Call of Duty: Black Ops

[Saint Nick]

Beta ads are not official.

 

[bucwylde23]

Beta ads are not official.

That doesn't really mean anything. That just means they haven't announced it "officially" not that one will not happen.

 

[Kabob]

That doesn't really mean anything. That just means they haven't announced it "officially" not that one will not happen.

Exactly.

From what I hear the smiley face is a customization point. There's a smiley on one of the MW2 guns too. Box art is hardly a reason to discredit a game. The exploding crossbow idea actually goes as far back as the original UT in games, and has been seen in several movies. It's a good idea.

It's not cheesy, it's fun.

These was a smiley on one of the weapons and you had to get it in just the right light to make it out. In this game it's your reticle...and on your weapons...and such. I'm just saying they're taking a more cheesy approach to the game which I'm not a fan of.

 

[Malak]

Nobody else watching the event? I'm entirely convinced of purchasing this game now.

Also this.

 

[BD2003]

Theyre definitely taking it to the next level. Theyre innovating way, way more than I expected them to. Very cool stuff.

All I care is that the maps are of a quality equal to what IW puts out. IW makes very balanced maps with a theme that are focused around gameplay. You can tell they finely tweaked every single spot on each map. WaW maps were a crazy mess of stuff to hide behind and/or get shot from.

 

[foghorn67]

Theyre definitely taking it to the next level. Theyre innovating way, way more than I expected them to. Very cool stuff.

All I care is that the maps are of a quality equal to what IW puts out. IW makes very balanced maps with a theme that are focused around gameplay. You can tell they finely tweaked every single spot on each map. WaW maps were a crazy mess of stuff to hide behind and/or get shot from.

Woah, woah. Let's not get too sappy for IW. Some of the MW2 (I am sounding like a broken record, sorry) were garbage. Treyarch has a opportunity to improve upon map design, not just keep status quo.

 

[Malak]

I hesitate to say the MW2 maps are terrible, I just don't like playing on them. I would like to see some indoors maps.

 

[Kabob]

I didn't get to watch last night and haven't seen much this morning but from the little I've seen I'm VERY impressed, much more than I was expecting to see. There's still definitely the cheesy factor (backpack chain gun...really?) but overall it's looking pretty awesome.

I think the idea of introducing a money system for buying upgrades along with the leveling system is a cool idea. CoD 4 was the first game to take RPG elements and put them in an FPS setting, this is taking that a step further.

I'm about to post tons of multiplayer writeups...bear with me!

 

[Kabob]

IGN's Look at Multiplayer

By now you should have read about the new Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer modes and improvements and watched the trailer to see Wager Matches in action. After Treyarch and Activision unleashed that info, they gave me a few hours to sit down and try the new modes out and put the whole shebang to the test. Here are five quick thoughts I have now that I've taken Black Ops for a spin.

The RC-XD is Hilarious
You earn the RC-XD, a remote controlled bomb, through kill streaks and in the game variants I played it generally took only a few kills to unlock it. Once you do, prepare for hilarity. The current physics have it bouncing off of walls, taking jumps off of bumps, and generally stumbling and bumbling around until you find an enemy…at which point you'll pull the trigger to detonate the bomb.

That process alone is pretty funny. More hilarious, though, is what happens if your enemy notices the RC-XD coming. They'll dance around it trying to get the car in their sites while their character model looks like a maniac. I never saw anyone succeed in stopping the RC destruction, but I hope they never stop trying.

Leveling and COD Points Are More Complex Than You Think
The addition of a credit system – in which you have to earn COD Points to unlock weapons -- is an extra layer on top of the already robust leveling system in past Call of Duty games. It doesn't replace it. In fact, it makes it deeper and more involved than ever before.

You will still have to unlock many things by leveling up, and even after you do you'll find that not everything can be purchased with COD Points right off the bat. Some weapons only become available for purchase after the player has obtained others. The best sniper rifle, for example, was locked until I purchased all of the others in its class. Everything costs points, too, straight down to little emblems that you can use in customizing the look of your rifle or player card.

Theater Mode is the Real Deal
It's one thing to put a Theater Mode into your games. It's quite another to rival even the current industry leaders at Bungie, but that's exactly what Treyarch is doing with Call of Duty: Black Ops. All of the standards are there -- a free roaming camera that can also lock on to players, clip and screenshot export, the ability to fast forward or rewind the action, and the option to browse your friend's shared files. There's also a whole lot more.

You can save segments and then clip them together and slow down or speed up the game speed while recording. Up to 100 of your most recent games over the past 7 days are saved automatically for you to later watch and edit. The timeline displayed during theater mode indicates all the kills int eh match, a green mark for a kill, and a red mark for when you died, allowing you to quickly skip to the interesting parts of the match. The tools look super powerful -- both for the casual player that wants to know where jerks are camping and for the hardcore machinima maker.

One in the Chamber is the new License to Kill
One of my favorite Goldeneye N64 modes back in the day was the License to Kill variant for multiplayer. It distilled deathmatch down to the basics. One shot on target was worth one kill, it didn't matter who had the best gun. Here only the best would win -- luck was not a factor.

Black Ops has its own take on this classic in One in the Chamber, a mode specifically made as a Wager Match. Here you only get one bullet. Connect with that shot and it's an instant kill and you'll be awarded another bullet. Miss and you better hope you can get in close for a knife slash.

It took me a couple of rounds to get into the swing of things. I usually waste quite a few bullets while playing first-person shooters, and that's not conducive to victory. One in the Chamber only offers three lives to each player before you have to sit in spectator mode. That's where I found myself quite quickly during the first couple of matches.

Contracts Are Going to be Addictive
Challenges are a big part of what makes Call of Duty such an addictive multiplayer game. They're back, but now there are Contracts to top them off. These are rotating challenges offered by Treyarch, changing every day or week. To partake in them, you'll have to pony up a few COD Points to buy the Contract. Complete the challenge and you'll win extra points. There is a catch -- each Contract has a time limit. I bought a low level one that required you to get three SMG kills without dying in less than 40 minutes of game time. It cost 50 COD Points and, upon completing it, I received 250 back.

Fail at completing a Contract and you'll have to wait at least 24 hours to try again. And you'll be out of some COD Points. I can see myself getting caught up in these even more so than the Wager Matches against other players.

 

[Kabob]

IGN's New Multiplayer Modes

Treyarch online director Dan Bunting and multiplayer design director David Vonderhaar took the stage during a special event in Los Angeles tonight to announce new multiplayer modes for Call of Duty: Black Ops.

For the first time ever, Call of Duty is getting its own offline multiplayer Bot mode called Combat Training. This mode uses a completely independent rank progression, which you can play alone or with friends. Consider this a new opportunity to train before you test your skills online.

Tier 1 perks also now impact how your character looks in the game. Flak Jacket, for example, makes you look like the dude from Hurt Locker.

Two new Killstreak special weapon care packages were shown; a chain gun called the Death Machine and a missile launcher called the Grim Reaper. Other kill streaks include napalm strike, rc-xd (remote controlled car), gunship, mortars, and a SAM turret to shoot down gunships.

A new form of in-game currency is now being added called "CP" or CoD Points. Players will earn money as they play that they can then use to unlock weapons. CoD Points can not be purchased with real money.

Players can also take time limited challenges called Contracts to earn some dough. The three contract categories are Mercenary, Operations, and Specialist. Mercenary rewards players for kills and kill streaks, Operations are for team players, and Specialists are for unique play styles.

Gambling has arrived in the form of a new mode called Wager Match where players can bet CoD points. The top three players split the winnings. This mode includes four new game types:

One in the Chamber -- Players will start with pistols only, one bullet, and three lives. If you kill someone you get a bullet.

Sticks and Stones -- Players start with a crossbow and a ballistic knife, and a tomahawk. If a player is killed with a tomahawk they go bankrupted.

Gun Game -- All players start with pistol, and every kill gives you a better weapon. First one to progress through the weapons wins. If you get knifed you get reset a level.

Sharp Shooter -- All players start with the same randomly selected weapon. Weapons cycle, but everyone has the same weapon.
Treyarch also went in-depth with an all-new weapon customization system.

Players will now be able to attach custom made emblems and decals onto their weapons, and attach custom targeting reticules (such as a red smiley face dot). Players will be able to edit, rotate, and scale images to place on all of the weapons they've unlocked.

Lastly, Theater Mode was shown, allowing players to record clips and create screenshots to tag and share with friends online. The camera can be switched between first and third person perspectives as well as free roam.

IGN executive editor Erik Brudvig is there going hands-on with the game, so expect to get his thoughts on what he played later tonight.

 

[Kabob]

Kotaku's MP Hands On

It's a safe bet that Call of Duty: Black Ops will become the de facto multiplayer shooter of the fall, deservedly so for the intelligent, exciting online features that developer Treyarch is adding to the series—most notably, gambling.

Of the hours' worth of Call of Duty: Black Ops that I played at Activision's multiplayer preview event in Los Angeles tonight, it was the newly revealed Wager Matches that packed the most punch. Nothing of substance was on the line as I was gambling with other people's "money" in the form CoD Points. (CP is the stuff players will use to buy new weapons, perks, killstreaks, etc. and is different from the Experience Points, or XP, acquired while playing multiplayer.)

The meat and potatoes modes—the frenzied Capture the Flag, the destructive Search and Destroy, Team Deathmatch—were intact, a delight to play, but familiar. Capturing enemy flags and defending the one guarded by my team of strangers on a map dubbed "Slaughter House" was as adrenaline filled and chaotic as ever. Capture the Flag, a staple, plays almost exactly as it did in the most recent Call of Duty. Perfectly fine.

Those now expected modes were spiced up by some of Black Ops' new killstreaks, like the RC-XD remote control explosive car which brings pint-sized but deadly driving to Call of Duty multiplayer. Players can also drop a SAM Turret onto the playfield that will target aircraft like the killstreak-called Attack Chopper. The vicious Attack Dogs of Call of Duty: World At War return in Black Ops, one of the late killstreaks that can help root out campers. Mortar Team was an interesting addition. Acquiring that killstreak lets the player paint three targets onto the map with mortar fire raining down on the map. It's similar to World At War's Artillery Strike.

The Care Package killstreak can, in addition to dropping other killstreaks, provide players with rare weapons, like a mini-gun and rocket launcher. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try those rare weapons on for size.

Black Ops appears to nail the obligatory online competitive aspects of a Call of Duty game, but Treyarch has something new and exciting to complement the multiplayer suite.

You Want Some Of This Action?
Wager Matches are wildly different custom game types. Comprised of four distinct free-for-all game types—One In The Chamber, Sharpshooter, Sticks and Stones, and Gun Game—players will ante up in a matchmaking lobby, wagering a set amount of the CoD Points they've accumulated by playing this and other multiplayer modes.

The most nail-biting of those four Wager Match types, from my experience, was Gun Game. The rules are simple. Each player starts with the lowest tier weapon, a revolver. Each time a player scores a kill, he'll upgrade to the next weapon.

There are 20 tiers of weapon in Gun Game, so players will advance from pistol to dual wielding pistols to shotguns to semi-automatic machine guns to assault rifles to grenade launchers... and beyond. While the power of those weapons tends to increase from tier to tier, the transition from tier to tier can be jarring, resetting the player's expectations of what his weapon is capable of.

The tension of Gun Game increases sharply as players reach the final two tiers—the explosive crossbow and the ballistic knife. Those are two weapons that carry very limited ammo and slow reload times, leaving the player extremely vulnerable at top weapon tiers—and that's right around the time when other players are armed with assault rifles and "Thumper"-like grenade launchers.

The other twist in Gun Game is that suffering knife kills drops players down a tier, a most painful regression.



As much as I adored Gun Game, no Wager Match type managed to disappoint.

Sticks and Stones was enjoyable for different reasons. Players are armed only with an explosive crossbow, ballistic knife and one tomahawk. Kills with the crossbow and knife will accumulate in-game wealth. A successful hit with the tomahawk—a thrown blade that requires expert accuracy—will bankrupt its victim.

The weapon selection in Sticks and Stones leaves each player with minimal ammunition. Players must choose their shots carefully, for reloading or recovering one's tomahawk is slow, leaving a player vulnerable to attack. Sticks and Stones sometimes takes a turn for the comical as players engage in a deadly dance that slowly plays out as opponents square off, taking single shots, reloading in unison, firing again, missing again, reloading. It's as if it will ultimately devolve into each opponent throwing their crossbows at each other, then their boots, then settling the contest with a fist fight.

Sharpshooter was another great equalizer. There is no weapon imbalance here. Every player in Sharpshooter is using the same type of gun at the same time. Players will start with a choice from the game's massive arsenal then switch to the next randomly chosen weapon. You may be playing with a shotgun at one point, then cycle to dual-wielded SMGs the next, a missile launcher 30 seconds later.

The only differentiating factor in Sharpshooter are perks that players acquire with each kill. Skill and familiarity with Call of Duty: Black Ops' broad range of weapons will be key to seeing success in Sharpshooter.

And while One In The Chamber, a Wager Match game type that grants each competitor three lives but just one bullet, was fun to play, it was my least favorite of the quartet. Players can acquire additional bullets by killing their opponents, so you'll need to be accurate with a pistol or skilled with a knife. One In The Chamber can lead to some tense hand-to-hand combat moments, but it was too lacking in variety, less panic-filled than Gun Game to make the top of my list.

However, I spoke to other Black Ops players who felt the opposite, that One In The Chamber managed to stand out at the strongest Wager Match type.

Location, Location, Location
During my hands-on time with Call of Duty: Black Ops, I played on only a handful of maps. "Summit" is built on a snowy, flurry-filled Russian base. There's a large, covered command center at its core, with pathways that run along the map's border and a handful of small sheds in which to take shelter. Otherwise, it's very open in its design.

"Radiation" was my favorite of the lot. It's full of nooks and crannies in which to explore (or camp), dark passageways in which to sneak and hide. There's a large open area in the center, flanked by platforms that offer high ground and a great view of the map. There's also an underground pathway in Radiation that can be accessed by doors. Players can choose to open or close those doors via a switch on a raised platform.

"Launch" is a tight, close quarters map set on a missile platform. I played both Radiation and Launch in Gun Game mode, with the latter providing a much zippier experience, thanks to the tight proximity of players. At certain intervals, one of the massive missiles will blast off, violently rocking the playfield. Players can initiate these rocket launches themselves, perhaps to disorient the competition.

I also played a few Capture the Flag rounds on "Slaughter House," a decimated urban area of Vietnam built from blown apart buildings and mini-mountains of rubble. Slaughter House is filled with pathways to explore, alleyways and buildings interweaving for a map that's stuffed with avenues to sprint through. The map flows splendidly.

Perks & Killstreaks
You want a list of the unlockable and purchaseable perks and killstreaks in Call of Duty: Black Ops? Here you go!

Perk 1
Lightweight - Move Faster (Pro)
Scavenger - Pick up ammo from fallen enemies. Replenish lethal grenades. (Pro)
Ghost - Undetectable by the Spy Plane and the Blackbird.
Flak Jacket - Reduces explosive damage.
Hardline - Killstreaks require 1 less kill.

Perk 2
Hardened - Bullets penetrate better.
Scout - Hold breath longer.
Steady Aim - Increased hip-fire accuracy.
Sleight of Hand - Faster reloads.
Warlord - Equip two attachments to your primary weapon.

Perk 3
Marathon - Longer sprint.
Ninja - Silent movement.
Second Chance - Pull out your pistol before dying.
Hacker - Ability to detect enemy equipment and explosives.
Tactical Mask - Reduces the effect of flash and concussion grenades.

Killstreaks

3 – Spy Plane
3 – RC-XD (remote bomb)
4 – Counter Spy Plane
4 – SAM Turret
5 – Care Package
5 – Napalm Strike
6 – Sentry Gun
6 – Mortar Team
7 – Attack Helicopter
7 – Valkyrie Rockets
8 – Blackbird
8 – Rolling Thunder
9 - Chopper Gunner
11 – Attack Dogs
11 - Gunship
Final Thoughts
Treyarch appears to be on its way to delivering an impressive follow up to Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, a multiplayer experience that builds smartly upon that seminal shooter. Players' expectations for a rock solid multiplayer component in Black Ops should be well met, with Wager Matches providing a surprising variation on the robust suite of familiar game types. It would be nice to see Wager Matches extend to more game types, including team-based play and standard deathmatch game types. But Call of Duty: Black Ops' multiplayer is, without a doubt, very promising.

We'll have more from our hands-on experience with Call of Duty: Black Ops soon.

 

[Kabob]

More info from an unknown source (posted by an AVS buddy)

Competition

* Compete, Customize and Create is the slogan they are going with for Black Ops multiplayer
* Spy Plane killstreak reward
* Combat training, multiplayer training map with AI. Different rank progression. Aimed at players who don’t go online
* Character model shows up in menus, so you can see customization effects.
* Ghost guys = stealthy, Flak guy = armored
* Basic appearance determined by teir 1
* All things that are Lethal are on right bumper, all Tactical items go left bumper, and there’s now an equipment category for deploy-ables.
* Motion Sensors (a personal UAV) and a signal Jammer.
* you need in game currency to buy “things”
* batch of special weapons that players will get in Care Packages — including the Death machine and Grim Reaper (mini-gun and grenade launcher)
* Napalm Strike, Gunship, Mortar Team, the Radio Controlled Car, SAM Turret (it takes down a chopper)
* Every time you play, you earn money (COD points)
* What you used to unlock by level is now for sale — if you can afford it, you can buy it
* Contracts: time limited challenges that you purchase with COD Points (CP). Categories = Mercenaries, Operations, Specialist. Each is attached to certain play styles and in-game achievements.
* Gambling: Wager Match – you ante up and put your COD Points on the line and wager on matches. The top three players split the pot.

Gamemodes

* Four new game modes, separate from your standard rank progression in multiplayer competitive modes.
* Take CP, wager them, and bet whether you are in the top three in the scoreboard for the specific match…
* First mode: one in the chamber, and everyone just has a pistol with one bullet and three lives.
* Second mode: sticks and stones where yo have crossbows and ballistic knives plus a tomahawk.
* Third mode: Gun Game – A series of progressive weapons, from pistol to shotgun to sniper rifle, granted to the player after kills.
* Fourth: Sharpshooter is where everyone uses the same weapon and unlocks perks per kill. Unlock a better gun with each kill…and lose a “level” with death instead of starting from the beginning

Customization

* Players have a special attachment to their weapons — so they can place clan tags, decals and smiley red dots on their weapons.
* Flamethrowers, sniper rifles, shotguns… everything can be customized
* Emblem editor
* No Stopping power
* No Juggernaut
* Bling is now 2nd tier perk called Overlord
* Ninja returns as a 3rd tier perk

Perks

Tier 1

Lightweight
Scavenger
Ghost
Flak Jacket
Hardline

Tier 2

Hardened
Scout
Steady Aim
Slight of Hand
Warlord

Tier 3

Marathon
Ninja
Second Chance
Hacker
Tactical Mask

Theater

* Trailer coming in a few days
* All recent games played on live can be tagged, edited, and searched with Theater.

Weapons
* M14
* AK74u
* MP5K
* M16- 3 round burst
* FAMAS
* Lee Enfield
* Uzi
* M1 Garand
* Scorpion
*Colt Commando (short barrel M4 replacement)
*AK-47 (back in it's wood furniture glory)
*Steyr AUG (whether it's an LMG or assault rifle, who knows?)
*Arctic Warfare Magnum (sniper rifle)

Known Secondaries
* ASP
* M1911
* Makarov
* Python
* Crossbow
* M72 Launcher
* RPG-7
* Strela Launcher
* China Lake Launcher


Equipment

* Camera Spike
* C4
* Tactical Insertion
* Jammer
* Motion Sensor
* Claymore

Lethal Grenades

* Tomahawk
* Frag
* Semtex

Tactical Grenades

* Willy Pete (smoke)
* Nova Gas
* Flash Bang
* Concussion
* Decoy

Misc

* Game winning killcam is back
* Switching weapons takes longer
* Claymores confirmed as equipment
* 50 ranks and prestige mode is confirmed to return
* K/D ratio is shown in the scorecard

Those bolded I added in, they were shown in the first MP video.

 

[BD2003]

Based on this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XEABcL2aFJU

Attachments (for ARs at least):

Extended Mags
Dual Mags
ACOG Sight
Red Dot Sight
Reflex Sight
Masterkey
Flamethrower
Infrared Sight
Grenade Launcher
Suppressor

ARs:
M16
Enfield
M14
Famas
Galil
AUG
FN FAL
AK47
Commando
Last One is illegible, starts with C...something like Ch**F**....

Pistols:
ASP
M1911
Makarov
Python
CC75?

Pistol Attachments:
ACOG
Snub Nose
Speed Reloader
Dual Wield

Killstreaks
Spy Plane 3
RC-XD 3
Counter Spy Plane 4
Sam Turret 4
Care Package 5
Napalm Strike 5
Sentry Gun 6
Mortar Team 6
Attack Helicopter 7
Valkyrie Rockets 7
Blackbird 8
Rolling Thunder 8
Chopper Gunner 9
Attack Dogs 11 (NOOOOOOOOOO!!!!)
Gunship 11

It looks like all attachments and killstreaks need to be "bought" with CoD points

 

[bucwylde23]

Haha, Treyarch loves attack dogs. That should be interesting.

 

[Kabob]

I hate attack dogs...why oh why didn't they axe that?

 

[Kev]

No commando may be reason enough to give this a shot, regardless of the bitter taste MW2 left me with.

Maybe they'll finally fix the spawn system as well. If they don't, at least the replay system will once and for all prove how ridiculous it is.

 

[Saint Nick]

Not going to lie...this game sounds like CoD meets Wolfenstein. And that is not a good thing.

 

[BD2003]

With the way it seems at least one person was able to tale direct feed footage from the event, I suspect by the end of the day we'll have a super detailed list of everything in create a class.

 

[dougp]

Not going to lie...this game sounds like CoD meets Wolfenstein. And that is not a good thing.

What do you mean?

Honestly, I think all the changes look awesome. And Kabob, I think they mentioned things will be unlocked as you level, but if you want it earlier, you can buy it.

 

[GullyFoyle]

I think the idea of introducing a money system for buying upgrades along with the leveling system is a cool idea. CoD 4 was the first game to take RPG elements and put them in an FPS setting, this is taking that a step further.

Battlefield 2142 had a system of earning credits and using them to chose upgrades a year before COD 4 was released.

As long as COD : BO has dedicated servers, I'm sure I will be buying it.

Thanks for all the info! I'm sure I wouldn't be able to get to all those gaming sites from work...

 

[Kabob]

And Kabob, I think they mentioned things will be unlocked as you level, but if you want it earlier, you can buy it.

Ahh, that makes sense. As I said, I haven't had time to read over everything yet.

Battlefield 2142 had a system of earning credits and using them to chose upgrades a year before COD 4 was released.

Ahh, I never played it. Did it also have the levelling system and such? Or is it you earn credits over 1 game and use them to buy more stuff and it's reset every game?

 

[BD2003]

The way 2142 worked was that you earned xp separately per class. Then you got to choose a new piece of equipment every level. IIRC there were like 2 tracks for each class that you could progress through.

The leveling was VERY slow though.

Black ops seems much more freeform, as if you could buy almost anything at any time. That appears to not entirely be the case, but it still seems like there's a lot more freedom. You certainly don't need to play as a sniper to get new sniper rifles like BF.

.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Battlefield 2142 had a system of earning credits and using them to chose upgrades a year before COD 4 was released.

Ahh, I never played it. Did it also have the levelling system and such? Or is it you earn credits over 1 game and use them to buy more stuff and it's reset every game?

All Battlefield games since Battlefield 2 (2005, before BF2142) have featured persistant ranking (levelling). Stats are saved on EA servers.

 

[GullyFoyle]

Are there any good pre-order deals for this?

 

[Kabob]

Are there any good pre-order deals for this?

Amazon - Get $20 in video game credit when you pre-order Black Ops.
Walmart - Get a $20 e-Gift card when you pre-order (have to use online).
Newegg - $49.99 w/free shipping.