Over the Top: World War I

[Jarhead0331]

This is a multi-player focused game, which ordinarily isn't my jam...but  I've got to admit. It looks pretty awesome. Apparently, there are PvE servers too though, so I'm going to give the playtest a shot!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/2778610/Over_The_Top_WWI/

Over The Top: WWI plunges you into the chaos of World War I. Engage in massive multiplayer battles with up to 200 players fighting simultaneously.

Engage in bombastic third- and first-person WW1 combat and leverage the fully destructible environment to your advantage. Arm yourself with a diverse arsenal, including rifles, artillery, and even tanks, as you navigate the mud-soaked battlefields of the Great War.

Explore multiple diverse character classes and their unique abilities to influence dangerous encounters with other players on the 12 available maps. Take a breath in additional single-player game modes, or design your own maps with the available map-editor.      

Gear up, soldier - and go Over the Top! The Great War awaits!

Fight in Massive Battles
Take part in massive multi- or single-player battles with up to 200 players or bots simultaneously fighting each other on the same battlefield, in a completely destructible and realistic first World War combat environment.

Destructible Environments
Destroy bridges, fell trees, punch holes in walls, blow up fences, destroy enemy fortifications; in Over The Top: WWI, everything is destructible.

Help your Team defend against the onslaught of enemy troops by digging defensive trenches and shape the battlefield as you see fit. Artillery shells, hand-grenades and rifle-grenades will create realistic craters in the ground. Shovels and pickaxes can be used to dig trenches.

Wind and lightning will break trees, rain and fog will lower visibility and heavy wind will alter ballistics. Over The Top: WWI features a dynamic weather, wind, season and time of day system.

Large Weapon Selection
Find your own playstyle! Bolt-Action Rifles, Revolvers, Pistols, Flamethrowers, Sub-Machine Guns, Heavy Machine Guns, Axes, Clubs, Grenades... With more than 50 unique weapons, 6 different types of armored vehicles and 10 different Artillery pieces, you have plenty of options to choose from.

Take command of a selection of more than six armored vehicles. Choose to operate the formidable Ehrhardt E-V/4 Straßenpanzerwagen, showcasing your tactical finesse on the battlefield, or unleash the power of iconic tanks like the Mark IV or the agile yet potent Renault FT-17 and use those steel beats' destructive power to clear your path through the battlefield. 

Multiple Army Branches
Join the Infantry

Immerse yourself in the heart of the action as an infantryman. Explore diverse roles in the army, whether it's operating flamethrowers to clear trenches, wielding light machine guns for rapid suppression, or taking precise shots with bolt-action rifles.

Serve in the Artillery

Position yourself strategically and provide crucial support as a gunner in the Artillery Corps. Engage the enemy with a range of artillery, from light mortars to heavy artillery pieces. Rain down destruction on enemy positions and fortifications, or man the machine guns to suppress opposing forces.

Enlist as a Tanker

Embark to the front lines as a tanker, navigating the challenging terrain of the First World War in powerful tanks. As a tanker, you are not just a participant but a commander of undefeatable steel beasts, each equipped to handle the unique demands of the battlefield.

Muster as a Specialist

Enlist in the Engineer Corps and support your team by constructing various different defenses, such as barbed wire, chevaux de frise or sandbag walls. Quickly dig trenches with your pickaxe and provide cover to friendly soldiers. Or become a Specialist Gunner and destroy enemy tanks with heavy anti-tank rifles and dynamite.

More than 12 Battlefields
Fight on one of the 12 beautifully hand-crafted maps, inspired by real-world places and battlefields, or play on a randomly generated map, providing a different combat environment each time.

Bored of the pre-included maps? No problem! Create your own maps with powerful Map Editor included in Over The Top: WWI. And then share your maps with other players using the Steam Workshop.

Unique Singleplayer Modes
Over The Top: WWI offers several unique single-player modes: "Instant Battle" and "Build a Battle." Jump into the action in "Instant Battle" mode and take part in large-scale confrontations featuring up to 200 bots. In "Build a Battle" mode, you can customize your own battle scenarios by placing Soldiers, Cannons, Machine Guns, and Tanks on each side, then watch the chaos unfold as they clash in battle.

[ArizonaTank]

I signed up for playtest...  easy to do through Steam.

There is already a crowded field of some really good games. 

-Beyond the Wire
-Verdun, and its brethren
-Rising Front

However, after about 20 minutes of Over the Top, I can tell already that I am going to like it.

But at least in playtest, the game is not really going for strict historical accuracy. For example, my German infantryman is assaulting while wearing a softcap, and both the British and Germans have tanks.

Still, its fun.

Recommend signing up for playtest...its free.

[DesertFox]

Dang, I got pretty excited for a second when I first saw the title and thought it was a mash-up of the classic Stallone arm wrestling movie and WW1. 

Endless possibilities there...

[Sir Slash]

"Over The Top"? That's what my Wife says about me when I act like I'm too sore from mowing the grass to go with her shopping.    The game does look pretty good I have to admit.

[Bardolph]

I don't know how I passed the physical, they must have been desperate. I can barely make out the human figure at 100 yards and cannot move any faster than a moderate walking speed. The anachronisms are pretty funny and the animations are from an era 20 years past. But I still managed to rack up three hours last night, mostly shooting individuals with the large bore "anti-vehicle" rifle because I seldom saw any vehicles to shoot and digging trenches, which is truly the best feature. I haven't played a game with decent "digging in" since Ace of Spades, which was a Minecraft shooter that had some of the best trench warfare gameplay I've ever experienced on a computer.

OTT is not quite as flexible digging wise as AoS was due to the nature of the engines used but you can still dig some pretty impressive trench networks. You can't go as deep in OTT, in AoS there were often fierce tunnel battles that would occur when going over the top wasn't working. I tried digging a bunker in OTT last night and it wouldn't let me get deep enough, may have been related to the map we were on. Will try more later.


(Ace of Spades was sold to Jagex, who ruined it then put it on Steam. But the original lives on on the web here:
https://www.buildandshoot.com/servers/

Not many playing these days but you can check it out for free. Maybe a Grogheads game night? Need to round up 32 players or so for a good match LOL! There used to be some pretty cool WWII based maps someone had done.)

[Bardolph]

Played some more Over the Top, the A7V when fully crewed is fun. While it lasts... lol