Treyarch have slowly started to lift the lid on Black Ops II’s Zombie mode…
“I’d be giving you away the secret of zombies if I told you exactly how it works. There’s a bus and the bus has a lot to do with how you navigate. The zombies atmosphere is very unique to zombies. Tranzit is a way of navigating the universe of zombies. It’s not necessarily, this has any radical bearing.
Part of it is boarding yourself up. All of these mechanics are still important to zombies. That’s one way to win the game.
That’s the thing about zombies. A very important part of zombies is the discovery of what it is and the monsters and how they work together and the world and how the world plays and what does the bus mean? Do you need to take the bus? What does it mean to go out in the fog? And what’s in there? All this is part of zombies. The whole thing is crafted for discovery. So I hate talking about it because I don’t want to ruin it for people.
“By day one somebody will post the whole thing on the internet and you can just read about it. But it’s not going to be who does it.” – Treyarch game design director David Vonderhaar
There are also a ton of multiplayer bits and pieces:
– Combat Training: mode meant to introduce players to multiplayer basics against AI controlled bots
– Combat Training users can earn experience points and level their online soldier in ‘Boot Camp’
– Boot Camp lets players face off against a mixture of human players and bots in matches of Team Deathmatch
– earn full experience points and level up to a maximum level of 10
– stay within Combat Training and play through its ‘Objective’ mode
– this is where two teams of six (3 players, 3 bots) compete in objective-based game modes
– rank up beyond level 10 in this mode
– you are only given half of the usual XP
– ‘Bot Stomp’ is an experience point-free mode where teams of six players battle six bots in any gametype they choose
– all modes also include public matchmaking
– ‘Party Games’ includes Gun Game, One in the Chamber, Sharpshooter, and Sticks and Stones
– Custom Games can be created in all game modes
– Pick 10 system can be modified to allow a maximum of only 3 selections
– Pick 10 can also be modified to include 17 selections
– change a restrict default classes, even restricting content to a specific class
– player health can be adjusted, announcers can be silenced, the way scoring works can be modified, and even victory conditions for objective-based games can be changed
– these options extend to online, offline and LAN games
– bots can be added
– bots can even take over for a friend
– unlocking cosmetic content is now purely based on Challenges
– over 1000 challenges
– completing challenges is the only way to unlock weapon camo, new reticles, player card customization options and more
– every weapon can be customized
– based on the item, there are a base level of camo options but “high end camo” like gold or carbon fiber options can be unlocked after many challenges have been completed
– number of hidden camos, with “super big bling on them.”
– Reticles have “eight uniques per optic”
– special challenges unlock special reticles like “The Steve” a curly mustache reticle
– make your own emblems using a suite of options
– since custom emblems are considered player content, that can be disabled on the platform level and the game will revert to default rank emblems
– Theater Mode has a new option called ‘Highlight Reel’
– this will scour the replay of a match and automatically assemble together a film of your best moments
– cameras can now be affixed to any object
– Dolly Cam returns
– record the first-person view of any player
– parties can join a theater session
– allows for 20 clips per film
– a series of clips can now be merged into one
– includes simple up/down voting system
– hitting Prestige no longer resets weapon experience or unlocks
– it no longer wipes challenge progress
– 55 levels in Black Ops 2 with 10 levels of Prestige
– each level gives players a single unlock token
– this allows you to select from a list of content gated by rank
– reach Prestige earn a Prestige Unlock Token that ignores all level gates and unlocks that item permanently
– three options players must select from: they can unlock an extra Custom Class slot (with a max of five), players can choose to completely reset their stats to “truly start over” and you can ask for a ‘Refund’ of all used tokens
– reach all 10 levels of Prestige to be awarded a special emblem and all content is unlocked for your use
– ‘Hardpoint’ mode is inspired by traditional King of the Hill modes
– Points on the map constantly move and it’s up to your team to control the territory for longer than the other team
– other modes: Team Deathmatch, Free For All, Demolition, Headquarters, Capture the Flag, Search and Destroy and Kill Confirmed
– Team Deathmatch, Kill Confirmed and Hardpoint are all available as multi-team matches for up to 18 players and up to six teams
– new map: ‘Overflow’
– battle on the ruined streets of Peshawar, Pakistan
– new map: ‘Hijacked’
– close quarters combat on the high seas on a fancy yacht
– new map: ‘Express’
– fight at the Los Angeles terminal of the California High-Speed Rail
– this map features moving bullet trains that will kill you if you get in their way
