The developers behind the new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 have given us a sneak peek at many new features of the shooter. As part of our initiative “Find Your Next Game”, we present you the 5 most important innovations, and MeinMMO author Maik Schneider explains why he is already raving about Warzone 2.
The biggest shooter franchise in the world has suffered a bit over the last two years. Issues with the Battle Royale Warzone, a rather mediocre Cold War, and poor sales of the World War shooter Vanguard have taken their toll on Call of Duty.
Nevertheless, Call of Duty remains a force in the video game market, captivating millions of players even with CoD: Vanguard, and in 2022 it brings back a setting that likely appeals to most series players: Modern Warfare, or CoD MW.
We embed the first trailer for the new shooter here:
CoD MW 2019 was the most successful paid title of Call of Duty so far and will get a sequel in 2022 – Modern Warfare 2. Although we at MeinMMO weren’t allowed to play in advance, we got a comprehensive insight into the game thanks to a large developer presentation.
We present the 5 most important innovations from the presentation in detail here and provide further background information. We also hint at what to expect in Warzone 2 in a small outlook.
Warzone 2 is considered an extension of CoD MW2 and uses the same technology. The Battle Royale is expected to be announced later this year but currently has no release date. It will likely again be a free-to-play shooter.
1. Artificial Intelligence – Realistic Behavior
NPC soldiers are a fundamental support of CoD games. However, they have never been known for their intelligence. They were merely a means to an end – after all, you need enemies in a story shooter. And that’s exactly what CoD was all about in the beginning.
With Modern Warfare 2, the entire system has been revamped and significantly improved. Additionally, NPCs are expected to play a role in more and more multiplayer modes – and also in Warzone 2.
To this end, the developers analyzed combat tactics together with trained fighters and adapted them for the NPCs. This includes things like:
- Body language
- Environmental and spatial exploration
- Behavior outside of combat
This leads to a completely new behavior of the computer soldiers, which is quite impressive.
The NPCs no longer just walk along a corner. They check the field of vision beforehand and carefully examine the rooms. Their detailed animations make everything look very lively.
This brings more immersion and also just looks good. However, how this new level of “intelligence” will actually affect the real battles cannot be said for sure at this time.
2. Water – A New Core Feature of CoD
CoD: Cold War from 2020 already tried water gameplay, but did not emphasize the feature much. Modern Warfare 2 takes it a step further and officially declares water to be a core feature of Call of Duty.
The developers showed a lot of passion for the topic and tried to explain why it is so important to them. There was also a dig at Warzone: Before the Pacific map, it was sufficient to dip your toe in the water, and you went down.
In Modern Warfare 2, you can swim in any puddle – or in the rough sea. The cleanliness of the water and whether it is calm or stormy makes a difference.
This also means that there are many new gameplay options related to water. You can dive deep and explore things, pull down enemies who are close to the water, and also the rules of fired bullets are different. They lose bullet speed and damage when they have to go through water.
Even vehicles work with water. The vehicles sink but will eventually be destroyed. With enough momentum, you should also be able to “ride” a bit on the water.
Additionally, there are certain equipment that interacts with the water. For example, proximity mines were mentioned – they inflate a small air cushion and float on the surface. They are effective against water vehicles.
To provide all players with a uniform experience, the waves of the water in multiplayer modes are server-side calculated. Therefore, every player in a match sees the same waves. Only the details of the water surface run over the player client.
3. Gunsmith – More Control, More Options
In this point, we paid special attention to the details. Also because the segment with the gunsmith was rather short. In any case, there will be a gunsmith again, and it is supposed to offer more depth than ever before. Here are some details compared to CoD MW 2019:
- There are again 10 attachment slots
- Probably 5 attachments can be used simultaneously again
- Instead of the attachment “Extra”, there are now ammunition types like in Vanguard
- You unlock weapons not through levels but through a kind of weapon tree
- If you play weapons from the tree, you unlock progress there
- There are attachments that you can use directly for every weapon in this tree
- Individual weapons bring unique attachments
- Positive and negative properties are presented more clearly
- Overall, the influence on weapon values is supposed to be even greater
What was particularly exciting were the comparisons of values. This gives you more control and overview of what you give up for a certain advantage. The developers even called it “a game within a game”.
In the example, the properties “Heavy” and “Light” were contrasted. If you make a weapon “heavier” with an attachment, the recoil is lower. If you go for “light” weapons, you get on target faster.
The new gunsmith also provides better accessibility. Since you unlock certain attachments from weapon classes in an “attachment pool”, you do not have to start completely from scratch with new weapons – the pool attachments are available to you directly upon unlocking the weapon.
4. Vehicles – Damage Models and Combat Mechanics
Another heavily expanded mechanic is the vehicles. The animations in Warzone and CoD MW 2019 were rather utilitarian. In CoD MW2, vehicles have the potential to become a fun feature.
You can exit the window during the ride and access the loading area – for example, in a truck. If you just want to fire at enemies, you lean out of the window and have a complete 360° view.
The complete maneuvers can also be carried out by the driver, who was previously relegated to “watching and stepping on the gas” in CoD MW 2019 and Warzone.
Vehicles also have a damage model, but how deep it goes is not yet entirely clear. You can shoot tires, which affects the handling of the vehicles. Doors can also be “removed”, which prevents the occupant from leaning out of the window.
Damage to vehicles can also be repaired if you have somewhat survived the metal fight, but the car looks like it has been through a stock car derby.
In the following gallery, you can see some images from the campaign:
5. Movement Options – Enabling New Tactics
CoD MW 2019 introduced two mechanics, tactic sprinting and weapon placing, which significantly changed the series. With this, CoD finally moved away from jetpack gameplay and focused more on normal, “human” movement mechanics.
For CoD MW2, there are 2 new mechanics again:
- Dive
- Ledge Hang
The “Dive” is basically the opposite action of the “Slide”. Instead of sliding a bit, you lie down flat on your stomach. Sliding remains in the game as well. But it’s not just about quick cover; as an example, it was mentioned that you can also use the dive to jump out of a window quickly.
The “Ledge Hang” expands movement options on ladders or ledges. On a ladder, you can aim your weapon up in CoD MW2, making you no longer unprotected when enemies are above you. Additionally, you can grab and throw down enemies.
The options for peeking at ledges are also improved. This is all under the keyword “Platforming” and significantly expands your options for vertical gameplay.
Further Details – Campaign, Multiplayer, Weapons
The developers have already allowed a decent look at the campaign and introduced 6 missions. The missions were mostly a kind of “showcase” of the new features:
- On an oil rig, you experience the raging sea
- In a stealth mission, there is a lot of swimming
- A chase shows the new vehicle mechanics, and every enemy vehicle can theoretically be taken over
There was also a mission with night vision devices, where an area is infiltrated. This was the hit in CoD MW 2019 and of course cannot be missing in the sequel.
Fans of the series will also be excited about the brief mention of a sniper mission. We crawl with Captain Price in the Ghillie suit through the mission and eliminate important targets – just like in the old Modern Warfare games.
Throughout the missions, we were able to discover some weapons. However, the weapons mostly do not carry the names of their real-world counterparts:
- M16
- K-Bloc
- LACH-56
- Bryson 500
- Expedite 12
- M4 M203
- (DM_MIKE24)
- 1911
- Vector
- AK-47
- .458 Socom
- LMG Fightlight
In multiplayer, CoD wants to focus more on actual playstyles and has put significant thought into how to support the 3 identified playstyles for more gameplay opportunities.
- Rusher: Aggressive player, focus on kills
- Sentinel: Stationary player, focus on safety
- Stalker: Mobile player, focus on tactics
Innovations or changes in gameplay will now always be developed to support the playstyles. The developers hinted that some ideas were discarded because they didn’t fit this approach.
This affects the basic layout of maps as well as general gameplay mechanics like movement or equipment.
Appropriately, 3 new devices have also been announced that will be available in multiplayer:
- Placeable cameras with tracking functions
- The Drill Charge can drill grenades through walls
- A DDOS device can disable enemy equipment and also temporarily disable vehicles
Personal Conclusion: Best Prospects for Warzone 2
Once Modern Warfare 2 is released, it will be the 14th paid title of Call of Duty that I follow as a fan. However, the multiplayer mode was for me, like for so many other players, only interesting for a few weeks, at most a few months.
However, Warzone has captivated me for over a year now.
And even though I’m excited about CoD MW2, I constantly had to think about what possibilities the new features offer for Warzone 2 while going through the information. By the way, the name “Warzone 2” is not final yet.
The developers have repeatedly emphasized that all these features and the technical foundation will also be part of the new Warzone: smarter NPCs, water mechanics, better vehicle feel, more movement techniques, an elaborate gunsmith, new equipment – a lot is in store.
Even if nothing sounds really “revolutionary” or “groundbreaking”, it’s these changes in gameplay detail that determine the feel of a shooter and make a big difference.
This is especially true in a battle royale like Warzone, which takes a more sandbox approach. Every little action, every small mechanic expands my possibilities and allows for new tactics. And with a look at the innovations, I see good prospects.
CoD MW 2019 was the most successful Call of Duty to date, and I find it fitting that the developers are not trying to reinvent the wheel here. It’s “just” going to be a little smoother.
Additionally, I like the new philosophy with different player types and that they want to bring new content and mechanics with an eye on the actual playstyles of players. Although I am wondering how it was done before.
All in all, I am looking forward to the new Modern Warfare 2 and eagerly await more details that will be revealed in the near future. Of course, also more about Warzone 2.
Maik Schneider
Freelance author at MeinMMO
