Battlefield 3’s massive expansion pack, Armored Kill, is finally releasing today on the PlayStation Network for those who are Premium subscribers and to celebrate, EA has released the official launch trailer.
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Many shooter fans might be asking themselves, why pick up Medal of Honor: Warfighter this October 23rd among the handful of other AAA shooters arriving this fall? Competition is stiff when you’ve got games like Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, Halo 4 and the continued support of Battlefield 3 with its numerous expansion packs.
After having the fortunate pleasure of getting some intimate hands-on time with Warfighter during a recent Medal of Honor community event at this year’s PAX Prime in Seattle, I know why I’ll be picking up this truly authentic, military FPS this fall, and here’s why you should too.
First, let’s outline exactly what was playable during this event. The roughly 20 of us or so were set up on some high-end PCs (the Xbox 360 version was playable on the floor at PAX Prime) to get a taste of a more recent build of Medal of Honor: Warfighter’s multiplayer, Global Warfighters, including three different game modes and two maps detailed below.
Sector control plays a lot like Battlefield’s Conquest Domination or Call of Duty’s Domination. Three flags are set up on a map as two teams battle for control. The map we explored, set in Somalia, played very well and provided some intense CQC fire fights. This proved to be a very traditional, familiar yet fun experience.
Hot spot has players planting a bomb at a specific location on the map while the opposite team must defend, much like Battlefield 3’s Rush or Call of Duty’s Demolition. What kept things really interesting here is that though there are five different objective locations, only one is highlighted at a time. Once it is destroyed or the attacking team fails to plant in time, another location is selected at random. To keep things balanced, the defending team is always notified of the new location a few seconds in advance.
Homerun is what Danger Close calls Warfighter’s “Sport” mode. It is very competitive and keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times. Two teams of six are tasked with with either capturing one of two flags and bringing it back to home base, or defending. The kicker here is that you only have one life. There are ten rounds with a half-time period where players switch sides. This mode definitely had us cheering and smack-talking the most. We played both Hot Spot and Homerun on the Sarajevo Stadium map set in Bosnia during nightfall.
Interestingly, each mode is played on a completely different section of a map, meaning one map could have three or so different playable locations among the different game modes. During this play session, classes were locked to one per six different Tier 1 Operator units and persistence was turned off, meaning we didn’t get a feel for the unlock progression or weapon/equipment customization.
The first noticeable, major improvements over Medal of Honor 2010’s multiplayer was the map design and Scorechain system. No longer will you need to fear narrow choke-points – walking straight into the sights of a high-powered sniper rifle-wielding dude camping at the back of their base. The maps seemed balanced in their layout and lent to a number of different play styles. It was also a huge relief to be able to focus on on the gunplay without having to be bothered by a relentless number of cruise missiles or strafing runs. While these Scorechains, both offensive and defensive, are still in the game, they are much more reasonable this time around. Players are briefly notified of incoming fire to avoid those pesky insta-deaths, though you will still be heavily suppressed should you be within the area of effect. Scorechains are also specific to each class, meaning only some will have access to a UAV while others can call in mortars etc.
Speaking of classes, don’t expect too much of an importance placed on ‘role’ as Battlefield 3 emphasizes, for example. While you will have your own set of weapons, Scorechains and abilities, crucial abilities like replenishing ammo and health are allocated to the fire team mechanics (more on that below). This could be a turn off for players looking for that role-based teamplay, but there are far more important things to worry about. Take, for example, your Fire Team buddy.
This is truly the “meat” of Warfighter’s gameplay experience and what I think will separate it from other shooters on the market. Consider it co-op in competitive multiplayer. You and a buddy are assigned to a Fire Team; you must watch each other’s back, keep each other supplied with ammo and keep each other healthy at all times in order to be successful. What I loved and appreciated the most about this mechanic was that the on-screen information automatically fed to me was the very same type of information you would normally have to convey via call-outs over the microphone/chat. This means that, for one, Warfighter makes it extremely easy and an absolute blast to play with a good friend online and, second, should still prove a pleasant experience must you be partnered with a mic-less random online. Here’s what I liked:
The sense of camaraderie that this unique mechanic delivered was truly astonishing and gave Warfighter’s multiplayer an extremely authentic feel. Just remember, while always being able to see your partner or your partner’s killer through walls (for a very short period of time) could be considered unrealistic, this is simply one way that a video game can convey the same senses a combatant would experience on the field. I feel Danger Close really did their homework here and accomplished something great in this regard.
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So, how does Warfighter play and feel? As primarily a Battlefield 3 player, I felt very at home thanks to the use of the Frostbite 2 engine. While Warfighter didn’t scream Battlefield 3 at my face, It was very nice to see the character animations carried over like vaulting, diving to prone, crawling as well as weapon and takedown animations. Peak and lean is also an available movement in Warfighter’s multiplayer. Like Battlefield 3, knifing (or axing in this case) takes two strikes from the front to kill (though it is much quicker), or one takedown technique from the rear. Weapons handled somewhere in between Battlefield 3 and Modern Warfare 3 with a decent amount of recoil, forcing me to burst-fire in many situations. ADS times also varied depending on the weapon/optic. Class abilities were helpful but didn’t seem unbalanced. My only hopes for a future build of Warfighter is more support for controller customization and, of course, to get a better feel for the progression and weapon/equipment unlock system.
While the look and feel of Warfighter might carry that Battlefield 3 flavor, the gameplay should certainly appeal to the Call of Duty audience as well with its smaller map designe, faster-paced gameplay and scorechains rewards. The new “sport” mode might even turn the heads of a few Counter-Strike vets.
As previously mentioned, Warfighter will incorporate dedicated servers across all platforms as well as the Battlelog, including many of the same features found in Battlefield 3 like Matches and stat-tracking. Though Danger Close has clearly stated their intent to further accomodate the e-sports audience, they were unable to confirm the inclusion of a spectator mode. However, they did tell us that they’ve definitely heard the community on this subject and are working towards it.
In all, I can safely say that any multiplayer worries about Warfighter conjured up by Medal of Honor 2010 can be gathered into a body bag and thrown out of a 20-story building into a dumpster. Danger Close has listened to the community and delivered on all fronts with what I had the fortunate chance to get my hands on thus far.
I’m truly looking forward to Medal of Honor: Warfighter this October 23rd and recommend that any military FPS fan looking for a fun but authentic experience does as well. Please, feel free to leave your questions and concerns in the comments below.
Make sure to keep your sights locked on MP1st for everything Medal of Honor: Warfighter! Remember, you can follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
During the PAX Prime event that was held last weekend, Gearbox Software, developers behind the Borderlands 2, have finally announced the release date to it’s fifth playable character, the Mechromancer. Randy Pitchford, the president of Gearbox Software, has stated that Borderlands 2 players will get to experience The Mechromancer character class when it drops on October 16th, for a hefty price tag of $10.00.
But, for those of you who don’t want to pay for the Mechromancer character, just head on to your nearest Gamestop and pre-order Borderlands 2 since doing so nets you a free upgrade to the Premium Club that includes a token that let’s you download the Mechromancer class for free. This also includes the Gamestop exclusive bonus the Creature Slaughter Dome.
For more information on the Mechromancer class and what it has to offer, feel free to check out our article where we cover the basics and the skill tree that its set to include, as well the other pre-order goodies for Borderlands 2.
Borderlands 2 is set to release on September 18th in the North America region and September 21th internationally, for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 platforms.
Thanks to our community member Valter, for the tip.
DICE lays it all on the table, detailing all of the content that Battlefield 3 Premium members can expect for the month of September, 2012.
On top of the Battlefield 3: Armored Kill expansion pack, due out for PS3 Premium members tomorrow, September 4th, all Premium members can expect a number of content drops including more Premium Events and another Strategy Guide. DICE details below.
Also, make sure to check out the latest Battlefield 3 patch notes and Armored Kill Dog Tags and Assignments.
What: The Battlefield 3: Armored Kill expansion pack.
Released: Sep 4 for PS3 Premium members / Sep 11 for Xbox 360 and PC Premium members
Where: Download it at no extra charge in the in-game store or from Origin/Battlelog.
What: 5 Premium exclusive Assignments tied to Armored Kill, each unlocking one Premium exclusive dog tags. On top of this, you get one additional Premium exclusive dog tag and 5 new Premium exclusive weapon camos. You can read all about the Assignments in Armored Kill in this blog post.
Released: September 4 for all Premium members.
Where: Automatically available in-game when you have applied the latest multiplayer update.
What: Another great strategy guide from our friends at Prima. This one features a lot of info and playing tips on Armored Kill.
Released: Second half of September (Date TBA).
Where: Available to download (when released) on the Battlelog Strategy Guides section.
What: Double XP weekend.
When: September 15-16.
Where: Any ranked server, any ranked game mode.
What: To be announced
When: Second half of September (Date TBA)
Where: To be announced
What: A video presented exclusively to our Premium members (Contents will be announced later)
When: Second half of September
Where: Available to view (when released) on the Battlelog Videos section.
This row in the Premium calendar is reserved for small bonus items outside of the game. None will be delivered in September (as the empty cell reveals).
What do you think of September’s Premium content? Let us know in the comments below.
Thanks MP1st Forum user, Brandon_2535, for the tip!
We have all been waiting for it and DICE has finally delivered the long awaited notes for tomorrow’s patch, which weighs in at around 1-2GB (depending on system, more info below), and that’s without the Armored Kill download!
Battlefield 3: Armored Kill will also go live for PS3 Premium members tomorrow along with the patch.
A number of weapons have had their reload timers adjusted to better fit their animations and gameplay balance. For most of these weapons the gameplay timers were slightly out of sync with the actual reload animation, meaning the player could either fire before the animation was done, or had to wait longer than the animation played. Primarily this is a cosmetic change (around 0.1sec); however for a few weapons (M416, F2000, FAMAS, KH2002, MK3A1, JNG90, MG36 QBU-88, SVD, Pecheneg, SCAR-H, AN-94) this should also improve the performance of the weapon. Full details below:
A select set of weapons have had their recoil adjusted based on joint community feedback and statistical analysis to provide greater balance in the weapon choices players make. Specifically, the M16A3 and M4A1 have increased recoil to make them less attractive in all situations. Competing weapons like the SG553, G36C and M416 have been improved to also increase viable player choice in primary weapons.
Patch goes live: September 4
Armored Kill goes live: September 4 for Premium members / September 18 for non-Premiums
Patch size: 1.53GB
Armored Kill size: 1.55GB
How to download patch: When starting the game, the patch will automatically download. It is mandatory to accept this download if you want to play the game.
How to download Armored Kill: Armored Kill is available on the PlayStation Store and in our in-game store as a manual download. If you are a Premium member, this download will be available at 0 cost.
Patch goes live: September 4
Armored Kill goes live: September 11 for Premium members / September 25 for non-Premiums
Patch size: 1.44GB
Armored Kill size: 1.56GB
How to download patch: There will first be a small (184MB) Title Update automatically downloaded when you start the game. When restarting the game, you will get a popup notifying you that Multiplayer Update 4 is available. It is not mandatory to accept this, but we advise you to do so. Otherwise, you can find Multiplayer Update 4 both on Xbox Live Marketplace and in our in-game store as a manual download.
How to download Armored Kill: Armored Kill is available in our in-game store as a manual download. If you are a Premium member, this download will be available at 0 cost. If you are not a Premium member, you can also find Armored Kill on Xbox Live Marketplace.
Patch goes live: September 4
Patch size: ~2.2GB
Armored Kill size: 3.2GB
Armored Kill goes live: September 11 for Premium members / September 25 for non-Premiums
How to download patch: As soon as you start your Origin client, the latest game update will automatically start downloading (unless you’ve disabled the option “Automatically keep my games up to date”, in which case it will start downloading when you try to run the game). In Battlelog, you will be notified from the Game Manager. Once you acknowledge the update, it will start downloading within the Origin client.
How to download Armored Kill: Armored Kill will automatically download if you start Origin or if you are logged in to Battlelog. You can also start the download from the Battlefield 3 game details page (i symbol) if Origin is already running.
The Battlefield 3: Armored Kill DLC release is just around the corner.
Trophies and achievements for the DLC pack have already been revealed here, but now, finally, the new Dog Tags and Assignments have also been released for your eyes to feast upon.
Armored Superiority
Unlocks the Armored Superiority Basic Dog Tag
> 50 kills in MBT’s
Mechanized Infantry
Unlocks the Mechanized Infantry Basic Dog Tag
> 50 kills in IFV’s
Get to tha Choppa
Unlocks the Get to tha Choppa Basic Dog Tag
> 50 kills with scout or attack helicopters
> Destroy 25 MBT’s with scout or attack helicopters
Maverick
Unlocks the Maverick Basic Dog Tag
> 50 kills with jets
> Destroy 25 attack or scout helicopters with jets
Need a ride?
Unlocks the Need a Ride Basic Dog Tag
> 50 kills in jeeps, boats, quads or transport helicopters
> 50 squad driver assists
It’s also been confirmed that Premium users will be receiving some exclusive assignments later on this month.
What do you guys think about the Tags/Assignments? Do they look hard to get?
Thanks for the tip, Andre Hill.
Treyarch outs the official minimum system requirements for the PC version of Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, as well as answers a few questions all PC players need to know.
OS: Windows Vista SP2 or Windows 7
CPU: Intel Core2 Duo E8200 2.66 GHz or AMD Phenom X3 8750 2.4 GHz
Memory: 2GB for 32-bit OS or 4GB for 64-bit OS
Video Card: Nvidia GeForce 8800GT 512 MB or ATI Radeon HD 3870 512 MB
No, sorry. Since we upgraded the engine to use DirectX11, Windows XP is no longer supported. It requires Windows Vista or later.
Absolutely. We have tested extensively on a variety of hardware and we are very confident in the performance even at the minimum specs.
The Black Ops II engine builds upon the Black Ops engine with a number of improvements including performance optimizations, enhanced graphics, and proprietary anti-cheat technology.
Performance has been a top priority for Black Ops II PC from day one and we have achieved significant improvements. We’ve improved the way the engine handles multiple threads. Additionally, we moved the engine from DX9 to DX11. The DX11 API is leaner than DX9 and requires less CPU time to do the same amount of work. It is important to point out that this benefits the entire range of supported GPUs, not just DX11 hardware. We have also added more “quality vs performance” options than ever before so you can customize your experience to either run faster or to satisfy your taste in eye candy.
Black Ops II PC features enhanced lighting, shadows, antialiasing, bloom, depth of field, ambient occlusion, and other enhanced effects that are still in the works. And the game can run at higher resolutions and higher framerates on the PC.
No. Unless you want one. We have included an adjustable FPS cap slider in the game options. The minimum setting is OFF (no cap).
Source: Black Ops 2 Forums.
DayZ players have been waiting anxiously for the upcoming DayZ patch, which is set to bring many new bug fixes, along with the introduction of Dogs to zombie filled world.
Dean Hall sits down with IGN in their latest “Let’s Play DayZ” video, showing off a very early stage of the next update.
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If you haven’t heard yet, DayZ will be receiving a stand-alone version that’ll be hitting retails sometimes later this year (possibly early next).
343 Industries shows off some brand new features in some old favorite game modes during their panel at this year’s Pax Prime, Halo Reborn.
This November 6th, Halo 4 War Games will see the return of the classic Capture-the-Flag game mode, as well as the franchise’s more quirkier but popular modes, Oddball and Griffball. However, Halo fans can look forward to a whole new way of playing thanks to the inclusion of a few simple but effective mechanics.
During the panel, 343 Industries first demonstrated Capture-the-Flag on the new map Exile, one of Halo 4’s larger maps, also playable at this year’s PAX Prime. While we got to check out some of the updates made to the scoring and HUD elements, the show-stealer was definitely the sleek and sexy flag assassination, or as some would call it, “flagsassination”. If you haven’t yet, you can check out some CTF screens and gameplay right here.
Moving on to a quick Oddball demo, a simple objective-based game mode where one team must hold on to the objective (the skull) for as long as possible, 343 Industries delightfully introduced a brand new game mechanic: Throwing. Much like throwing a grenade, players can now throw and pass the objective to each other as an effective way to keep it out of enemy hands. Spartan IV-in-the-middle, anyone?
The hammer smashing Grifball game mode, now an official Halo 4 game mode, also received similar treatment, however, with the addition of the “Hammerpass”. Quite simply, players will also be able to smack the ball around the arena with the hammer, adding to the gameplay even further. Another technique demonstrated was what I call the “steal”. Players can use the Energy Sword to assassinate and immediately steal the objective, rather than smacking both the enemy and objective away from oneself.
These new throwing and passing mechanics looked great, seemed to work rather seamlessly and should hopefully promote that sense of team-play. Perhaps we can expect “Halo Football” in the future?
Sony Computer Entertainment recently released yet another God of War collection titled “Saga”. The collection came packed with God of War 1-3, Ghost of Sparta, and Chain of Olympics. There were also some bonus content such as skins and a free month of PS+, which may have revealed the date of the multiplayer Beta.
Labeled on the voucher, it states “Redeem this voucher on 11/13/12 for exclusive access to the God of War: Ascension Beta”.
So for those who did buy the SAGA Collection you may want to hold off on using that voucher, unless you plan on buying PS+ by November anyway.
God of War: Ascension releases early 2013 and will be the first God of War title to feature multiplayer.
Thanks Trendy Gamers
343 Industries satisfies our crave for more Halo 4 media with these awesome screenshots and game play footage of it’s new and improved War Games, Halo 4’s competitive multiplayer. It offers in-depth character customization, such as armor specializations that gives your Spartan IV warrior a unique combat enhancements to make it fit your play style.
Any how, as promised, here’s some of the awesome screenshots of Halo 4 War Games. Click for larger size, and enjoy!
Check out this small glimpse of War Games being played on the new Exile map (check out those sweet flag assassinations):
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Halo 4 is set to release for the Xbox 360 on November 6th.
With Gearbox Software’s highly anticipated FPS RPG Borderlands 2 nearing it’s release date, a new trailer has been released that goes over the basics of what’s new and what people should be expect in this new installment of the Borderland series.
In this video, Sir Hammerlock serves as your survival guide for new and old players of the Borderlands games. Here we get a glimpses of the new terrain including futuristic cities, freezing wastelands, highlands and many more breath-taking scenes that we get to explore this time on planet Pandora. We also get a brief explanation and look at the new bad ass system that awards you for daring and exciting deeds.
It’s time to take some notes from Sir Hammerlock himself on what we can expect this time on the planet of Pandora:
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Don’t forget to pre-order Borderlands 2 for exclusive goodies, like the Creature Slaughter Dome which can only be obtained by pre-ordering the game at your local Gamestop. Additionally, it included a free upgrade to the Premium Club, which you gives a free token to download the 5th playable character, the Mechromancer, set to be released 60-90 days after Borderlands 2 initial release date.
Also if you’re looking to get the most of out of your Pandora adventure on Borderlands 2, read here to learn about the Borderlands 2 Season Pass.
Borderlands 2 is set to release on September 18th for the North America region and September 21th internationally on PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.
The Battlefield 3: Armored Kill release is just around the corner and with a recent game achievement update on the Xbox 360, the latest achievements and presumably trophies have all been revealed.
The upcoming Armored Kill expansion pack is set to bring in 5 new achievements/trophies, which bumps up the total to 53 achievements (1,360 gamer points) and 54 trophies. The achievement/trophy list for Armored Kill can be found just below:
From the looks of things, these achievements/trophies seem a lot easier than the other DLC expansion packs that have been released thus far. There are also no secret achievement to boggle our minds, such as the ones found in Back To Karkand and the recently released Close Quarters expansion pack.
Armored Kill is slated for a September 4th release on the Playstation 3 for Premium members and September 11th for the XBOX360/PC Premium members. PS3 non-Premium members can expect it on September 18th. Finally, non-Premium Xbox360/PC members will be able to download it September 25th.
After checking out the Armored Kill achievements/trophies, which one will you go after first? Leave your answer in the comment section below. If you’re craving some breathtaking Armored Kill videos, feel free to look at our Alborz Mountain article.
Thanks to our community members Agugagaga and our fellow writer PR0Tential for the tip and pics.
PlayStation fans hoping to see some classic characters join the PS All-Stars line-up will be happy to learn about the two latest additions added to the roster.
Released back in 2006, the star of Heavenly Sword makes her return. Known as the female version of Kratos, Nariko will use close range and far range weapons to attack opponents. Her “curse” blade allows her to gain powers that no mortal should ever have.
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Sony pulls yet another character buried deep within their archive, this time from the PS1 era. Sir Daniel, Star of the classic RPG MediEvil, fights using his vast arsenal of weapons.
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The List thus far (20 characters):
We reported that Crash Bandicoot may be making an appearance at Activision PAX so keep your fingers crossed.
How do you guys feel about these latest characters? I for one am pretty happy to see some favorites added.
According to recent stats released by Sony Online Entertainment, PlanetSide 2 beta testers are experiencing complete war. SOE kicked off their PAX today with some great and interesting stats for PlanetSide 2, since the Beta started the 3rd of August.
The stats are rather impressive as an average of 2 hours is spent by testers playing PlanetSide 2. Among this, SOE also detailed the number of deaths, damage dealt, and other interesting statistics VIA email.
Be on the look out for more news, as the Beta NDA has officially been lifted, meaning that beta testers can now start sharing details about the game without breaking any Terms of Agreement.
PlanestSide 2 is a free-to-play first person shooter, available exclusively on PC later this year. The game is currently undergoing Beta so make sure you head over to planetside2.com to find out how to enter the beta.
Have any Beta footage you would like to share with us? Make sure to visit our forums and/or email me at lara@mp1st.com, I’ll make sure we feature some of your footage in an upcoming post.
Black Ops II is fast-approaching, and with Gamescom behind us, the community are asking the important questions that could make or break the series. But it isn’t necessarily just generic questions about details we already know; ‘Pick-10’, Pointstreaks, Livestreaming and StarCraft-like competitive MLG matches have all been fully explained.
But what about those little ‘other’ questions? You know, the really important things like Deathstreaks, how Pointstreaks are calculated, how weapon X performs over Y, and so on and so forth. Over at OneOfSwords‘ (Dan Amrich) – the Activision PR/Social Media Manager – webpage, Treyarch Lead Game Designer David Vonderhaar answered some interesting questions on his weekly podcast. You can listen to the full podcast here.
A little note at this point, the game is in “final development stage” – that is, it’s being pulled together and tinkered before release. Many things could change by the time the game releases on November 13. You can read the full article here.
There’s no Second Chance; there’s no Last Stand, there’s no Final Stand. There’s no combination whatsoever of perk or deathstreak that puts the guy in the “downed” state in multiplayer. It’s not in multiplayer — there is no perk and there are no deathstreaks.
The infamous Perk and Deathstreak has finally been ousted after five Call of Duty games, with Black Ops II making the first ever main series game to not have Last Stand, Second Chance or whatever you want to call it. I repeat, there is no Last Stand, period.
Zombies, and presumably during any campaign story missions, will still use the ability to be downed but not killed with a weapon in hand. The perk/deathstreak, having received so much criticism since its inclusion in Call of Duty 4, has finally been killed off with Vonderhaar tongue-in-cheek referencing to his decision to keep the perk in Black Ops multiplayer and the constant barrage of messages he gets, by saying “please stop yelling at me.”
Deathstreaks have been thrown out the window, again, after being re-introduced in Modern Warfare 3 by Infinity Ward despite not making an appearance in the first Black Ops game.
Let me tell you where this is right now, and it’s something we are pretty happy with at this point. It does wrap around, but you can’t earn more than one of a type.
Like in Modern Warfare 3, rewards gained by playing the objectives or killing – gaining points for your streak – will not stop after you attain your highest level reward; they will “wrap around” and reset back to 0. In previous games before Modern Warfare 3, streaks would stop after you managed to get your highest killstreak so it wouldn’t ‘reset’ the streak, it would instead just stop counting actions and never reset until you died. David structured an easy example:
Let’s say you took UAV and Counter UAV. If you earned the UAV then earned the Counter UAV, you’re going to start building again for the UAV [all in one life].
But there is a catch. And, again, like in Modern Warfare 3 the streaks do not stack on top of each other. You could have earned that UAV and you’re about to earn another without calling in your first one, but you won’t get two to use. If you earn a second UAV, it still only counts as if you only earned one; you will always only have the single reward no matter come many times you earned it – so if you want multiple things, call them in before earning them again!
When you start at level 1, you will start leveling up and you will get to level 4. You will unlock create-a-class and you will have four unlock tokens, one for each level. You will then have a range of things you can spend those unlock tokens on — but not everything. So along the way, you’ve been deciding how to spend those tokens on content that’s been level-gated [unlocked at certain levels].
The relatively simple system that is unlocking and acquiring weapons and class items. You get an unlock token for every level you surpass. These ‘tokens’ can be used to unlock what you saw in the Gamescom footages, from Wildcards to Perks and Pointstreaks to Weapons – but all still follow the traditional Call of Duty “rank up to unlock” before you are able to use a token to get them.
There is more of an incentive to Prestige, because for completionists out there you will not be able to unlock everything without having to Prestige. But David Vonderhaar also mentions, which is still being tinkered, that you can ‘hold’ onto an unlock through all Prestiges – like the Prestige Token system in MW3. He says they are in the process of “making sure Prestige feels just as good.”
There are definitely events, particularly in objective-based game modes, where you are going to get more score for being on the aggressive side.
Treyarch have emphasised that they want to reward players who play the objective or otherwise are aggressive in game modes more than those who hang back. You will get more points for capping flags in Capture the Flag than killing enemies. Same goes for all other game modes; slayers will still get points per kill, but objective players will get more.
These are the values that we change a lot; we’ve changed them about three times since we got out of Gamescom already, and we’re going to keep changing them until we’re satisfied.
The Scoring system is still being hotly debated, related to how one is awarded with X amount of points. They argue that yes you will still be rewarded a certain amount for killing, but how much? Should the score be the same across all game modes or be different to further emphasise that objectives are more important? Vonderhaar explains that “we’re still working through that.”
There’s a lot more granularity and control over the colors. There are a lot more layers you can use. You can cut and copy an image from one layer into any layer in the stream — that helps create those illusion-style images that people like to do.
Custom Emblems are set to make a reappearance for all artistic players out there. He also reveals that Treyarch will announce more details at the end of September.
Showing detailed stats determined on what game mode you played, e.g. domination flag captures, bombs planted/defused, etc.
By not choosing any 10 combinations (which includes weapons), you will get a knife by default no matter what. Treyarch experimented with “hands and fists” but looked “very unusual”.
Vonderhaar revealed that public games will have this feature – when you kill someone and you can hear their reaction – turned on automatically, toggle on or off in private/competitive matches. David Vonderhaar “loves” this feature.
On the subject of Perk Balance, a very controversial area of every Call of Duty, David Vonderhaar assures us that every perk can be tuned far more easier than before. The perk ‘Awareness’ helps you hear movement noise (mantling, gear rattling, footsteps on types of ground – which is variable, etc etc) and the perk ‘Dead Silence’ takes the big noises (like footsteps) and reduces it but “doesn’t remove everything.” He further clarifies that it is “not a flat cancel [or, full counter], it’s a partial cancel”. Still a lot of tweaking is required with these two perks, David reassures.
Having Flak Jacket on, not constituting as a full counter, doesn’t mean you won’t die to explosive damage.
No MW2-style Marathon perk “at the moment” Vonderhaar says, perhaps not completely ruling it out – Extreme Conditioning is not currently infinite sprint, rather like COD4 and MW3 Extreme Conditioning. But he goes onto say that they “probably won’t change it to be honest” and, from a technical view point, found many issues regarding sprinting infinitely like “wrecking havoc” with the spawning system.
Vonderhaar explains how they are “reviewing an upgrade so that the Final Killcam [Game Ending Killcam] is from the winning team, not necessarily the final kill” and also answers a question about showing the final kill if that someone leaves the game prematurely, which in previous games doesn’t show the Killcam: “certain circumstances it might not show it, but we are looking into any issues.” The Killcam should still show even if the player “ejects his disc.”
If you are on a high kill streak, as in killing a lot of people without dying, you will get ‘Medals’. David doesn’t clarify further how these will affect anything else like XP gained or receiving anything special but presumably you’ll get medals for capturing objectives consistently.
Treyarch experimented with selling back weapons, attachments and class items in the first Black Ops. It was scrapped before the game released, and Dan Amrich asked a similar question if you bought something with a token in this game, could you sell it back later? While they looked into this, they decided that this “wasn’t necessary” because you have many opportunities in Black Ops II to get to play around with many combinations (league games or custom matches).
They are still working out what cameras will be able to support picture-in-picture CODCasting; USB cameras like the Xbox LIVE Vision and PLAYSTATION Eye will work for broadcasting face cam. They discuss the Xbox Kinect and how many people will have one positioned on their TV, but David Vonderhaar doesn’t confirm if Kinect will be supported, citing that it’s a “motion camera” and are not sure if they can make it work for their system.
David Vonderhaar confirms that the Xbox 360 version of Livestreaming/CODCasting is working very well, as is the PS3 version. However, he says that because PC gamers have a vast array of programs that could possibly deliver better livestreaming performance than what they are offering but are “looking into it.”
You can check out all of our coverage and content on Black Ops II, by clicking here.
Lots of juicy questions answered and/or clarified further. Are you guys more excited with the knowledge that certain things have been answered? What questions would you like answered by David Vonderhaar and/or Treyarch?
If you can find it, you can drive it.
The words from Crtierion Games executive producer Matt Webster about the upcoming high-octane Burnout meets Need For Speed game. Need For Speed: Most Wanted will “revolutionize” the action-racing genre and perhaps even shift the NFS series back into the limelight.
Following up from my previous article, which you can read here, describing the many new and improved features which Criterion Games are implementing to take the racing series in a fresh, and somewhat controversial, direction. Autolog 2.0, CloudCompete, fun and challenging online multiplayer, cops ‘n’ robbers style action, and so much more.
The footage that follows – which is technically single player but has Autolog 2.0 implemented to detail friends’ stats – was one of gameplay footages that they showcased at Gamescom a few weeks ago and was uploaded to the Need For Speed YouTube channel recently.
The segment represents the sleek transition from car-to-car ‘jacking’ and commencing a race, Autolog 2.0 tracking every movement, different actions (such as taking down players, drifting around bends) adding to your SpeedPoints, the race ends but you don’t automatically escape the cops, and of course the stunning graphics and beautiful cars – with the Aston Martin V12 Vantage and Mercedes-Benz SL 65 AMG being driven, along with a Ford GT seen sitting idle during the cop chase.
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In this writers opinion, the more and more footage I see of this game the more and more I want to play it!
Need For Speed: Most Wanted skids onto PS3, Xbox 360 and PC on October 30 for US and November 1 for EU regions. Did you like the footage shown, is it really exciting you? Or do you appreciate the Underground-style Need For Speed games? Share you thoughts and comments below!
A few days ago, Steam had some new registries added, one of which was for Gotham City Impostors. Many speculated that the game would be going free-to-play, considering that a file was titled “Gotham City Impostors F2P Trailer” and just as such, the speculations were indeed true.
Many steam users awoke today (and somewhat angry) to find that Gotham City Impostors F2P was downloaded and installed into their Steam Library. The game is playable and is free-to-play as reported, though for some, the game can’t be removed from their libary, an issue which is being resolved.
The logo has been slightly modified to include the wording “Free to Play”
Here are some details about the game, as listed on the official page.
Hatched from the twisted minds at Monolith Productions, Gotham City Impostors is a download-only multiplayer FPS that pits violent vigilantes dressed up like Batman against craven criminals dressed up like the Joker in open warfare on the streets of Gotham City.
Hatched from the twisted minds at Monolith Productions, Gotham City Impostors is a download-only multiplayer FPS that pits violent vigilantes dressed up like Batman against craven criminals dressed up like the Joker in open warfare on the streets of Gotham City.
We do expect a trailer to arrive real soon, at which point I will update this post.
So how do you guys feel about Gotham City Impostors going F2P? It’s definitely worth a look if you haven’t tried it out yet, even though it doesn’t look that great graphically, the gameplay however may be a bit surprising.
Thanks Dieger for posting the tip on four Forums.
The game is only free on PC. If your a PS+ on PS3 it is free then, otherwise you’ll have to buy it on all other platforms. Check out the gameplay trailer below!
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DICE Senior Environment Artist, Andrew Hamilton gives BF3 players a look at the hard work that he has done for the upcoming Armored Kill Map, Alborz Mountains.
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With Armored Kill having a strong focus on the environment, we wanted to truly hand craft each and every square inch of their kilometres of natural landscape for players to explore, which was no easy feat. While we created convincing and believable environments on all four levels through thoughtful placement of natural elements – understanding how mountains are formed, where water flows down their surfaces carrying sediment and deposits at their base – we didn’t want it to all simply feel like window dressing. We want players to feel immersed in these environments. We set out to achieve this through a combined effort of art, audio and effects.
He said in his latest post,
I for one have been eager to release some truly large maps, so being able to really push what we are capable of sprinkling across such large expanses has been a fun challenge, not only in terms of density and detail of the environment, but also its believability and uniqueness.
Some of the key things when creating the maps of Armored Kill included:
You’ll be able to read the full blog post about how they approached these maps here.
Are you excited to wreak havoc on the snow-covered Alborz Mountain?
As Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 DLC content calendar winds down, Infinity Ward have announced the release dates for the last three multiplayer maps for next month. They also have news about PS3 ELITE premium members and their penultimate month of content.
September for every Xbox 360 player will be online multiplayer-dominated. Three brand new maps for ELITE subscribers: Gulch, a “fired charred forgoten mining town”; Boardwalk will position you and “your enemies on the beach and fight for dominance at the arcade”; and the “New Orleans’ war-torn French Quarter” Parish concludes the huge 9 month Content Calendar.
Content Collection 4 – appropriately named Final Assault – will be released September 6 for all 360 players. ELITE premium members will be able to download Drops 22, 23 and 24 a day early on the 5th. You can view the Content Calendar here.
Final Assault will contain all of September’s new maps and will also include the August drops – Decommision and Offshore – as an all-out multiplayer map exclusive Content Collection. Call of Duty released a video to coincide with the announcement which you can view below.
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ELITE members will be able to download their September content the same day Xbox 360 gamers can access Content Collection 4 – September 6th.
PS3 subscribers will get access to the insane Chaos Mode plus two Special Operations missions – Light ‘Em Up and Special Delivery. If you want more details about those Content Drops, read here. A date for Content Collection 3 for PS3 and PC gamers will be announced next week, Candice Capen tweeted.
Are you looking forward to the old-styled “Map Pack” Final Assault Collection? And PS3 gamers, are you excited to finally play the chaotic new Spec Ops game mode? Post your comments and opinions below!
