OVERVIEW
CALL OF DUTY: BLACK OPS COLD WAR is a military themed first-person shooter featuring CAMPAIGN, MULTIPLAYER and ZOMBIES survival modes. Co-developed by TREYARCH, BLACK OPS COLD WAR released in 2020 for Xbox One/X/S, PlayStation 4/5, and PC.
ROLE
As a mid-level Designer at TREYARCH, I scripted levels in the cooperative ZOMBIES mode of BLACK OPS COLD WAR. I had to be self-sufficient as an individual contributor in creating content with the development tools of TREYARCH’s T9 game engine, including their proprietary version of the Radiant level editor and GSC, their proprietary C-based scripting language.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The ZOMBIES mode of BLACK OPS COLD WAR is split between traditional “ROUND-BASED” levels and open-world OUTBREAK levels. In ROUND-BASED ZOMBIES, players attempt to survive as many rounds as possible of fending off the zombie horde by opening up the level to access more powerful weapons and perks as the rounds get progressively harder. In the brand new ZOMBIES OUTBREAK, players explore large, open worlds and attempt to complete as many objectives as possible with hotzones of wandering zombies impeding their progress. A unique aspect of CALL OF DUTY’s ZOMBIES mode compared to similar games is that the quests are actually hidden as secret “Easter Eggs” with nothing more than vague clues to follow. There is even an intricate MAIN QUEST culminating in a boss fight and story ending to beat each ROUND-BASED level and another for ZOMBIES OUTBREAK.
I worked on 4 of the 8 OUTBREAK levels and 1 of the 4 ROUND-BASED levels in BLACK OPS COLD WAR: ZOMBIES. My specific responsibilities on each level are outlined below. . .
FORSAKEN – A traditional ZOMBIES level taking place in a Russian training site with a mock American town.
Example Gameplay by NoahJ456
I was primarily responsible for scripting the entire introductory quest:
– Pack-A-Punch Quest | Quick Walkthrough by MrRoflWaffles
In particular, the Pack-A-Punch Quest in FORSAKEN had some unique features requiring custom gameplay systems, which I was responsible for implementing:
– “Accelerated” rounds during Enter Facility & Survive Steps
– player-specific objectives based on location and nearest teleporter along shortest path
I was also responsible for setting up integration of all gameplay systems used throughout the level:
– fast travel
– navmesh zones & zombie spawns*
– door/debris zone gates*
– mystery boxes, weapon buys, perk buys, and other buys*
– location volumes*
– player spawns*
And character dialog based on quest progress:
– Pack-A-Punch Quest VO
* initial setup/blockout only
ZOMBIES OUTBREAK – an objective-based, open-world ZOMBIES mode taking place across interconnected levels.
DUGA | Example Gameplay by Jasonator DM3
A level within ZOMBIES OUTBREAK that takes place in a Russian radar array.
ZOO | Example Gameplay by Jasonator DM3
A level within ZOMBIES OUTBREAK that takes place in a Russian animal theme park.
COLLATERAL | Example Gameplay by Jasonator DM3
A level within ZOMBIES OUTBREAK that takes place in an African oil drilling site.
ARMADA | Example Gameplay by Jasonator DM3
A level within ZOMBIES OUTBREAK that takes place in the aftermath of a naval battle on the Black Sea.
On all of these levels, each of which ranges from large-to-massive in scale, I was responsible for integrating scripted spawning systems throughout the level:
– radial hotzones & zombie spawns
– player spawns & infil cutscenes