Call of Duty: Ghosts campaign uses 'plausible' sci-fi concepts

The opening to Activision's campaign trailer might make you think Call of Duty: Ghosts has tossed out any idea of realism. But the opening scene in space is entirely possible, according to Activision's Dan Amrich.

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Let's face it, if Activision is kicking off a trailer with "Call of Duty IN SPAAAAAAACE," then it's probably time to toss the whole concept of realism out the window. Or is it? Activision community manager Dan Amrich insists that the campaign for Call of Duty: Ghosts is entirely plausible, pointing out that the single-player trailer's opening scene is "more science than science fiction," and is based on the oft-used science-fiction idea of kinectic bombardment.

"The concept of kinetic bombardment – nicknamed in the science and defense communities as 'Rods from God' – has been used in sci-fi stories for years by authors including Robert Heinlein, Larry Niven, and Neal Stephenson," Amrich explains on his blog (via Gamespot), "but it’s also been seriously considered by the United States Air Force as a military strike that could create mass devastation without nuclear fallout."

Amrich goes on to link to a Reddit thread about the Air Force's Project Thor, using it as an example of the Call of Duty series remaining "in the realm of plausibility."

Players will be able to judge how realistic the campaign is for themselves when Call of Duty: Ghosts releases on PC, Xbox 360, PS3, and Wii U on November 5, with next-gen iterations arriving at launch time.

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Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?

From The Chatty
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    September 11, 2013 3:00 PM

    Ozzie Mejia posted a new article, Call of Duty: Ghosts campaign uses 'plausible' sci-fi concepts.

    The opening to Activision's campaign trailer might make you think Call of Duty: Ghosts has tossed out any idea of realism. But the opening scene in space is entirely possible, according to Activision's Dan Amrich.

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      September 11, 2013 3:09 PM

      okay but what about the part where a dog hijacks a helicopter

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        September 11, 2013 3:49 PM

        its a dog from the future, the have evolved....to take down helicopters

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        September 11, 2013 5:36 PM

        Everything on this planet has evolved to kill humans

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      September 11, 2013 3:23 PM

      Or how they can shoot guns in space!

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      September 11, 2013 3:25 PM

      But firing guns in space

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      September 11, 2013 3:56 PM

      [deleted]

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        September 11, 2013 4:15 PM

        I'm pretty sure you'd need oxygen to fire the bullet because the explosion would consume it to project the bullet.

        Also, it seems super dumb.

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          September 11, 2013 4:19 PM

          [deleted]

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            September 11, 2013 4:25 PM

            Yeah, it's the explosion that breaks the air tight seal so...yeah.

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              September 11, 2013 8:51 PM

              It's nothing to do with an air tight seal. The oxidizer is contained in the chemical composition of the gunpowder itself. Same thing with solid fuel rockets. Solid fuel rockets will even work under water, as long as the fuel stays dry.

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        September 11, 2013 9:30 PM

        Well, first they'd need to design guns that wouldn't suffer catastrophic failures due to extreme temperature changes. Would gun powder even ignite at such low temps. Maybe it'll explode at the higher ones.

        The most important question is, why on earth would anyone want to go EVA to shoot a gun when they could just mount it on a stable platform and use computers to calculate correct trajectories.

        A robot can hit a thruster for 7gs of force while firing its weapon. It does not need air. It is expendable. It can dedicate all its mass to weapon systems and ammunition. Men, with spacesuits, and guns, is just straight retarded.

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      September 11, 2013 3:57 PM

      Plausible meaning Dan Brown levels of ass-pulling!

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      September 11, 2013 4:07 PM

      Right. Something that might exist in the future. The definition of science-fiction.

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      September 11, 2013 4:23 PM

      i see they used the typical BRRROOOMMMMMM effect in the trailer

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      September 11, 2013 4:25 PM

      I used to be the first in line to make fun of the CoD games but I have to admit that they've won me over.

      Totally looking forward to this.

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      September 11, 2013 4:44 PM

      After that trailer ite now impossible to leave earth due to all the debris.

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      September 11, 2013 5:56 PM

      If the game is crap, then I have to give them great credit for two things. The score, and this trailer.

      That first part in space where the corridor explodes then separates is genius, too.

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