World War II Online: 1.18 Update January 12, 2005 Jakub Wojnarowicz

Overview

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Last time we wrote about World War II Online, CRS had just released the anti-tank rifle (ATR) unit on the unsuspecting masses. Despite dire predictions of doom and gloom from the tankers, the ATR has generally turned out to be somewhat of a dud, as it was in real life. It is not, however, without its uses -especially in the early stages of a map, which are dominated by lightly armored tier 0 tanks. The British A13 and Vickers, as well as Axis tanks in particular are vulnerable if hit in the correct locations. Almost all French tier 0 tanks are too heavily armored to be penetrated by the ATR reliably, but they do have a weakness in the form of open driver's slits, permiting the rifles to kill at least the driver and thus immobilize the tank.

New since then is a vast array of equipment. Tier 1 anti-tank guns (ATGs) are available to both sides, as are tier 2 tanks and tier 2 fighter aircraft. The Axis have been re-inforced with the PaK38 5.0cm anti-tank gun, while Allies share the 6pdr/M1 design, a 57mm gun identical for both French and Brits with the exception of coloring and optics. These guns are heavier and more unwieldly than their predecessors, but make up for it with a much bigger punch.

The tier 2 tanks for Axis are the Panzer IV G and StuG III G. The French have gotten the Sherman M4A2 via Lend-Lease, and the British have the Crusader III, which is armed with a 57mm gun capable of superior penetration than the Sherman's 75mm.

Finally, in the latest patch, are new fighters for the flyboys. France has imported the Lockheed 322-15 (also known as the P-38F), the Royal Air Force has yet another Spitfire, this time the Mk IXc variant, and the Luftwaffe has received its long-awaited Focke-Wulf 190A fighter.

In a surprise for Christmas, CRS also released the first air transport, the Junkers Ju-52 which serves in all air forces in a provisional measure. The transport can carry any kind of infantry, but as a second bonus, paratroopers are available!

However, as significant as these tangible upgrades are, they pale in comparison to the gameplay upgrades: destructible bridges, attack objectives, and mobile spawning.

Anti-tank guns

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First, we'll go over the anti-tank guns in detail.

The PaK 38 is the Axis' players first choice in defending a town against a tank assault. Whereas the PaK 36 is too weak to hurt the best two Allied tanks in tier 0, and the 88 is far too slow to move manually, the PaK 38 fills a nice middle-ground. It's more ungainly than the PaK 36 by far, but much faster than the 88, and is closer to the 88 in performance. Although it will have trouble penetrating the Sherman's front hull at ranges above 300-500m (depending on angle), flanks and rear are all valid targets. Just be sure not to aim for the center of the turret at any range, where the Sherman has a very thick mantlet. Driver and hull machine gunner ports on the frontal hull are good targets as well, but, like the outside edges of the turret, tough to hit at longer ranges. The PaK 38 doesn't have quite the same penetration as the 6 pdr, but, thanks to APHE (armor piercing high explosive) ammunition, if it does penetrate, it deals considerably more damage to the squishies inside.

We should also add a note about the 88 (aka FlaK 36). As some people expressed bewilderment when struggling to penetrate the Sherman, it turned out after some research that this gun uses regular Panzergranate (PzGr.) ammunition, which has markedly inferior penetration capability to the PzGr. 39 used by the 88 on the Tiger. Only later in the war did the FlaK 36 receive PzGr. 39, but by then it was superceded by a dedicated anti-tank gun version of the 88, the PaK 43/41.

The British and French, as we said, received variants of the same gun - the 6 pounder. A high-velocity British design, the 6pdr is a 57mm anti-tank gun firing solid shot AP. It penetrates better than the PaK 38, but its killing power isn't quite the same despite the larger size. The French variant, called the M1, is acquired via Lend-Lease from the USA. Like many French items in the newer tiers, it has to be based on other sources since France was no longer officially in the war at this time and thus not designing new hardware. The 6pdr/M1 has an excellent chance to penetrate everything except the Pz IV G's frontal hull, the Pz III H's turret and the StuG III G frontally.

All the new anti-tank guns are slow relative to infantry or the older guns, but they've become very necessary with the arrival of tier 2 armor. Up north, the PaK 38 finally gives Axis a relatively cheap counter to the Matilda tank, and is very competitive against the lighter armor of the Crusader II and Crusader III.

The new tanks

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The French, who had often been regarded as the red-headed stepchildren of the game and were often the focus of Axis attacks due to perceived low interest in French equipment, are probably the biggest beneficiaries of tier 2 armor. The Sherman M4A2 is arguably not only the best all-around tank of the tier, it is by far the most recognizable.

Why is the Sherman good? For starters, it's the second-fastest tank in the game. Secondly, while it isn't the most armored vehicle of the tier, it has few obvious weak spots. Its armor completely outclasses the German tier 1 tank, the Pz III H. The P3H is capable of penetrating the Sherman frontally only at very close ranges on the driver and machine gunner ports, and from the side at close range. By contrast, the Sherman's 75mm gun, though not as powerful as the German 75, is dominating against the Panzer III H and capable of penetrating both new German tanks frontally under the right conditions. Also, its high explosive ammunition is quite potent despite the poor implementation of HE ammo in the game. Other than its optics, which take time to get used to, the Sherman is a very easy tank for the average player to use.

By contrast, the British Crusader III takes skill and patience. A small, light tank, it faces stiff competition from Axis tankers. The Crusader III is lightly armored and vulnerable even to tier 0 Axis armor from the flanks, and it is capable of being killed frontally by a Panzer III H at decent range. The StuG III G and Panzer IV G are both more heavily armed and armored. However, the British tanker has some unique advantages swinging his way - Crusaders have an extremely low profile, are relatively quiet (as far as tanks go) and great camouflage. They're nigh-on invisible in the twilight hours and make great ambush tanks. Assaults are more difficult for them than for Shermans, but the ingenuity of British tankers makes it possible.

The Germans got two tanks in tier 2. Why? Well, because CRS said so.

The main tank is the Pz IV G. It's got 80mm of frontal armor on the hull, but only 50mm on the turret and its sides and rear might as well be made of tissue paper. The Pz IV G's main asset is its 75mm gun, which is almost as powerful as the 88 is with Panzergranate ammo. Although, like the 88, it too will struggle against the Sherman's hull at off angles and longer ranges, it is capable of penetrating Shermans frontally with considerably less effort than other Axis hardware. The Brit tanks, with the exception of the Crusader III, struggle against the new Pz IV. On the other hand, both the tier 2 French Sherman and the tier 1 French Stuart put up respectable numbers against Pz IV Gs. This is mostly due to the vulnerable frontal turret of the Pz IV, which can be penetrated by the high velocity 37mm gun of the Stuart.

The other Axis tank is actually a tank destroyer, the StuG III G. It has a slightly more powerful gun than the Pz IV G, and its armor is almost completely 80mm frontally. This makes it extremely difficult to kill from the front by even the Sherman and Crusader III, but, the StuG, despite its strengths, is hardly the ultimate tank. For starters, it lacks a turret. The gun has only a few degrees of traverse either way, meaning that the player has to start the engine and turn the entire tank around in order to aim it at some targets. This often ends up exposing the StuG's vulnerable flanks to potentially new enemies, and the prolonged sounds of the engine are a draw for the StuG's most lethal enemy - sappers. Since the StuG has no machine guns whatsoever, it is extremely vulnerable to infantry like sappers or paratroopers who have satchel charges.

New aircraft

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Finally, we've gotten new aircraft. It seems like ages, and probably is, but they're here.

The British, as usual, have a Spitfire. The Spitfire Mk IXc is the more representative 1943 model with the slightly more powerful Merlin 66 engine, rather than the Merlin 61. Like its predecessors, the Spitfire Mk I and Spitfire Mk V, the Mk IXc is easy to fly and capable of an excellent sustained turn rate. It also doubles the cannon ammunition per gun from 60 to 120 rounds, permitting it to engage, for the first time, in sustained bursts without having to sweat the ammunition count too badly. It also has 4 .303 caliber machine guns, if you'd prefer to annoy your opponnent rather than kill him. The Mk IX is really the most favorable match-up for the average pilot against Axis aircraft so far. It's almost as fast as the FW-190, and for once, it has a way to bug out of an engagement reliably in the form of its excellent climb. In previous match-ups, Spits were always slower or at best marginally faster than their opponents, and rarely ever had the ability to climb away. Unfortunately, due to its power and the likely tactics of its opponent, the Spitfire IX is going to have two of its weaknesses highlighted. First off, the tendency for the aircraft to stop responding to control in a dive is greatly exacerbated with the extra power. Secondly, the Spitfire's always anemic roll rate is even more evident when pitted against the FW-190, which is arguably the best rolling aircraft of the war.

The German FW-190, specifically the 190A-4, is both the best and worst aircraft of the tier at the same time. If you know how to fly it - and this means honest-to-God actual skill and experience in realistic flight simulators - and if you have equally skilled wingmen, you can dominate competition. The 190 has a high top speed, incredible armament of 2x20mm MGFF cannon with 60 rounds each in the outer wings, 2xMG151/20 20mm cannon with 250 rounds per gun inboard, and, almost as an after-thought, 2x7.92mm peashooters in the nose. Furthermore, it has excellent rolling ability which permits the skilled pilot to chain together an unlimited combination of maneuvers with which to evade his foe. However, the 190 is the worst turning aircraft in the game. It loses speed at a tremendous rate when you pull back on the stick. Furthermore, Focke Wulf 190s have bad low-speed characteristics. Not only does this bode ill for someone trying to fight with it at low speed, but it is difficult to take off and land with, a marked contrast to the 109.

Skilled squads of pilots will terrorize their enemies with this plane, but the average pilot is going to have a long, tough road adjusting. To paraphrase a forum member, the Spitfire Mk IX is a dueling toy, the FW-190 is a murder weapon. One is made for fancy acrobatic maneuvers, the other dives in, unleashes its fury and leaves a corpse in its wake as it zooms away. Speaking of the dive, the 190 has the best in the game - it accelerates well in a dive, and more importantly, the player retains excellent control of the aircraft up until just after 800kph, at which point the plane locks up. Oh, and don't try to climb away from Spits.

The Lockheed 322-15, more commonly known as the P-38F or simply the P-38, is a mystery. Since the new aircraft have only been available on the training server and not yet live, it's been tested only under false conditions with everyone taking off at nearby airfields and with little at stake. Some things have become evident, however. It has a good sustained turn and dive, the best forward visibility in the game, and the highest top speed at low altitudes. Most impressive is its gun package, consisting of four .50 caliber Browning machine guns with their incredible range, gobs of ammo and rate of fire, and a single 20mm cannon - all in the nose. Few things that move across the crosshair of the P-38 are happy about doing so. The problem is getting those targets in the crosshair, as the P-38 has a bad roll rate (possibly the worst of any fighter in-game, except the Bf-110), awful climb and mediocre acceleration. It will be interesting to see how the P-38 ends up performing in the game, as its combination of flight characteristics is very atypical and no one is certain how it will do.

Parabridges

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Paratroopers are a "cool" item that players are still figuring out how to use. They, and their transports, can only spawn at certain airfields designated with a parachute icon. A player enters one of these like he would a truck, by pressing the J key. He also disembarks in the same fashion. It's important to note that, for now, a paratrooper can jump at any time - the light doesn't have to go green and the door can still be closed. The minimum safe jumping distance is 200m. Typically, it's best to wait until the transport pilot gives the green light over the target. By pressing the Q and E keys, a trooper can turn around and steer his descent.

Paratroopers are the most heavily armed soldiers in the game, with an SMG and 320 rounds of ammunition, a pistol or revolver, two smoke grenades, two regular grenades, a knife and a satchel charge. Additionally, they have 25% more stamina - though this becomes evident only after they jump and lose the parachute pack. Their only weakness is a lack of a long-range combat option (ie, a rifle) but generally they are superior to all other kinds of infantry. Thanks to the satchel, they are a major threat to tanks as well. Their value is mostly shock effect ("Look! Paratroopers! Stop what you're doing and try to shoot them now!") but their ability to make tanks that have moved into town-camping positions worry about their flanks is greatly appreciated.

The Ju-52 is an ugly, ugly plane that is slow but easy to fly and highly maneuverable. They're fairly easy to shoot down, and aircraft cannon and machine guns will kill the troops inside, but the Junkers is the only option for delivering human cargo at this time. A Ju-52 can land on short distances in open fields and it has an amazingly short take-off run, permitting them to drop off regular infantry just outside a combat zone as well, like a truck might.

AOs, Mobile Spawns, final thoughts

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Everything that you read above is completely negligible compared to the changes that attack objectives (AOs) and mobile spawns have made in the game.

Attack objectives, or AOs are they are known, are placed by the high command like bridge objectives. They are limited by the number of players on the server - more players mean more objectives. Without an attack objective, a town can be attacked and fought over, but nothing in it can be captured. Only the placement of an AO will bring up the capture tables in the control points after 20 minutes, and, if the town is successfully contested (ie, the attackers hold one or more CPs) for 20 minutes, the table in the army base will come up for capture. Of course, the moment an AO is placed, the defenders are notified with a defense objective. There are also limitations on attack objectives - high commands cannot place them, for example, if the town is pre-camped with the attackers all in place to kill the spawning defenders. Any high command officer doing so will quickly be removed from the game.

AOs have not just made large battles possible, but they've virtually forced players to engage in them. Capturing a town by surprise is difficult, though sneak attacks are still possible if the defenders are unwary. With many players in an area, the action is faster, more intense, more meaningful and completely hectic. Attacking armor is less dominant since there are generally more defenders to man their own tanks, sappers and anti-tank guns.

The importance of armor is again diminished with the addition of mobile spawns. No longer do infantry have to run from a forward base or be ferried by trucks. Instead, the trucks spawn at the forward base, each takes a separate mission, and parks within a certain distance of his objective and deploys. Infantry will now be able to spawn from that mission (highlighted with a green truck icon) and appear at the truck's location. Not only are town battles mostly infantry battles now, but the opposing sides actively engage in hunting each other's mobile spawns. Defenders also try to take down the forward bases with mobile spawns of their own, or place mobile spawns behind lines of enemy armor from which sappers can appear! Oh the tankers yearn for the days of simply sitting in front of a depot and ventilating any infantry trying to leave it.

Final thoughts

Other improvements, like an increased visual limit (128 limit) have had a noticeable effect on "enlarging" encounters as well. Battles in the air or further away on the ground that you were unaware of earlier are now visible. The map has been completely revamped and can be zoomed, scrolled and even shows the locations of depots, forward bases as well as army bases, and, if the player chooses, the names of these spots.

In my time exploring the game, I've become quite impressed with the flight model and complexity of tank combat. Though we can argue endlessly about which air model is the most accurate, there's no denying that World War II Online has a very intricate one. There are details to sort out - like structural damage from high-G maneuvers - but aircraft behave very much like how described. Spitfires turn well, 190s roll and dive, 109s are fast and have excellent climb, and so on. Players have developed tactics to exploit even the smallest advantage their aircraft gives them, thus the difficult Dewoitine 520, in the right hands, is deadlier than the easy to fly Spitfire Mk I. The complexity of the air game, along with the reader response from our Saitek Cyborg Evo joystick review, is what has encouraged me to request or invest in HOTAS setups for review. Expect some of the Saitek X52 soon, followed by CH Products shortly after and maybe even a Thrustmaster Cougar review in the coming months.