Black Ops Trailer Released

[=JHF= JimmyT (CDN)]

Gameservers.com (our bc2 host) is the exclusive host for black ops.   I bet the other server companies are upset!

-- JT

[=JHF= Madindian]

So is that how they make their money on dedicated servers for Pc, by selling the exclusive rights?

[=JHF= -gHoTi-]

"Exclusive rights" scares me...   That leads me to believe no binaries, which means we will have limited access to "our" servers yet again.

[=JHF= HaveSocks]

"Exclusive rights" scares me...   That leads me to believe no binaries, which means we will have limited access to "our" servers yet again.

At least there are mod tools for the game.

[=JHF= -gHoTi-]

I was looking forward to this game somewhat (despite the engine being a bit ... old) but now I am reading it is Steam-Exclusive as well..  

I hate steam and VAC is just about useless compared to our beloved punkbuster.

bah.

edit:

After Call of Duty: World at War, we set out 3 goals for our next PC title:

    * 1] PC gets every single game feature that the consoles get, but in a way that makes sense for PC.
    * 2] PC gets even more features – the ones that PC gamers want like dedicated servers and more customization.
    * 3] Keep it fun. Protect the integrity of the title through design and post-launch support.


Keep that in mind as you read through the decisions outlined below in our FAQ.

Call of Duty: Black Ops PC Multiplayer FAQ

Full feature support: Confirmed
Ranked Servers: earn XP and currency. Wager Servers: gamble your currency. Customizable Unranked Servers. Combat Training against practice dummies. Theater. Create-a-Class "2.0." Contracts. Emblem editor. Everything the consoles get. Implemented in a way that makes sense for PC (*cough* no lobbies *cough*).

PC Features: Confirmed
Dedicated Servers. New Server Browser. Dev console. /record. Customizable game modes, perks, killstreaks, classes, and higher player counts on unranked servers. Map rotation. RCon. Kick & Ban. MOTD. In-game custom Server Banners. And more.

Mod Tools: Confirmed
We will release mod tools sometime post-launch. We need to finish the game first. Then we will make sure any urgent issues are handled. Then we will begin work on tools. The extent of the mod tools package will not be known until this time.

Global Persistent Stats, Profiles: Confirmed
Your profile data is stored on servers for you and is accessible from anywhere on the internet. Stats, XP, COD Points, configs, etc.

Leaderboards: Confirmed
Yes, leaderboards - globally persistent leaderboards (i.e. NOT per-server based).

Steam Exclusive: Confirmed
Millions of Call of Duty fans are already on Steam. Their Friends are on Steam. Steam will provide the ease of auto-updating instead of manual patching. Auto-updating will also help keep the community playing together on the latest version. The Steam cloud will make your profile and configs available to you on any computer.

VAC: Confirmed
We are serious about protecting the integrity of this game from hackers and cheaters who would otherwise ruin the fun for the honest players. Used in conjunction with our own anti-exploit measures, Theater reviews, trusted servers, and supplemented by server admins with kick and ban powers we believe that Valve Anti-Cheat will be an effective solution for Call of Duty: Black Ops PC. We are committed to working closely and diligently with Valve to deal with new threats as they appear.

No “Public Server Files”: Confirmed
Many of these game features are predicated on having a trusted host or server. Otherwise these features would be wide-open to easy exploits and rampant cheating. Also, anti-cheat solutions can be significantly more effective on games that rely on trusted servers. We chose against “public server files” in favour of providing full feature support and protecting the integrity of this title. This doesn't mean you won't have customization or admin capabilities with your servers - because you will. This simply means we've partnered with an exclusive server provider.

GameServers.com Exclusive: Confirmed
We have partnered with GameServers.com as the exclusive provider of dedicated servers for Call of Duty: Black Ops. Every dedicated server for this title will be running on top quality hardware and infrastructure with excellent bandwidth. There will be a ton of official servers at launch for everyone to play on for free. If you want to run your own server you will be able to rent one at a great price (which will never go higher than $0.99/slot). They are actively adding new server locations and staffing up to meet global demand. If you don’t see your location you can suggest it here: http://www.gameservers.com/blackops/

Max Players: Not Confirmed
We have not yet finalized the maximum number of players in ranked or unranked servers. More playtesting is required to determine how high these numbers can go. This happens as late as possible in the project otherwise the game is likely to change in ways that could invalidate the results.

Minimum System Requirements: Not Confirmed
The game is still in development, and the PC team is hard at work making further optimizations. We will announce the min specs in the near future.

-----

Hopefully that answers the majority of the outstanding questions not answered from our MP Reveal coverage. There are still some questions we do not have answers for at this time, so as always, we appreciate your patience. We will have all questions answered before November 9th.

Regards,
-JD, PC Dev, & the PC Team

aye carumba.

[=JHF= HaveSocks]

Making it a Steam exclusive and VAC are big turn-offs.  VAC was a debacle on MW2 from what I heard.  As for Steam, I really don't want to have a program that tracks my habits without my consent.  Xfire at least has an option to install and isn't required to run software.  Yet again Activision is looking to make a profit at the expense of the uniformed.  Now I'm not sure I will be getting this again.

[=JHF= Madindian]

The more that comes out on this one the less I like it.  I wasn't going to get before, now it looks definite.
From what I heard VAC was terrible on MW2, cheaters everywhere.

[=JHF= HaveSocks]

VAC is supposed to be better on BO than on MW2, but I'm turned off because of Steam.  Requiring a 3rd party software to be installed on my machine, just so I can play online is insulting.  Like I said before Xfire is a choice, Steam is not.  In theory it keeps people from pirating games, but its no where near perfect.  There were lots of pirated copies of MW2 out there.  At this point EA looks like it will be getting my money with MOH.

[=JHF= -gHoTi-]

AlterIWNet.  Just sayin'   (not that I use it, or condone it, or enjoy it, or play on dedicated servers for mw2, that would be naughty)

[SL4V3DOG]

Hey hey , whats with all the steam bashing lol.  I <3 Steam!  I love Xfire too, been using it since beta but here lately not so much

As for Black ops, its still a no go for me.

[=JHF= Smoke]

steam's not bad.  it was fine for mw2.  it was iwnet that killed it for me.

[=JHF= -gHoTi-]

gungame and one in the chamber look like fun.  and of course zombies.

Gun Game is a new game mode confirmed to be in Call of Duty: Black Ops. Gun Game is a Wager Match game mode, meaning players bet CoD Points and receive payout if they finish in the top three. The game mode consists of an unknown amount of players competing in a free-for-all  style game. Each player starts off with a pistol and upon getting more kills, will receive better weapons. Upon death by knife, the player goes down one weapon level. The first person to achieve a kill with all twenty weapons wins.

One in the Chamber is a new game mode confirmed to be in Call of Duty: Black Ops. One in the Chamber will consist of 6 players competing in a free-for-all style game with a twist. Each player starts off with a Makarov  with only one round in it, hence the name "One in the Chamber". One more bullet will be given to the player after every kill. The player will also only receive three lives, making it the first Call of Duty  game mode that has a limited amount of lives with no respawning rounds. It seems that one shot kills even if the player shoots them in the leg or any other non lethal area. Players will be forced to use melee in situations where they have used their bullet, meaning tense knifing action between players if they have missed their shot.

Sharpshooter is a new game mode confirmed to be in Call of Duty: Black Ops, and is part of the Wager Match  series of game modes. Sharpshooter will consist of an unknown amount of players competing in a free-for-all style game with a twist. All players start off with the same randomly selected weapon for 45 seconds. After that time, a new weapon will be randomly selected. Every kill will earn the player a perk and eventually a scoring multiplier. It is unknown what requirements must be met to win.

Sticks and Stones is a new game mode confirmed to be in Call of Duty: Black Ops. Sticks and Stones will consist of an unknown amount of players competing in a free-for-all style game. Everyone will start out with a Crossbow, Ballistic knife, and a Tomahawk. If you manage to kill somebody with a Tomahawk, you will bankrupt the target.

Yeah, a TOMAHAWK

[=JHF= JimmyT (CDN)]

I have not played a steam game before.  I know several of my friends who have, and they have no issues with it.  Im not really understanding the issues that people do have with it. 

What I find disappointing with the new COD is VAC.  We do a lot of things with PB that go beyond just banning for cheats.  Word on the street is that VAC tends to ban a bunch of people at once (as does pb), but isn't supported for long and they stop banning.  PB does this as well, though that hasnt' appeared to have happened in BC2 yet. 

There are many things that are less convenient about Black Ops than say, COD4.  Fewer things from an admin standpoint than BC2.  We had a lot of learning to do with BC2 at the beginning - no server files, no direct access to the config files (we have to go through a gameservers.com control panel).  The monitor, thanks to gHoTi is still the only way for general JHF members to kick/ban etc.   The main drawback I see with BC2 is exactly what we are experiencing right now.  We have a game that has no new content coming to it.  I still find it fun, but I can understand those who play 4 hours a night - the maps become stale.  Mapathy™ as it were.

So there are drawbacks to Black Ops - but I still see it having two important items:  dedicated servers (no iwnet nonsense) and mod tools (anyone remember playing customs and goofing around at night?  mapathy ).

So what it comes down to for me would be - is the game fun?  Frankly Black ops looks fun.  The Medal of Honor title may be fun too, but it doesn't look nearly as good from the previews to me.  Whatever we wind up playing we can work around the issues with the game and what is lacking from an admin standpoint.  We will likely never see another game like uo/cod4.  Sad, but we'll have to deal with that.

-- JT

[SL4V3DOG]

Wow gun game sounds just like the Counterstrike Source gun game.  I'd be suing someone

[=JHF= Madindian]

some more gameplay.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEtu9BQ9N5M&feature=player_embedded

This one talks about the money you earn in game and how you can spend it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MEPUg4LngM&feature=player_embedded