New Q&A with Jimmy!

[Rissole25]

Here's the article: http://www.g4tv.com/thefeed/blog/post/7 ... new-modes/

I've highlighted some important parts.

How large and how small do the new maps get compared to previous Zombies maps? How many will there be to start with?

Zielinski: Within Zombies, there are three different dimensions of play: Tranzit (the story mode), Survival (classic Zombies gameplay) and Grief. Across the board, this Zombies experience is the biggest, most ambitious to date and provides players with a huge world to explore and survive.

The story mode, Tranzit is a huge map with a number of different areas to explore, all of which are connected by a bus route. The bus route is also part of the world and can be explored, either on foot, or by bus, which travels to each of the areas of the map. You’ll meet a few new characters, some new zombies and fight them off using weapons ranging from new near-future weapons, some faithful stand-bys and a few wunderweapons. Ultimately, strategy is the name of the game here.

When playing Survival, the team has taken the individual areas and tailored them for classic survival play. The individual Survival areas are adaptations of the locations in Tranzit, but they’ve been designed to accommodate survival-style play.

Finally, there’s Grief, or what we like to call “4Z4.” There are two human teams that go head-to-head; however, they can’t kill one another – they can only fight to repel the oncoming zombie horde. The name of this game is “last man standing” – whoever is left, that team wins. So to achieve this, we provide some griefing mechanics that enable teams to “encourage “zombies to cast their attention on the other team. If used properly, the other team won’t be able to overcome the zombie attack and the remaining team will be left victorious.

Between Tranzit, Survival and Grief, there is an absolute ton of gameplay here – Zombies is really its own stand-alone game.

Progression and profile-building has been a hallmark of the Call of Duty series since Modern Warfare, and it's something that Zombies fans have been hoping to see more of. How will TranZit, Grief, and Survival, separately or together, provide that sense of investment outside of leaderboards?

People play Zombies and have no possibility of ever really wining; length of survival is the only real victory. This shows great investment on the part of Zombies players. This was our motivation and direction on how we should honor that commitment. Rank in Zombies is a “live” reflection of the player actual skill in Zombies. It will rise and fall as the player’s abilities increase or decrease in game. This allows the community to see just what a particular player might bring to the team. This also allows us to match make based on skill and create better teams, which means better more consistent games. And with everything Zombies, there is also a bit of mystery embedded in the ranking system so fans might discover something extra as well.

Calling TranZit a "campaign" in a Call of Duty game carries certain structural implications, but Zombies mode has always been more open-ended than that. Can you talk about the ways in which TranZit's structure as a campaign experience differs from the core Black Ops 2 campaign mode?

We’re not calling it a campaign; rather, we’re calling it a Story Mode. For us, a Call of Duty campaign is about an entertainment experience, complete with a story arc, characters, rising and falling actions. Zombies fiction isn’t that neat and tidy kind of script – in fact, many times, what makes Zombies fiction so much fun are the questions that are left and the passionate discussion around them by the community. In the Zombies story mode, let’s just say that if you joined us for Moon, you’ll find that a number of decisions that you made in the past will follow you into the apocalyptic setting you find yourself in here. We’ll introduce you to some new characters and set you on a journey, but you’ll still be left with more questions than answers. As you set out to find those answers, you become a participant in the ultimate creation of Zombies fiction. To us, that’s what makes Zombies so special.

The bus presents some interesting possibilities. Based on what we've seen, it reminds me of the opening section of Black Ops' Moon map, a sort of appetite teaser to get you set for the main course. Is that an accurate comparison? How does the bus do things differently?

The bus is what you make of it. The bus is not simply a onetime event; rather, it’s an ongoing decision for players; stay or go? Go on foot or ride the bus? And with every decision in Zombies there can be rewards or death. It can be as helpful as a bus can be, getting from place to place; it also comes with risk and challenge.

Talk more about the buildables. Are these restricted to items that individual characters can carry? What kinds of things can you piece together?

We don’t want to get too deep in to buildables, what they are, what they do etc. – we want fans to be able to discover that for themselves. What we can say is that there are items in the world – various parts of the world – that can be combined and used to help you achieve tasks, open new areas, and so on. Some can be carried by characters, while others – well, you’re just going to have to wait to find out.

Is the Mystery Box still around? Perk-a-Cola machines? Wonder weapons?! Where do these fit in?

All these features are part of the bread and butter of Zombies and fans can surely expect their return, albeit with a few twists and some surprises …

Zombies mode has developed something of a reputation for its sprawling Easter eggs. I see some of that alive and well in TranZit's move to focus on a story, which has always been a core feature in your Easter eggs. But can fans still expect to pore over message boards and come together to puzzle as a group over figuring out some elaborate, deeply buried treasure hunt?

Absolutely, and I think that this goes back to what makes Zombies so special in the first place. Zombies Easter eggs and side quests factor significantly in making the mode so special. It’s that passionate discussion around the various Easter eggs that connect the Zombies community in a special way, but then they spin up on the fiction: what they know, what they don’t, what they can piece together. Then there’s our favorite, which is when fans take the discussion in a direction that we never saw coming. But that’s all part of the deal and what makes Zombies such an interesting phenomenon.

Is Survival mode a literal carbon-copy of the Zombies mode we've seen in past games? In what ways has it changed? Is making crawlers still a viable strategy?

The play spaces are cut from the larger Tranzit map, and have been retooled with new layouts and features sets that create a unique experience from the story mode. As a result of more confined game spaces, as well as the strategies that they entail, Survival mode maps will challenge players while staying true to the Zombies mechanics that made the mode so popular to begin with.

Please... just one, tiny hint: will we hear Richtofen's shrill, heavily accented voice again?

Sorry, you’ll need to wait and see!

What are your thoughts on this guys and gals?

We've got ranking now in Zombies, and it's gonna help us find more consistent matches ultimately. I love it. Not mention some surprises in the ranking system itself

Seems like the buildables can't all be carried. I assume the bus or horses will be needed.

Multiple Wonder Weapons for Tranzit looks good. But I wonder if they'll all be OHKO?

Few twists and surprises with the perks and such. I wonder what they'll be?

[MysteryMachineX]

This was cool and unexpected. My reaction by question:

#1: Eh. I was hoping for something a bit more than just pieces of a big map. Is TranZit going to have many Juggernog machines or are some maps not going to have them? Something that's interesting is that some weapons will be fictional but not Wonder Weapons. That actually might necessitate re-defining what "Wonder Weapon" actually means.

#2: I know a lot of people aren't going to like that. But I think it seems nice from what I see so far.

#3: Woo. More questions than answers. =_= Eh, I kinda expect that from them.

#4: I feel like they're giving me too much info right here. I would've liked to play the game and go "I wonder if I can go without the bus. Oh my! I can! Look at me! AHHHH ZOMBIES IN THE TUNNEL!!! THIS WAS A MISTAKE!!!! AAHHKKCCLLHjgkgs.g. ..."

#5: Hm? So are there going to be pieces of the buildables that are unmovable? Like you have to bring all but one of the pieces to the location of the last piece? Or something? And what would be the point in that? So many questions.

#6: Surprises? Good ones? Bad ones? Weird ones? D:

#7: That's us

#8: I'd be upset if we couldn't make crawlers. D:

#9: He means "Yes".

Btw, I have to disagree with which ones you think are important. Anyhow, thanks for posting this.

[bbobs2]

:shock: Thank you sooooooo much! Brilliant!

Some can be carried by characters, while others – well, you’re just going to have to wait to find out.

What if we need to make something to move something bigger? So the more you build the better rewards you get

albeit with a few twists and some surprises …

YEAH! TWISTS, I really hope some ideas were taken from the forum earlier this year, there were some really good ones.

I'm liking the new progression system, hopefully the rank isn't just dependant on kills & deaths but more on revives (oh please) headshots and all that good stuff.

I'm not too sure about being able to make decisions... I'll be the one standing inbetween the bus door "What do I do...should I stay or should I go?", I'm really indecisive :/

[Flammenwerfer]

Oh geez, really tipping the excitement meter with this one!

3 weeks...only 3 more weeks...

[PINNAZ]

I'm wondering if there will be different Mystery Hunts/Easter Eggs in both TranZit Story mode & Survival mode that both relate to the overall story? I tend to think there will be.

Thanks heaps for posting this!

[Lenne]

*.*

Perks with a twist?

That sounds interesting.

3 weeeeeeeeeeeks

[Rissole25]

No worries guys, I was registering a free Elite account when someone in the CoD Forums actually posted it, so I thought why not bring a copy over here?

@MMX I didn't highlight all important parts, but which one/s did you think were unimportant? I just chose them because they more or less shocked me and I thought might shock others as well haha.

With the perks, etc, twists, I'm thinking they're more graphic differences/design overhauls than anything. Only a guess though, as I'm not really sure what they could do with them without affecting it's original purpose/formula.

I like how they ask for one tiny hint about Richtofen, and he still didn't give an answer. That sly Zelinski... :lol:

[Reddonkeyham]

Shame, whats the point in interviewing Jimmy Z if were not gonna get new info...

[Shooter]

Nice. Just seems to confirm a lot of the stuff Lamia has already told us. Good to get a more solid confirmation though.

Less than 3 weeks and counting! We're almost there folks! :)

[AlphaSnake]

Arh, Mr Zielinski, like the brother I never had...

Still can't wait for this, it has been too long.

Zombies is in a world of it's own, always has been.

Richtofen will return, this is good news. (Read between the lines)

Regards Alpha.

[FatedTitan]

Sounds to me like the buildable that can't be moved could be the radio tower. Tower of Babble.

[Kill_All_Monkeys]

I'm assuming the new twists on perks, PaP, e.t.c will have something to do with the achievement/trophy where it says "obtain 2 perks without turning the power on", or something like that.

[TheDunbarian]

#1: Eh. I was hoping for something a bit more than just pieces of a big map. Is TranZit going to have many Juggernog machines or are some maps not going to have them?

Remember that he said each section of the map will be tailored into a survival map, not just ripped straight out of it. My guess is that the perks will be spread widely throughout TranZit, but each specific survival map will have all of the perks - or at least Juggernog. Also, remember that we're getting Nuketown - and possibly Green Run - as maps specific to survival mode.

I like the sound of the ranking system, especially that it rises and lowers according to your performance. Finally, a ranking system that can actually separate the men from the boys, and not just show how long you've been playing the game ;)

[MysteryMachineX]

#1: Eh. I was hoping for something a bit more than just pieces of a big map. Is TranZit going to have many Juggernog machines or are some maps not going to have them?

Remember that he said each section of the map will be tailored into a survival map, not just ripped straight out of it. My guess is that the perks will be spread widely throughout TranZit, but each specific survival map will have all of the perks - or at least Juggernog. Also, remember that we're getting Nuketown - and possibly Green Run - as maps specific to survival mode.

I like the sound of the ranking system, especially that it rises and lowers according to your performance. Finally, a ranking system that can actually separate the men from the boys, and not just show how long you've been playing the game

You're right. I think us story guys should establish straight away that if there is a conflict in anything found in the maps from TranZit to Survival, that, since the TranZit maps are "the story mode", TranZit should always have precedence over Survival. So, for example, story-wise, the Perk machines would be far in few between, with the additional ones merely gameplay mechanics. Of course, I can't say any of that with absolute certainty until the game is released.

[Reddonkeyham]

Do you think when this maps are used as Survival Maps do you think we are able to use the old characters?

[Electric Jesus]

As dun and I have been saying since the start, when we go to HANFORD the original four will likely be there. Story-wise it doesn't make sense that the O4 are on tranzit survival areas, because there are no teleporters to send them down there... But I bet there is a mainframe over in Hanford...

[Reddonkeyham]

Hanford being which map?

[Electric Jesus]

It's green run. In real life the green run was a serried of experiments part of the manhattan project that were conducted at the Hanford facility. I'm pretty sure it's in Washington.

[Lenne]

So you think that we will play as the heroes on green run which would be it's own map...and we wouldn't have to wait for the dlcs?!

[Flammenwerfer]

In Survival mode for the TranZit maps, you play as the characters from the Grief mode. So CDC or FBI and whatnot.

[Electric Jesus]

So for clarification...

In tranzit you play as new survivors.

In tranzit survival you play as CDC or CIA.

In grief you also play as CDC and CIA.

In green run I BELIEVE (not confirmed) we will play as O4 and it will take place in hanford. I made a thread on that theory a while back. Here is the link for the full theory.

http://callofdutyzombies.com/forum/view ... 5&p=237792

Again, regards--dun.

[MixMasterNut]

As one of the zombie communities most dedicated members in uncovering the mysteries within the game, there's a few lines in here that really upset me.

Zombies fiction isn’t that neat and tidy kind of script – in fact, many times, what makes Zombies fiction so much fun are the questions that are left and the passionate discussion around them by the community. In the Zombies story mode, let’s just say that if you joined us for Moon, you’ll find that a number of decisions that you made in the past will follow you into the apocalyptic setting you find yourself in here. We’ll introduce you to some new characters and set you on a journey, but you’ll still be left with more questions than answers. As you set out to find those answers, you become a participant in the ultimate creation of Zombies fiction. To us, that’s what makes Zombies so special.

...I think that this goes back to what makes Zombies so special in the first place. Zombies Easter eggs and side quests factor significantly in making the mode so special. It’s that passionate discussion around the various Easter eggs that connect the Zombies community in a special way, but then they spin up on the fiction: what they know, what they don’t, what they can piece together. Then there’s our favorite, which is when fans take the discussion in a direction that we never saw coming. But that’s all part of the deal and what makes Zombies such an interesting phenomenon.

A part of me suspected this was true all along, and didn't want to accept it. Another part of me wishes Jimmy would have laid these facts on us much sooner, instead of watching us all blindly go down the rabbit hole in search to find something more on the other side. In a way, I feel like we've been trolled by the creative team.

I'd say my original approach to the storyline was to treat each map as a crime scene investigation. It was our job to uncover the clues on the map to find the deeper parts of the storyline. No wonder so many clues lead no where, or feel completely out of context with the rest of the map when given critical analysis. These loose ends were never meant to tie together like a knot at all. They were meant to be questions with no real answers.

It's frustrating to me to know that I've wasted tons of time frivolously searching for answers to mysteries that were never there.

I wish the developers put enough focus into developing the zombie storyline, so that we didn't have to pick up the pieces and formulate it for them. I want to uncover mysteries. Not create fan-fiction based on the loose ends that were never meant to fit together.

I wouldn't say this ruins the zombie storyline for me. But it sure does take a lot of the luster out of it! Going forward, this new revelation will likely change the way I approach uncovering the secrets in the game. You'll probably see a decline in storyline theories from me, and a deeper focus on uncovering the historical references and why they are relevant to aspects in the game. I must say that the game has been an excellent vehicle for me to get interested in researching all kinds of secret history where truth is stranger than fiction. That's still fun for me, so that'll likely be my focus from here on out.

Buzzkilled by Jimmy,

- Mix