Letters from the Field - Photos & Videos from Pre-Origins

[DeathBringerZen]

you make a good point. I just read it in my head in a British accent and it sounded spot on, by jove!

I'm officially changing my stance to that this is from a British perspective.

If this is the case, then could this map potentially be a prequel map? And the hints that suggest the return of the "Original 4" could actually be a nod to the original Group 935 members rather than Tank, Nikolai, Takeo and Edward?

Would be very strange if they did, but these 'Letters from the field' suggest it being possible.

[GRILL]

Would be very strange if they did, but these 'Letters from the field' suggest it being possible.

what's strange to me is that only the first letter seems to be an actual "letter from the field" - the rest of the letters seem to be more in the vein of "letters from right before I go into the field". I wonder if we can expect to see more letters from the original writers, or if we'll have to wait until the map comes out...

[ETEl2NAL407]

I'm thinking now that if these letters are from our O3, their age would not matter becaue once they are trapped by Richtofen and held captive by G935 (which could have taken place shortly after all these letters) their exposure to 115, combined with the time-travel/teleportation that may have ocurred, their age as we see it in the BO1 maps might not a natural age. They may have skipped time to arrive at those maps with Richtofen taking them with as he travels through time...

[nayrcraig]

well I guess that confirms that these are not from the O4, even though I really wanted them to be.

I'll have to go back and look at the first two again then

[GRILL]

I'm thinking now that if these letters are from our O3, their age would not matter becaue once they are trapped by Richtofen and held captive by G935 (which could have taken place shortly after all these letters)

hmmm... that would kind of... oh what's the phrase - "mess with everything we've come to know and accept"

But I can tell you this - I would NOT mind that.

well I guess that confirms that these are not from the O4, even though I really wanted them to be.

I'll have to go back and look at the first two again then

This is more of my style thinking, but we still have one more letter (I hope). The time between the two posted yesterday was about 3 hours, so keep refreshing 3arc's FB!

[DeathBringerZen]

what's strange to me is that only the first letter seems to be an actual "letter from the field" - the rest of the letters seem to be more in the vein of "letters from right before I go into the field". I wonder if we can expect to see more letters from the original writers, or if we'll have to wait until the map comes out...

I am expecting a few more of these pages to drop before the week is out. I am also failing to understand how our fab 4 can possibly feature in this map if it is set in 1917.

We have all heard the gossip of the map being set in WW1 era France. This now seems even more likely, so how can our group be involved? I am starting to get a feeling that by "original 4", it could definitely mean the Group 935 original founders.

I doubt it, but the era and letters make for some confusing thoughts. :?:

[Noob451]

I'm thinking now that if these letters are from our O3, their age would not matter becaue once they are trapped by Richtofen and held captive by G935 (which could have taken place shortly after all these letters) their exposure to 115, combined with the time-travel/teleportation that may have ocurred, their age as we see it in the BO1 maps might not a natural age. They may have skipped time to arrive at those maps with Richtofen taking them with as he travels through time...

There was no time travel until they jumped ahead to Kino. Which would mean the WaW maps were actually happening in real time (40s)

[FatedTitan]

I don't think these notes are altered due to Richtofen going back in time.

Remember that time travel can't be a cop out for everything. There are massive implications to time travel's occurrence, especially going backwards. We could assume that the timeline we know currently has been created from Richtofen tampering from the point we're at now. Everything that has occurred could have been done exactly like Richtofen desired. Der Riese, Moon, everything!

It can be very confusing, but if we want to assume that Richtofen went back and altered time for these letters, we could make much broader and wider assumptions that I don't think are desired.

[GRILL]

There was no time travel until they jumped ahead to Kino. Which would mean the WaW maps were actually happening in real time (40s)

well, you have to understand time travel is a tricky thing. one disruption, and you've created hundreds of alternate timelines with alternate outcomes.

if all it took to time travel was a Wunderwaffe being shot at a teleporter, then I'd be willing to say anything is possible - which could mean the WaW maps took place in a different timeline.

[Noob451]

There was no time travel until they jumped ahead to Kino. Which would mean the WaW maps were actually happening in real time (40s)

well, you have to understand time travel is a tricky thing. one disruption, and you've created hundreds of alternate timelines with alternate outcomes.

if all it took to time travel was a Wunderwaffe being shot at a teleporter, then I'd be willing to say anything is possible - which could mean the WaW maps took place in a different timeline.

Ah, man. Messing with my head now.

[nayrcraig]

The time between the two posted yesterday was about 3 hours, so keep refreshing 3arc's FB!

I forgot about that, hope we can see one more tonight

I am also failing to understand how our fab 4 can possibly feature in this map if it is set in 1917.

Where is this idea that the next map will be set in 1917 come from (Its not just you Zen quite a few people have mentioned it), these are just letters from that time.

Did I miss something?

[TheDunbarian]

I do not believe the characters were captured in 1917. For one thing, we know for a fact that Verruckt took place in 1945. We also know that Dempsey was one of the playable Marines in that map, sent to rescue Peter. THAT is when he was captured, not 1917. The timeline doesn't match up. We know from the CotD radios that Dempsey was captured after Nikolai and Takeo, so it's technically possible that those two were captured in 1917, but it would make more sense that they were captured around the same time Dempsey was.

[ETEl2NAL407]

I don't think these notes are altered due to Richtofen going back in time.

Remember that time travel can't be a cop out for everything. There are massive implications to time travel's occurrence, especially going backwards. We could assume that the timeline we know currently has been created from Richtofen tampering from the point we're at now. Everything that has occurred could have been done exactly like Richtofen desired. Der Riese, Moon, everything!

It can be very confusing, but if we want to assume that Richtofen went back and altered time for these letters, we could make much broader and wider assumptions that I don't think are desired.

I disagree. I think time travel is almost a necessity at this point in order to make the storyline sensible. There are too many holes as it is, but if they can cleverly introduce time travel as it relates to everything else they can neatly patch up all the holes.

[Matuzz]

thanks Liam, posted.

Transcript:

"November 19th, 1917

It seems beyond doubt that Fritz is up to no good. Air reconnaissance suggests prototype armored weaponry is being tested in Northern France. Scuttlebutt reads like the ramblings of a mad man, strange lights in the sky... a mysterious plague... even giant metal men.

I'll be at the site within the week to the learn the truth with my own eyes..."

To me, this totally sounds like it's from an American British individual. "Fritz" was a commonly used named for German's in general (along with such names as "kraut"). Giant metal men, though? Ohoho this IS shaping up to be something insane.

I hope that i'll be at the site within a month or so to learn the truth with MY own eyes...

I'll update as more letters emerge...

EDIT:

Fritz originated as a German nickname for Friedrich, or Frederick (der alte Fritz was a nickname for King Frederick II of Prussia and Frederick III, German Emperor), as well as for similar names including Fridolin. Fritz was also a name given to German troops by the British and others in the first and second world wars, equivalent to Tommy, as the British troops were called by German and other troops.[1] Other common bases for which the name Fritz was used include the surnames Fritsche, Fritzsche, Fritsch, and Frisch(e).

source

So after looking all the French armored vehicles that fit the timeline and were produced in Northern France this is the only vehicle left:

Schneider CA1

[PINNAZ]

I still don't believe these are written by Richtofen, Takeo, Dempsey & Nikolai. There really isn't anything confirming this. If these letters are written by the characters, then Treyarch can change their evidence for what is the story at any time.

Here's a refresher course on the Shi No Numa Character Profiles

Character Profiles

You're not going to believe this.

Recon has picked up some very strange information. Until recently, I would have marked this zombie infestation as the most twisted turn of events our boys have yet encountered. However, it turns out that the men themselves are about as unlikely a group as the zombies attacking them.

Intelligence reports reveal that it is not just our boys trapped in the Japanese swamplands. The fact that these four haven't killed each other alone speaks measures of the immense danger they must be facing.

Below you'll find their profiles. Oh, how adversity affects us.

Tank Dempsey (USA)

Tank Dempsey: American hero. Give him a loaded weapon, a good woman, and something to shoot at and he’s happy. Cross him and he’ll rip your guts out and use them as a bandolier. Dempsey was selected for this mission after he showed his true grit at the battle for Peleliu. His unit was captured during the early raids before the main invasion, and he spent 2 weeks in a rat infested bamboo cage submerged in malarial water. Eventually, he gnawed his way through the cage, and then gnawed his way through his captors armed only with a Bobby pin and his Medal of Honor which he keeps secreted in various body cavities. There is no before the war for Dempsey, there is no after. There is only the legend of Tank Dempsey, and how he won the war for the rest of us.

Leaving behind a wake of destruction and meat sacks wherever he goes, Dempsey is the man to have on your side when faced with an undead apocalypse.

========================================

Nikolai Belinski (RUS)

Stalin himself cannot stare Nikolai in the eye, no one can. For in his eyes you see the soul of a man burning with a hatred of all things living. His closet is full of skeletons, many of them with the flesh still attached. Before the war, Nikolai quickly made his way up through the party ranks by killing the next man in line, and by marrying politically. His aspirations all came crashing down after his fifth wife mysteriously died while cleaning Nikolai’s axe with her neck.

Little did he know that she had been sleeping with a high ranking party official on the side. After her tragic demise, Nikolai’s reputation spread quickly through the party, and it wasn’t long before Stalin himself had heard about the psychopathic politician who killed anything that came within 5 feet of him. As soon as the war started, Nikolai was dropped at the front line and forgotten about, where he wallowed in self pity and Vodka for several years.

With many weapons in his arsenal, not least of which is his breath, Nikolai Belinski can look death in the eye and say “I know you”.

========================================

Takeo Masaki (JPN)

Tattooed on the inside of Takeo’s eyelids is the Japanese proverb “Life is light when compared to honor”. For Takeo, life has no meaning if not to perfect one’s discipline and to reveal a warrior’s true character and honor. He ponders this and other philosophical questions as his Katana slices through the flesh and sinew of his enemy.

Takeo was born into wealth. His family dynasty dates back several centuries, and throughout that time they have been highly decorated Samurai and Bushi. Takeo is no exception to this celebrated bloodline. When the family first saw the young, life-filled 5 year old Takeo playing in the street with his Katana and slicing the tails off terrified kittens, they knew he was destined to bring honor to the Masaki name.

The war was a perfect opportunity for Takeo to explore his bloodlust and study the nature of those less honorable than himself. If you fall victim to his swift action and might, know that you have helped a man better than you reach enlightenment.

========================================

Doctor Richtofen (GER)

Beware The Doc. This message was scrawled across walls of every town under Axis control. Starvation may cripple you, dysentery may wreck you, and gunfire may rip the flesh from your bones, but Beware The Doc.

Meet Dr. Richtofen, known affectionately as The Butcher to his victims as they scream in agony moments before he snuffs out their light. Throughout his career, Richtofen has always been at the forefront of torture and information extraction research. Before the war he was a back alley plastic surgeon, who created an army of monstrous affluent Weimar socialites that would follow him around and laugh at every joke the genius doctor made. This all fell apart when the republic fell and the Nazi party took control. To Richtofen, their values were too moral, too liberal for his liking. He joined the army so he could satisfy his need to watch people die, slowly.

An incurable sociopath, he sees no moral distinction between natural death and murder. The victim is the victim, regardless of how their demise manifests itself. He has a collection of stuffed animals, most of them posed in positions of terror at the instant of their death.

========================================

http://oldmagazinearticles.com/Evolution_of_the_First_Tanks_pdf

"The first armored battle cars, or "tanks" were a British invention developed from an American automobile tractor used for agricultural purposes on the Western prairies. They made their initial appearance at the battle of the Somme (Flers), September 15, 1916."

However, it should be known that they were first used to greatest effect in the Battle of Cambrai (November 20 through December 7, 1917).

[SirPlasticDucky]

OMFG, I just recovered from a day without internet and all of this happens?!?!?! Well after spending 30 minutes reading a bunch of ideas I've come up with my own.

I believe 2 different theories, one where the original characters wrote this but the map is after 1917. Instead of a prequel it could just be a continuation from Moon. What I'm basically saying is these letters could have nothing to do with the map but only telling us that we'll have the O4 back.

Now here's my second theory, the letters are still from the O4 but it's still not a prequel. I believe the O3/4 are going back to 1917 to alter something. It could be any significant event from the zombies storyline that happened in the WWI era. Sorry if someone already came up with these since I don't have enough time to read every comment.

[ETEl2NAL407]

My biggest problem is that in WaW we don't see the O4 until SNN, but in BO:1 they're in every map. Which game should be taken as legitimate for the story?

[The Clay Bird]

I don't think these notes are altered due to Richtofen going back in time.

Remember that time travel can't be a cop out for everything. There are massive implications to time travel's occurrence, especially going backwards. We could assume that the timeline we know currently has been created from Richtofen tampering from the point we're at now. Everything that has occurred could have been done exactly like Richtofen desired. Der Riese, Moon, everything!

It can be very confusing, but if we want to assume that Richtofen went back and altered time for these letters, we could make much broader and wider assumptions that I don't think are desired.

I disagree. I think time travel is almost a necessity at this point in order to make the storyline sensible. There are too many holes as it is, but if they can cleverly introduce time travel as it relates to everything else they can neatly patch up all the holes.

And therein lies the problem... 3arc dug themselves a hole they cant get out of i think. if thats what they are doing, then its like i said earlier. their answer for every question is time travel. and that is really silly and quite stupid in my humble opinion

[PINNAZ]

My biggest problem is that in WaW we don't see the O4 until SNN, but in BO:1 they're in every map. Which game should be taken as legitimate for the story?

World at War has always been the true story for me.

Tank Dempsey was the leader of a group sent into Verrückt to rescue the "playable characters" that we're stuck inside.

The Black Ops versions only feature -

- Comic Book loading Screens

- Nacht Der Untoten has an additional secret song

- Verrückt has an additional secret song

- Shi No Numa has a radio that explains time travelling to far into the future, it's nearly the same as the Call of Dead audio.

Apart from the characters, that is the only differences.

EDIT - And the weapons were Cold War Era

- when Moon & the 'Classic Map Pack' was released, Mule Kick was added to all maps

[TheDunbarian]

My biggest problem is that in WaW we don't see the O4 until SNN, but in BO:1 they're in every map. Which game should be taken as legitimate for the story?

World at War has always been the true story for me.

Tank Dempsey was the leader of a group sent into Verrückt to rescue the "playable characters" that we're stuck inside.

The Black Ops versions only feature -

- Comic Book loading Screens

- Nacht Der Untoten has an additional secret song

- Verrückt has an additional secret song

- Shi No Numa has a radio that explains time travelling to far into the future, it's nearly the same as the Call of Dead audio.

Apart from the characters, that is the only differences.

Exactly this, the Black Ops versions on Nacht and Verruckt only featured the characters as a bonus. Storywise, Nikolai and Takeo were (as far as we know) never at Verruckt

[BriggzyJ97]

Tch, I don't check codz for ONE hour and this happens. Typical.

On the topic:

English player, English player, English player, English player, English player.

You don't even know how happy this makes me :)

I was literally thinking yesterday, "wait a minute there's no English player at all"

That definitely sounds like old fashioned English soldier speak to me.

I've got a feeling that were going to either France or Germany next dlc.

[SirPlasticDucky]

Tch, I don't check codz for ONE hour and this happens. Typical.

On the topic:

English player, English player, English player, English player, English player.

You don't even know how happy this makes me :)

I was literally thinking yesterday, "wait a minute there's no English player at all"

That definitely sounds like old fashioned English soldier speak to me.

I've got a feeling that were going to either France or Germany next dlc.

As a Brit myself, I did get excited by this news too . I'd love a celebrity Brit to be on the next game like Wayne Rooney or Gary Oldman. That would be hilarious.

[ETEl2NAL407]

My biggest problem is that in WaW we don't see the O4 until SNN, but in BO:1 they're in every map. Which game should be taken as legitimate for the story?

World at War has always been the true story for me.

Tank Dempsey was the leader of a group sent into Verrückt to rescue the "playable characters" that we're stuck inside.

The Black Ops versions only feature -

- Comic Book loading Screens

- Nacht Der Untoten has an additional secret song

- Verrückt has an additional secret song

- Shi No Numa has a radio that explains time travelling to far into the future, it's nearly the same as the Call of Dead audio.

Apart from the characters, that is the only differences.

...But as we all know, this story has evolved over time. Perhaps we should discount everything from WaW since Treyarch made the Reboot maps after the story and popularity really took off. If so, I think the story of origin for our characters should also be thrown out.

[Stop Mocking Me0]

-New note everyone!

! I guess you could say they discovered DER REISE! AhahahahahahaHAHAHA! :twisted:

A plague? Oh and FRAUNCE! (frah-Ah-n-se) Oh what will AWAIT us!

[BriggzyJ97]

My biggest problem is that in WaW we don't see the O4 until SNN, but in BO:1 they're in every map. Which game should be taken as legitimate for the story?

World at War has always been the true story for me.

Tank Dempsey was the leader of a group sent into Verrückt to rescue the "playable characters" that we're stuck inside.

The Black Ops versions only feature -

- Comic Book loading Screens

- Nacht Der Untoten has an additional secret song

- Verrückt has an additional secret song

- Shi No Numa has a radio that explains time travelling to far into the future, it's nearly the same as the Call of Dead audio.

Apart from the characters, that is the only differences.

...But as we all know, this story has evolved over time. Perhaps we should discount everything from WaW since Treyarch made the Reboot maps after the story and popularity really took off. If so, I think the story of origin for our characters should also be thrown out.

Nah, WaW is the actual story, the BO1 maps are not "reboots" they are just replays. They are for nostalgia and gameplay only