Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Multiplayer (Hands-On Video Game Preview)

Activision and Sledgehammer Games have revealed new details for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare (first E3 impressions here) which is set to release for current and next-gen consoles alongside PC on November 4th. BioGamer Girl recently had the chance to travel to San Francisco, California to check out the new multiplayer options available in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare before the official multiplayer reveal at Gamescom on August 11th. Read on to check out all of the details from the live stage presentation alongside interview questions, hands-on gameplay and new screenshots. Also, fans can check out the full Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Fact Sheet for all of the details for the upcoming release. Enjoy!

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will contain a brand new reward system that starts with Supply Drops which will serve as Call of Duty's new loot system. In the past, players were rewarded by earning skill and XP, however, even in the new release XP progression is still the backbone of the game series. In Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare gamers will be rewarded in brand-new ways with the added addition of Supply Drops, alongside ranking and XP, Supply Drops will be rewarded with time played and in-game challenges. Supply Drops will give gamers weapon loot, character gear and reinforcements. The new loot will come in three rarities which includes Enlisted, Professional and Elite. Supply Drops will allow gamers to come to battle equipped with some of the best Elite gear which will give them an advantage over their competitors on the battlefield.



When a player receives new weapon loot, it will not only modify their stats and base level but make them look super cool in the progress with Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare offering a ton of opportunities to find the weapons that best suite their playstyle and needs. Every weapon will give players ten customization options, alongside the option of attachments, with varying attributes and cosmetics to offer a total of 350 custom weapons available at launch. Sledgehammer has made sure to focus on weapon balance like the backfire rate, long fire range and much more with the addition of directed energy weapons. The development team has went the extra mile and included actual weapon research in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare.

Gamers will be able to enjoy a ton of sophisticated new advancements that includes the new EM1 direct energy weapon available in the heavy weapons group. The new energy weapon will build up heat, but doesn't consume ammo, with all of the advantages of the LMG without the annoying hassle of the reload. The new weapon loot is a ton of fun, but it doesn't stop there, because players will be able to add even more options to customization through character gear. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare features a entirely new character system supported by all of the new gear available to players that is showcased in the virtual lobby. Lastly, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will feature reinforcement as an option available through Supply Drops. The occasional reinforcement will be rewarded for singular uses during matches that is predetermined by particular times like score streaks and perks. The rarities of Supply Drops are classified in three separate groups which are Enlisted, Professional and Elite.



The biggest improvement for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is that ALL players will be rewarded through Supply Drops no matter their experience level through unique items and gear. Supply Drops will offer thousands of rewards and over a billion player combinations that adds a great deal of replayability to the new release. Supply Drops will reward players with more items the more they play which means that you will want to play for hours on end just to get that next great piece of loot. The customization options in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare are inspired by Call of Duty: Black Ops II's Pick 10 which starts with your create-a-class load up with an added emphasis on maximizing player options with a more advanced system with Pick 13. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare includes everything you loved from Pick 10 with the added inclusion of customizable Score Streaks with the player being able to select up to three for their class. This means that players can now customize their playstyle to include or omit Score Streaks, with the ability to take a wildcard, which will cost 2 points to add four Score Streaks and dominate the game. Players will be able to customize their options how they see fit with the ability to not only add Score Streaks but other perks and attachments for a more diverse style of play.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will feature customizable Score Streaks based on a base Score Streak with the addition of behavioral modules for more advanced personalization options and functionality which doesn't count against Pick 13 but will cost you points. Players will be able to experience the new score streaks in a brand-new way in combination with co-op score streaks that allows two players to work together adding a new way to experience the game in a balanced manner. For players who may not receive a ton of score streaks, the new co-op method will allow all gamers to experience even more of the fun for simply assisting a teammate, allowing for more action-packed excitement. In the end, Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will bring players an entirely new experience with more options than ever before with Supply Drops, Co-op Score Streaks, Pick 13 and more!



Multiplayer has hit an all new high in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare with the improved exoskeleton that includes new movement sets and retooled tactical which are player selected abilities that enhance your playstyle. While everyone has exoskeleton movements, exoskeleton abilities are selectable in Pick 13, which can be activated by the player during the match and used until the exoskeleton battery is depleted. In addition, multiplayer in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare will include both lethal and tactical grenade deployment to the wrist mounted Exo launcher, that offers a variety of projectiles like the new tracking drone. A big highlight of the new exoskeleton are the perks based around them like Fast Hands and Exo Overcharge.



Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare really adds a ton of new features but takes it one step further with the new virtual firing range that allows you to instantly hit the range and practice your loadouts. The game's Create-an-Operator system will feature an entirely new character system allowing players to customize everything from their shirt to their eyewear. The new Supply Drops feature will reward gamers with a ton of character gear which has influenced the new operator system. Players will be able to show off all of their rewards and loot through the new Virtual Lobby with the ability to check out your competition in the lobby as well.

Tactical combat has been greatly improved in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare, and we got to test this out on four new multiplayer maps which included Biolab, Riot, Ascend and Defender. The four maps are just the start alongside over twelve multiplayer modes available at launch set to take full advantage of all of your Exo abilities. The very first map we played was Biolab which took place in a snowy, hidden base within a tightly enclosed bioengineering lab. The lab featured some intense close-encounters combat that seemed to get more chaotic as the game went on. Players will be able to test out their varied Exo movements within the map and gain an advantage by strategically placing biocanisters around the map. Next up we have Riot, which takes place in a decimated prison that has seen its share of explosions and features some fast-paced gameplay within its walls with an activated inmate tracking system once you leave the facility. Yes, just like a real prison huh?! While we had a blast playing Biolab and Riot, the Ascend map by far was our favorite. The map's environments featured a beautifully designed futuristic Elevator terminal that takes full advantage of the Exo's design and movements with a map-based Score Streak. Last up is the Defender map, which takes place in the shadow of the Golden Gate bridge, with an open map that takes place in an abandoned bunker with a tsunami occurring at random times. In the end, all four multiplayer maps were a blast with each one offering up a diverse gameplay experience and enjoyable multiplayer action with game modes that included fan favorites like Team Deathmatch, Capture the Flag, Hardpoint and more. The game also features some brand new modes like Uplink and Momentum. Uplink will feature teams fighting for the control of a satellite drone while Momentum is a virtual tug of war with the more kills you get allowing you to gain points even faster.

Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare looks to be another exciting release in the series and will offer up enough new content to entertain beginners and veterans alike. We had a blast with the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare multiplayer and believe it will offer an enjoyable new experience on next-gen consoles unlike anything else this generation. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare is set to release November 4, 2014 for Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS4, PS3 and PC. To learn more, visit the official Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare website.

After the live presentation and hands-on gameplay, BioGamer Girl had the chance to speak to Sledgehammer Games about Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare and here is what they had to say!

BIOGAMER GIRL: What was the one thing you wanted to improve in Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare over the release of Infinity Ward's Call of Duty: Ghosts last year?

SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES: We really enjoyed playing Ghosts, and it was a lot of fun. Coming out of Modern Warfare 3 we started developing this game, and we were putting a lot of ideas down on the board while staying heads-down. We are super-fans of what Ghosts did. As developers, you play everything while you live and breath that world in the development studio. We played and loved Ghosts and Black Ops II. We have been working on this game for three years now and everything has been centered around November 4th and everything was born out of the movements. From day one we knew we wanted to change that and how you move around the map and engage. Out of that came all these new things and Exo abilities developed with us constantly thinking about what if you did this and this. We had a lot of prototypes, for example we had Boost Jump, and we thought what if we could actually activate a ability while hovering for a little bit longer. This then brought up questions like would you be a big target in the air and it was that ying and yang of balancing. We wanted to redefine how you play the game based around the movements.

BIOGAMER GIRL: What do you want fans to take away from the new release that they didn't get from all of the previous Call of Duty releases?

SLEDGEHAMMER GAMES: Well Advanced Warfare and some of the innovations we are putting in which is offering all new innovations in narrative and gameplay with the Exo boosts, dodge, slam and new Exo movements. And then really the engagement with the Supply Drops that has all new offerings for players that reward you with the time you play. You know XP exists and everyone knows what it is, and we all love XP. It is really how well you do and the points that allow you to unlock things that is now balanced out with the amount of time you play, supply drops, character customizations and weapon loot. It really is an awesome offer.

If you are interested in learning more, make sure to tune into the live mutliplayer reveal for Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare happening at www.callofduty.com/advancedwarfare/livestream.





Pre-order the Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare Day Zero Edition!

• 24 hour EARLY access
• Advanced Arsenal featuring the Bullet Brass exoskeleton and EM1 Quantum directed energy weapon
• Two custom weapons, the AK-12G Assault Rifle and CROSSBOW-B2
• Double XP on November 3rd