Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Call of Duty: Black Ops III

Call of Duty: Black Ops III is an upcoming first-person shooter by Treyarch and Activision. The game will be released on the PS3, Xbox 360, PS4, Xbox One and PC on November 6, 2015.

A multiplayer beta will be released on August 19, 2015 for the PlayStation 4, and the Xbox One and PC on August 26, 2015. The multiplayer in black ops 3 has evolved substantially since BO2 and new features like wall-running and boost jumping have been added from Advanced Warfare.

The Pick 10 system is back and allows cod black ops 3 weapons to be customized with attachments and other features as needed. The Pick 10 doesn't cover any Scorestreaks since they are chosen separately. Many of the cod black ops 3 scorestreaks will be familiar to Black Ops 2 players, like the HC-XD, which is a futuristic RC-XD with boosters and can drive on walls.

Some long running perks have been removed or moved to the Specialist system. While some cod black ops 3 perks, like Extreme Conditioning, are out due to players having unlimited sprint. Fans of the Zombies mode can expect to see their favorite Perk-a-Cola machines back in action in the cod black ops 3 zombies perks system.

Black Ops 3 will have four DLC map packs released in 2016. Like its predecessor the cod black ops 3 maps and DLC are designed with an emphasis on three lanes, making them extremely player friendly.

Apocalypse DLC

Black Ops II's fourth and last DLC, Apocalypse, was released on 27th of August for Xbox 360 and a month later for PlayStation 3 and PC. Apocalypse is priced at 1200 MS Points or $15.

Apocalypse features a total of 4 multiplayer maps, of which 2 are remakes. There is also a new Zombie map:

  • Origins: Dieselpunk-themed First World War map located on a war-ravaged French countryside that's filled with zombies.
  • Fresh: Snow-capped European city that's separated in two by a frozen canal.
  • Pod: Abandoned cliff side in Taiwan that's full of dilapidated residential pods.
  • Dig: Remake of the Courtyard multiplayer map from Call of Duty: World at War.
  • Takeoff: Remake of the Stadium multiplayer map from Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike.

The following 10 new achievements and trophies are available in Apocalypse:

  • All Your Base
  • I'm on a Tank!
  • Kung Fu Grip
  • Little Lost Girl
  • Master of Disguise
  • Master Wizard
  • Not a Gold Digger
  • Overachiever
  • Playing with Power
  • Saving the Day... All Day
Vengeance DLC

Black Ops 2's third DLC, Vengeance, was released on 2nd of July for Xbox 360 and a month later for PS3 and PC. Vengeance is priced at 1200 MS Points / $15.

The Vengeance DLC comes with four new MP maps and a Zombie map called Buried:

  • Cove: A small, isolated island in the middle of the Indian Ocean.
  • Detour: All-out conflict on a destroyed suspension bridge.
  • Rush: Paintball course with fast paced engagements and lots of cover.
  • Uplink: Re-imagined adaptation of the Black Ops Summit multiplayer map.
  • Buried: Subterranean mining town infested with swarms of the undead.

Ten new achievements and trophies are available in this DLC:

  • Awaken the Gazebo
  • Candygram
  • Death From Below
  • Ectoplasmic Residue
  • FSIRT Against the Wall
  • I'm Your Huckleberry
  • Mazed and Confused
  • Mined Games
  • Revisionist Historian
  • When the Revolution Comes
Call of Duty: Ghosts

Call of Duty: Ghosts is the next-gen Call of Duty game developed by Infinity Ward and published by Activision. Call of Duty: Ghosts is to be released for the Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, PlayStation4, Wii U and PC on 5th of November, 2013.

Ghosts' new Create-A-Soldier system features over 30 new weapons and including a new Marksman Rifle weapon category. Like Treyarch, Infinity Ward has balanced all Call of Duty: Ghosts Weapons so there is no vastly superior weapon in any category. The perk system in COD: Ghosts has also received updates: all perks in the game are divided into 7 categories and each category has 5 perks. Players have 8 points to spend on the Call of Duty: Ghosts Perks, while at the same time each perks cost varies based on what it does - For example, Recon costs 1 point, while Danger Close is 3 points.

Strike Packages from Modern Warfare 3 are back in Ghosts. There are 24 Call of Duty: Ghosts Killstreaks to choose from and they are divided into Assault and Support packages. The 14 new multiplayer maps in Call of Duty: Ghosts all have areas that can be altered or destroyed - the Free Fall pre-order bonus map, for example, is a skyscraper that continues to fall throughout the match.

Uprising DLC

BO2's second DLC, Uprising, was released on 16th of April for Xbox 360 and a month later for PlayStation 3 / PC. Uprising is priced at 1200 MS Points or $15.

Uprising includes another 4 new multiplayer maps and a Zombie map:

  • Mob of the Dead: Located on San Francisco’s notorious Alcatraz Island during 1933 that's filled with zombies.
  • Magma: Modern Japanese village that's covered in lava.
  • Encore: Set in a rock amphitheater after a concert.
  • Vertigo: Takes place on a mega skyscraper in India.
  • Studio: Re-imagined adaptation on the fan-favorite Black Ops multiplayer map Firing Range.

The following 10 new achievements are available in Uprising:

  • A Burst of Flavor
  • Acid Drip
  • Feed the Beast
  • Full Lockdown
  • GG Bridge
  • Making the Rounds
  • No One Escapes Alive
  • Paranormal Progress
  • Pop Goes the Weasel
  • Trapped in Time
Revolution DLC

Black Ops 2's first DLC, Revolution, was released on 29th of January for Xbox 360 and a month later for PS3 / PC. Revolution is priced at 1200 MS Points / $15.

The DLC includes four all-new multiplayer maps and a new Zombie game mode + map. There is also a new bonus multiplayer weapon called the Peacekeeper, which is a powerful SMG.

  • Hydro: Pakistani hydroelectric dam facility with mid to long range combat with treacherous spillways and chokepoints.
  • Grind: Skate Park located in Venice Beach, California. Mixture of long and close-quarters combat. This is one of the smallest maps in the game.
  • Downhill: Set in the snowy French Alps with slopes and a ski lodge.
  • Mirage: Luxury resort situated in the Gobi Desert that's ravaged by a sandstorm.
  • Die Rise: Overcome a zombie infestation inside two crumbling skyscrapers.

The following 10 new achievements / trophies are also included in the DLC:

  • Facing the Dragon
  • High Maintenance
  • I See Live People
  • I'm My Own Best Friend
  • Mad Without Power
  • Monkey See, Monkey Doom
  • Polyarmory
  • Shafted
  • Slippery When Undead
  • Vertigoner

The Xbox LIVE Marketplace now has 16 different Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 avatar items available for purchase. The T-Shirts and Hats are 80 MS Points each and special props, like the AGR and Assault Shield, are 240 MS Points. The Special Force and Zombie outfits cost 400 points.

Login to Xbox LIVE and check them out.

BO2 Avatar Items
Black Ops 2 Security & Enforcement Policy

Treyarch's security and enforcement policy will determine how each player's infractions will be handled by the Black Ops 2 security team. All infractions undergo a thorough review process and penalties are final.

Minor offenses can result in temporary bans that range from 48 hours to 2 weeks with possible stats resets; more extreme offenses result in permanent bans.

  • Modding / Hacking / Pirated Content
    1. Running an illegal or a modified version of the game is subject to penalty.
    2. Results in a permanent ban. Xbox 360 (Xbox LIVE) and PlayStation 3 (PSN) users are reported to their console manufacturer. PC users will be reported to the Steam enforcement team.
  • Unsupported Hardware And Applications
    1. Utilizing unsupported hardware (modded Xbox 360 and PS3 controllers, lag switches, etc.) or applications (hacks, IP flooders, etc.), that interact with the game, are subject to penalty.
    2. Minor offences result in a temporary ban with the users stats & emblems reset. The user will also have their leaderboard entries deleted.
    3. Repeated or extreme offenses will result in a permanent ban. In some cases Xbox LIVE bans might be possible.
  • Boosting
    1. Exploiting the game for the purpose of gaining XP, weapon levels, Prestige, etc. is subject to penalty.
    2. First time offenders will get a temporary ban with their leaderboard entries deleted + stats and emblems reset.
    3. Repeated or extreme offenses will result in a permanent ban.
  • Glitching
    1. Abusing an exploit to gain an advantage is subject to penalty. For example, going outside of the multiplayer map boundary using a glitch.
    2. First time offenders will get a temporary ban with their leaderboard entries deleted + stats and emblems reset.
    3. Repeated or extreme offenses will result in a permanent ban.
  • Offensive Language / Behavior
    1. First offenders will be temporarily banned.
    2. Second offenders will be temporarily banned and have their voice chat privileges removed.
    3. Repeated or extreme offenses will result in a permanent ban.
  • Offensive Emblems
    1. Minor offenses will result in the player being temporarily banned from using the Emblem Editor + all emblems will be reset.
    2. Repeated or extreme offenses will result in a permanent ban from the Emblem Editor + all emblems will be reset.
  • Offensive / Unauthorized Live Streams
    1. Minor offenses result in temporary bans with streaming privileges removed.
    2. Repeated or extreme offenses will result in a permanent ban from using live streaming + the user will be reported to the live streaming service provider.

With majority of the gamers playing on Xbox 360 and PS3 it's likely that they will be heavily monitored by Treyarch due to their large boosting and hacking scenes.

Black Ops 2 PC - Max FOV 80, FPS 200

Last year's Battlefield 3 PC allowed players to change their FOV (field of view) from 60 to 90, and with the proper tools, bypass the limit and go beyond it. With that in mind, you would expect that Black Ops 2 PC would do the same, but Treyarch's Director of Technology, Cesar Stastny, also known as pcdev, revealed on Twitter that the game will be limited in several ways due to technical reasons.

pcdev: "And don't ask me to raise the FOV cap. Max is 80. Thankyouverymuch. > 80 breaks too much stuff so we had to cap it."

Although the max FOV will be 80, it's still better than the default value of 65 what Modern Warfare 3 had last year. Going from 65 to 90 FOV can make a huge difference, checkout the example below:

Modern Warfare 3 FOV 65 to 90

Black Ops II PC was also supposedly going to have no FPS (frames per second) limit, but that has changed to 200 FPS, at least for ranked matches since it "prevents uber rigs from dominating dedicated server cycles".

pcdev: "Correction: Yesterday I said that FPS would be capped at 120 for ranked matches. The cap will actually be 200 FPS for ranked matches."

Even with the removal of dedicated servers, and everything above, it seems that BO2 for the PC is still miles ahead of MW3's PC release. Obviously these FOV and FPS changes are not available to the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions.

It looks like a lot of companies have stepped up to deliver high quality Black Ops 2 themed gaming peripherals for Call of Duty fans. First we have SteelSeries releasing exclusive premium-quality PC peripherals: a gaming mouse and three QcK mousepads featuring BO2 artwork.

The SteelSeries "Call of Duty: Black Ops II Mouse" offers PC players professional-grade hardware that's powered by the SteelSeries Engine. The mouse is priced at $69.99 / 69.99€ and features the following:

  • Ability to create and store an unlimited amount of profiles and macros. The mouse also comes with pre-defined profiles created by professional COD players.
  • Coated with hand-sweat resistant material.
  • Orange illumination with a Black Ops II theme.
  • Pro-grade laser sensor supporting up to 5,700 CPI.
  • Equally comfortable in either hand with 7 programmable buttons.
  • The XL-sized UPE material feet glide effortlessly across almost any surface.
SteelSeries Black Ops 2 Gaming Mouse

The QcK Mousepads have non-slip rubber bases holding them in place and feature a surface that offers a smooth and consistent glide for your mouse. The mousepads are priced at $14.99 / 14.99€ each.

SteelSeries Black Ops 2 QcK Mousepads

BigBen Interactive has also announced their BO2 themed Bluetooth controller. The wireless controller has been made for PS3 gamers in mind, but since it's Bluetooth-based, it should work on PCs with a Bluetooth adapter. Amazon France has the controller on sale for 49.99€, which is about $64.

The controller is backlighted and has non-slip, ergonomic triggers and rubber grip. As with most PlayStation 3 controllers, it features a 6-axis and tilt sensor with 2 vibration motors. It also has a rechargeable NiMH 700mA battery and can be recharged with a USB cable.

BigBen Black Ops 2 Bluetooth Controller

Beachhead Studio, the company that's responsible for Call of Duty Elite, has recently updated the CoD: Elite website for Black Ops 2's launch. A lot of BO2 related data was added, for example, the Clan HQ and Competitions pages, but it looks like the Prestige Emblems for Black Ops II were also accidently released.

Check out the high quality versions of them below:

Black Ops 2 Prestige Emblems