About WWII Online

"The first massively multiplayer online war game" - Guinness World Records
v.1.37.2 released on April 2023 (readme)
In memory of our greatest generation
"The first massively multiplayer online war game" - Guinness World Records
v.1.37.2 released on April 2023 (readme)
In memory of our greatest generation

Latest News

Article Categories

  • Game Patches & Updates (210)

    News related to patches and game features in production and slated for an upcoming release.

  • Game Servers (145)

    Updates and news regarding game server operation and maintenance.

  • Development Notes (198)

    Items posted by a Producer related to feature and tech development for the game. Often these items are not yet associated with a scheduled patch or update.

22nd Anniversary & Full Steam Release

Matt "Xoom" CallahanHappy Birthday to WWII Online as it turns 22 years old today (Est. June 6th 2001)! Over the years our game has seen a lot, good and bad, but we have endured. Congratulations to the WWII Online community and all past and present RATS who have paved the way to this moment. We're on the way to doing big things, and our next big initiative is to transition our store page on Steam from Early Access --> Full Release on Thursday, July 6th 2023. This will result in a large number of players joining the game and today we wanted to lay the plan out for you to prepare as a community for all of these new players. Please continue reading as it has specific details on this and to see some legacy videos and artwork as we reflect on 22 years of the game. S!

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Readme: Version 1.37.3.0

Cornered Rat SoftwareWWII Online is releasing version 1.37.3.0 on Wednesday, May 31st, 2023 at 6PM Server Time (PST). Downtime is expected to be 1 hour. This includes several new updates to terrain in terms of fixes, new structures and towns, camo netting from combat engineers, visual and sound effects for heavier caliber weapons, and a new "Fallen Rat Memorial." There are more features and fixes within, keep reading to find out more!

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Campaign 195 Briefing & Free Unlocks

Matt "Xoom" CallahanTonight we start Campaign 195 and it includes several changes. We are opening up several weapons available as free unlocks for the duration of the campaign to our Free Players in an effort to showcase these weapons in a live scenario and increase the server population. We are also looking at rolling back to a simplified 4 Tier system (Tier 0, 1, 2 and 3) to avoid confusion and keep the transition of tiers smooth. The theme for this campaign is squad development - rebuild your squad by bringing folks back and helping new players! Please continue reading to learn more about that and the settings for Proximity Attack Objectives, which will be featured for the first time for a whole campaign, and welcome aboard our two new Side Commanders!

Read more ...

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World War II Online is a Massively Multiplayer FPS, simulation game set in the Western Front of WWII and hosted on a huge single map. There is virtually no limit to the number of players that can join the battlefield and fight as infantry, tanker, pilot or captain!

BEWARE: WWII Online is a simulator, classified as a serious game with a mature community. You cannot play this game solo and cooperation between all online players is required to create action and achieve objectives. The game recommends at least [b]10 hours of practice[/b], sticking with game veterans or an active squad. Your game session should ideally last more than 1 hour since player-led operations require time and patience.

Reasons to play WWII Online

Free 30 Day Trial & Continued Access

Free Trial Account (NO CARD required)
Receive access to the WWII Online trial which offers you 30 days of full game access.

After the 30 day trial, you will then have continued free game access with a limited combined arms playset so you can continue to participate in battles. At no time will this equipment be nerfed or capable of performing according to historical properties.

At any time you can subscribe to a paid subscription and unlock more weapons and vehicles.

WWII Online is designed a subscription-based game, it is not your typical free to play micro-transaction game.

WWII Online Information

Physics Based PVP Combat

WWII Online offers a variety of weapons and vehicles to choose from in every combat scenario. Play as an infantryman, bomber, panzer tank or drop in as a paratrooper.

Combined arms combat can be found across the entire scope of our world at war.

More about Physics Based PVP Combat

Real Players - Real Time

Every single air craft, infantryman, tank, truck and naval vessel is a REAL person in REAL time operating the vehicle! You will embark on very challenging game play that is both exciting and compelling.

If you think you have what it takes to go against our players, sign up and show up. We guarantee that you'll be tested and become a better FPS player by mastering our game.

More about Real Players - Real Time

Combined Arms

Make history come to life or change it completely as WWII Online demonstrates the scale of combined arms warfare in a breathtaking gaming experience.

Choose to pilot fighters and bombers, command tanks, run supply or mission creation trucks, captain and crew naval vessels, or fight on the field and in the towns as an infantryman or paratrooper capturing enemy territory.

More about Combined Arms

One Server - On a MASSIVE Scale

WWII Online is a massive scale WAR going on 24/7 driven by players. There are absolutely no zones, you can fly your aircraft from one end of the map to the other without despawning.

Hundreds of players can end up in the same fight or supporting that battle in the Army, Air Force or Navy.

This scale and combined arms realism is the core that makes WWII Online stand out from everything else on the market.

Image

More about WWII Online

All combat is alongside live players in the same zone-less 300,000 sq km game world where every vehicle or weapon is controlled by a real person.

You have the option to either join existing squads or create a new one with your friends. Create your own command structure and plan how you will conquer the enemy.

Do you have exceptional leadership qualities? Lead your side to victory as a High Command officer. Move forces to attack objectives or defend your territory.

Physics Based PVP Combat

Combat Realism

Realism is taken to a new level - This isn't another arcade-style WWII shooter! Our weapons and vehicles are modeled utilizing historical data after hundreds of hours of research.

The game's designers came to WWII Online from award-winning MMO combat flight simulation titles and have carried over a dedication to realism and simulation style game play whenever possible.

Simulation

A proprietary physics engine powers an advanced, component-based damage model for vehicles that simulates the actual components found in WWII units. In addition, we accurately model armor thickness down to the millimeter and flight models for aircraft down to every surface and control for a true-to-life simulation. Even the ballistics are precisely and accurately modeled for each type of bullet or round in the game.

All of these elements provide realism, creating a skill-based simulation where players must learn to properly employ the weapons and equipment available.

The video seen below helps explain damage and ballistics modeling in the game and gives you a taste of the simulation style gaming experience in WWII Online.

Damage Model Explained

The below video was created with a previous version of the game's graphics engine and does not represent the current graphical presentation.

Real Players - Real Time

Massively Multiplayer (MMO)

All combat is alongside live players in the same game world where every vehicle or weapon is controlled by a real person. The game world is a single zone-less map set at half scale of the European Theater between 1939-1944. From this map, the game provides winnable campaigns that are completely player-controlled and non-scripted. Some campaigns have lasted for more than two months before a victor was decided.

Teamwork

We believe that, more than in any other MMO game, effective teamwork is a requirement for victory in WWII Online. Click a button below to learn more about an area of interest.

Allied Forces VS German Forces

At the top level, this MMO provides an Allied versus Axis conflict with American, British and French forces fighting against German forces for dominance in WWII Western Europe from 1939 through 1944.

Combined Arms

WWII Infantry, Tanks, Air Forces & Navy

WWII Online offers a huge variety of play! With over 100 historically accurate WWII vehicles and weapons modeled from the period between 1939 and 1944, you can compete for and against American, British, French and German forces.

Army Persona

The Army Persona allows you to play as an Infantryman, Tank, Anti-Tank or Anti-Aircraft gun, drive trucks, deploy mobile spawn points and create missions.

The backbone of your forces success is the Army persona while the Airforce and Navy provide much needed support to the war.

Airforce Persona

The Airforce Persona offers many different avenues of game play. Command bombers and support frontline efforts, or go on long factory bombing raids that impact the entire war effort.

Fly as an Ace fighter or dive bomber and maintain air superiority for your attack objectives!

 

Naval Persona

Our Naval game offers different types of missions. As a Destroyer you will engage the enemy on the high seas, or act as a shelling platform in the Zeeland islands.

As a freighter you will load, transport and deliver weapons and vehicles giving your team a tactical advantage.

WWII Online Press Kit

Playnet, Inc.

Playnet, Inc. was founded in April of 1999, and owns the rights and technologies of WWII Online, WWII Online: Chokepoint and Cornered Rat Software.
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Playnet Leadership

Playnet, Inc. is owned and operated by Matt "Xoom" Callahan - who first started playing the game as a player back in 2002. He is responsible for the daily flow of business, which ranges from operations, strategic planning, legal and everything in between. He continues to play the game and stays close to the players, often championing their requests and concerns to the team. 

For business inquiries, please reach out to Matt directly on his LinkedIn as seen below.

Matt
Matt "Xoom" CallahanPresident and CEO

Cornered Rat Software

Cornered Rat Software is a team of game developers coming together from across the globe to develop and operate, "WWII Online," and, "WWII Online: Chokepoint."

 Our mission is simple: To provide an amazing service that is truly compelling and so memorable, you'll keep coming back for more! We like to do things a little differently around here, as you'll find us in our games and talking with our players very openly about our shared passion for our products. 

 CRS is the exclusive software developer for WWII Online, tasked with providing all services required to upkeep and improve the game. This includes; sales, marketing, distribution, game and web development, production, server infrastructure, maintenance, upgrades, community management and customer support.



crslogo.png

CRS Leadership

The CRS leadership team is responsible for managing the overall daily functions of the business and maintain the vision and direction of the game, "WWII Online," and, "WWII Online: Chokepoint." 

Matt
Matt "Xoom" CallahanPresident and CEO

Operations Team

The Operations (Ops) team ensures the highest health of our network and systems. While they're mostly behind the scenes, they're responsible for keeping things online and intact. Constant moderation of our systems and maintaining the highest level of security is their overall focus.

Pilotmc
PilotmcOps Team Lead
John
John "Archaeus" HymesInfoSec Admin

Development Team

The Development (Dev) team has a very wide role in our organization. This is home base for our programming team and they're often in the game's client, host or other supporting architecture actively working to improve the player's experience. They work hand-in-hand with the Ops team in situations relating to the health of our assets.

Caleb
Caleb "Sniper62" LuehrsDev Team Lead
Gwynne
Gwynne "Gadget" RaskindChief Architect
Ian
Ian "Frisbone" FrisbieDeveloper
Mathew
Mathew "James10" HoganDeveloper
Mike
Mike "Mikemudd" CoxDeveloper
Eric
Eric "Vekhel" PoppletonDeveloper
Jose
Jose "Fantom" VargasDeveloper
Ammon
Ammon "Aspy523" LawDeveloper

Production Team

The Production (Prod) team is tasked with ensuring the best possible game play experience for our players. This means they'll be introducing or fixing content, eliminating bugs, introducing new features or functionality and everything else relating to players "playing" in the game.

Neil
Neil "Corn" HuntleyProduction Lead
Rodney
Rodney "Hatch" HodgeSenior Producer
Megan
Megan "Mkw" WalterEnvironment Artist
James
James "Tr6al" WatsonTerrain
Hector
Hector "Sadguy" Gonzalez3D Modeling
James
James "Volcol" ChiltonCharacter Artist
Zachary
Zachary "Mesozoic" Sartor-DucheneAnimation
Bill
Bill "Slamen" Janewicz3D Modeling

Community-Development Team

The Community-Development (Comm-Dev) team works to provide our community with new tools that report on the Campaign's status, personal statistics and managing squads from out of game. They'll work to empower and help other community members build tools relevant to the out of game engagement for our users.

Caleb
Caleb "Sniper62" LuehrsComm-Dev Team Lead
Brian
Brian "B2k" SteinkeDeveloper

Community Management Team

The Community Management (CM) team manages and grows our volunteer organizations. They act as the link between our development teams and the community to actively communicate back and fourth to ensure a healthy relationship exists. They're responsible for keeping our game healthy for all users, and remove / ban cheaters.

Chris
Chris "Tex64" LordCommunity Manager
Trevor
Trevor "Trevor8" AbneyAssistant Community Manager
Brian
Brian "B2k" SteinkeLead Forum Moderator
Kira
Kira "Imbrutus" ScattalonHC Recruitment and Training CO

Game Management Team

The Game Management (GM) team is responsible for the health of the live "Campaign" server. This includes ensuring optimal up-times, maintenance and security for optimal fair game play experiences. Game moderators comprise the bulk of this team, their names are classified.
Terry
Terry "Ohm" FazekasGame Manager
Tom
Tom "Tman" MartinAsst. Game Manager
Bruce
Bruce "Mandrill" CarlsonLead Game Moderator
John
John "Jcd04" DavisonAsst. Lead Game Moderator

Business Team

The business team actively engages our existing players with compelling content that keeps them coming back and working to acquire new players into the game. Their tools consist of the latest social media and the community sites.

Brian
Brian "Chimm" CoutrakisBusiness Team Lead
Peter
Peter "Pittpete" NatiwSupport Lead
Sebastien
Sebastien "Zebbeee" R.Business Strategy / Steam Community Manager
Scott
Scott "Hyoslvr" AlexanderVideo/Audio Production
Friedhelm
Friedhelm "Vanapo" RobbenStreaming
Cory
Cory "StrixBit" ScottSupport / Social Media

Quality Assurance Team

The Quality Assurance (QA) team ensures that all new development receives an initial hands on look prior to distributing to the end users. They will test, report and advise our team on anything that will negatively affect a user's experience.

Glenn
Glenn "Whitman" KeenQA Team Lead
John
John "Oldzeke" WorkmanQA Assistant Team Lead
James
James "Tr6al" WatsonTester
Ian
Ian "Kempi" KempTester
Matthew
Matthew "Blipoop" CarberryTester
Tyr
Tyr "Tyrdaimp" HollandTester

Volunteer Programs

WWII Online thrives off of players stepping up and helping to do more, that is actually pretty core to our community relations. We have found that many of our best people come from within as they typically have an already existing strong grasp of not only the game but also the depth of our community and its core values. Below are some options for you to consider joining some of our volunteer programs directly serving the game's operations as either a technical or non-technical person.

Have questions, ready to help? E-mail jobs@corneredrats.com

Non-Technical Roles

If you're a regular player and would like to help the cause, here are a couple of programs that we have to offer.

High Command Officer

By being an HC officer you will facilitiate awesome game play for all players. You will lead players in battle and help formulate the strategy for your side. Each time you login to the game, you will be a leader for your entire side. You act as an ambassador for CRS to your side and act as an indirect extension of our team.

ALLIED OFFICER APPLICATION  |  AXIS OFFICER APPLICATION

Marketing Team

Help the team by raising awareness of the game to others. You'll be on the frontlines engaging with people outside of our forums and helping the team with any important new initiatives. 

We have several positions available on the team!

We are currently looking for individuals with experience with Google Analytics, Google Adwords, Search Engine Optimization, and/or managing social media advertising. If you're interested in helping in this capacity, please send an email to marketing@corneredrats.com

We are also looking for individuals who have experience in corporate communication, social media community management, copywriting, or other creative roles in a marketing environment. If you can help out the team with these tasks, please send an email to marketing@corneredrats.com

Community Management Team

The Community Management team is in the trenches with the players helping to keep the playerbase connected with the development team so we can deliver on the fixes and features that make WWII Online perform well. Veteran players without technical experience, who know our community and what makes it tick are best suited for these roles.

  • Assistant Community Manager
    • Supports Community Manager
    • Assigned as liaision of Axis or Allied side
  • High Command Recruitment Officer
    • Actively works to boost HC strength
    • Oversees Officer Candidate School
  • Host Squad Coordinator
    • Coordinates with Squads to boost their numbers
    • Advocates for Squads internally
  • Training Corps
    • Creates training documentation
    • Creates and facilitate live training exercises on game servers
  • Forum Moderator
    • Enforces Terms of Service on forums
    • Assists with moderation / light administration functions

Technical Roles

You'll need anywhere from moderate to heavy technical skills here. Significant experience required for programming and system administration, be ready to show us what you've got. You may not have all of the skills listed but if you think you can contribute in some other way we'd really like to hear from you.

To apply to any of these roles, please e-mail your resume / experience / any relevant information about you.

Mail to: jobs@corneredrats.com

Development

Ready for the ultimate programming challenge? Managing all of this code isn't for the faint of heart, even some of our most experienced people are challenged every day. You'll need to be proficient in C++ and be a strong self starter. On the programming team you will be working with the Host and Client depending where we need you. You'll start on an isolated task and work your way up proving your proficiency. There will be fun implementations and technical debt clean up. Consider joining this team with the knowledge there's lots to fix and it's not strictly "features."

Operations

Our operations team is responsible for keeping the servers online, backing things up and improving our network and infrastructure. AKA, kind of a big deal.

System Administrators

- Strong working knowledge of Debian Linux

- Strong skills in Perl scripting

- Familiarity with virtualization (Proxmox knowledge is a bonus)

- Working knowledge of BIND, postfix, apache, cron

- Familiarity with administrating LDAP

- Knowledge of Nagios is a plus

Networking

- Strong background in basic routing & switching

- Familiarity with firewall concepts, IP tables and security

- Thorough knowledge of Cisco IOS

- Familiarity with GNS a plus

Community-Development

If you're a web developer and/or like building tools to show campaign events / statistics, this is the place for you! Our Comm-Dev team provides community tools like WireTap, the Gazette, Combat Statistics, the WebMap and Squad Tools. They're actively working on many projects and increase the out of game enjoyment factor for our players.

Quality Assurance

If you know our game well and are ready to help put on a tester hat to diagnose issues, create a way to replicate and report them properly, we'd really like you to join our QA team. Technical skills do help but lack thereof is not necessarily a barrier to getting involved. Our QA team is an essential component of our game development process, as new changes brought in by developers need to be tested to verify they're working properly. When someone types a bug report, you are the first line of defense to isolate the issue and report it to our team.

Apply to the Quality Assurance team and fill out this questionnare.

Sound Engineer

We'd like to improve many of our sounds, whether it is the aircraft machine guns or the introduction of new equipment. If you have some sound engineer skills and enjoy war gaming, we're looking for you!

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