Call of Duty: Black Ops mod tools due in May

The promised Cod Blops PC modding tools are finally due to arrive in May, developer Treyarch has revealed.

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Back in August 2010, Call of Duty: Black Ops developer Treyarch revealed that it planned to release PC mod tools for the Cold War-era FPS some time after launch. Turns out, that'll end up being around six months after launch--better late than never.

"We are shooting for mod tools release in May," Cod Blops PC team project lead Cesar 'PCDev' Stastny announced on Twitter (via Kotaku).

It's still not entirely clear what features the mod tools will offer, though game source code to tinker with and a level editor seem likely. A level editor would certainly be welcomed as a way to get new maps without coughing up $15 for downloadable content packs, the second of which was announced earlier this week.

From The Chatty
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    April 14, 2011 6:00 AM

    Comment on Call of Duty: Black Ops mod tools due in May, by Alice O'Connor.

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      April 14, 2011 6:20 AM

      WHOA

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      April 14, 2011 6:22 AM

      Took way too long, but I welcome it.

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      April 14, 2011 6:24 AM

      Maybe a bit too late, but still good news nonetheless.

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      April 14, 2011 6:32 AM

      Most likely people will remake DLC maps. FOR FREE!

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        April 14, 2011 7:59 PM

        News just in. Activision will have to approve mods and new maps and will charge for them.

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      April 14, 2011 6:43 AM

      In other news: the next Call of Duty game will come out in June

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      April 14, 2011 7:14 AM

      bit late? you didnt expect them to release before everyone bought their dlc did you?

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      April 14, 2011 7:31 AM

      It will include GtkRadiant. If you want a head start, I would suggest looking up some Quake 3 modding resources...HEH.

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      April 14, 2011 7:37 AM

      Sad waste of effort just to add a worthless checkbox to it's list of features for the vocal minority of pc gaming whiners that see this as a necessity for their enjoyment of the game. Really, they should have just focused that effort into making their next game as awesome as or better than BLOPS (which I loved).

      No one will ever do anything worthwhile with these mod tools. Hell, the only thing mod tools are good for 99.999% of the time are for highlighting to teenagers that game development isn't easy and that being the "idea guy" is a worthless position in a "mod team"

      Oh well, at least it shows just how different the stances are between Infinity Ward (who just didn't give a fuck) and Treyarch (who gives a huge fuck but seems to be hampered by Activision more than anything)

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        April 14, 2011 7:38 AM

        they have more money than god they can do more than one thing

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          April 14, 2011 7:43 AM

          Activision doesn't give a fuck about doing anything/everything, they only give a fuck about running their core brands into the ground and until they only manage to sell a million or two copies, at which point they'll consider them failures and kill the entire franchise.

          Activision makes EA look like 2K Games.

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        April 14, 2011 7:46 AM

        [deleted]

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          April 14, 2011 8:06 AM

          Oh wow, a star wars tc. There's an original, non copyright infringing piece of work. Most custom maps are shit, just like most dedicated servers only feature one map and gametype, only there's a huge difference between making a dedicated server for some friends and trying to make a mod worth a fraction of a shit

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            April 14, 2011 8:24 AM

            There were a bunch of MP and zombie maps made for the World at War from the mod tools that were a lot of fun and added a lot to the life of the game. Yes, there's a lot of crap, but you'd get that from any game with a mod kit.

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            April 14, 2011 8:27 AM

            [deleted]

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              April 14, 2011 11:51 AM

              wait, he bought BLOPS for just the single player? lol

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              April 14, 2011 1:16 PM

              There is a long history of proof that many good things come out of free tools for the map and mod community. I really don't know what Roushimsx is complaining about. He isn't making a lot of sense.

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            April 14, 2011 8:33 AM

            Your remark about dedicated servers is a major reason I'm fearing I'll regret preordering Brink on PC.

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              April 14, 2011 8:38 AM

              [deleted]

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                April 14, 2011 8:45 AM

                Shack servers are great, but only if the game is TF2. And even if this game does take off, I'd still have to contend with them filling up quickly.
                And it's true there are some honest, map-changing servers out there. But every game has its dm17, its de_dust, its nuketown, its crash, 2fort, etc., and they always win out.

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                  April 14, 2011 8:49 AM

                  [deleted]

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                    April 14, 2011 8:58 AM

                    Yeah, the one map is usually chosen because it's a good one. But sometimes other variables are at play. I'm pretty sure nuketown-only servers are about racking up xp as fast as possible. And like dm17 on anything but a 1v1, I'm pretty sure constant chaos just never goes out of style.

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                  April 14, 2011 2:13 PM

                  ET:QW had(has?) great servers, and AFAIK there was never one map that overran things. Might have been the way they ran them together into campaigns of 3 maps.

                  Only stand-out map positive or negative was how shitty it was to attack on slipgate.

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            April 14, 2011 8:34 AM

            For having played so many games, you sure seem angry about this one.

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            April 14, 2011 10:56 AM

            This is some of the dumbest shit you've ever spewed here Roushi. Some of my favorite MP maps and games were made via user creation for other games.

            Shit, a mod can be a tiny thing that's just a simple, new gametype which can add some different fun to a stale or tired formula. The game even shipped with what would be "mods" like that in the form of the Wager match gametypes.

            Of course it's not going to revolutionize Black Ops, but there are some talented map makers out there still doing great work. TF2 has a slew of custom maps that Valve have chosen and distributed to everyone. One of them (Fastlane) was even made by a shacker (-sk-) and is possibly my favorite map for that game.

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              April 14, 2011 10:57 AM

              Yea I don't see any of that happening for BLOPS.

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                April 14, 2011 11:20 AM

                I didn't really see Crysis getting a killer mod either, but then came MWLL.

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                April 14, 2011 11:48 AM

                You don't see people making small mods and maps for this game? It's pretty much guaranteed to happen if there are people still playing. Which there will be. The numbers are still decent according to the stats.

                Even if it is just small, wager match-esque gametype mods, and favorite maps from previous Call of Duty games being remade for BLOPS. It only takes a single person with some talent to do those sorts of things.

                I doubt there will ever be some impressive TC like Red Orchestra or the like, but there's bound to be a few "realism" mods. I mean there are already servers with admin enforced rules and they will actually be able to make the game play like that for real now. I think the most ambitious mod will be something stupid like remaking MW2 in BLOPS and it will never see the light of day.

                Not that those are good examples, but just some things that will be possible if the tools allow it. I could see any of that happening.

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                April 14, 2011 1:30 PM

                Because your blind?

                What else are people going to make maps for? L4D TF2 and UT3 are completely different and old news.

                Black Ops has a huge player base.

                Why wouldn't people be making tons of maps for it? There really isn't anything else that is all that relevant.

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                  April 14, 2011 1:34 PM

                  we'll see. the user TF2 content was good fun. the user BLOPS content will likely be perk and prestige farming.

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                    April 14, 2011 2:32 PM

                    Yeah but if you are trying to get a portfolio together wouldn't you want to make levels for a newer game that has a lot of players?

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              April 14, 2011 2:41 PM

              Damn, I forgot -sk- made Fastlane! I should really buy a stamp, love that map quite a bit.

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            April 14, 2011 11:59 AM

            none of this garbage you wrote resembles a reason for why a developer shouldn't release mod tools or why you should take it as bad news. yes, the sea of user created content is mostly filled with poorly made maps and mods. nobody is forcing you to play any of it. however, within the majority of user content that is crap lies some content that is truly special and worth playing and that is all that it takes to justify the existence of mod tools. hell, there are numerous shitty games that are professionally made. i would argue the majority of retail games are bad. that doesn't mean we shouldn't allow people to make games. there are millions of awful movies that come out of hollywood, that doesn't mean we should not let anybody make movies.

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        April 14, 2011 8:10 AM

        Not sure if serious...

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        April 14, 2011 8:39 AM

        That's a horribly cynical outlook. BLOPS has a massive install base- that's one of the biggest factors for modders. I really like the CoD gameplay mechanics, and I have a bunch of friends that play it- another great reason to mod.

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        April 14, 2011 8:39 AM

        you are the archvile of COD hate

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        April 14, 2011 10:18 AM

        If it weren't for companies releasing mod tools, and the next generation of level designers, programmers, artists and animators using said mod tools to learn and hone their skills, modern games would not be as good as they are.

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          April 14, 2011 10:19 AM

          And this is *particularly* important for popular games, as it exposes a wider audience to game design as a career, as it did for me, and many people in the games industry today (who started off making maps for Wolf3D and Doom etc.)

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        April 14, 2011 10:38 AM

        Tell us how you really feel about it.

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        April 14, 2011 4:11 PM

        Why do you hate nice things roushi? Why you throw a chip?

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      April 14, 2011 7:37 AM

      [deleted]

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      April 14, 2011 8:10 AM

      so... even MORE nuketown ?!?! YES

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      April 14, 2011 10:41 AM

      Think they're having trouble putting together the next CoD without the old team? Could this move could be trying to prolong the life of CODBlops?

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        April 14, 2011 2:16 PM

        No. Treyarch likes modding and released tools for their last CoD game as well.

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      April 14, 2011 1:48 PM

      Ahhhh. Finally Zombies will be as fun as they are in WaW. Now I have a reason to play blops again.

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        April 14, 2011 2:18 PM

        Yeah, the new zombie maps weren't as fun as the old ones, even though the old ones were relatively simple and got exploited all to hell a few weeks after release.

        I think Asylum and Shi No Numa were the high points for me. Motherfuckin Wunderwaffle FTW.

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      April 14, 2011 2:00 PM

      its good to see them go back to the days when community maps were allowed instead of the company forcing you to pay for a few maps as they wish.

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      April 14, 2011 4:55 PM

      I hope there are some game source / GUI coding tools released, because I'm itching to make a full-on HUD (numeric health, large ammo counter that possibly scales to the screen resolution).

      What's their stance on single-player mod modes? Anyone up for a "no regenerating health, random medkit drop" mod?

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      April 14, 2011 8:23 PM

      Mod tools are always a good thing. Those that are interested enough have the right tools to learn, and the cod scripting system has tons (I mean tons) of freedom. It's a good way to get your feet wet with programming too.
      http://www.modsonwiki.com/index.php/Call_of_Duty_4:_Scripting_Introduction
      There's tons of tutorials out there and most folks that I know that know what they're doing are happy to help folks are are genuinely interested. That's helped me a great deal and I always make it a point to continue that. Sure, the learning curve is a bit steep, but the rewards are great. It's incredibly fun to get an idea for an event, then see it for the first time, in a game that you're a fan of! That drives you you to keep going. But just like any other skill, if you want to achieve excellence, it takes a lot of time and practice.

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