Interview: Call of Duty 2

Binnenkort mogen we allemaal weer aan de slag met de nieuwste Call of Duty, op de Xbox 360. De serie getrouw, zullen er weer genoeg Nazi’s uit hun lijden te verlossen, steden te bevrijden en slagvelden te doorkruisen zijn. In de nationale naam van X-Power marcheerde ik, met een M1 Garand op m’n schouder - en veel schrik in m’n hartje, alvast naar het heetst van de strijd. Tussen vallende kameraden en instortende gebouwen slaagde ik er nog net in een spervuur van tien vragen af te vuren op Mackey McCandlish van Infinity Ward, de ontwikkelaar van de langverwachte sequel.





X-Power: The first Call of Duty was, without a doubt, one of the best PC games of the previous years. I presume you expect nothing less with this follow-up? Can you make a sequel of a revolutionary game just as revolutionary?



Infinity Ward: After Call of Duty was released we stepped back and took stock of Call of Duty’s strengths, as well as the aspects of the game we (and gamers) felt could be taken even further. Players wanted a longer and less linear game, so we set about figuring out how we could expand, yet deepen the experience at the same time. We knew that other games would be raising the bar over the next two years so we set about investigating ways we could ratchet up the cinematic intensity. Our FX and AI improvements, as well as our Battle Chatter system, grew out of this direction. We simplified the HUD and eliminated the need to backtrack and retrieve health packs, both of which keep the player immersed and moving forward.

This was our first opportunity as a team to build upon our previous experience, so we have great momentum carrying us forward. Call of Duty 2 features more intensity per square inch than gamers have ever encountered, and ultimately that will leave a mark in people’s minds.



X-Power: WWII has always fascinated gamers around the world, but for how long will it stay like that? Hasn’t everything been done before yet? Are there still enough unknown battles to fight? For how long will rushing the beaches of Normandy again, or regaining control over Stalingrad over and over, still be fun? Aren’t you afraid that a lot of gamers soon will have a “been there done that” feeling? How much WWII games can people cope?



Infinity Ward: Hardware has made significant advances over the past two years. It would be a disservice to the genre not to give the beaches of Normandy the full normal and specular mapping treatment. Now soldiers can really appear wet and the battlefield truly has a war torn and smoky realism. By amping up the action across the board, in graphics, sound, and gameplay, we have sought to refresh the genre. Gamers want a game that is engaging to play. WWII buffs can play Call of Duty 2 for the carefully crafted authenticity and the pure gamers can play for the amazing gaming experience. Great execution and polish go beyond theme and context.



X-Power: We crept into the bodies of an American, English and Russian soldier in the first Call of Duty. Who will we take control over this time in the singleplayer campaign? And whereto will these men lead us?



Infinity Ward: Call of Duty 2 follows the timeline of the war, beginning in 1941, so this time you start off as a Russian: Private Vasili Ivanovich Koslov. You’ve been conscripted into the Russian Army, where you’ll be trained as quickly and affordably as possible, then tossed into action before you know it. Moscow and Stalingrad are on the verge of falling before the German military machine and it’s up to you and your comrades to stop the advance. Next you’ll be living the Battle of El Alamein in Egypt, as Corporal John Davis, a member of the British Army’s 7th Armoured Division. Then you will hop in your Crusader tank and battle Rommel across the deserts of Libya as Tank Commander David Welsh. Finally you’ll fill the shoes of Corporal Bill Taylor, 2nd Ranger Bn, of the United States Army. You will land at none other than the harrowing beaches of Pointe Du Hoc, and then wage war through Normandy and across the Rhine river.



X-Power: How historical correct will part two of the series be? We all know that there actually were Nazi’s and there was a second World War, but what about the rest of the game? Has there, for example, been worked with war veterans (as in the Brothers in Arms franchise), or travelled to ex-battlefields to provide us with the most authentic WWII experience?



Infinity Ward: We felt the best way to take advantage of modern graphics advances would be to thoroughly research our subject matter, to insure that every new vista, texture, and sound was as authentic as possible. This means actually sending people to Pointe du Hoc and Tunisia to get photo reference and a feel for the lay of the land. These trips directly lead to significant rework, but it was worth it as we saw an across the board improvement to the organic believability and immersion of the environment. Pointe Du Hoc really feels like the real thing.

To insure historical accuracy, we also worked closely with our military advisors, John Hillen, a former US Army Captain, and Hank Keirsey, former Lieutenant Colonel, as well as local WWII re-enactors. We also did extensive research, taking advantage of the wealth of WWII books and personal accounts available. From the Battle of El Alamein to Pointe Du Hoc to Caen, the authenticity is evident, but gamers expect nothing less, so we deliver.

For authentic weapons, we went out in the Nevada desert, set up a lot of microphones, and captured the sounds of the real thing. It’s really the only way to get it to sound right.



X-Power: How is the online multiplayer going to be: are we taking it on big time on Xbox Live, or will the focus still be on the singleplayer experience, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing though.



Infinity Ward: Call of Duty has an extremely strong online presence, and we’ve made every effort to bring the battle to the online console space. We have 13 multiplayer maps, featuring 4 reinvigorated Call of Duty favourites, and five exciting gameplay modes, including Capture the Flag and an improved Headquarters. You can play with 8 players on Xbox Live or 16 with system link.



X-Power: And what is up with the multiplayer capabilities on just one Xbox? Is there a co-op mode?



Infinity Ward: Even with just one system you can still play 4-player split screen multiplayer, each running at a very smooth framerate. It’s a great way to jump in quick and share some intense Call of Duty fun with your friends and relatives. The single player experience remains exclusively single player, because it enables us to make the gameplay as polished and as perfect as possible. We want every moment to be memorable, and catering to a single player allows us to guarantee that.



X-Power: The cinematic experience was truly breath-taking in the first Call of Duty. However, one of the few criticisms was that the gameplay was quite linear. People (never satisfied as they are) wanted to keep this outstanding experience, but still wanted to be granted more freedom as well. How did you tackle this ‘problem’?



Infinity Ward: On Call of Duty 2 we immediately set out to expand player choice. We approached this challenge in a number of ways, and this is reflected in the wide variety of mission designs in Call of Duty 2. In our most non-linear missions, you have several simultaneous objectives and it’s up to you to decide how to attempt them. Some of our defend missions feature enemies attacking from all directions, and you must choose your ground carefully. Even in our more traditional missions you are often presented with multiple ways to approach your objectives. In all cases, your squad mates move with you naturally through the area.

The battlefields of Call of Duty 2 are enriched in several ways, and expanded player choice is a big part of that.



X-Power: It seems like you haven’t got a modern shooter game without some sort of squad gameplay included (e.g. Brothers in Arms, Ghost Recon 2, Rainbow Six, and Black Hawk Down, to name just a few), these days. Are we going to have to point our terribly dependant Call of Duty comrades to their next objective and tell them who to kill before they even move a muscle?



Infinity Ward: Of course not! Call of Duty 2 is the kind of game you can just pick up and run with. Your squad mates will save your life, but they don’t need you to baby sit them. As you move into an area, they naturally take up positions around you and provide support. It’s more challenging to develop smart squad mates that cue off the player’s choices than it is to make AI that require the player to tell them where to go, but we felt it was worth the effort. It makes the action much more accessible, and having squad mates on hand at all times heightens the cinematic intensity.



X-Power: What will be the biggest and most awesome part of Call of Duty 2? What will be the battle where the gaming world will be talking about in the 5 years to come? Which scene is going to be what the attack on Stalingrad was for part one, for this sequel?



Infinity Ward: Definitely Pointe du Hoc. This battle, famously recalled in Ronald Reagan’s “The Boys of Pointe du Hoc” speech, covers an amazing amount of territory and offers great new gameplay opportunities. From scaling treacherous cliffs to finding your own way across a huge, varied battle field, to clearing the town and fields beyond, it is everything you expect from a show piece, tour de force mission, and so much more.



X-Power: How is developing on the Xbox 360 like? Do you expect even more can be accomplished with the hardware once developers, like you, get to know the system better? And will we even bother playing Xbox 1 games ever again once we have played a next-gen game as cool as Call of Duty 2?



Infinity Ward: Once you’ve played Call of Duty 2, you’ll have a hard time appreciating current generation first person action games. First person games really benefit from all that extra processing power, because every extra polygon makes the world that much more believable. The Xbox 360’s triple core system worked great for us because we were able to give the AI its own core. It’s like having an entire system dedicated just to your AI! You can tell at a glance that the system’s abundant fill rate has been well utilized with our vast volumes of smoke and battle haze, while still maintaining an ultra-fluid 60 frames per second. All in all, the system is as close to ideal as has ever been achieved. The proof of that is that we were able to develop Call of Duty 2 with it while the system itself was still in development. That’s impressive.



X-Power: Thanks for your time!



Infinity Ward: No problem! Enjoy the game!





Call of Duty 2 verschijnt, samen met de 360 zelf, op twee december in de West-Europese schappen. Vrees je dat je niet tot dan zal kunnen wachten, beleg dan de achttiende november zeker reeds de plaatselijke gameboer, dan verschijnt namelijk Call of Duty 2: Big Red One. Deze komt enkel naar de Xbox 1, en heeft niets te maken met de Call of Duty 2 van in het interview, maar zal vast ook wel heel fijn zijn. Call of Duty 2, op zijn beurt, zal enkel speelbaar zijn op de Xbox 360 (en de pc). 't Is inderdaad een beetje ingewikkeld allemaal, maar voor Call of Duty hebben we dat wel over.


Schiet ze!