The Call of Duty series has thrown players in the middle of battlefields as diverse as World War II Europe to the present day Middle East. After the blockbuster success of last year’s Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, the franchise is about to reinvent itself once again with the November release of Call of Duty: World at War for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Developer Treyarch is bringing the action to new territory for the fifth entry in the series – the Pacific Theater of World War II. In addition to a change in locale, previews of the title have also revealed a darker tone for this chapter.
Helping craft that gritty realism is Full Sail Computer Animation graduate Kyle Gaulin, who’s working as a Character Animator on the eagerly anticipated project.
“It’s totally different than everything else that the series has done up until now,” Kyle explains. “There’s a lot more grime and shadows. It’s going to be a really dark take on World War II, and not like any previous release you’ve played. It reminds me of the feel of Saving Private Ryan, so it’s pretty intense.”
Moving Call of Duty to the islands of the Pacific has also given the development team expansive new landscapes on which to build innovative levels and combat experiences. For Kyle, the change in location has allowed him to push the limits of the game engine with more detailed animations for the single and multi-player modes, as well as numerous cut scenes and cinematics.
“The developers have done a really good job tweaking the engine out and seeing how far we could push it in terms of graphics,” he explains. “And because it’s in the Pacific Theater there’s a lot more freedom to create large open areas with multiple paths. The levels are all completely different one to another – it’s everything from a beach to a jungle to a village. Visually World at War is just gorgeous, and super-realistic.”
One of the hallmarks of the Call of Duty series is its commitment to historical accuracy with each new entry. From the audio to the graphics, this latest title looks to be as visceral a war experience as has been portrayed in a video game. What this realism has meant for the World at War design team is hundreds of hours researching the people, locations and weaponry of the events they’re replicating on screen.
“We had a military consultant come in up to three times a week, and if we had any questions we’d go to him,” Kyle explains. “He’d sit in on all the level reviews for the sole purpose of accuracy. We couldn’t change vehicles or weapons because that’s how it was – what the people who were there actually saw. We had to do a lot of adapting around certain assets so it wouldn’t come off as fake. I think it’s really going to pay off for the player and I’m really excited to see how people react to the final product.”
With its mix of intense combat and respect to history, Call of Duty: World at War is looking to offer one of the most realistic recreations of World War II gamers have experienced on this generation of consoles. Kyle obviously takes great pride in what Treyarch has accomplished with the new iteration, and also to be able to contribute his talents to a classic franchise he’s been following since its debut.
“To walk onto a series that I used to play before I even started Full Sail was just mind-blowing – it was a complete reality check, like ‘Whoa, I did it,” he shares. “Everybody who works on it also loves it just as a game, and I think it really shows. When you have artists and developers and a whole production team that love what they do, and play the game themselves, there’s a lot more drive to make a good product. The fans love it, the developers love it – so everybody looks forward to the next title. That’s the difference with Call of Duty.”
