Modern Warfare 2 will put the water at the heart of the action with a system that will also be found in your games of Warzone.
During early access for an event where CharlieIntel was present, game director Jack O’Hara admitted that the previous additions of water on Call of Duty were not “not the best thing we could do, so we sat down to figure out how to use it in this project.”
It was of course in Call of Duty: Black Ops III that we were able to swim for the first time in a Multiplayer game. This feature was also available more recently on Black Ops 4 and Black Ops Cold War but Jack O’Hara has clarified his intentions regarding Modern Warfare 2 which “will use water in battle spaces in a useful way”. These changes will impact many game modes, but also the essential battle royale Warzone.
On the Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War Armada map, players could already swim.Water and swimming will be important features of Modern Warfare 2 in Single Player, Multiplayer and will eventually impact Warzone with its integration.
Swimming is back in Modern Warfare 2 and is coming to Warzone
This will be the first time we’ve seen players swim in a Call of Duty battle royale since Blackout back in the days of Black Ops 4. O’Hara said he was “complicated to create a Warzone map where you jump in water and die all the time”.
Infinity Ward wanted to focus on visual fidelity when developing Modern Warfare 2’s seas and rivers. Everything underwater will be realistically reflected on the surface, waves will have server-side distortion, and all effects will be purely visuals will be managed on the client side for an ultra realistic swimming experience.
You will be able to find wrecks, rivers with current, clear water, murky water and rapids that will make the world of Call of Duty ever more alive.
Only pistols, throwing knives and melee weapons can be used underwater. You can aim and switch to your primary weapon on the surface but not underwater. Equipment like the landmine will float on the water with the waves, even being able to destroy boats.
A diving mechanic will allow players to escape, and this clearly won’t be the only maneuver possible during your swims. The boats have not been forgotten either, and will react with precision to the physics of the waves for an ever more natural rendering.
O’Hara has set the bar high with Modern Warfare 2:
We wanted it to look amazing, with the most beautiful water you’ve ever seen on a Call of Duty