Battleground Europe

The Western Front - World War II is back in style with World War II online - Battleground Europe. To ensure that you are updated with the progress of the war, the map below will be updated every 5 minutes with the news reports from the front line showing the advancement of lines when any towns or cities are won or lost.

If you would like to take a look at the latest headlines then follow this link. Headlines.

Want to visit the people who decide what you do? - Well, if you are interested in finding out more about the high command (the officers deciding attack and defense strategies) then click on the links below and you will be taken to the Axis and the Allied HQ's.

Rats Turn Attention to 1.26 - The Rats team has been in mop-up mode with 1.25 patch since the beginning of the year and now the focus is shifting to 1.26. The coming year will bring a lot of changes to the game - many of which are technology based but there are a few remaining features left off the 1.25 list that need to be completed. More news to coming soon...Read the full Rat's Interview.

Tell me more about Battleground Europe... World War II online - Battleground Europe is a pay as you play game incorporating the most realistic World War II battle experience available online. With up to 10,000 players online in the same theatre at anyone time there really is no better game available to give you that true World War II experience.

Battleground Europe is the re launch (or the latest iteration) of the World War II Online project, which has been going on for about five years. The idea behind it all is to recreate the entire Western front online, complete with everything except civilians. WW2 online delivers ships, towns, Messerschmits, Spitfires, tanks, infantry, rickety old Bedford trucks, and a lot of hedges to hide in; the scope is vast. With some organization it begins to shine because, unlike the perpetual battles of closest cousin Planetside, World War II is a war that can genuinely be won or lost in weeks or months.

The frontline is a real one and the territory almost as vast as the embattled tract of Europe itself. The Axis and Allies are slugging it out to win the war right now, and the historically accurate technologies develop as that conflict unfolds. Since there is a single server to log into, everyone who plays Battleground Europe is fighting the same war.

Battleground Europe is playing war at its most serious: one for the armchair generals and the tank-fanciers. Like the PC's numbing simulations and the tougher strategy titles, Battleground Europe is detailed and functional. Despite having more toys than Battlefield, this is a vehicular FPS that defies our expectations of visual loveliness.

It's nothing that will appeal to your immediate gaming intuitions, and if the Biblical-length key lists are anything to go by then there's a whole lot more than ugly visuals to digest.

Nevertheless it does work. It works because it does everything it wants to, and it wants to do a lot. On the micro-scale of jumping in and looking around it sets you traversing a vast terrain, and when you look at the wider picture, you begin to realise just how much the small development team has had to contend with because the game is truly vast.

In fact, once you're caught up in the moment, there are some beautiful experiences to be had. Sure, the inside of a shed is pretty ugly even by the standards of five years ago, but taking off in a bomber and seeing the whole player-driven formation rise up around you, fading in and out as you ascend through the clouds, is breath-taking .Seeing tanks open up against each other as tiny people run for their lives between trees and hedgerows is unlike anything else you can play (except perhaps Flashpoint), and so it's these moments that really begin to decide what Battleground Europe is all about.

When you get up into the sky and begin to see the sheer scale of what is going on here, or when you make a night raid on one of the front line 'forward bases' that spring up from enemy territory, you realise what a majestic and impressive game Battleground Europe can be.

So as I crawled along on my belly and watched the fighters whirling overhead, I begin to take satisfaction from being a cog in a larger machine. While Battlefield's World War is really just a 20-minute burst of skill and personal glory, Battleground Europe is about simply enjoying your achievements for the greater good.

Manning an anti-aircraft gun to keep your tanks from being strafed, or giving some stranded infantry a lift in your truck, these are moments that integrate into a larger picture, one of your battalion, and then a larger one: that of the war as a whole. Sure, a game based around driving a bunch of squaddies down a country lane might not be all that thrilling, but as part of a huge theatre of conflict it suddenly becomes compulsive. And compulsive is what Battleground Europe has the potential to be, if you give it a chance.

But also if you fall in with the right players, in the right place, at the right time. You just have to remember that every town captured, kill, flag capture or supply movement adds to the collective war experience as every Allied player is playing and contributing to the final outcome of the war in Europe.

Take a look from the air! - This is a great short film clip kindly provided by G-Rider, a good friend of our clan, flying the mighty Spitfire in combat. It really does perfectly demonstrate that you are not just flying around static terrain bur you are actually flying over ground troops, tanks, artillery and other planes that are all fighting for cities and towns in the 350,000 square miles of Europe underneath you!

The scope of this game is huge and when the graphics are updated later this year it really is very hard not to feel excited about the future of this great game.

The European Theatre - Below is a map of the whole European theatre in which you fight over in Battleground Europe. The map is vast and you could, if you had a few spare hours and had the inclination, fly or drive from one side of the map to the other just to experience traveling through europe!

Your only limitation would be enemy contact or the size of your fuel tank as the theatre size is 350,000 square miles and the game designers are yet to install petrol stations!!! More Maps.

Battleground Europe Convention - Yes it's true, it's not a myth, it does happen and it's coming on the 17th - 19th May 2007. This is the third annual convention celebrating the game and the fact that this convention exists typifies what this game is truly all about.

The convention is being held in Texas and there seems to be plenty arranged as they have listed paint ball & poker as alternative entertainment! There will also be guest speakers and presentations. To top all that we understand that the game designers will also be there which clearly demonstrates their commitment to the development of this game. Find out more.

Campaign Stats - If you are interested in stats then follow this link to the stats page. Here you can see the campaign stats for Axis and Allies forces along with looking at your own stats; this is the cleaver part! Interestingly, when looking at your stats you are able to drill down to each individual mission and see who you killed.

You can even see how your tank driving compares against other tanks, plane vs plane and so on; it seems that there is enough there to keep most people occupied and interested for hours! Go to stats site.