|
CoD: BO First Look, Part II, "Pillars"
Going in to the First
Look event the PC community had
many unanswered questions.
- Will there be
dedicated servers?
- Will we get modding tools (Out of the box?
Ever?)
- Can the player configuration be modified?
- Will
we get a console?
- Will there be support for CoDTV?
- Is
there DX11 support?
- Will we pay for DLC?
We have summarized the major points of interest for PC
gamers by listing them within Treyarch's "Three Pillars" design
philosophy.
Given that this was primarily a Single
Player event and most of the PC questions revolved around MP, Treyarch
deferred giving answers. I say this right up
front so as to not disappoint everyone who has waited patiently to hear
unequivocal yeas/nays from Black Ops' developers.
Treyarch Overall Design Philosophy
At the beginning of the production effort for Call of Duty: Black Ops,
Treyarch developers thought long and hard on how they could break down
the most important aspects of the game and how they could break them
down into components and then allocated resources to each core element.
Those elements became known as "pillars".
During the CoD: BO First Look event, Treyarch
multiplayer design director, Dan Bunting, enumerated them. I am listing
them here now, somewhat out of sequence with Treyarch's presentation,
because I think they will give you an idea of how Treyarch puts all its
puzzle pieces together . As you read on, understanding these different
pillars will help you understand how things will fit together.
Pillar I: Epic player experience
The player experience deals with how the game can be an extension of
your persona. Customization and personalization of the game flows from
this concept.
What was learned at the event:
Treyarch believes that an 'epic' player experience requires a strong, compelling story-line.
One of the more important lessons learned from the devs during this
event, dealt with the simple truth that Single Player sells the game.
Hardcore gamers might not want to hear that, but understanding this
fact will hopefully lead to lowered frustration levels in the future.
The whole studio at Treyarch is working on CoD:BO and for that reason,
there is no doubt that Single Player will be an intricate work and
focus strongly on character and narrative. The story itself will span
"decades", though the exact duration is still unclear.
Treyarch will use technology to help underscore the emphasis on
character development. Facial Animation Tech, the same type of wizardry
used in making the movie Avatar, has been used for dramatic situations
within the game. Actor facial expressions are recorded closely using a
huge array of cameras and the results mapped onto their characters. The
resulting effect will undoubtedly elicit emotional reactions from
players as they watch their characters display strong emotional stress.
Pillar II: Competitive Multiplayer Experience
A competitive multiplayer experience comes from interacting with others within the online game.
What was learned at the event
Multiplayer design turns out to be one of the feel good stories from the event.
We were told that Treyarch recognizes the importance of online
multiplayer and has tried to prioritize it. Treyarch devs say they
understand what players want from an MP experience. In-game balance and
the need to produce competitive maps was underscored.
MP maps are being designed from the ground up by Treyarch's MP section.
PC players should note that dedicated servers are officially back in Call of Duty.
However, no one at the event would confirm or deny that mod-tools would
be made available for mappers, or whether modding would be even
possible.
There was no confirmation that player configurations could be altered or that there would be an in-game console.
NOTE: The lack of confirmation does not suggest a thing. It
simply means that Treyarch is not currently willing to say that they
will be available.
Pillar III: Social Experience with your Friends
The Social Experience relates to how you interact with others outside the game.
What was learned at the event
If your idea of interactive gaming consists of playing against your
buddies on your living room couch, then BO's co-op is for you.
Back in CoD:WW, Treyarch proved themselves to be kings of co-op with
Nazi Zombies; yet again, there was no official word given regarding
co-op for PC and no word on whether there would or would not be a
return of the Zombie menace.
For console players, as in Call of Duty: World at War, two player
(split-screen) co-op can be played locally and four player co-op
online. It was indicated that co-op would not be tied into the
campaign.
In CoD:WW, PC'ers had played four player co-op online.
A rewarding process
Though details on the game, especially MP was scarce (we're many months
from release, so this should not be a surprise) the really interesting
fact learned from the event was that Treyarch seemed to actively engage
the community (both PC and console) in meaningful dialog. They knew
what the issues were and appeared to be listening. They hammered home
the fact that they were very sensitive to criticism and read their
forums with zeal.
Though we may not have had all our questions answered, many of the
responses were encouraging and the process was very rewarding.
More articles to follow...
|
