed when despawning at your Brigade
• When the last brigade is moved from a town any overstock at the town is scuttled

Examples:

1. Brigade B1 is placed at Town TA. Equipment is spawned at TA and driven to friendly Town TB and despawned. The equipment is returned to Town TA after a delay. (Aprox 1 hour)

2. Brigade B1 is placed at Town TA. Equipment is spawned at TA and driven to friendly Town TB. While the equipment is in transit B1 moves to Town TB. After it has been moved equipment is despawned at TB. The equipment is supplied to Town TB and any oversupply is allowed.

3. Brigade B1 is placed at Town TA with 10 trucks overstock. Players spawn 15 trucks leaving the town 5 below capacity. Brigade B1 is moved to Town TB. All 15 trucks are despawned. Since Brigade B1 has left, the spawn list cannot rise about stock level, so 10 of the trucks are lost when the players cancel their reservations.

4. Division D1 is placed at Town TA, Brigade D1/B1 placed at Town TB. Equipment is spawned at TA, driven to TB and despawned. The equipment is supplied to TB and oversupply is allowed.

5. Division D1 is placed at Town TA, Brigade D1/B1 placed at Town TB. Brigade Equipment is spawned at TB, driven to D1 at TA and despawned. The equipment is immediately returned to TB where it was spawned. If Brigade B1 is no-longer at TB, the equipment will be returned with a Delay.

Deployements:
• There are no changes to Deployments of paratroopers, destroyers or bombers for this release
• Changes to deployments will occur with the introduction of TOEs (Table of Organization and Equipment)
• In order to use a deployment a HQ Unit must be placed or moved to the location of the deployment
• Paratrooper deployments can be best used by Army Brigades when an Air Brigade is placed at the paratroop deployment location

Version 1.21!

2005-12-22T09:48:00.000+11:00

WOOT for 1.21!!! Some major changes in this game, and in the next few days! Here's what we're going to get:

A full list of what we can expect in 1.21:

Infantry:
• Enfiled art redo
• Webley art redo
• Luger art redo
• M1935 art redo
• Mas 38 art redo
• Satchel art redo
• Mills grenade art redo
• Darker French para uniform
• New French commander hat
• Make headshake non state locking
• Bore sight all weapons audit
• Begin work on new infantry predictor and update systems

Vehicles:
• Churchill III
• Pak 40 ATG
• British 17 pounder ATG
• French lend lease M5 3 inch ATG
• Add missing iron cross to Panzers
• Darken texture on Frech Ju-52
• Fix Pak 36 cockpit art issue
• Adjust color on French early tanks
• Fix gauge issues in Bf110
• Replace C47 gauges with Allied versions
• Audit all crew positions for concussive damage irregularities
• Audit track damage thresholds for irregularities
• Fix S35 speeds to match historical documentation

Brigades:
• Brigades deployed on map
• Division HQ on map for Brigade resupply point
• Movement rules for brigades
• OIC for brigades
• OIC for missions
• New map icons for displaying towns with and without brigades
• New ews icon display
• New attack and defend status display for towns, brigades and bridges

Global:
• New materials based lighting effects for darker interior spaces
• Add FSAA functionality when post render filter enabled
• Continue performance enhancements in mesh handling, vertex buffer objects and depth buffer
• Add several updated and new sounds

Will the Tiger make it?

2005-12-21T13:30:00.000+11:00

Well, throughout the forums there are calls of sandbagging, of getting the campaign to slow down, etc, etc, just so that the Axis can get their beloved Tiger. However, as RDP looks at the moment, it would seem that the Axis still have the best part of 5-6 days until the Tiger makes an appearance. The Churchill Mk7 and M10, on the other hand, should be out within the very near future (1-2 days), so could we see a campaign turn around?

Or, will the Axis forces win before the Churchill even comes out? Well, I guess only time will tell, but I am sure that this will be one interesting campaign end!

Tigers, M10 and Churchill in game....for 15 mins!

2005-12-19T16:10:00.000+11:00

Well, the RATS made a little stuff up today, when the servers had some sort of crash/bug where all Tiers of equipment were put into the map. Apparantly it was lots of fun (bugger I missed it). Here's what DOC posted about it:

15 minutes actually, before we turned them off. That's only because it took 15 minutes to get to the office. B)

Recovering the rest of the database is still underway, it is hours of reconfiguring we have to complete to finish that work off.

Hehehe, quick work by the RATS. Axis got a taste, maybe they'll sandbag for a while, Allies will gain strength and push back for a massive comeback and great campaign. I think it's possible!

I went sailing today...

2005-12-18T01:13:00.000+11:00

Wow! It's been almost three and a half months since I went sailing. In fact, the last time I went sailing I was the Royal Navy CO. Since then, I've played Axis for a week, was the XO, then CO of the AHC Training Corps, played with the rifle for over 300 missions straight, and have now finally started playing the game normally (enough) for once! So, today I decided to jump in a ship and hit the waters. First thing I noticed was the pretty neat 8km vis range. Much nicer! And the fact that the engines are slower to start/stop, which is more realistic (woot!).

I engaged 3 EDD's on my mission, and 6 or so EA, from Oostende to Vliss, and then back to Zeebrugge. All 3 EDD's sunk (not by me - Downu, Fruitgum and Rook were with me), and I managed to shoot down 3 EA (2x109 and 1x110). All in all I had fun, and it brought back a lot of memories, but man, time on mission was large, ammo was wasted really quick, and only brief action there.

I've become to much of a ground pounder/flyboy to return Navy just yet, hehehe.

Dynamically predictable?

2005-12-18T01:06:00.000+11:00

This is a post from the "Barracks" forums in Playskewl. I linked the heading to it btw. I thought it was a beauty, and I advise all to read it, and if you feel like it, to actually comment on it. The original post was this, by Kc23:

Oximoron? Sounds like one, but campaigns are so easy to predict the outcomes it really getting kind of dull.Don't get me wrong, the action in game is awesome and the battles anything but predictable. However, the campaign outcomes almost feel scripted. Everyone short of the very new to the game could of predicted an Allied victory post the Allied HC summit with CRS. Allies get their quota for the year and poof back to the all too famliar axis roll.I am not suggesting anything is fixed, but geez the campaigns are so obvious to predict I've really stopped caring about the outcome. It just doesn't feel like anything within reason can be done to change the status quo.I wonder if anything will ever change? I sure can't blame CRS. They've tried to throw all sorts of variables into the game, but nothing seems to change the seemingly endless stream of multiple axis victorys with an Allied win sprinkled in here and there. Going on 5 years and it is the same old same old.

To that, my response was:

Kc23, your post is a good one. It is easy to predict the campaign outcome, as you said, quite early. And yes, the design of the map, and the limited tools which we have create a very controlled environment. However, your post touches on two issues. The first is that the Axis win 80% of the time, the other is that the campaigns are all the same.Firstly, for why the Axis win, it's simple, they have numbers. When the Allies are in low-pop, Axis take towns. Then, all the players go Axis for more fun (no-one enjoys getting spanked). This continues, and continues, and continues. It hasn't stopped yet. Obviously people try to blame things on CRS, and RDP, etc, but when it all comes down to it, numbers make or break a campaign. I for one like the challenge of playing Allied, but I do, as others, tire of campaign after campaign of Axis victories, and of the numerous gloating Axis threads, so I work harder when we loose, I play more and for longer. I will always stick it out, win, loose or draw!Numbers are, in every PvP. Team oriented game, the deciding factor. However, numbers on each side are not anyone's fault but the players. If players wanted, we could balance things up, and have some great, long, long campaigns. But while friendships, squads, HC's, egos, etc, exist in game, that won't happen. As much as people want to, don't blame CRS for the numbers imbalance. They do their utmost to make things fair. Hell, I don't think that ever in gaming there has been a company who are so close to their community; it is one of the many factors which makes this game so great.The second issue, campaigns are the same. Again, with the limited tools we have in-game, they can be exactly the same every single time. Over and over. However, again, the players can make a difference! It's up to us which direction the map takes, what happens in it, and who has the most fun. A great saying, and a principle which I use, is "I don't care what the map is doing, as long as we're having fun." This is a game remember, we're here to have fun. With the new Brigade System coming into effect, we are going to see completely new, dynamic campaigns, with the level of strategic decisions increasing greatly within the High Command, as they will have much more influence on which direction each side takes in a campaign. I am personally looking forward to this system; it should be very interesting to see what the finished result brings to the game.In conclusion, this game has limits, however small or large they are. In most cases, the limits are almost endless. It is unlike anyother MMPOG, or PvP game; you can hit an enemy 500 times in the one spot, but if that spot isn't the weak spot, then you won't do nothing. It takes skill, learning, etc. The players make this game what it is; CRS gives us the tools to do that. Each day they develop more ways we can make campaigns dynamic, more fun, and more fair. The players control this game. We make it what it is. The community is awesome in WWIIOL. Again, unique from any other community in online games. As the players, we can make WWIIOL fun or not. As a person, we can aim to have fun or not. What are you going to do to have fun and aim for a win is the question.

Well, I hope you got out of my post what I was hoping (that's it's up to the players how this game works), because that post took a while, lol!

Blog updated

2005-12-18T00:34:00.000+11:00

Ok, I got rid of the javascript popup for the Blog, and I added a "CRS Blogs!" link on the right hand side of the page. Just thought I'd keep ya'll updated...anything else I'm missing? :-)

S!

Tomba

CRS Fires Employees!

2005-12-17T14:53:00.000+11:00

Well, today it was announced that two members of the CRS team were being laid of by the Playnet Corporation. TOTO and HATCH were removed, however a statement saying why has not yet reached us. A link to the announcement is in the title of the thread.

Well, that's just business I suppose. Skies not falling, things won't change, new face will appear. I think things will be fine.

S!

Tomba

Expanding the Blog

2005-12-15T22:57:00.000+11:00

I think it's time I expanded this blog. Perhaps other games will make their way into the new format. All I know is that I think it's time that this became WWIIOL and other stuff, not just WWIIOL, so that a) I'll probably post more and b) I'll probably post more :-)
Anyhow, expect some Axis & Allies, Call of Duty, Civ4 (soon), Quake 4 (soon) and COD2 (soon) threads I'd say :-).

Cheers,

Tomba

Javascript btw...

2005-12-15T22:55:00.000+11:00

Just an FYI, I was testing Javascript with the opening alert "Welcome to Tomba's WWIIOL Blog" or whatever it says. It was a fun, tiny, tiny script that I learnt, and I was eager to give it a go. If anyone finds it annoying, I'll take it out for you, or even change it so it says " *** Says this is annoying, do you?" :-)

Anyhow, thought I'd fill ya'll in, hehehe.

Cheers,

Tomba

Still here...

2005-12-08T00:13:00.000+11:00

Yeah, I'm still here, and still using the rifleman. I suggest everyone have a go at just using the rifleman for a certain amount of time. At the moment I have over 220 missions, and I'm sooo close to having a K/D of 1 :-) I'm about #60 on the top rifleman list as well, which I'm happy about.

Anyways, midnight here, I need sleep,

See ya'll later,

Tomba

Rifleman

2005-12-03T00:02:00.000+11:00

The Rifleman. A very, very interesting unit. The most numerous unit in the game, often related to the new guys of the game, or 'greenies' as that's all they can spawn.
I've seen a few guys who know how to use the rifle well, but mostly I see guys use it as a last resort. This is where the Axis and Allies are different. I once observed, while playing Axis for a night, that they go for their Rifle and worst tanks first. Complete opposite for the Allies. We take our good stuff first, and then last of all comes the bad stuff. This is, of course, in a defence.
So I've decided to use only the rifleman for a bit. Get to know him, how to use him, get some accuracy practice. And, have a hell of a lot of fun. So far in the last week, I've been having a great time with the rifleman. Kills include 2x Opel, 2x 232, 2x HT and 1x 110, as well as many EI and the odd Pak/Flak gun along the way. Atm my kills equal something like 70 or 80, for 87 deaths, with a K/D around .9 or .91, which for me is great :-)
Anyhow, just thought I'd keep ya'll upto date, sry for the lateness of this post, I've been very busy in the last week. I retired from AHC, and have been playing just as a grunt with my squad, which has been awesome.

S! and goodluck all,

Tomba

Campaign #25

2005-12-02T23:57:00.000+11:00

Well, campaign #25 has kicked off really well, with some great action all along the front. French troops are fighting well, taking some and loosing some, and British forces are fighting a fierce battle to hold onto the buffers of Antwerp.
Unfortunately the key island town of Vlissingen was captured by the Axis and an attempt to re-take it today was to no avail. The town provides the Axis with an Air Field and Naval Base on the Allied Northern Front, and could potentially open up a third fighting front if the Axis advance onto mainland.
This campaign, I think, will be another long one, with great fun to be had, however, the RDP war seems to be going the Axis way atm, so it might be over quicker than I think...

S!

Tomba

4 Section AAR

2005-11-25T09:28:00.000+11:00

Section 4's Night
As the OIC of Section 4 for 3 hours; from 6:30pm to 9:30pm, I had a ball. I hope my section enjoyed it as much as I did! We had great guys with us, Transcul, Salador, Troop76, Jools, ErnieDig, LFA, FJ, Simpson and Downu (sry if I missed anyone).

At kickoff we were assigned "Eindhoven Harrassment." So that's what we did Mandril (simpson) got the MSP for the moling op while the rest of us took to an FB and blew the snot out of it, hehehehe. When the MSP was setup NE of town, we formed in a group of 8 and started moving towards town, using the leapfrog movements, and covering each other well. Moving in to the depots an Opel and EI were spotted, and reported on the map. We formed up for a depot rush, and LFA was assigned Opel crusher. Once we had secured the Eersel depot and the surrounding buildings, capping begun and everyone covered. Once capped, the other depots fell like flies through great communication and teamwork by Section 4. We continued the assault on Eindhoven for at least half an hour, and then we were called into St. Truiden.

Spawning off the MSP Section 4 grouped up, and formed two smaller sections, Charlie (lead by me) and Delta (lead by Trans). We moved towards town, Delta to the right of Charlie, clearing anything (which there was actually nothing, lol) along the way. Our first OBJ was to secure and capture the Western Spawnable (Tienen Depot). We moved in as a group, supported by excellent armoured movements all the way in, and we were easily able to suppress the depot, and then when tables came up to capture it. Following the capture of the Tienen Depot, Delta were assigned CP Guard, and Charlie moved out. However, as Charlie Group moved out, infantry support for the depot guard arrived, and Section 4 joined up for the north depot assault. As Salador said, it was a great manovoure on that depot. Without me saying more than "move to cover depot now" we had guys in, around and covering the CP Flag building really well. After the capture of the Northern depot we moved to the Waremme FB, which was very textbook stuff of spawning on a MSP, driving to LOC and sapping FB when it came up.

Following the capture of St. Truiden, Section 4 was assigned to guard Hannut FB, Secure the FUP and setup and MSP. We sent two MSP's into town, one headed SW as a backup, and the main headed with a group of infantry to the FUP, while Trans, Downu, LFA and ErnieDig guarded the FB. The MSP was setup behind the armour after the inf had secured the FUP. Shortly after the MSP was setup, however, a 4G blew it to shreds, so we deployed the backup and brought a new MSP in. Meanwhile the inf had been pushing into town, I was killed 50m East of town, and seeing it was 9:30pm with exams today (Monday) I thought it best to log off and leave the Section in Transcul and Sals capable hands.

Personally I thought that using the one mission was a great idea for the night, as Infantry could be placed (basically) where you wanted them, and could be guided into town supporting and being supported by the organised Armour groups. It made things, IMHO much easier to co-ordinate and kept our deaths at a low because of that support. The night went really well too I think. Everything and everyone got on well and did their tasks as asked.

On behalf of myself and section 4, thankyou to Cavalier, all the other section leaders, and each and every person who showed up for this night of great fun, numbers and some serious pwnage!!!

WWIIOL 'Forces Radio'

2005-11-19T20:59:00.000+11:00

Hey guys, check it out! Forces Radio is a new tool setup by Sres (link to his blog on the right). Please check it out, register on the site, listen to the music and announcements and get this thing off the ground!

S! and happy listening!

Tomba

Some Blogging Info...

2005-11-19T20:53:00.000+11:00

Links on the right hand side of the Blog now up to teh WWIIOL guys blogs. Testing out the "Blog this" button to see if it actually works :-)

Remember all; Anzac MEGA squad night tomorrow!!!!

S!

Tomba

Time for some more Blogging...

2005-11-19T10:39:00.000+11:00

Well, I've decided I need a new, more serious approach to this; IE posting once every few days. ATM it has been hard, as I've just taken over the AHC Training Corps CO position. However, hopefully I'll find something use(less)ful to talk about every few days :-)

The topic today will be the immense smashing of the Axis forces by the mighty Allied War machine. That ^^^ about covers it, lol. Man, the Axis and the Breakfast club have been quite bashed lately. And this map they don't have anything to blame, or to point fingers at. Our CinC has made, IMHO, good RDP choices, and with the Churchill 7 we've been able to advance well. I decided to take a night off last night, and what do you know, I look at the map today and notice about 30 more towns Allied, hehehe. It's been great to see, and I sure know I'm having fun this map.

Anzacs are also going really well. It's nice to see the 'ole imbalance back! Rock on Anzacs! It's been great fun with all the training we've been doing, and fun we've been having. Looking forward to the MEGA SQUAD NIGHT-WOOT!

Also, I'll try to get some other Blogs linked to my Blog on the right hand side there, I gotta figure out how to do that first :-)

S! and Goodluck all,

Tomba

A new perspective on the game....

2005-11-11T23:38:00.000+11:00

Well, it's been a while since I last posted here, and many things have changed. I left my position in the RN AHC and played Axis for about a week, before returning Allied. When I returned I was offered the Training Corps XO position, which I took up. I've been working with Usmc83, Wonki, VonRossa, GeorgH, C-47 and B2k for the past few weeks on the AHCTC. I'm enjoying the game a lot, although I felt a need for a break, so I took a four day break, ending yesterday, when I came back online for some much needed fun :-)

Anyhow, thought I'd bring ya'll back up-to date with what's going on. This game is getting better, thankyou CRS, and hey, I plan to stay for a while! Version 1.20 and 1.20.1 have made it great, so log in today guys!

S! cya all round,

Tomba

Thoughts on AHC

2005-09-29T23:57:00.000+10:00

As much as AHC is great, it can corrupt a person in this game. Over the last few days I've really had a good think, and have come up with the following:

Some people don't belong in AHC. It ruins them. Some others are great in AHC only when it suits them. Some people are consistantly good in AHC and are respected by all; this is what everyone aims at, and some are complete power hungry jerks.

I've also realised that although Squad responsibilities have to be put aside it is always important to maintain a good relationship with the people in your squad. Make an effort to get along with them and you'll have way more fun in-game. I found that I can do all my "AHCing" as well as get along and have fun with my squad. I was leaning too far to "power hungry jerk" I fear (never reached it I hope), and am now firmly on track to trying to earn back the respect of my fellow squaddies and players.

AHC is a wonderful thing. Awful as well. So much politics, yet so much fun. It's a fickle thing :-) Yet, I find it intriging and I recon I'll be in it for the long run. I would encourage all to join it, but remember; keep everything in perspective. After all, it's a game...

S!

Tomba

More about the Naval side of WWIIOL - Development

2005-09-29T12:30:00.000+10:00

Well, I've been thinking again. Why don't we get new stuff? Like, my post before puts some reasons forward, and I've been trying to convince myself of those things, yet I can't!

Looking back at the original WWIIOL forums (the ones out before the game was released) there is all this talk of Aircraft carries and landing craft. 6 years later, we have a Fairmile, a Destroyer and a Freighter. All the same for the three countries. And still CRS won't do anything to make the Naval game more involved and more important, not even the simple stuff like add a dock to every river town.

And then we all look towards 1.20; the long and eagerly awaited patch. Hopefully, hopefully we're going to get some Navy lubbin. Supposedly L/C and MTB's. That would be sweeeet. Then whenever North Africa comes out with TEII we're supposedly getting some sort of Aircraft Carrier and I believe possibly a cruiser.

Anyhow, again I'll leave you with that. Needed to get it off my chest, heh. Just so sick of empty promises again and again.

S!

Tomba

Thoughts about the World War Two Online Naval Game

2005-09-25T23:45:00.000+10:00

I've been thinking a lot over the past few months about the Naval game of World War Two Online. Why is it there? Why is it like it is? Why doesn't it go forward? Why doesn't it go backwards? And many more questions. Tonight I figured, "hey, I got a blog, why not write my thoughts up," so here they are!

First of all the Naval game is there as such, in the game, for the obvious fact that when creating a game about World War Two it's very hard to ignore the Navy should there be water in the game. Therefore CRS had to add the Navy. I suppose when the waters were added, not many people played; they were looking for an FPS, which I believe the game was like when it first started. However, as the game evolved and HC were introduced people saw strategies evolving, and more hit the waters. There were of course those die hard Naval players who, from the word go, played Navy, and they deserve credit. Sailing those FMB's all day would have bored the hell out of me....then again I sail Destroyers all day and love it; I suppose you make do with what you've got. The Destroyer was added with the Freighter because it's one of the only things that the makers of the game (CRS) thought was "small enough" for the game but big enough to kill the freighter I guess. Mind you, why did no-one think of the torpedo boat....! So that's how we got to the Navy today I guess.

Why is it going forwards not backwards? The players. With the poor excuses and BS that CRS give us about "new stuff" for the Navy, when in fact we get no lubbin what so ever, it's the players in the end who stick together, use what we have, and make fun in any situation! The new and the old guys just love sailing around kicking the enemies butt! And that's what makes the Navy unique. No other branch are as close as the RN/MN are, purely because of our low numbers. So where are low numbers are our disadvantage they're also our advantage....very confusing!

With the small numbers= nowhere near as much money for CRS= no Naval lubbin, basically that can be translated into "The RATS don't give the Navy lubbin because they say we have no numbers; the Navies have no numbers because the RATS don't give us lubbin."

And so I leave you to ponder those thoughts, and I need to regroup mine. Will post again soon,

S!

Tomba

I have a blog...

2005-09-25T23:11:00.001+10:00

No idea why. Looked cool. Thought I could use it somehow. So I got a blog :) Will post more soon.

S!

Tomba