August 11, Gamescom 2014: Call of Duty Advanced Warfare Multiplayer Reveal... Details and Opinions

Written By: Tyler

Watch the video here, and this is where I took all the details from:
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/watch-the-call-of-duty-advanced-warfare-multiplaye/1100-6421631/

Abilities:

• "Boost jump" allows you jump much higher than in the past
• "Slam" is an air-to-ground melee attack
• "Boost dodge" -- dodge while on the ground
• "Boost dash" -- move quickly in a direction while in mid-air
• "Boost slide" -- slide while on the ground
• Exo abilities are selectable within Pick 13 (see below) and are usable for as long as battery power is available
• "Exo cloak" -- turn at least partially invisible
• "Exo shield"
• "Exo cover"
• "Exo launcher"
• Super punch -- rather than a knife, you can punch an enemy player to death

Player Customization:

• XP still exists and is the "backbone" of the ranking system
• Create-an-Operator lets you customize the look of your character, including your head, helmet, exoskeleton, gloves, and boots
• Pick 13 system replaces Pick 10
  • You can select up to four score streaks or none at all, giving you more room to select Exo suit abilities or other items
  • Scorestreaks can be customized to make them more powerful; doing so doesn't cost Pick 13 points
  • Co-op scorestreaks let players work together, like allowing two players to make use of a flying vehicle
• Virtual firing range allows you to try out your custom loadout without having to go into a multiplayer match
• Virtual Lobby -- show off your character in the lobby, allowing you to view other players' look and loadout
• Supply drops -- rewarded through things like in-game challenges and time played; rewards you with weapons, special care packages
  • Three rarity levels: Enlisted, Professional, and Elite
  • Weapon loot -- custom weapons that modify weapons' base stats
  • Character gear will also be available, allowing you to customize your look as part of the Create-an-Operator feature
  • Thousands of rewards available and billions of possible combinations

Modes:

• 12 multiplayer modes on day one
• CTF, Search & Destroy, Hardpoint all returning
• Round-based Domination
• Uplink -- new mode where two teams fight for control of a drone that can be passed between players

Maps:

• Maps have dynamic elements, such as water from the ocean flooding a level when a tsunami rolls in
• Four maps announced today:
  • Biolab -- set in a bioengineering laboratory
  • Riot -- set in a prison in Baghdad
  • Ascend -- set in a space elevator terminal
  • Defender -- set in San Francisco next to the Golden Gate Bridge, features the aforementioned tsunami

I'm not a Call of Duty fan. I was, but then I got bored of it. It was never my shooter of choice but I did put some hours into the Modern Warfares. I don't overly enjoy the look and feel of it anymore, but I won't deny there was a time that I did. However, when I first heard of Advanced Warfare, I must admit that I said to myself, "This could be interesting." My favourite shooter series is Killzone so I enjoy Sci-Fi elements and it is interesting to see Call of Duty go in that direction.

The biggest element of the game this time around is the Exo, but we all figured that that would be the case. Because of these, you are able to boost jump, dodge, dash and slam. Now you can jump really high, or dash in a different direction while mid-air. This will no doubt add a different layer to the multiplayer because anytime you add a more vertical aspect then it'll drastically change things. It does look like Titanfall without the wall-running, but this was apparently conceived and implemented three years ago when they started development.

They talked a lot about the customization, and I'll do a quick rundown. There are a variety of choices for cosmetically altering your character, and they took "Pick 10" from Black Ops but made it "Pick 13." This basically means that there are a variety of ways to change your class to fit your needs. You can have up to four score streaks or zero (so you can focus on other things), so I give props to the amount of customization Sledgehammer Games is offering if this is your thing. I still prefer the Killzone way of set character classes, but being able to do more with your character is never bad.

You can also have a cloak, a hover or a shield, but it takes power from your Exo that doesn't recharge. You can use perks in order to add to your battery. Of course, since it's Call of Duty, there are a bunch of different perks.

XP and ranks still exist, but you can also gain stuff by supply drops that are based on time played and in-game challenges. These come in three different rarity levels and can include customized guns along with character gear. There are also rare one-time use items like perks and score streaks.

Outside of the actual combat, the virtual lobby now allows you to see more details of the people you're playing against instead of just name, rank and whatnot. There is also a virtual shooting range that allows you to test your guns.

One point of interest to me is the idea of co-op score streaks where you can now get involved in your teams score streaks to help them out. It's not mind-blowing, but it's still a neat little feature.

They showed off four maps, all with their different characteristics (obviously). The most interesting one is Defender because a Tsunami hits the map at some point during the match. There is Biolab, which has narrow hallways, Riot which has a security system that you can use to mark players, and lastly there's Ascend which really stresses the vertical nature of Advanced Warfare.

There are going to be twelve modes on day one, with a bunch of returning ones like Team Deathmatch, Hardpoint, Search and Destroy, Capture the Flag, etc. There is an update on War called Momentum and a new mode called Uplink which is basically you getting the satellite uplink and throwing it through a goal. If you jump through yourself, with the uplink, your team gets two points. We've seen things like this before, but it's still a fun mode to include. I actually have always praised Call of Duty for having a bunch of different modes... something that even Killzone doesn't seem to get right (though I love the modes they have).

If you pre-order the game, you can play the game 24 hours before the official launch. It is called The Day 0 Edition, and there will be double XP along with two bonus custom weapons and all the other bonuses. So now, if you're more casual or hate pre-ordering, you can be at a disadvantage on day one. Huzzah.



So what did I think though? I think it could be the best Call of Duty in a long time. I only believe this because I am so bored of how they did things that just being able to Titanfall my way around is a plus. I'd rather Titanfall just get more modes though because I'd rather keep playing that and it's light on content.

But I don't think it's going to be amazing. I think I'm too far gone at this point to truly love another Call of Duty. At first I got excited, when the presentation first started, but then as it went on I realized that outside of certain aspects, like the Exo, it's still just business as usual. The features that they were revealing to us are fine and dandy, but aren't a lot of them just minor improvements on a tried, tested and true formula? I didn't see anything that wowed me in any meaningful way. The Exo may have done so had Titanfall not just come out.

That's fine because people go to Call of Duty for Call of Duty, but since I no longer like the feel of a CoD, this may not appeal to me as much as it should. It's not for me, it's for the fans, but to their credit I am considering picking it up.