http://www.carbon5ive.com Clannews von 5IVE de-de 2012 5IVE Fri, 11 May 2012 11:17:07 -0500 Crossphyre The makers of Call of Duty Elite, Beachhead studios, have published the change list for the latest Elite build released on May 1st. Elite has reached 10 million registered users, 2 million of which are premium members, according to the latest figures. Career An updated header for the Career page which now shows clan affiliation and previous title Prestige levels Numerous updates to the Leaderboard Tracker including fixes for viewing another users’ playercards and a KDR display issue. Compete Optimization of Clan Ops leaderboard to provide greater accuracy. Misc. Optimized the invite system for Clans. This corrected an issue where users would sometimes receive a bad invite that couldn’t be accepted. If you are still unable to accept a clan invite, please ask the Clan Leader to send you a new one. Minor update to change which emblems are displayed next to comments/feed items which addresses the issue where some sections of the site displayed the Black Ops rank emblem. Minor optimizations to the News Ticker which now loads faster and is more responsive. Updated localization for several site elements. Slight cleanup of emblem usage throughout the site. http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=16 Thu, 10 May 2012 10:43:14 -0500 Crossphyre Activision: Black Ops 2 will offer disruptive innovation for franchise Activision really wants you to know how much different Black Ops 2 will be compared to every Call of Duty title that came before it. Eric Hirshberg, publishing CEO at Activision, has made some lofty claims about the follow-up to 2010’s record-setting title. "Hands down, this is the most ambitious Call of Duty ever,” he said. "We are bringing disruptive innovation to the franchise and we are doing it on several fronts. Were pushing the boundaries technologically, graphically, and from a narrative and gameplay perspective.” Treyarch’s studio head Mark Lamia joined in on hyping the game, saying, "With Call of Duty: Black Ops II, the team is crafting an experience that Call of Duty fans have never seen before.” Lamia backed up his claims, describing the changes Treyarch was making to the standard Call of Duty formula. "We are challenging assumptions on every front, with the single player campaign, Zombies and multiplayer,” he added. "Running in the multiplayer engine for the first time, Zombies gives players a bigger and more diverse set of gameplay experiences, as well as entirely new ways to wage war with the undead.” If it seems like Activision and Treyarch are really amped for this latest Call of Duty entry, they are, and they should be. The last few entries in the series have all set, and subsequently broken, sales records, and made the publisher and developer an insane amount of money. Whether or not Black Ops II lives up to the hype is another question entirely. We’ll just have to wait until November 13 to find out. SOURCE: Call of Duty: Black Ops II pushes the boundaries of the Call of Duty franchise [Press Release] http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=15 Thu, 10 May 2012 10:31:52 -0500 Crossphyre The team behind Modern Warfare 3 has detailed DLC plans for this month on Xbox 360. In addition to two new spec ops missions and one multiplayer map, a new mode has been revealed. The new mode is called "Face Off,” and is a one-on-one or two-on-two deathmatch mode that can only be played on specific maps coming this month. There are four maps designed for Face Off. The first two are Aground and Erosion, which will be available to everyone on Xbox 360 for free on May 15th, other platforms will follow later. Another two Face Off maps, Getaway and Erosion, will release on the 15th for Elite. Also, Elite players will be able to download a brand new multiplayer map set in Dubai, titled Oasis. On that day, Elite players will also get two new spec ops missions, Iron Clad and Killswitch, the achievements of which were leaked recently. Collection 2, which releases on May 22 for Xbox 360, will pack in: Three multiplayer maps: Oasis, Sanctuary, and Foundation Two spec ops missions: Iron Clad and Killswitch Two Face Off Maps: Getaway and Lookout Speaking to Eurogamer, Modern Warfare 3 executive producer Mark Rubin shed some light on why Face Off will be introduced. He explained, "Normally in itself one-on-one isn’t particularly creatively innovative, but what we’ve done is design the maps deliberately for this style of play. In normal map development you have large maps that have long sight lines, then when you make smaller maps you shorten the sight line – the engagement distance becomes smaller when the map becomes smaller.” "But with these Face-Off maps, because it’s not six-on-six, we’ve made the sight lines longer for the size of the map that it is. You actually end up engaging quicker and having a more exciting experience on the map. You still get a really new feel and experience out of the gameplay; not just the heavy, frantic experience you would get out of a normal multiplayer match. You get more tension build-up on these smaller maps,” he concluded. Here’s the breakdown video from IGN: http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=14 Thu, 10 May 2012 10:26:49 -0500 Crossphyre Modern Warfare 3 Prestige Levels 16 to 20 Added to PC, Soon for PS3 and Xbox 360 Yesterday, Modern Warfare 3 players on PC were treated to a long-overdue DLC bundle, Collection 1. The DLC brought along a patch that added community playlists among other changes. The patch notes haven’t been made public at the time of writing. However, one obvious change is the addition of prestige levels 16 through 20. A few months ago, Infinity Ward added prestige levels 11-15 to the PC version of Modern Warfare 3 along with prestige emblems for levels 16 to 20, which lead us to believe that another 5 prestige levels were on the cards. PS3 and Xbox 360 received the first extra 400 ranks within a few weeks after PC. Currently, the highest prestige level on consoles is 15. Now that another five prestige levels were added to PC, we expect consoles to follow suit soon as it was the case with prestige levels 11 to 15. http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=13 Tue, 08 May 2012 06:28:42 -0500 Crossphyre DICE Promises "12-18 Months" of Value for Battlefield 3; and Details Upcoming DLC, Close Quarters and Armored Kill Close Quarters Lead Designer Niklas Fegraeus and Battlefield 3 Executive Producer/Temporary DICE CEO Patrick Bach talk Battlefield 3 DLC, Close Quarters and Armored Kill, and lay out DICE’s future plan for Battlefield 3. Speaking to VG247, Niklas Fegraeus describes Close Quarters as an ”indoor Battlefield.” To check out some gameplay footage for yourself, make sure to take a peek at the second Close Quarters gameplay trailer. As many already know, Close Quarters will introduce 10 new weapons that can be unlocked by completing assignments and which can also be brought back to Back to Karkand and the original Battlefield 3. ”When we did the research for what guns to include and so on, we have looked at what kind of weapons and weaponry is most suitable for a close combat, indoor environment. You don’t want big guns that get snagged on thing. There’s a compact feel to a lot of it,” explains Fegraeus. So far, only two maps have been revealed: Ziba Tower and Donya Fortress. Fegraeus describes Ziba Tower as a ”luxurious skybar located in central Tehran.” As for Donya fortress, Fegraeus explains that "it’s a bit bigger than the Ziba Tower and it has lots of verticality in it where you can go into the cellar and you can be out in the big water garden. It has some really nice locations.” Both Fegraeus and Bach stressed the importance of vertical gameplay with multiple levels in this particular DLC. Bach went on to describe the newly introduced game mode, Conquest Domination, as "a twist on the classic Conquest mode where you have only three flags. You can’t spawn on the actual flags so it’s a very high-paced version of Conquest that fits these types of environments really, really well.” Bach also promises that ”there’s room for all the classes in these type of maps.” Speaking of the thirdm upcoming expansion pack, Armored Kill, Bach describes it as being on the opposite end of the spectrum. On top strategic gameplay, it also promises to include "big, open landscapes, new vehicles – a lot of vehicles – and focusing on the width and the scale of Battlefield.” It goes without saying that Bach couldn’t go into details regarding exactly what vehicles we will be seeing in Armored Kill, but he did promise a nice "spread in the vehicles,” when referring to selection. Bach wrapped things up with a summary of DICE’s current plans for Battlefield 3: "So the expansion pack called Close Quarters is due to be released in June, and then in fall we’re releaseing the next one, Armored Kill, and then Winter is the only thing I can tell about End Game.” Battlefield 3 fans can expect a long shelf life as Bach explained at last week’s EA European Showcase, ”we at DICE, we only focus on Battlefield. We make sure that if you’re a Battlefield player, there should be plenty of Battlefield for you to spend your days on. And again, we are focusing on giving you 12-18 months of value for Battlefield 3 and the expansion packs we’re releasing.” When asked if End Game would mean the end Battlefield 3, Bach answered with a grin, "I will not answer that question.” Which Battlefield 3 expansion pack are you most looking forward to? http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=12 Tue, 08 May 2012 05:46:21 -0500 Crossphyre Only new maps and missions will be released for Modern Warfare 3. Also, Modern Warfare 3 players might soon receive clan challenges according to a leaked page on Elite. A thread on the Call of Duty forums, where a disgruntled fan is asking for more clarity on the DLC release schedule for Elite members. The user points out that the last two drops were announced and released within a few days. To which an Infinity Ward developer stated, "we’ll attempt to give you a better heads up on release timing moving forward. One of the issues we face is we sometimes don’t receive release date notification from the first parties and internal QA until late in the day.” This month paid Elite members on Xbox 360 players can expect four maps to hit the platform, June for PS3. You might think that classic maps might be thrown in the mix, but don’t fret as Infinity Ward promises that paid DLC is only comprised of new maps, missions, and such. The developer assured, ”I can confirm that paid DLC will consist of all new maps, missions etc.” It’s worth noting that the former creative strategist Robert Bowling wanted to release old maps to fans for free, outside of the DLC model. Some classics were rumored to be found in the game’s files. Clan challenges were initially promised to be one of Elite’s features, and it’s been a while since we heard of them. Daily Clan Challenges Earn Clan XP and badges for acquiring specified MW3 accolades a certain number of times throughout the day. Awards are delivered within a few hours of completing the challenge. Daily Challenges begin every day at 12:00 AM PST, lasting through 11:59 PM PST. Free and premium clan members contribute to each day’s challenge. Weekly Clan Challenges Earn Clan XP and badges for hitting cumulative MW3 milestones across total kills, headshots, assists or score. Awards are delivered within a few hours of completing the challenge. Each challenge begins every Monday starting at 12:00 AM PST, lasting through the following Sunday at 11:59 PM PST. Free and premium clan members contribute to each week’s challenge. http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=11 Tue, 08 May 2012 05:31:16 -0500 Crossphyre Treyarch studio head, Mark Lamia unveils the future of Black Ops 2 Zombies.For all you zombie fans out there, don’t worry Treyarch has been listening to you all and understand that you want more zombies in the game. Treyarch’s Mark Lamia has revealed that Zombies have now been placed inside their multiplayer engine. According to Mark, this allowed them to craft new "worlds”, create "new game modes” and have a "bigger world.” Expect there to be twice as many zombies and twice as many players. After all, Lamia recently stated that Black Ops 2 Zombies mode is the studios "biggest, most-ambitious zombies ever.”"There are actually new modes,” Lamia told Playstation Magazine. "There’s classic mode that you guys are used to but there are going to be new modes. [Twice as many co-op players] introduces some interesting new gameplay modes. Perhaps you can think of some team game modes where there might be fun to be had?”Yesterday, we reported on some leaked images that show a story mode coming to Black Ops 2 Zombies, which might be the new modes Lamia is teasing.Seems like Treyarch is stepping up with improvements, and will hopefully bring some huge changes to the Call of Duty series. With that said, what Zombie mode would you like to see happen? http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=10 Tue, 05 Jul 2011 07:56:51 -0500 Crossphyre Though Gears of War 3 isnt scheduled to ship until September, an early build of the games single-player campaign has leaked to the Internet, causing a flood of spoiler-filled videos to surface on YouTube.No word yet on how this early build was obtained, but Microsoft said its working with various security teams."We have seen the reports of Gears of War 3 content being propped on the Web and working closely with our security teams and law enforcement to address the situation," Microsoft said in a statement given to IGN."This content is not from a final build and is not representative of what fans will enjoy when the game launches."Microsofts major release last September, Halo: Reach, was also leaked to the web a few months early. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArNzhsANQ1k[/youtube] http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=7 Thu, 30 Jun 2011 11:48:23 -0500 Crossphyre Posted on BF3 Blog, DICEs Lars Gustavson talks about DICEs approach to multiplayer in BF3: [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aPu7-LtLKmU[/youtube] When Lars Gustavsson received the mission to lead the design of the multiplayer portion of Battlefield 3, his thoughts went to the fans of the predecessor, 2005’s Battlefield 2. He also knew the time was ripe to open up the game to a wider audience. Hi Lars! What was the initial design goal you and the team set for Battlefield 3 multiplayer?-- We thought a lot about Battlefield 2 and how Battlefield 3 would relate to it. The mindset at DICE during the development of Battlefield 2 was pretty much: "Play the game our way, or play something else”. Now, we have made a conscious effort to reverse that mentality. The goal with Battlefield 3 is to offer a vast variety of gameplay experiences and to be inviting to everyone. We’re not telling you how to play the game. You choose. How will that be apparent in Battlefield 3?-- Part of it is in the variety of game modes and the types of environments you can play in -- from the wide open battlefields that people learned to love in Battlefield 2, to the urban gritty maps with their tighter gameplay focus. Combining these two elements and adding destruction and our social Battlelog hub in the same package is something I believe no one else is capable of – and that just makes it doubly entertaining for me to deliver on! Where did the "play our way” mentality come from and how did the change come about?-- I think it emanated from the pride in the unique game modes we created at DICE, like Conquest and Rush. We’re still super proud of them, but going into Battlefield 3 we had a frank discussion about our mindset. We discussed the strengths of Battlefield and ended up with a lot of interesting questions. Does teamplay have to be squad based, or can it be in a more general sense of playing together? Am I less of a gamer if I don’t want to play in squads? If I want Team Deathmatch? If I want infantry only gameplay? That discussion really was an eye-opener and has changed how we view ourselves and what we set out to do with Battlefield 3. Battlefield 3 is going to be our best Battlefield yet. The Frostbite 2 game engine not only lets us build spectacular multiplayer maps – it also lets us populate those maps with wildly differing kinds of environments. The classic Battlefield multiplayer map would be an open type terrain, fit for tanks, helicopters, and other vehicles to take part in the action. Now, we will take the fight to dense urban environments as well, painting a stark contrast to the more open rural gameplay. At E3 this year, we brought the Rush mode map Operation Mtro for visitors to play hands-on. In many ways, this map illustrates our multiplayer design philosophy for Battlefield 3. Operation Mtro starts out in a lush, rolling park outside of the Paris city center. As the attackers push forward and take out the two enemy installations, this is when a normal multiplayer mode in a normal game would end. In Battlefield 3, this is just the beginning of a much larger journey; a journey taking you through a number of distinct and varying environments, each tasking you to re-evaluate your combat tactics and loadouts on the go. http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=6 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 14:25:52 -0500 Crossphyre The next DLC for Black Ops is scheduled to be released on XBL tomorrow June 28th. While the trailer does look good and promises big things in terms of map design, I for one am getting tired of paying $15 every other month for more maps. This map pack should be at a reduced price or free even. Especially if you consider that if you bought all three map packs you would have shelled out $45 for just maps, no new game types, weapons, or any other incentives. While I will pick it up, I am about to give Activision my last dollar. Enjoy the video! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbcc4cXONso[/youtube] http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=5 Mon, 27 Jun 2011 03:03:43 -0500 Crossphyre Watch the video below as Anja Stroud explains the new changes to Horde mode. From the sounds of things, this is shaping up to be the best survival type gameplay of all the games out there. The fact that they allow you to purchase upgrades from money earned from kills is a nice twist. [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wS4MSP6kFHQ[/youtube] http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=4 Thu, 23 Jun 2011 03:24:44 -0500 Crossphyre EAs webshow PWNED recently went behind the scenes in Stockholm, Sweden to give us a better idea of what went into BF3 and what to expect from it. I must say that I am currently more impressed with this game than any other game scheduled to come out this year! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PXaFw7aC9GE[/youtube] http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=3 Wed, 15 Jun 2011 15:02:02 -0500 Crossphyre Originally scheduled for the World Premiere during Game 6 of the Eastern Conference Finals, when the Heat eliminated the Bulls in Game 5, Epic had to go to Plan B: A watch party with release on Facebook. This action-packed trailer provides a little more background to the storyline, but still leaves us with lots of questions. Enjoy! [youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mawFwSMhM1g[/youtube] http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=2 Thu, 09 Jun 2011 13:47:54 -0500 Crossphyre Is Activision going to charge you to play online? "No." That is the answer to the question many have been wondering: Is Activision going to start a subscription service for Call of Duty similar to World of Warcraft? For the foreseeable future, once you pay $60 for a new Call of Duty game, you can play it online until your little trigger fingers fall off at no extra cost.What Activision is going to ask you to pay for is a better way to connect with Call of Duty players and improve your game. This fall, Activision will launch Call of Duty: Elite. Its being developed by Beachhead, the new studio Activision announced it had formed earlier this year (although Elite has apparently been in development for two years). Elite isnt a game. Its a service meant to enrich Call of Dutys multiplayer experience. http://www.carbon5ive.com/news/?action=show&id=1