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Call of Duty: Black Ops Update Released

cCiTiLL — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 22:58:45 +0000

Updates to Call of Duty: Black Ops have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

Call of Duty: Black Ops

Improved stability for Zombies, Multiplayer, and Dedicated Servers.
Fixed server hitching when client is kicked for inactivity.
Added server browser Filter for DLC.
Quickmatch will prioritize servers running only the maps you own.
Addressed various MP and Zombies exploits.
Addition of the “Dolly Cam” editing mode in Theater.
Improved reliability of Recent Game films saving properly.
Connectivity improvements for Zombies.
Added ability to remove Counter Spy-Plane effects with the Jammer.
Players that put an enemy into Second Chance are now credited with a kill when the downed player is killed or takes the 'coward's way out'.
Players will no longer receive any “hitmarkers” for shooting friendly equipment.
Addressed an issue with switching classes while using a Chopper Gunner / Gunship.
Disable player movement sounds when Ninja perk is equipped.
Players can no longer “spawn tube” with the China Lake at the beginning of a match.
Additional fine-tuning of audio levels for bomb plants/defuses.
Headshot “ping” is now only audible if enemy dies.
Limit the ability to re-roll supply drops using Hardline Pro to Care Packages only, no other killstreak drops.
Addressed an issue where the incorrect perks would appear when spectating another player under certain circumstances.
RC-XD adjustments.
Addressed an issue with calling in Chopper Gunner / Gunship immediately after being shot down from a previous one.
Various improvements to Multiplayer and Zombies leaderboards.

Rcon 1.0.4.0

First Strike DLC support added

Call Of Duty: Black Ops First Strike Map Pack Now Available For PC

cCiTiLL — Fri, 25 Mar 2011 22:58:17 +0000

PC Black Ops players can finally purchase the First Strike map pack today, adding "Berlin Wall," "Stadium," "Discovery," "Kowloon", and Zombie level "Ascension" to their arsenal for $14.99.

Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike PC release in March

cCiTiLL — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 12:12:02 +0000

Activision have revealed that the First Strike map pack for Call of Duty: Black Ops will be out on PC by the end of March. Activision have also set up a new company devoted to creating new DLC for Call of Duty. Read on for details and the First Strike trailer.

Activision made the reveal when announcing its quarterly financial results last night. They mentioned that the pack would be out on PC this financial quarter, which ends in March. Activision also announced the formation of a new company devoted exclusively to creating digital downloads for Call of Duty. The team will be called Beachhead, and have been tasked with creating "best in class digital experience for Call of Duty." It looks as though we can look forward to more Call of Duty: Black Ops map packs and expansions in future.

First Strike contains four new multiplayer maps and a new "zombie experience."

Stadium - competitive map set in an Ice Hockey rink.
Kowloon - multiplayer map that takes place on the rooftops of Kowloon
Berlin Wall - A multiplayer fight for checkpoint Charlie.
Discovery - A competitive map set in an Antarctic research facility, based on the Reznov mission from the singleplayer campaign.
Ascension - New zombie map with new weapons and creatures to fight.

Double XP this Weekend in Call of Duty: Black Ops

cCiTiLL — Sat, 05 Feb 2011 16:00:29 +0000

This weekend, Treyarch is hosting its first "Double XP" multiplayer event in its commercial smash-hit Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Though the event was surely scheduled to coincide with the release of the game's first downloadable content pack, players on all platforms are invited to the additional experience. The DLC pack, "First Strike," is currently only available on the Xbox 360.

Running today (it has already begun) through February 7 at 8am (PT), Black Ops soldiers on the PC, PS3, Wii, and Xbox 360 can earn the bonus experience.

Call of Duty: Black Ops double XP weekend starts this Friday

cCiTiLL — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:47:37 +0000

Play some Call of Duty: Black Ops multiplayer this weekend you'll level up twice as fast. The first Call of Duty: Black Ops bonanza weekend starts this Friday, which means you take home twice as much experience for every kill.

A note on Twitter from Treyarch Community Manager Josh Olin confirmed that this weekend will be a big one for Call of Duty: Black Ops players, saying "The first ever #CODBlackOps Double-XP Weekend will be Feb. 4th - 6th on all platforms."

The weekend celebrates the release of the First Strike map pack. There's still no news as to whether or not the DLC will be coming to PC, but we can still reap the benefits of the free weekend.

In other Black Ops news, Treyarch recently promised an incoming fix for the theatre mode problems that many players have experienced after the latest patch. A UK consumer group have reported Activision to the Office of Fair Trading for releasing Call of Duty: Black Ops in a buggy state.

Black Ops' Newest Four Maps in Action, Plus Zombies!

cCiTiLL — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:47:06 +0000

Call of Duty: Black Ops' four newest maps add a healthy mix of new places to run and gun, hide and shoot, play and kill. Here's a first-hand play-through.

I spent a few hours yesterday playing around with Call of Duty: Black Ops First Strike maps for the Xbox 360 in Training Grounds, pitting myself against AI controlled players since the pack wasn't releasing until today.

Kowloon, inspired by the Hong Kong mission found in the game's single player campaign, was one of my favorite in the pack. This deceptively complex map is packed into a relatively small space. While the map's biggest draw for me initially were the two zip lines that bisect the level, it's the rat's nest of walkways, ladders, apartments and rooftops that hooked me. This is the sort of map that's going to take awhile to master, especially when taking on a group of talented players.

The zip lines were slightly disappointing, because of the size of the map. The pay off of getting from the middle to the outer edge of the area often wasn't worth the risk of dangling like a pinata for anyone to take shots at. It was fun to play a bit of chicken though.

Discovery, set in an antarctic research station, seems to be one of the largest of the set. It was a bit disappointing to learn that while the map is indeed divided by a deep chasm there are more than collapsible ice bridges to get across the ravine. In fact, there's only one ice bridge, and it's not too easy to collapse. If you can get past that, the map is a worthwhile addition to the game.

Spread out over a collection of quonset huts, gantries, and walkways, Discovery offers plenty of opportunities for tactical take-downs and strategy. What initially feels like a pretty flat level ends up having a surprising amount of depth because of the chasm, which you can drop down next to to get to that ice bridge.

Berlin Wall is a very different map from the rest you'll find in Black Ops multiplayer, mostly because of those deadly no-man's land sections that split the level. These sections, marked in red on the map and with warning signs in the virtual world, are protected by towers bristling with automatic machine guns. You can actually survive a few hits and the guns don't automatically hit you, so in theory you may be able to run your way through a section to safety, but I'm not sure if it would be worth it. Once you step in the warning area sirens sound, letting everyone on the map know there's someone in that area.

There are three crossing points from East to West, two wide areas located at the edges of the map and a thin trail going through the center, none of these crossings have much cover. Each side is packed with buildings great for hiding and ambushing as well as a few solid sniping spots. It's a wonderfully different map.

One thing I found myself doing early on was forgetting to look left and right when I ran through those safe channels, because on some level I thought of them as essentially walls. Of course someone can easily snipe you from across the map if you're not paying attention.

Finally, there's Stadium, my least favorite of the set. The map is built around an ice hockey stadium and rink, though you can't go on the ice. It's a fairly bland looking map with a lot of opens spaces surrounding by buildings and hiding spots. Not my cup of tea.

First Strike also comes with a new zombie coop map called Ascension. The level drops you down into a missile silo and has you fighting your way out of it, unlocking doors to try and make your way to the power switch located on the roof.

It is, so far, my favorite of the zombie maps.

Still no word on when or if this pack is hitting the PC and PS3, but it should be available today (if it isn't already) for the Xbox 360 for 1,200 Microsoft Points, or about $15.

Treyarch working on Call of Duty: Black Ops theatre mode problem

cCiTiLL — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 15:45:39 +0000

Ever since the last patch, many players have reported problems with the theatre mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops. Users logging in now are currently unable to see any videos made before the patch. Treyarch have responded to say that they are looking into the problem now.

Users on the Steam forums have been reporting the problem. Currently, many people searching for old game replays are currently getting a connection error when trying to access to the Treyarch server. In response to a question on Twitter, Treyarch Community Manager Josh Olin mentioned that Treyarch are aware of the problem and are working on fixing it, saying "Yes, last I heard the PC team is looking into this one." It's not yet known whether old videos are completely lost, but hopefully the problem will be corrected soon.

Call of Duty: Black Ops patch improves stability

cCiTiLL — Sat, 22 Jan 2011 13:48:18 +0000

The latest Call of Duty: Black Ops patch addresses stability issues and spruces up the interface so that you'll be able to see your team mates on the minimap more easily. Read the full patch notes below.

The patch will be applied automatically through Steam the next time you start your game up. Here are the changes made by the latest update.

General fixes

MP Audio stuttering on certain systems.
Playercards sometimes not showing properly.
Added three Private Match Server Settings: Team Change, Team-Up Period, and Keep Balanced Teams.
Added Alternate Color Scheme for accessibility: Settings / Multiplayer / Player Name Indicator.
Changed Team-Up Period countdown interval to 10 seconds.
Combat Training sessions are no longer counted in Server Browser Unranked tab.
Friends on your team will now show as blue on your minimap.
Prevention of various exploits.
Objective markers localized for all languages.
Various stability improvements

Call of Duty: Black Ops Rcon Tool

Recognize new "invalid password" server response

In other Call of Duty: Black Ops news, a team of hackers was recently caught using a medical server storing hundreds of thousands of patient details to host their games. On a lighter note, why not check out our pick of the 8 funniest Call of Duty: Black Ops kills?

Call of Duty: Black Ops Update Released

cCiTiLL — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 11:27:26 +0000

Updates to Call of Duty: Black Ops have been released. The updates will be applied automatically when your Steam client is restarted. The major changes include:

Call of Duty: Black Ops

* MP Audio stuttering on certain systems.
* Playercards sometimes not showing properly.
* Added three Private Match Server Settings: Team Change, Team-Up Period, and Keep Balanced Teams.
* Added Alternate Color Scheme for accessibility: Settings / Multiplayer / Player Name Indicator.
* Changed Team-Up Period countdown interval to 10 seconds.
* Combat Training sessions are no longer counted in Server Browser Unranked tab.
* Friends on your team will now show as blue on your minimap.
* Prevention of various exploits.
* Objective markers localized for all languages.
* Various stability improvements

Call of Duty: Black Ops Rcon Tool

* Recognize new "invalid password" server response

Call of Duty: Black Ops 'First Strike' DLC Teased

cCiTiLL — Wed, 19 Jan 2011 14:38:43 +0000

On February 1, Call of Duty: Black Ops will welcome its first downloadable content: the "First Strike" map pack. As a short teaser, developer Treyarch has released a new video featuring a glimpse at the upcoming content.

Arriving first on the Xbox 360, the pack adds four standard multiplayer maps and one Zombie-mode specific setting. First Strike will be available for 1200MS Points ($15).