Call of Duty: Black Ops

[kurtsimonw]

Really like how they've gone well beyond the challenges + XP by adding the Cod Points and Contracts, awesome.

[briggaman]

Perhaps they have had to tone the graphics down a little in order to accommodate the customisation of characters.

On another note, I can't bloody wait! Certainly one of the best value for money games out there, considering the amount of hours I get out of playing it.

[CastleBromVilla]

Apparently one of the weapon attachments in this is an under-barrell flamethrower

[wiggyrichard]

Really like how they've gone well beyond the challenges + XP by adding the Cod Points and Contracts, awesome.

Cod Points and Contracts???

First ive heard, what are they then?

[The_Rev]

Perhaps they have had to tone the graphics down a little in order to accommodate the customisation of characters.

It's highly unlikely. Remember, you are making judgements on what the game looks like having only seen a compressed internet video.

[wiggyrichard]

Cracking indepth review of the multiplayer stuff by The Guardian.

Call of Duty: Black Ops - multiplayer details revealedNew in-game currency unveiled as well as Combat Training and fresh customisation elements...

Call of Duty: Black Ops – 'Cracked' is one of the new multiplayer maps, based in a wrecked town filled with burned out vehicles and rooftop sniping positions.

Last night, in a vast auditorium on the Los Angeles Exposition Park, Activision revealed all the details of the Black Ops multiplayer mode. For the latest title in the multi-million-selling Call of Duty series, developer Treyarch is mixing familiar elements of the Modern Warfare multiplayer set-up – ie. killstreaks, character progression, challenges, perks and classes – with some intriguing fresh additions.

But sadly, there was no mention of zombies...

The first newcomer to be announced was a multiplayer tutorial option entitled Combat Training. "We created the mode after we found out that some 30-40% of people who player single-player, never play multiplayer," says multiplayer design director David Vonderhaar, "Combat training is a complete stand alone experience with an independent ranking system. You can play it alone or with friends, you can use it to practise maps, or certain weapons or advanced tactics, and when you're ready you can enter a player match and test your skills against real opponents. It's our goal to introduce multiplayer to an entirely new audience who we feel are missing out."

According to online director, Dan Bunting, Combat Training wasn't intended as design feature – it was originally a development tool. The team created a basic AI drone they named Larry who would just stand around on the map; when he was shot, the user got stats on the damage done, and his distance from the player – all useful information for balancing weapons and maps. However, the design team started to add more and more AI functionality to the character, finally spawning multiple versions on each map to add extra challenge. It was from here that Combat Training evolved.

It's a basic tutorial concept then, but a nice way to get to grips with new maps and unfamiliar weapons without being continually shot in the face by a 12-year-old with a P90. Interestingly, it seems this mode will replace deathstreaks, the controversial power-ups awarded to struggling players in Modern Warfare 2, now removed from Black Ops.

More significant, perhaps, is the addition of a new in-game currency, named CoD Points. These can be used to buy any weapons and equipment within your budget, regardless of what rank you're at. As Vonderhaar explains, "Every time you play, you earn CoD Points; and what you used to only unlock by levelling up, you can now buy. Black Ops is your game and you'll play it the way you want to."

Treyarch has also introduced a range of new tasks allowing players to earn CoD Points more quickly. There are Contracts, which are time-limited challenges, based around key game skills. Mercenary contracts reward you for kills and killstreaks; Operation contracts are for effective team play; and Specialist contracts are, as Vonderhaar puts it, "unique or unusual tasks that require unique and unusual play styles." Some Contract challenges are available from the outset, others have to be bought with CoD Points. Interestingly, once completed, they will pay out in CoD Points, XP points or a mixture of both allowing players to fine-tune their own progression model.

Another way of earning cash is through the potentially more tense and risky Wagers. These are self-contained multiplayer modes, in which all participants bet on their ability to finish a stage in the top three. There are four Wager options to pick from. In 'One in the Chamber' each player has a pistol with one bullet; if you shoot at someone and miss, you're down to melee combat. It's sort of a modern take on Goldeneye's Slaps-only mode. With 'Sticks and Stones', combatants get a crossbow and a tomahawk – if you manage to bury one of those bad boys in an opponent's back you bankrupt them. Then there's 'Gun Game' in which all the players start with pistols, but then progress to the next weapons level with each kill. There are 20 to work through, but it you manage to kill yourself, or get wiped out in any other humiliating way, you go back down a level. Finally, in 'Sharp Shooter', all the players start with the same randomly selected weapon, which they must use for a random amount of time, before they're all switched to another model. These look like fun little diversions, and may well get more players to start using different weapons and techniques in a way that the traditional challenges didn't.

Elsewhere, the game now features three categories of gear – lethal (grenades, claymores, etc), tactical (smoke bombs and other diversionary items) and equipment. The latter is all the items that you plant in the world at a static location. Black Ops features a range of options including the Camera Spike, which provides a remote camera view of the place you plant it – handy to shove near a detonation device, or to use as a security camera while you're camping. There's also a motion sensor, which acts like a personal UAV, giving you red dots to reveal any enemies lurking in your immediate vicinity.

As for killstreaks, we'll now get to enjoy nepalm Strikes, gunship attacks and exploding remote-controlled cars. You'll also be able to call in mortar teams to provide devastating longer range firepower, as well as place SAM turrets to bring down enemy aircraft. "When we were designing the game we decided we really like the idea of Killstreaks being more interactive. We wanted players to have more impact in how effective they are whether they're killing other players or acting more defensively," says Vonderhaar.

Black Ops is also introducing a range of limited edition special weapons that'll turn up rather infrequently in care packages. The two they revealed yesterday were the Death Machine, which looks like a hefty multi-barrel mini-gun; and the Grim Reaper, a particularly messy rocket launcher. As for perks, there are lots of extra options, including the ability to convert enemy weapons, gear and equipment and use them as your own, and to sabotage enemy care packages. Some familiar classics have gone, however, inlcuding Stopping Power and Juggernaut.

The 'Create a Class' mode has also been tuned. Now each 'tier one' perk, which sets the player's gameplay-style, has its own unique look in the game world. For example, the Scavenger, who's able to pick up ammo and equipment from fallen enemies, has a lot of visible gear and pockets, the Ghost (who's invisible to enemy radar in killstreaks) wears a big gillie suit, and the explosives expert has a flak jacket. It's a handy way of identifying absolutely everyone in the field of combat. As hinted at in the past, Treyarch has also added lots of visual customisation elements – players can choose from a vast range of camo patterns for their guns, as well as altering the red dot reticule with different shapes and colours. There's even a simple emblem editor, allowing you to recreate your clan logo, then stamp it all over your arsenal.

And for wannabe film makers there's the Theatre option, which allows players to record, edit and repackage clips of in-game action. The idea is that fans will create their own machinima, highlight reels or just tactical studies of key multiplayer face-offs. A niche component, perhaps, but it should lead to some amusing YouTube videos.

So that's it for Black Ops multiplayer. It's the solid CoD foundation we expect, with some additions, a couple of subtractions and a whole new way to attain cool gear. Amid the major new features, there were plenty of decent little tweaks, like a grid reference on the mini-map, which means you'll be able to, say, call out the precise coordinates of an enemy sniper to your team mates, and a few interactive map components, which will add new tactical dimensions – but more on them in our hands-on preview, tomorrow…

For now, what do you think?

No mention of Zombies mode?

[CastleBromVilla]

It is definitely in there. I know the non-standard versions of the game will also include the four zombie maps from World at War.

[wiggyrichard]

It is definitely in there. I know the non-standard versions of the game will also include the four zombie maps from World at War.

non-standard version?!?! Whats that then?? :?

[kurtsimonw]

COD Points: Apparently, along with XP, you earn CP at the end of each game. You can use them to bet in the wager modes I think or to buy weapons/attachments (I assume you no longer unlock weapons by rank, but when you can afford them/when you want).

Contracts: I think they're either instead of challenges, or are alongside them. I believe you have to use CP to buy a contract, then have a certain limited number of games to complete the contract. If you complete it, I hear you can get XP, CP or both.

Zombies: With the Hardened and Prestige Editions of the game, you get the 4 Zombie maps from World at War. I can't see why they would re-release these if they aren't going to do any more?

(There were also rumours that a new Zombie map pack was going to be released for WaW, but they were told they can't by Activision as it was too close to the MW2 launch - I assume these maps will now be on Black Ops).

None of the above are fact, just from what I've read/heard/seen and formed opinions of my own on.

EDIT: I see in your next post you've posted something regarding the CP/Contratcs. It does sound awesome.

[CastleBromVilla]

It is definitely in there. I know the non-standard versions of the game will also include the four zombie maps from World at War.

non-standard version?!?! Whats that then?? :?

The limited edition versions of the game that come with loads of extra stuff, like the little toy rc car, someone posted a picture earlier in the thread. Zombies is in there though.

[packoman]

So do you have to buy the Zombie mode separately if you get the standard game package?

[The_Rev]

DLC!

[CastleBromVilla]

So do you have to buy the Zombie mode separately if you get the standard game package?

Zombie mode is included as standard, so if you buy the standard £40 version of the game, you'll get zombies.

Whereas if you buy one of the non-standard editions of the game, you'll get what i've mentioned above, aswell as the zombie maps that were in Call of Duty World at War.

[kurtsimonw]

ProjectBlackOps YouTube Channel has a good interview uploaded today, with somebody from Activision.

You can report guys for cheating/glitching in the game. Treyarch/Activision can then look at the guys profile, find the game that he was reportedly cheating in, then watch it through for themselves to see if it is ban worthy or whatever. It'll also help them find glitches and stuff quicker. Brilliant.

[Rino8]

ProjectBlackOps YouTube Channel has a good interview uploaded today, with somebody from Activision.

You can report guys for cheating/glitching in the game. Treyarch/Activision can then look at the guys profile, find the game that he was reportedly cheating in, then watch it through for themselves to see if it is ban worthy or whatever. It'll also help them find glitches and stuff quicker. Brilliant.

Until it becomes uncontrollably spammed and is ignored by Treyarch. I'd love it to work but you just know it'll get abused.

[kurtsimonw]

If it was Infinity Ward I'd agree, but Treyarch are far better with the community. They changed pretty much everything that was asked of them except the MP40.

On the spamming issue.. it can be easily solved. If you file a large number of reports in a single day, or they find that the people you're reporting are doing nothing wrong, you get banned/suspended from the game/xbox live. If people want to risk not being able to play, all for the 'fun' of annoying Treyarch, go ahead.

I do think the first month on the game will be shit though. There's no excuse not to have a beta and MW2 showed why, so they'll just be fixing shit to start with I think.

[Genie]

I saw a pretty long ad for it the other night at HT in the England game, it looks frickin awesome!!

[The_Rev]

From elsewhere on 'tinternet:

rllmuk"]Multiplayer info roundup. (I'm sure a lot of the info has already been posted, but I thought I'd post it again for those who might have missed it.)

Multiplayer Beta

* The internal beta is already underway.

1. Thousands of people are participating.

2. Limited to Activision and selected partners.

* There will be no public beta!

PC Version

* The PC version has everything that the consoles do, including extras.

* Dedicated servers are only rentable from GameServers.com

1. Highly customizable unranked servers.

2. Ranked servers allow you to earn XP and COD Points.

3. Max 18-24 players per server.

4. Servers will run on top quality hardware and infrastructure with excellent bandwidth.

5. There will be a ton of official servers at launch for everyone.

* Brand new server browser = no "console lobbies".

* Leaderboards are confirmed.

* COD7 is a Steam exclusive.

1. Auto-updates via Steam, no manual patching required.

2. No LAN mode + you need to be connected to the internet.

3. VAC will be used as anti-cheat, no PunkBuster.

* Spectator mode included.

* Profile data is stored globally and accessible from anywhere on the internet.

COD Points, CP

* You earn COD Points, CP for short, by playing multiplayer matches and completing different challenges.

* CP is the games currency: use it to buy new weapons and upgrades.

* You can gamble your CP in Wager Matches for a bigger pay.

Wager Matches (CP gambling)

Divided into 3 different categories:

* Ante Up (Free For All, 6 players, low buy-in, parties allowed)

1. One in the Chamber

2. Sticks and Stones

3. Gun Game

4. Sharpshooter

* Weekend Gambler (Free For All, 6 players, medium buy-in, no parties allowed)

1. One in the Chamber

2. Sticks and Stones

3. Gun Game

4. Sharpshooter

* High Roller (Free For All, 6 players, high buy-in, no parties allowed)

1. Pro Gambler

Wager Match Game Modes

* One in the Chamber: You get a pistol, one bullet and 3 lives. You get one bullet for shooting or stabbing someone.

* Sticks and Stones: Arsenal includes a Crossbow, Ballistic Knife and Tomahawk. Kill someone with the Tomahawk to bankrupt that player.

* Gun Game: There are 20 weapon tiers, with one weapon per tier. You start with a pistol (tier 1) and with each weapon kill you go up one level + get a new weapon. If you get knifed at any point, you go back one level. Reach weapon tier 20 and you win.

* Sharpshooter: Everyone has the same random weapon for a fixed amount of time. With each kill you earn a Perk as a bonus.

* Pro Gambler: All games modes above.

Normal Game Modes

* Free For All (8 players) + Hardcore

* Capture the Flag (12 players)

* Demolition (12 players)

* Domination (12 players)

* Headquarters (12 players)

* Sabotage (12 players)

* Search & Destroy (12 player) + Hardcore

* Team Deathmatch (12 players) + Hardcore and Barebones

* Ground War (18 players)

Playercard (Callsign)

* Over 300 emblems to choose from!

* Emblems have to be bought with CP, but some are unlocked after a certain level.

* The emblems are customizable. For example, you can move, scale, rotate, color and stack them.

* You have 12 image layers available, but you don't have to use all of them.

Contracts

* You can buy Contracts with CP.

* Completing a contract will earn you more CP than you paid for the contract itself.

* Contracts have different goals and time limits.

* Higher the difficulty, bigger the pay.

Miscellaneous

* Deathstreaks have been removed.

* Highest multiplayer level is 50.

* There are 5 Prestige levels.

* Prestige players can access the "Prestige playlists" where only the best of the best are playing.

And the killstreaks and perks in more detail.

Killstreaks

http://www.cod7blackops.com/killstreaks/

Perks (there's an incomplete list detailing some of the pro abilities for each perk)

http://www.cod7blackops.com/perks/

And finally, the all important weapons list

http://www.cod7blackops.com/weapons/

[kurtsimonw]

Only 5 prestige levels? Seems strange to bring the rank all the way down to 50, then half the amount of times you can prestige too. Oh well, maybe this'll mean I'll be able to reach the last rank of the last prestige for the first time.

Wager mode sounds great.

[Rino8]

The 'tactical mask' could be a great perk to use IF it means flashbangs have no effect.

Some people throw flashbangs/stuns in to a room to see if anybody is there, hopefully tac mask would stop the hitmarker.