New Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Multiplayer Delivers Game Changing Experience

Activision and Sledgehammer Games today unveiled a new era for Call of Duty with the world premiere of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare multiplayer. Built for next generation gaming systems, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare fundamentally changes Call of Duty multiplayer, delivering new player movements and capabilities, along with the deepest customization and player engagement features in franchise history.

With the all-new exoskeleton, players can boost jump, dodge, dash, slide, slam and more as the action goes vertical, while using future-tech, cutting-edge capabilities and a brand-new weapon class as part of nearly 350 custom weapons. Offering a new reward system, including more than 1,000 in-game player rewards, and nearly limitless customization options that create more than 2 billion unique player combinations and more, the title offers the most in-depth, robust and advanced Call of Duty multiplayer experience ever on both next generation and current generation systems.

In addition to the multiplayer premiere, Activision today announced the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Day Zero Edition, which offers fans for the first time 24-hour early access to the game starting November 3rd. The Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Day Zero Edition is available on all platforms to customers who pre-order the game* and pick up on day zero – at no added cost. Collector’s Edition copies of Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will also be available for Day Zero early purchase and play, and will include the special Day Zero Edition content. In addition to the early access of up to 24 hours in some territories, the Day Zero Edition also includes two new, custom weapons as well as the previously announced Advanced Arsenal incentive.

“With Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare we introduced the first new lead developer to the franchise in a decade and our first three-year development cycle, with one mission: bring breakthrough innovation to the franchise, while also honoring its roots. We feel Sledgehammer Games has risen to that challenge,” said Activision Publishing, Inc.’s CEO, Eric Hirshberg. “Advanced Warfare introduces significant new mechanics to multiplayer that truly change the game, but more importantly just speaking as a gamer it’s a hell of a lot of fun.”

Three years in the making, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare delivers a new level of tactical combat on all platforms, giving players all-new frenetic ways to move, starting with the power of the exoskeleton. The new gameplay abilities, movements, perks and mechanics expand the verticality of sightlines and maneuverability, increasing the amount of strategic options available to players, while staying true to Call of Duty’s fast, fluid multiplayer experience. Players can combine these new mechanics for offensive, defensive and overall evasive maneuvers unlike anything ever seen in Call of Duty.

Also, the much loved Pick 10 create-a-class is back with even more customizable options than before with Pick 13. Gamers can now choose their favorite scorestreaks, which are fully customizable, and include them in their preferred class, raising the bar on personalization from top to bottom. The introduction of co-operative scorestreaks also allows friends to experience Call of Duty multiplayer together in a new way, as for the first time ever, two players can now join a scorestreak and work co-operatively.

The technology of the future in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare wouldn’t be complete without advancement in weapon technology, beginning with the debut of a directed energy class of weapons. This all-new weapon class for Call of Duty uses the power of focused energy to overcome enemies and relies on tactical heat management instead of reloads. Players can test out this new class, along with all their weapons, on the new Virtual Firing Range, a brand new feature that allows players to instantly test-drive their favorite weapon loadout with the click of a button before the next match starts.

“When we set out to envision the 2054 world of Call of Duty, we spent a lot of time focused on evolving the multiplayer – offering all new experiences to the fans,” said Glen Schofield, co-founder and game director of Sledgehammer Games.

“We can’t wait for players to discover all of the new movement, mechanics, equipment, and modes built into Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, as well as the depth of customization layered in for the most personalized Call of Duty multiplayer experience to date,” added Michael Condrey, co-founder and head of development of Sledgehammer Games.

Featuring 12 modes out of the box on day one, led by fan-favorites Capture the Flag and Hardpoint, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s multiplayer modes not only include classics such as Team Deathmatch, Domination, and Search and Destroy, but also new options for the playlist such as Uplink and Momentum, a new take on the classic War mode.

Sledgehammer Games is also taking personalization to the next level with Create-an-Operator, a new character system, which allows players to personalize their soldier however they want from heads, helmets, eyewear, shirts, vests, kits, gloves, pants, knee-guards, boots and even the exoskeleton itself. Create-an-Operator is bolstered by a brand new reward system called Supply Drops. The more someone plays, the more they earn. Supply Drops can contain anything from custom weapons to unique character gear in different classes of rarity, all giving players multiplayer bragging rights.

In addition to showing off their Supply Drops gear in-game, the new Virtual Lobby lets players display their hard-earned challenge rewards and rare items, while waiting for the map to start. Billions of possible combinations exist, allowing gamers to personalize nearly everything on their in-game operator from head to toe. Players can finally see what their friends and opponents are bringing to the match, as the Virtual Lobby is a quick and easy way to size up the competition and also plan your next move in create-an-operator.

Led by Sledgehammer Games, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is being developed for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Xbox 360 and PS3. The title is published by Activision Publishing, a wholly owned subsidiary of Activision Blizzard. Designed for next gen systems, Advanced Warfare is the first Call of Duty utilizing an expanded three-year development delivering a new experience on all platforms.

“It sounds like a movie, but it’s not a movie,” said Veca in a new behind-the-scene video. “It’s happening right there [in the game].”

Veca also notes that the team has made huge improvements to the sounds of weapons, stating that the “sound goes through your body”.

Almost all impact and explosion sounds will be unique, meaning players should not hear the same sounds over and over again. Check out a video demonstration below. The game’s out November 4th on PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360.

Sledgehammer Games co-founder Michael Condrey made the news known via a tweet:

.@OpTic_BigTymeR Thanks for stopping by @SHGames to check out #AdvancedWarfare. + Not a bad showing for a rookie: pic.twitter.com/nkjdP8XbyI

— Michael Condrey (@MichaelCondrey) June 21, 2014

The image also reveals that Capture the Flag will be making a return in Advanced Warfare, as well as a six versus six mode.

Atlas Corporation is the name of the largest MPC in the game — which launches on November 4th, 2014, on PS4, Xbox One, PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. A Wii U version hasn’t been confirmed.

“PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners don’t have to worry about Activision forgetting them, as Advanced Warfare will be brought to the last generation of consoles as well,” Game Informer writes in its latest issue.

“Sledgehammer will not be handling the development, however. Activision has yet to announce the studio behind these versions of the game.”

In March 2014, games website VideoGamer discovered that High Moon Studios was hiring for a “high-profile, First Person Shooter” for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, with one particular job listing seeking an employee with experience of Radiant Engine – the level editor used to create Call of Duty maps.

“Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare envisions battlegrounds of the future, where both technology and tactic have evolved to usher in a new era of combat for the franchise,” reads the official press release.

The trailer includes footage captured on Xbox One, suggesting publisher Activision and Microsoft have once again signed exclusivity deals.

The video also confirms House of Cards actor Kevin Spacey’s role in the game as head of a private military corporation.

Of particular interest is the future setting. Advanced Warfare features advanced weaponry, including soldiers wearing powerful suits that let them leap great distances. There are also cloaked helicopters, wall scrambling, portable cover and hover bikes.

The game will be released on PS4 and Xbox One — but will also hit last-gen consoles PS3 and Xbox 360, alongside PC. Activision didn’t give the aforelisted details, but an Amazon listing leaked the platforms on which the game will be released.

As for who’s developing the last-gen version, it seems to be studio High Moon, per Superannuation.

But according to Cowen & Company’s Dou Activision should be worried, writing in a note to investors that:

Upon further reflection, we think the [Call of Duty] numbers are a bit more troubling than they first appear. While the year-over-year gap is only 19 percent thus far, that includes two extra weeks of sales for the 360 and PS3 versions [of Black Ops II]. Against 2011′s [Modern Warfare 3], where the difference is only one week, the title is down 32 percent life-to-date.

We don’t think it is out of the question that the title could wind up comparing down 20 percent to 25 percent year-over-year [to Black Ops II], which is appreciably worse than the down 10 to 15 percent that we think is baked in to guidance.

Now, to be quite honest, I don’t think these analysts know much about this industry, and I think they usually pull their numbers out of nowhere. Take me for example, I decided not to buy neither Call of Duty: Ghosts or Battlefield 4 for my PS3, because I knew I’d be getting a PS4 either on day one or soon after. I’d wager many gamers are thinking the same thing — more than Mr. Creutzm believe, especially in these hard times, where every dollar matters and gamers may be still saving up cash to purchase their new system of choice.

Another point that should be mentioned is the fact that over 2 million gamers are on GameStoop’s waiting list for PS4, and others planning on getting Xbox One. There must be a great percentage of gamers who are thinking of picking up Call of Duty: Ghosts with their next-gen system.

And I’m not saying that Call of Duty won’t see a decline in sales, or for that matter isn’t seeing one. I just think that these analysts don’t have a clue what they’re talking about, and usually give worthless guidance to their investors.

Maybe I should become a games analyst. Call it “Games Industry Analysis (from a REAL gamer)”.

What do you guys think?

Free Fall is a map exclusive to those who pre-order Call of Duty: Ghosts. If you’re on the fence, and curious about the map, fear not; it’s here.

Call of Duty: Ghosts releases on Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii U and PC on November 5th, with next-gen versions to follow upon launch.

Given our outage took away a very lengthy article from me, I was thinking of maybe changing the subject. It was going to be detailing the history of Call of Duty, with a lot of personal opinions, facts and stories thrown into the mix to keep you interested. However, on my to-do list, I had similar feature articles that would cover Final Fantasy and Pokemon. The former because of the total revamp the franchise is getting with XV and the looming release of XIV, plus the release of Lightning Returns, the redeeming game of the trilogy. The latter because of the most crazy advancement the franchise has ever pulled so far by going full 3D and implementing Stadium-like battles, something I’ve been dreaming of since I was a kid.

So I’m asking you, Games Thirst readers, which would you like to see first? It’s on like Donkey Kong!

Squads Gameplay

Clan Wars Trailer

Full Gameplay

• AN-94: Damage slightly reduced.
• DSR 50: Rate of fire reduced.
• Ballista: Rate of fire slightly reduced.

Apparently, the above list is a cause for threats against David Vonderhaar, Treyarch’s lead design director.

Not sure these fractions of seconds are worth the threats of violence. +

— David Vonderhaar (@DavidVonderhaar) July 23, 2013

Activision’s Dan Amrich has weighed in on the situation, asking for it to practically stop.

“This has happened with every Call of Duty game that’s come out for the last few years, and it will continue to happen — a gun’s stats being adjusted should not be a surprise to anybody at this point. Yet [Vonderhaar] often gets told he should die in a fire or kill himself or is a horrible person. If anybody thinks for a second that this is okay, it is not. But if the loudest voices in the Call of Duty “community” act like an angry mob instead, guess how the entire world views Call of Duty? Now consider that these Internet Tough Guy rants and demands are not unique to COD, but exist everywhere, in many gaming communities. This is why the world often does not take gaming seriously; this is why gamers are assumed to be immature, whiny assholes. Because the immature, whiny assholes are louder.”

Amrich asked the people to get into Vonderhaar’s shoes for a bit, before adding that “if you enjoy your games, have a little respect for the people who make them — and stop threatening them with bodily harm every time they do their job.”

While the whole situation is unacceptable, what does the community of Games Thirst think?

We’ve always felt that was the standard. It doesnt really change how we think. It’s good for their games. It’s going to make them feel more fluid. It’s always been our standard and we’re going to keep it.

Well, what do you guys think? Should Infinity Ward start shaking in their boots, or is DICE making Battlefield more and more like Call of Duty pose a risk to its originality? Share your thoughts.

Thanks, Videogamer.

Ostensibly the Call of Duty: Ghosts engine isn’t new. It’s the same old tech that’s powered the game for years, but even that isn’t quite forthcoming, as the engine itself has seen numerous upgrades and tweaks to the point of little recognition of its first state. But it’s the honesty of Infinity Ward that speaks volumes to the situation when the developer’s executive producer Mark Rubin came clean with Eurogamer in an excellent and informative interview.

Rubin said “we never really got into naming, or trying to call ourselves out as a tech engine.”

He went on:

All advanced tessellation is new for the engine. The HDR Lighting is new. It’s just a complicated thing. I guess part of the problem is, we don’t name our engine. We won’t name our engine. We don’t try to sell our engine to anybody else. We don’t want to focus in on the engine too much.

The truth is, if you ask anybody who knows, there’s no engine. There are pieces. There are engines. It’s actually plural. There are parts of it that are completely new. The lighting is completely new. There’s a lot of it that is so completely new.

We’re getting pulled by what we want to achieve with this game, and we’re getting pulled by the fact we now have these next-gen consoles to consider. Where that was going to put us on a chess board, what pieces were getting moved, became a very complicated thing in our development.

When pushed harder on what exactly was new, Rubin added:

It’s a really tough thing to answer because I guess I would say it’s more complicated than a simple answer.

The answer is yes to everything. We’re not the kind of people who care about engines. We’re not the kind of people who tout engine or name engines even. So for us to say it’s a new engine is pretty strong. But I think if you ask anybody any engine you know out there, from version three to some other version, it’s just an iteration.

So what do you guys think? Personally, I believe the man makes a strong case, because one could argue that Frostbite 4 isn’t all “new”, and just an enhancement of Frostbite 3. I suspect, however, that Rubin’s honesty will come back to bite him (no pun intended), as wordplay is very important this or any industry. He could have simply stuck to Activision’s talking points that claims Call of Duty: Ghosts engine is brand new and everyone would be just fine. But now that he’s gotten all technical, opponents of the franchise will always have something negative to say.