Over The Top: WWI

Base building, trench digging, destructible environments, classes, and vehicles. The game is fun.

I believe the game has a big future ahead of it. But to me, it feels like it was made for masochists. You will die constantly in this game no matter what you do. Much more often than you manage to kill anyone yourself, simply because everyone around you is firing chaotically, and you can get killed by a random bullet coming from the other side of the map. The mechanics are so clunky that if you play long enough, you’ll probably develop Alzheimer’s. The character moves like a wooden mannequin, and the jumping/climbing system is designed in such a way that you often can’t climb over obstacles on the first try. But in this game you can’t afford to stay in one place even for a second, and while you’re desperately trying to climb somewhere, you get taken out by a bullet or artillery shell. The cover system and environment design are poorly thought out. When you try to shoot while exposing only a tiny part of yourself from behind cover, a dirt mound, a rock, or a tree, your bullets hit invisible textures instead. But if you expose yourself a little more, you immediately become an easy target. Engineers can build fortifications with firing slits, but actually shooting through them is nearly impossible. They’re positioned too low, and if you crouch, suddenly they’re above eye level. Meanwhile, the enemy can hit you through them perfectly well while you hysterically try to find at least some angle from which you can fire back. Overall, they’re extremely difficult to use effectively. I’ve never once managed to use them successfully for defense. The grenade system is also incredibly awkward — throwing grenades is slow and difficult. In practice, grenades can only be lobbed in high arcs. If you’re standing near a trench passage where enemies are advancing, you can’t simply throw a grenade into it. You have to fully step into the passage, directly under enemy fire, and try to throw it — which of course usually fails, because you get shot before your character even finishes the throwing animation. You also can’t throw grenades through the firing slits in fortifications or through house windows. The openings are too small, and because of the throwing mechanics, you have to step deep into the room just to have a chance of throwing the grenade outside instead of dropping it at your own feet — which once again makes you an easy target. Another “joy” is the night gameplay. It’s so pitch black that it’s incredibly difficult to see anything. I understand the developers did this intentionally to create atmosphere, and some units even have flare guns to illuminate the battlefield. But personally, I almost never encountered those flares, and people rarely use them. Things get especially ridiculous when your team’s engineers place barbed wire that is completely invisible in the dark — and you walk straight into it. The respawn system is poorly designed as well. Respawns happen within a certain radius around a spawn point, and sometimes you spawn outside the trench instead of inside it, immediately ending up under enemy fire. Whenever you use medical or ammo crates, your character is forced to stand up from a crouched position, which in combat often means instantly taking a bullet to the head. Why not allow players to heal and resupply while crouching? The game also has some kind of sadistic mechanic where the screen turns gray and a message appears saying: “Return to the battlefield immediately.” This despite the fact that the maps are already limited in size, and often the battlefield is basically everywhere. The logic behind this warning is completely unclear. If you don’t return to the “correct” sector in time, you die. The problem is that very often it’s impossible to understand which direction you’re even supposed to run. So you start running randomly and die anyway. One incident was so absurd it bordered on idiocy. It happened on a map where, as usual, one team attacks while the other defends. The defensive objectives are positioned one after another instead of being spread across the map. During the defense of one point, the “Return to the battlefield immediately” warning suddenly appeared. It became obvious that we literally had to retreat backward, with our backs to the enemy, toward the next defensive objective. You should have seen the scene: a whole group of players from our team simultaneously leaves cover and starts sprinting down the slope toward the next objective. But between us and that objective, our own engineers had already built barbed wire barriers — meaning there was practically nowhere to run. At the same time, the enemy started shooting us in the back, mowing us down like partridges. The game does have many positive aspects. You can tell the developers approached it seriously and genuinely wanted to create an atmospheric slaughterhouse in a historical setting. I have no complaints about the weapons themselves, aside from the fact that most specialist roles are heavily limited in number, so it’s extremely rare to actually play the class you want. And honestly, playing as a regular infantryman isn’t that appealing. The game also has vehicles, but for example, after 32 hours of gameplay I still haven’t managed to fly a plane even once. Supposedly you select planes the same way you select other classes, but I’ve never even seen that option appear. Anyway, good luck in the game. You’re going to need it. Personal skill doesn’t matter much there.

Awesome game, but as a First World War British reenactor and historian, allow me to suggest a few ways to improve the faction by fixing historical inaccuracies. For weapons: [b]Officer[/b]: Webley Mk.VI Service Revolver (default) Webley Model 1913 Self-Loading Pistol Colt Model 1903 Pocket Hammerless [b]Rifleman[/b] (unchanged): Short Magazine Lee Enfield Mk.III* (default) Ross Rifle Mk.III Pattern 14 'American Enfield' [b]Stormtrooper[/b] (Recommend changing this name to [b]"Trench-Raider"[/b] or [b]"Shock-Trooper"[/b]): Webley Mk.VI with stock and bayonet (default) W.W. Greener 'Empire' Boxlock Shotgun Winchester Model 1895 (or 1892) Lever-Action Rifle [b]Specialist[/b]: Winchester Model 1907 Semi-Automatic Rifle (default) Norris-Menchen Flame Projector Mauser Anti-Tank Gun Model 1918 [b]Light-Gunner[/b]: Lewis Auto Gun (default) Hotchkiss Model 1909 Portative Machine Gun Maxim Machine Gun 08/15 [b]Engineer[/b]: Short Magazine Lee Enfield Mk.III* (default) Pattern 14 'American Enfield' Webley Mk.VI Service Revolver [b]Sniper[/b]: Short Magazine Lee Enfield Mk.III* Scoped (default) Ross Rifle Scoped Pattern 14 'American Enfield' Scoped [b]Heavy-Gunner[/b]: Vickers Machine Gun (default) Vickers-Crayford Rocket Gun Stokes 3-inch Trench Mortar [b]Armoured[/b]: Webley Mk.VI with stock and bayonet (default) Webley Fosbery Automatic Revolver W.W. Greener 'Empire' Boxlock Shotgun [b]Suggested weapons to remove and why[/b]: [i]Colt 1911:[/i] The 1903 and 1911 were both privately purchased and used by officers during WW1, but the 1903 is far less similar to the Webley SL than the 1911. British-spec 1911s share their exact capacity and calibre with the Webley SL. [i]Sawn-Off Lee-Enfield Mk.3:[/i] While photos of exceptionally rare examples exist, the altering of service rifles was completely prohibited for British Empire troops. [i]Martini-Henry Rifle (and scoped variant):[/i] The Henry rifle was obsolete before the war even started. It was used in small numbers, mostly for training, far away from the front-line. This also applies to the Martini-Enfield (the .303 conversion of the Henry). [i]Trench Mortar:[/i] The model in-game (the Garland Improvised Mortar) was used, but was far less prevalent than the Stokes Mortar, which saw extensive use. [i]Webley Mk.V:[/i] This pistol was in service early in the war in limited numbers, but was quickly replaced by the Mk.VI. The model for the Mk.V used to be a Mk.VI, so a reversion shouldn't be too difficult. [i]Moschetto Model 1891, Model 97 Trench Gun, Howell Automatic Rifle, Schilt Lance-Flammes, BAR M1918, Canon D'Infanterie De 37:[/i] None of these weapons were ever used by or issued to British Empire troops. [b]Other commonly used tools it would be nice to see[/b]: [i]Gas Rattle[/i] utility tool on the Rifleman class. A [i]Jack Knife[/i], [i]Push Dagger[/i], and/or [i]1907 Sword Bayonet[/i] skin for the trench knife. [i]Carrier Pigeons[/i] for Officer fire-support requests. [b]Other notable inaccuracies[/b]: [i]M1916 Officers Tunic[/i] depicts a man with the rank of Major. Whilst Majors did sometimes go over the top, it would be far more common to see junior officer ranks (all commissioned officer ranks below Major) serving in the capacity shown in-game. [i]Boots[/i] are not particularly accurate. They look decent from a distance, but not perfect. Officers were not issued B5 pattern boots. They were ordered to purchase their own privately cobbled footwear; usually high-laced field boots, or riding boots with gaiters (or sometimes puttees). [i]Webbing[/i] often depicts soldiers either carrying too much (the valise after very early-war engagements), or not enough (anti-gas equipment and other essentials) of their equipment into combat. It's also common to see a soldier wearing the incorrect webbing for the type of weapon he has equipped. [i]Light-Gunners[/i] such as those carrying Lewis Guns were generally issued pistols in the same capacity as Vickers Gunners. [i]Mills Bombs[/i] were carried in far greater quantities than is depicted in-game. [i]Uniform Colours[/i] are not particularly accurate on certain items, such as the Greatcoat, Webbing Blanco, and Khaki Drill uniforms. [i]Australian Uniforms[/i] depict clothing which was not worn during WW1. The main offender is the recoloured Service Dress tunic, which appears to be a misunderstood depiction of the Khaki Drill worn in hot climates such as Gallipoli, and their iconic AIF tunics. They should be wearing either the standard Service Dress, or their iconic AIF tunics. Khaki Drill was not worn on the Western Front. It was also not permitted for soldiers to go into battle without wearing their tunic: It contained essential items such as the First Field Dressing and Pay Book. International Humanitarian Law also mandated the wearing of the full uniform. [i]Khaki Kilt Aprons[/i] were mandated to be worn by soldiers wearing kilts on active service with the introduction of the 1902 Service Dress to protect the fabric, prevent them from standing out, and act as the sporran. [i]Bayonets[/i] were generally not attached to the rifle all the time. It makes the rifle more front-heavy and less maneuverable. It would be more accurate if the bayonet was fixed when activating "melee mode" and/or when an officer orders a charge. [i]Stormtrooper[/i], as mentioned before, was a term exclusively applied to certain German troops, particularly during the Second World War. "Shock-Trooper", "Trench-Raider", or even just "Grenade-Thrower" would be far more universal terms. [i]Weapon Condition[/i] is one so many games get wrong, and this game has fallen into the trap too. The weapons in-game appear to have been based on original examples of these weapons - which is fantastic - but they look as old as they are today! Most of these weapons would have been fresh off the production line - brand new. They shouldn't look all dinged up and worn out. Good care and maintenance of arms was thoroughly drilled into British soldiers - improper care/damage was a punishable military crime. [i]Helmet Decals[/i] such as those on the Lewis Gunner and MG Corps Gunner were not remotely typical, and were often added after the war. You would want to keep your helmet as camouflaged as possible with only absolutely essential markings generally painted on the sides - if at all. This includes the metal cap badges (such as that on the Lewis Gunner) which were sometimes either soldered directly onto the helmet, or attached to the canvas/hessian cover. Soldiers were actually officially banned from adding metal badges to their helmets. A few still did, but it was uncommon. The Lewis Gunner is missing his 1905 cap badge, as well. Cap badges were a point of pride and would always be worn [u]on the cap[/u]. Many helmet paint finishes are also not very typical. [i]Slings or Lanyards[/i] should be attached to all weapons and many other tools as well. [i]Pattern 1908 Entrenching Tool[/i] isn't the typical design. It's missing the steel ferrule, which (while missing from some surviving examples) would have been present in-period, and was required to prevent the implement from falling off the haft/helve. [i]Tanks[/i] were not as prevalent as they appear in-game, with the British Empire being the primary user and inventor of them. Many "German" tanks were simply captured British ones. There are also several tanks in-game which never saw service (or even production) during the war. [i]Medics[/i] were an essential part of all fighting forces during the First World War. These men were unarmed and were strict non-targets for all combatants. Allowing a certain number of players to spawn as a "Medic", clearly marked with crosses and who would cost the enemy a heavy point penalty if shot, may be a more authentic and organic way of diffusing imbalanced teams or stalemates, instead of spawning in these near-immortal so-called "Behemoth" tanks (the Char 2C and K-Wagen), which were never used during the First World War.

Digging is interesting but the combat is buggy and not particular good. Might be more fun if the community was more active but you just dig in silence.

I am rewriting this review to be more accurate, as the original was made in frustration and haste. b It is a very fun and funny game, especially with friends as a given. It's mainstay mechanics are active trench warfare in a world war 1 setting with proximity chat (big funny) emotes and customization, a swathe of different classes and perks and objective based gameplay. Hearing people spout off some of the most autistic babble you've ever heard never gets old. The combat and movement are fairly jank, but it's definitely a jank you get used to quickly. The gameplay loop is fun and the devs have shown a lot of love to the title. However it is faced with the current problem of very low player count. When I played this game a while ago when numbers were up, massive 200 player lobbies are in fact insane. Constant bombardments, tanks and planes to and fro, explosions every ten feet, fire and bullets hailing all over the map. It's genuine fun chaos. Suicidal maniacs taking the trenches, gas clouding the map, squadrons making impromptu bases starting from a whole in the ground and more still trying to sneak behind enemy lines. Genuinely not many experiences like it. These days you can barely get enough players to fill one 200 player server and that's genuinely a shame because this is a great time Especially for the price. I can't rightly recommend it because of these server population issues-it's hard to enjoy a multiplayer game with not enough players, and I can't say I enjoy fighting bots. What I CAN say is I can recommend it as a quality game overall. I just can't give a green thumb

Should be listed as early access, may have killed their community by doing it this way. Runs very badly on some high end gear, and the lag is brutal if infrequent. Gunplay feels awful, like flashgame awful, and the melee is no better. A lack of friendly fire means every fight devolves into grenade and call-in spam, armored troops can take 3 rifle rounds to put down, but a pistol will drop a man at 50yds, the same class gets both, and tanks are obscenely tough beyond any kind reality. If this sounds like a long ramble of bizarre balancing and design decisions then... that's because this game is that. I like it and I may play more, and I even feel bad potentially stalling the growth of this game, but honest to god this does not feel finished.

This game started off good, Action packed fun with many players and multiple ways about going about trench warfare and the battle scenarios but now the game has virtually no players. The servers used to bee good with multiple 100+ people servers but now you will probably only find 1 server that has about 40-60 people, the game is dead not even 6 months since launch. This was a game that I wanted to do good but when I launch into the game after a short break i find the game no longer active and worth playing. Sad to see