Hey gang! I’m back with another update on the latest installment in the Call of Duty series – Call of Duty: World at War. Another muzzle (so to speak) has been lifted allowing the community members that were present at the ‘Community First Look’ in Santa Monica to further discuss some of the things we saw/experienced.

Today I am pleased to tell you that I can discuss two more of the single player levels that we took a look at while we were at the Treyarch Studios.

The first one I am going to discuss has been referred to during development as ‘PBY’ – probably largely due to the fact that most of the mission surrounds you in a PBY Catalina. The PBY Catalina was an American flying boat of the 1930s and 1940s. It could be equipped with depth charges, bombs, torpedoes, and .50 caliber Browning machineguns and was one of the most widely used multi-role aircraft of World War II. PBYs served with every branch of the US military and in the air forces and navies of many other nations. In World War II, PBYs were used as anti-submarine warfare aircraft, patrol bombers, convoy escorts, search and rescue aircraft, and transports.

When I realized that Treyarch was in development of a flying mission in CoD: WW, I had immediate thoughts that this might just be a re-hash of the bomber mission in Call of Duty: United Offensive. While what we saw was not the finished level, I was pleased to see that [in my opinion] not only was this far beyond what GreyMatter accomplished in the bomber mission (single player) of CoD: UO, but was also more environmentally involved than the AC-130 (Death From Above) mission (single player) of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare.

The internet community has been aware of the existence of ‘some sort of mission’ surrounding the PBY ever since the ‘leak’ of information by the UK magazine. While at the Treyarch Studios in Santa Monica, we bore witness to ‘the flying boat’ on a patrol mission – and subsequently we watched a convoy of Japanese boats literally get cut to pieces by the guns of the PBY. Again, the improvements to the game engine came shining through as the water, fire and physics modules each did their part to immerse the player in the battle. Real-time fire reflections on the ocean swells, damage explosions and gibs, as well as dynamic lighting from searchlights/spotlights were some of the main attractions. Later in the mission, the PBY explores another of its typical WWII uses, as you embark on a search and rescue flight.

One of the more outstanding features was how visually stunning and realistic everything in this level was. For modeling purposes, a full scale mock-up (accurate to something crazy like 1/16th of an inch) was fabricated to perform motion capture, accurate animations and model movement, as well as to aid in scripting of the storyline and storyboarding. Dom Drozdz (Animation Director for Treyarch) and Marvin Rojas (Senior Animator for Treyarch) showed us how easy that this large scale model made their job – and allowed them to concentrate resources on the little details that make everything believable in the finished project since the large details were taken care of completely (on a large scale) by having the full scale model. An example of the little details is the roll of toilet paper by the crapper… it is actually modeled in. When playing this level, have a look at the characters hands and feet as you move through plane – and how nothing is out of place.

The second level I am pleased that I can now discuss has to do with the Russian campaign. We were allowed to previously discuss factions, so it is widely known that the European Front of Call of Duty: World at War will involve the culminating battle of the Russians push into Berlin. By this point in the war, the mighty German war machine that had once dominated the battlefields was being pushed back by an increasingly bitter (Russian) army. As the story unfolds, the bitterness that the Red Army feels towards the Germans for what has occurred in the war is realized as you experience the struggle for freedom. The Germans, back on their heels, have now become desperate to not lose Berlin and fight with ferocity – equally matched by the hunger of the Russians to cleanse the land of the ‘Fascists.’

You start the level in a post destruction daze, and are taught how to hunt while being hunted. I witnessed bullet penetration in this level – not only through materials, but through enemy as well. Again, beautifully done level design immerses you in a cat and mouse fight for survival in the ruins of ‘The Motherland.’ While sneaking and sniping seemed to be prevalent, the grand destruction leads me to believe that heavy vehicles and the (hehe) flamethrower will almost certainly make an appearance in the European campaign of Call of Duty: World at War.

That’s all for this installment – if you want more information, have a listen to http://www.modsonair.com/2008/06/23/modsonair-special-codww-episode/ or check out the forums at http://www.modsonline.com. The forums are also up at http://www.callofduty.com/hub.

Cheers
StrYdeR