Call of Duty: World at War Q&A

I had a a quick Q&A with Josh Olin, from Treyarch about Call of Duty: World at War. He does mention COD4 too, so let's hope it doesn't upset fourzerotwo too much.

Call of Duty 4 was a huge critical and commercial success, what is the thinking in going back to the World War 2 setting?

The Call of Duty series has always synonymous with innovation and we hope to continue that. The same way that the last title re-defined what a Modern shooter was, we are doing for World War II shooters. With that in mind, Treyarch understands that there are still stories about WWII that haven’t been told 'the Call of Duty way'. The Pacific theatre was an awfully brutal place and a place that Call of Duty had never been. We wanted to engage those stories and develop all new types of terrain, AI tactics, and weaponry so we could share our passion with Call of Duty fans.

The multiplayer was a really big draw in Call of Duty 4, what are you doing for the multiplayer in World at War?

We had a ton of fun with CoD4’s multiplayer, and know of 12 million others who’d agree. So classes, ranks, kill streaks, and Perks will all remain standard in Call of Duty: World at War. You’ll recognise some Perks, some will have gone, and a wealth of new Perks have been introduced, including Vehicle Perks.

We are bringing back tanks into Call of Duty: World at War’s multiplayer, but we wanted to make sure we didn’t mess with the infantry experience we all know and love – so there will be vehicle specific maps and game modes for the tank fans. You will still be able to customise your games and play in playlists without vehicles, however, so not to worry.

Squad functionality has been introduced to help encourage team play in Call of Duty :World at War. You can create, join, and disband squads on-the-fly through in-game menu systems. Also, at the end of each round, your squad will remain together when you return to the lobby. This way, when the next game starts, you’ll be sure to be in the same squad again. So if you find that group of players who really know what they’re doing, maybe you’ll have a new group of friends to roll with each time you fire up your game!

Finally, Co-Op is a major new component that is being introduced for the first time in the Call of Duty franchise. I could talk for pages on it, but the highlights are three modes: Campaign Co-Op (play Singleplayer with three friends), Competitive Co-Op (Singleplayer, but competing for best scores and other bonuses), and our bonus “Zombie” game mode, which is unlocked after you beat the game.

I gather that Call of Duty: World at War is going to be more open ended than previous entries, how exactly is that going to work?

I wouldn’t say the game is going to be more open-ended; however, our levels will offer multiple routs to the end objective, to make way for the Co-Op game mechanics. For example, you may have an option to charge up the road alongside a ridge, OR, cut around through the forest and flank the enemy. In Co-Op, this offers an excellent opportunity for the players to use teamwork. In Singleplayer, this offers a new level of re-playability not seen before in the franchise.

Call of Duty has always been about driving the player’s experience, so while there may be different paths at some times, they are different means to the same end.

How do the different format versions vary?

The Xbox 360, PS3, PC and Wii versions are the same game, with the same story, and same basic features. The Wii, which has some small gameplay modifications made due to the different control scheme. For example, the Wii has its own unique Co-Op mode called Squadmate, in which a 2nd player can pickup a Wiimote or Zapper and jump right into the action with a friend currently playing Singleplayer. The DS version follows both the Russian and Pacific campaign, but includes a British campaign for players to fully experience. Additionally, it introduces wi-fi multiplayer. The PS2 version offers a companion experience to Call of Duty: World at War, featuring its own unique set of missions, engagements and challenges that are set within Pacific and European campaigns.

A lot of developers are turning away from making PC games, citing issues such as piracy and PC gamer apathy towards their games, but this is not true of the Call of Duty series. How do you guys feel about the state of the PC games industry, and your place within it?

The PC platform is unique for sure. You’re seeing a movement towards console development due to the standardisation, and the fact that you know every gamer will have the same platform. The hurdles with developing for the PC, aside from piracy concerns, is that making the game work on everybody’s PC is extremely challenging. Even making it work on the majority of PC’s is a very difficult task that requires a lot of hard work and time.

That said, Treyarch has its roots in the PC community, with Call of Duty: United Offensive, and previous titles such as Return to Castle Wolfenstein and Die By the Sword. We felt it was necessary to return to the PC crowd after taking a small hiatus with Call of Duty 3 and deliver the best WWII experience we’ve created!


If you could review Call of Duty: World at War yourself, how would you review it?

I wouldn’t, I’d be too busy playing it to write one up ;-)

Thanks Josh.