Over the Top: WWI - World War I with permanent destruction

The new multiplayer action game Over the Top: WWI is set to be released in March. Up to 200 players will be able to battle each other on historical First World War battlefields. The developers gave us the opportunity to interview them and find out more about the game. Maxim Munnig Schmidt from Flying Squirrel Entertainment answered our questions promptly.

Over the Top: WWI is not your first game to focus on online historical battles. Could you tell us a little about your studio and your previous projects?

Flying Squirrel Entertainment was originally formed from the team behind the "Mount & Musket" modification for Mount & Blade: Warband, to make the official expansion for the same game: “Napoleonic Wars”. We are based in Europe, and the team currently consists of four members. All of us are former modders, and formed Flying Squirrel Entertainment when we decided to start making our own games instead of spending our skills tweaking other people’s creations. We have since worked on multiple historical titles, including Holdfast: Nations at War, Battle Cry of Freedom, Into the Caribbean, and various other mods as side projects for fun.

We are also progressive/hardcore re-enactors and participate in living-history events across Europe. As we come from both a gaming and a living history background, we are naturally very passionate about what we create!

Why did you choose the period of World War I?

The First World War is one of the most unique and fascinating periods in history. A collision between old Napoleonic-era tactics and industrialized modern warfare. That contrast allows us to introduce mechanics rarely seen in WWI multiplayer shooters, such as trench digging and full-terrain destruction. The war also brought major technological shifts. The introduction of machine guns, heavy artillery, tanks, submachine guns, aircraft, and gas warfare provided a rich foundation for various game mechanics.

What will the physics and destruction in the game be like? Will it really be possible to destroy practically anything, and even dig your own trenches?

Yes! The game's core feature is the ability to dig your own trenches and destroy almost everything on the battlefield. Over the course of a match, players will gradually transform the map from a quiet French village into a war-torn, mud-soaked WWI hellscape.

Of course, there are a few gameplay-driven exceptions. Certain critical structures, such as key objectives, bridges, and churches, can not be fully destroyed. However, they are still heavily damageable: you can blast holes through them and tear off large sections during battle.

Will it be possible to switch camera views, or will the default view be used?

The game allows players to switch to an optional first-person view. However, the game was primarily designed for third-person mode, and we recommend playing it that way. Give it a try!

You will also use historical technology in the game. I assume that it is based on real units. Will they also be controlled realistically? If so, they will probably be quite difficult to master. Or will their controls be simplified to make them easier to use?

What we’re aiming for with OTT is a healthy balance of realism and fun. As such, our vehicle models and armament are accurate, and the controls have been optimized to the point that most of the testers we involve report enjoying them. Still, successfully operating these beasts isn’t as simple as you might imagine. The larger the vehicle (some can accommodate up to 10 players), the more important teamwork and tactics become.

How can players communicate with each other on the battlefield? Through in-game chat? Microphone? Discord?

We’ve got in-game 3D voice and text chat, so there will be ample opportunities for players to communicate and coordinate. You can also use emotes if your preferred way of conveying emotions is body language.

Can players also form squads or other groups?

Yes, forming squads is a part of our game. As a squad member, you will be able to easily locate your squadmates on the battlefield and understand what class they belong to. We do not support spawning on all of your squadmates for balance reasons, but it is possible to spawn on some of them should they pick the needed officer class.

Does the game involve character development or unlocking new weapons or abilities?

Yes. We support player appearance and uniform customization, which only influences the visuals of the game; as well as weapon and perks unlocks, which will actually give you access to more powerful or specialized types of guns or other devices for every class.

What game modes will there be? Will modders be allowed to create their own content?

We currently feature two game modes. “Instant Battle” and “Campaign”. In “Instant Battle” you can jump right into a match and fight in a type of Battlefield-inspired conquest match.

In “Campaign,” players will fight across a larger campaign consisting of 9 tiles, each tile is representing a unique map. Each round, one of the Teams - the Central Powers or the Entente - will vote to attack one of the enemy's tiles. The first team to capture all map tiles wins the campaign.

The campaign mode leverages our time-of-day and season system. The campaign starts in Spring 1914, and each turn advances one Season. Once a tile has been captured, the other team will get a chance to recapture it later. Once a map has been played on, all destruction will be saved in the map file. This means that next time you fight on that tile, all previous destruction will still be present. Every trench your team has dug, every tree they destroyed, and every shell crater will still be present on the map. Over the course of the campaign, the battlefields will turn more and more into the hellish WW1 landscapes that we all know from movies and other games. Simply put, this time the players themselves caused the destruction.

What about the servers and connectivity?

We will offer several official servers in each region: Europe, North America, and East Asia/Australia. Additionally, players can download the Server files for free and host their own servers.

What makes the game special, and what would you particularly like to highlight about it?

We believe that the unique mix of full terrain destruction, trench digging, airplanes, tanks, gas, machine guns, and 200-player multiplayer combat with 3D VoIP is quite unique, and no other game has ever even attempted to do this before.

Are you planning another multiplayer war game? Have you chosen a time period for it yet?

For now, we are fully focused on finalizing Over the Top. Post-launch, we plan to add more content, such as additional maps, special units, unique weapons, and new nations to play.
Beyond that, we haven’t decided yet.

Thank you for the interview.

Thank you for the opportunity.