Celebrating 21 years of WWII Online

Today marks 21 years of WWII Online, can you believe it? To help celebrate this occasion we reached out to some of our original and current staff to share their thoughts. So many people have had a profound impact on the organization, ranging from its original founders to the guys who stepped up and kept the game going, but the real heroes are the fans - you the community - who have continued to believe in WWII Online and loyally supported it to get here. Congratulations to the entire community and please enjoy some of these words from past and present RATS (within). Please share your thoughts and comments, we'd like to hear from you too!

MO: When we set out to build this game we had more passion and creative instinct than common sense and best practice. So we ultimately were able to only realize about 1/3 of what we wanted to do, for all kinds of reasons. The fact that the game still inspires unique and memorable game play, 21 years later, is simply a testament to how powerful that vision and passion was, and validates that 1/3 of what we wanted to accomplish was worlds ahead of what was even possible at the time. I can’t think of many projects I’m more proud of contributing to.

DOC: WWIIOL is a very special thing. It's probably run longer than any other online game I can think of, and continues to this day. That alone is special. I'm not entirely certain but it might also still hold the title of largest zoneless virtual game world ever made ... within which there is a seamless integration of land sea and air, player driven movement, simultaneously ... throughout the entire expanse of that immense game world. That's pretty special too. There are a lot of other things that make it special. Most of all however, the thing that makes it most special of all is ... The community. Ever since I became a part of that community back in 2001, after 2 amazing years of development with the original crew that dreamed it all up ... I have been surprised, astounded and ultimately thankful for the community that grew up around the game. I am fortunate enough to say that I owe my life in part to the existence of this community, and to it's amazing depth of concern for each other, despite what individual differences occur within it. Sometimes it seems people are at each other's throats but it's just like a family squabble for the most part. Good competition breeds a certain degree of spite but it's just gamer banter. We are in ways similar and in other ways not similar at all, but we all share a bond that is unique in themo world of gaming. We are WWIIOL. I for one can never forget having been a part of this great thing you have all forged among you. I've had a pretty interesting life and WWIIOL is still one of the most significant things I have ever been a part of. You're a very special community. I am thankful to have been a part of that. Salute.

HATCH: Twenty One Years!!! Wow! And STILL so much to do! Lol!!!Looking back, its hard to fathom that something sparked 21 years ago as the WW2 dream game by a handful of die-hard WW2 Sim and FPS game enthusiasts, programmers, and artists, that refused to listen when told by everyone in the industry that what they were trying to do was impossible, is still in operation all these years later. Not only still in operation after all this time and  against all odds thanks the most awesome and dedicated online community EVER, but also continually being expanded with new vehicles, towns and features, and more play-ability to the original core, but on the cusp of being reborn with modern standards in graphics, communications, code, and performance, led by a new generation of dedicated "Rats". Unbelievably awesome, inspiring, and outstanding! Happy Birthday WWII Online! And may you have many many more! Some words I wrote a few years ago right after the 1st CRS v2 Volunteer Dev Summit, about WWIIOL past and present when invited by Xoom to re-join the team after 11 years apart. I still feel the same way and think they are more pertinent to the occasion than ever...

KFS1: It started with a panic’d email from Mo telling me I’d violated the source code NDA, except I didn’t have the source code. I’d spotted a closed-beta bug and posted a spitball of what I thought the problem code would look like and how to fix it. A couple years later I was sitting in Marty “Vandal” Poulin’s office as he showed me, side-by-side, the original code and my spitball: “Forget the interview, what do you want to work on.” So began the most amazing chapter of my life. It’s hard to describe the competing pride to have been a part of something that has continued so far and is still as fun to play, vs the humility at seeing the progress Matt and his team have made over the intervening years. See you on the battlefield!

CORN: 21 years ago today, I remember that day like it was yesterday . I got out of bed in a rush because I was already late for work! I jumped into my car and raced down the road, not to work mind you, I had a mission first. I pulled into the parking lot just a couple of streets from where I worked. It was a only a small computer software store, but I could clearly see my target from the parking lot. I jumped out of my car and raced into the store. Low and behold, there it was. World War II Online: Blitzkrieg. I stood in awe, with grin that even a Flak 36 couldn't erase...we had an entire wall filled with yellow boxes, with a large floor display promoting this new title. I stood there staring...watching folks walking around and looking at the new titles the store had on the shelves. This clerk walks up, asks me if I need help. With this silly grin on my face, I turned and said, 'Actually I am all set, I just came in to see it with my own eyes.' The clerk looked at me like anybody else would at this point...who let the crazies out today and why is one of them now in my store? Seeing their expression, I right away responded again saying, 'I am one of the 13 people who dreamed up that idea (pointing at that wall of yellow boxes) and I just wanted to see it on the shelf with my own eyes.' The clerk went wide eyed and said, 'I was a tester on the closed beta, I already bought the first copy that came into the store!' I laughed and smiled, told them I would see them online and drove 2 blocks down the road to go to work. Now, here we are, 21 years later...and a new dawn is on the horizon. World War II Online is about to enter a new age...and once again, I get to be a part of it! We have an incredibly talented team, built from players and driven with passion. Just like 21 years ago today, the dream is still alive and ready to take bold new steps and push boundaries like never before. I cannot thank you ALL enough for helping to keep this dream alive and supporting it's growth as we boldly move into the phase. It is YOUR passion, and YOUR love...just as much as any of us developers, that is keeping this pulse strong and unwavering. Just as I said 21 years ago, I'll see you online!

TOTO: 21 years and still going. Here's to you, the fans of WWIIOL. My first game industry gig and quite the learning experience. I met some good people, both co-workers and players and will always be proud of my contribution to the project. What we did in the beginning with the limitations, and the fact that people still enjoy it...well....Skål!

RAFTER: Happy Anniversary WWII Online! You will outlive us all!

LINDIR: Joining Playnet as International Product Manager was one of the best things that happened in my life. It started my career in the games industry. I will be forever grateful to Jim, Rafter and Hatch to have given me a chance. I had a lot of fun working on this project. As the only “remote” Rat at the time, I was in charge of increasing the game’s footprint Internationally. It was intense and exciting. I lived and breathed WWIIOL for about 4-5 years. I had an amazing time organizing the series of Hardcore/Milsim Special Events where the players only had 1 life for the entire scenario. Some incredible players managed to survive 20 events! Doing brave stuff and not getting killed. Fear of death made those events unique. The kind of “WWIIOL unique” experiences” I have so many incredible memories. I wish to attend a reunion one day. :) Today, I still work in the games industry. I also worked on other games you might have heard of. “The Division”, “Heroes and Generals”, “Kingdom Come Deliverance” amongst many others. About me a bit more on the personal level. For those who knew me back then. Well, I went through quite a bit of change. While, I’m still the same person, I’m a happier person now. 2 years ago, I finally cracked my egg as we say in the transgender community. I transitioned. My life is much better now and I’m still quite interested in Military History. As a hobby I design a very hardcore Vietnam War TTRPG/Boardgame. I’m currently living in Berlin.

ZEBBEEE: I was 18 back when I joined in 2002. I read an article in a magazine about a MMO for boys playing with plastic soldiers... I did when I was a kid! Then I was surprised by the maturity of its supportive community. Funny anecdote is that I didn't have a good computer nor money to play it, but I sticked 2 months with the 3eDLM squad trough their forums, discussing WWII related discussions mostly. Their AARs and screenshots ultimately convinced me to work some extra hours during the weekend to get my access. The squad spirit was so strong and I had never witnessed so much passion anywhere else. I therefore stayed around for 20 years now, and since it's still unmatched on the market, I am supporting its evolution towards v2.x. Thanks to Xoom to have saved this baby! 

OLDZEKE: My 1st spawn was 7/7/01. Kept reading these amazing AARs from 2 guys that posted on the old Combat Flight Sim forum. WW and Rcflyer wrote pages about this game. When I asked if my machine would run it (AMD K7 500mhz) they said no. After a month of those AARs I told my wife we were going to Charleston and buy that game cause I had to see if it would run. It did, barely. Added ram and it was playable. That September I ordered a way too expensive Dell with a pentium 1.7 ghz

CHIMM: I have so many great memories since I started back in November, 2004. I love the thrill (and frustrations lol) every time I login. Most of all I cherish the friends I've made along the way and our amazing WWII Online community! Thank you for 21 GREAT years  S!

FOHDRON: I remember going to a friends house when in highschool and watching them play this game and I had to get it too! I remember going to software etc and buying the Yellow Box! I still have that CD laying around somewhere. Life got busy and time faded away. But I kept coming back to the game the team mates. The shear scope of the game always pulls me back in. I remember playing one night and messaging XOOM about the website and if I could help with that. Through that conversation, I joined the very talented RATS and was honored to have spent almost 2 years building up the QA team and process and overseeing several releases as a Producer. It is incredible to me that this game is now 21 years old and still going. I faded away again but was brought back for KMS and Deadly2u funeral and once again was blown away by the community. This game, and this community is amazing and will continue to be amazing. I look forward to talking about this game in another 10 years, and playing it with my daughter when she is a bit older. S! And see you on the battlefield. 

MIKEMUDD: I think it was 2004 or 2005 when I found the game at the Ozzie Discount Software store in Melbourne. Neither my work laptop at the time nor my home PC would play the game worth a damn, but the office had one that did so for the first while I played there after work. For quite a while I only played allied rifle but nev403 taught me how to play tanks so I hung out with his crew for a long time.

TEX64: Mid-July 2001 while downloading the initial mega-patch I read the manual and decided I was going to be a truck driver to help the team. Finally got on that night but forgot to configure my JS on my system so I towed everyone in 1st gear. Still driving 21 years later and very appreciative of the friendships made. Happy 21st birthday, WWIIOL!! You are now legal to drink flakpanzeroil.

Tyrdaimp: Back in 2007, I remember watching my father playing this game. It was truly amazing to watch the sheer scale of the battles that took place. I began in 2008 and have tons of fond memories with veterans that still, to this day excite me! Eventually I went on to becoming a part of CRS and make memorable moments with new players.

OHM Been enjoying the game since 2006 and haven't look back! I have made many friends in this community, some are still here, some have moved on and some have left us in this life and we will meet in the next S!

XOOM: In July of 2002 I went to EB Games with my brother at Lloyd Center here in Portland OR (as we normally did) and he pointed out this big yellow box that said, "WWII Online," on it. He knew how much I enjoyed WWII history, as I woke up every morning before school to watch the history channel and studied visual encyclopedia's - often taking them to school. When I opened the box to read inside I was blown away at the scale, the soldiers organized and the idea of how massive this was going to be. We rushed home, installed it, and I had to go to work so my brother signed me up. I wanted my call sign to be "Xoom," but it was taken so "xoomxoom" it was to be for the next 8 years. Once I became a RAT I decided to see who took my name, and it was a player who signed up 3 weeks before me and played once - are you kidding me, LOL? WWII Online has been with me for more than half my life, and I owe a debt of gratitude to the guys who made it come together - all of them. This community has helped form me into who I am, sharing a lot of great experiences, providing guidance and teaching me a lot of the leadership skills I possess today. It is my continued mission to bring the game into the future and we are finally making that happen, and the idea of being in on the ground floor of 2.0 is an incredibly humbling thing. Thank you to the community, and all RATS past and present, for making this all come to be and now trusting/supporting me as ship Captain. I am extremely grateful and take this post very seriously. Thank you, S!

Our gratitude for talent, vision and dedication goes to all former RATS:

Ahwulf, Animal, Arradin, Bable, Badger, Blkhwk8, Bloo, Bmbm, Caligula, Caveman, Chkicker, Codec, Company0, Crawdad, Dekard, Doc, Dragon, Drloon, Edthehead, Elmo, Fogaban, Fohdron, Fredrik1, Frytiger, Gnache, Gophur, Granik,
Greatone, Greni, Gryf, Gvonpaul, Hallpass, Hawkmoon, Hicksey, Heavy265, Hoof, Hoss, Jaeger, Jammyman, Joker007, Jokerzwild, Kango, Kfs1, Killer, Kms, Krieger, Kyotee, LadyJ, Latham, Lindir, Maco, Martini, Maypol, Meat, Mediiic, Minnie, Mo, Monty,
Motormouth, Mumbles, Newzguy, Rafter, Ramp, Rickb, Rogue, Salad, Scking, Sgtfury, Shef, Sherman, Shilling, Showkillr, Snail, Snicker, Soloje, Squirm, Staffel, Stick, Sudz, Tadpole, Tater, TheChosn, Thunder, Tongue, Toto, TopD, Tragic, Trips, Troper, Vandal, Victarus, Vixen, Vozz, Waver25, Wickett, Wildhund, Xl2rippr, Zach and the others that may have been unintentionally missed.