Call of Duty: Black Ops PC FAQ
After Modern Warfare 2‘s somewhat limited PC version, Black Ops developers Treyarch have supplied a FAQ so PC gamers know exactly what to expect with the multiplayer section on their platform of choice. If you were disappointed with no dedicated servers or mod tools for MW2 then the options for Black Ops should take a weight of of your shoulders.
Call of Duty: Black Ops PC Multiplayer FAQ
Full feature support: Confirmed
Ranked Servers: earn XP and currency. Wager Servers: gamble your currency. Customizable Unranked Servers. Combat Training against practice dummies. Theater. Create-a-Class “2.0.” Contracts. Emblem editor. Everything the consoles get. Implemented in a way that makes sense for PC (*cough* no lobbies *cough*).PC Features: Confirmed
Dedicated Servers. New Server Browser. Dev console. /record. Customizable game modes, perks, killstreaks, classes, and higher player counts on unranked servers. Map rotation. RCon. Kick & Ban. MOTD. In-game custom Server Banners. And more.Mod Tools: Confirmed
We will release mod tools sometime post-launch. We need to finish the game first. Then we will make sure any urgent issues are handled. Then we will begin work on tools. The extent of the mod tools package will not be known until this time.Global Persistent Stats, Profiles: Confirmed
Your profile data is stored on servers for you and is accessible from anywhere on the internet. Stats, XP, COD Points, configs, etc.Leaderboards: Confirmed
Yes, leaderboards – globally persistent leaderboards (i.e. NOT per-server based).Steam Exclusive: Confirmed
Millions of Call of Duty fans are already on Steam. Their Friends are on Steam. Steam will provide the ease of auto-updating instead of manual patching. Auto-updating will also help keep the community playing together on the latest version. The Steam cloud will make your profile and configs available to you on any computer.VAC: Confirmed
We are serious about protecting the integrity of this game from hackers and cheaters who would otherwise ruin the fun for the honest players. Used in conjunction with our own anti-exploit measures, Theater reviews, trusted servers, and supplemented by server admins with kick and ban powers we believe that Valve Anti-Cheat will be an effective solution for Call of Duty: Black Ops PC. We are committed to working closely and diligently with Valve to deal with new threats as they appear.No “Public Server Files”: Confirmed
Many of these game features are predicated on having a trusted host or server. Otherwise these features would be wide-open to easy exploits and rampant cheating. Also, anti-cheat solutions can be significantly more effective on games that rely on trusted servers. We chose against “public server files” in favor of providing full feature support and protecting the integrity of this title. This doesn’t mean you won’t have customization or admin capabilities with your servers – because you will. This simply means we’ve partnered with an exclusive server provider.GameServers.com Exclusive: Confirmed
We have partnered with GameServers.com as the exclusive provider of dedicated servers for Call of Duty: Black Ops. Every dedicated server for this title will be running on top quality hardware and infrastructure with excellent bandwidth. There will be a ton of official servers at launch for everyone to play on for free. If you want to run your own server you will be able to rent one at a great price (which will never go higher than $0.99/slot). They are actively adding new server locations and staffing up to meet global demand. If you don’t see your location you can suggest it here: http://www.gameservers.com/blackops/Max Players: Not Confirmed
We have not yet finalized the maximum number of players in ranked or unranked servers. More playtesting is required to determine how high these numbers can go. This happens as late as possible in the project otherwise the game is likely to change in ways that could invalidate the results.Minimum System Requirements: Not Confirmed
The game is still in development, and the PC team is hard at work making further optimizations. We will announce the min specs in the near future.
37 Comments
Wooty mc’ woot woot! I’m happy for the pc users!!
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“VAC: Confirmed
We are serious about protecting the integrity of this game from hackers and cheaters who would otherwise ruin the fun for the honest players. Used in conjunction with our own anti-exploit measures, Theater reviews, trusted servers, and supplemented by server admins with kick and ban powers we believe that Valve Anti-Cheat will be an effective solution for Call of Duty: Black Ops PC. We are committed to working closely and diligently with Valve to deal with new threats as they appear.”
Is this a joke? Modern Warfare 2 is full of cheaters because of Vac and now they use it again? Why don’t they just use Punkbuster I Have never seen a cheater in cod4.
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@MrBanana
if you’ve never seen a cheater in COD4, then you don’t watch much youtube, and you haven’t played much COD4.
i do agree with you though, VAC is a piece of junk and always has been, but the good thing is this time we will have server admins, so that we can ban hackers anytime we want.
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well i think he means he hasn’t seen any hackers on the PB supported servers cuz i sure haven’t either and i played CoD4 a ton. A plus side to the admins we will also have a vote kick/ban in the server so we can do so ourselves if anyone wants to be a d**k or hack. Either way PB should be in place
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@ussramathorn by having admins taking the decisions about hackers is gonna be a really pain cause ppl think that everyone hacks if they do something by luck or by being very good players or just being better than them.I play since CoD4 and there isnt a single server(from CoD4 to MW2) that hasnt call me a hacker.I mean,even in net cafe I was called a hacker by my friend and he was sitting next to me watching.I had nothing but skill and luck.I think they need a prog to be intalled in each players pc to check for hacks and not sh*t like VAC.
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mw2 used p2p, anti-cheat systems like punkbuster or VAC are not designed for that so they failed. Black Ops uses dedicated servers ran by gameservers, so the only possibility to cheat without being kicked/banned is to have a cracked server, doubt that there will be many around.
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lmao its MW2 all over again every other person hacks its pathetic , and sucks cause its a awesome game but people suck so they hack and ruin it for everyone else , Wish Treyarch/steam/VAC/Admins on the servers would start destroying these hackers up but guess were gonna have to wait cause sadly people seem to be ok with all these hackers which is what I hate more then the hacking itself.
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VAC isn’t the cause of the hackers. VAC can be disabled due to faulty coding by infinity ward. That’s a fact people need to learn.
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thumbs up,
the reason that punkbuster works is that it doesnt allow a player to inject or detect any files twice. meaning you can cheat but the next time u use it you will get banned.
so only VIP and Payed cheats will work (very rare you will se someone with it, otherwise the server admin will kick)
vac does not do this,
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VAC will actually work well…it is a better system when paired with dedicated servers…along with “good admins” to lay the smack down.
I think VAC will be just fine imo.
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Then you might need to get your vision checked my friend, they were, and still are everywhee on CoD 4. But they are not using VAC exclusively, but with their own implementations and kick/ban measures. Not a bad way to go, but we’ll have to see how it pans out. I know what you mean though, VAC was a complete failure, and I doubt that even 10 percent of hackers got banned.
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Ya, there are cheaters in every game. But the best AC by far is punkbuster. VAC is VERY easy to get around and really does nothing to protect the game from cheaters. Just look at CSS for years. Hackers been running crazy in that game for years and years.
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COd is the worst game you dont have to worry about hackers ruining it you already have with grenade launchers and quick scoping the guns arent realistic guns dont shoot perfectly straight with no recoil
and why does it take 2 shots to kill you(not head shots either)
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VAC, really?
MW2 hackers just disable VAC from even launching, Im sure they will do the same for this game,
they wont get my money if thats the case
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Omg one Dedicated server provider so no competition.
This is freaking crazy i dont wont to have to connect to aus every time i play.(i live in nz) a ping of 70-90 isnt good enough.
there is no way they will consider New zealand bet they think we are all sheep f**king morons .
Rant over
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steam exclusive? vac? no public server files? gameservers.com exclusive? really? treyarch i am dissapoint.
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Im happy that they brought back dedi servers, and mod tools. disappointed that they brought back VAC, but glad we have admin support, hope there will be less hackers. I’m excited that they added theater (should make it easy to make a montage). Gotta love the custom stuff you can do to your class. Got cool kill streaks (the RC car is going to be fun, teehee). leader-boards should be cool.
should be a all around good game, better than mw2 (fingers crossed)
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(Yawn)……….. No LAN ability mentioned!!! Can’t wait for the server files to be leaked!, I bet this will happen at least 3 seconds after Black Ops is released lol
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I think that using steam and vac has confirmed the death of the CoD series on pc for me-i can understand control over dedicated server files ,but at the end of the day they’ll charge for map packs again,steam will cause lag spikes as it does continually in modern warfare 2 and vac will be ineffective.
What and no beta ignorant b*****ds typical we can’t test it to see now laggy it’s actually going to be,or if hacks crack it in 5 minutes.
Protecting the code till release only to have walls and aimbotters online in 3 days-Watch.
What isn’t said is no vote kick for players so if there’s no admin on server where in the same boat as mw2 unless you count waiting 2 weeks for them to be banned.
Medal of Honor for me may not have prone but maps will be free,a complete campaign,and punkbuster Screw activision thats the nail in for your games on my pc or consoles good luck to your shareholders cause i wont be the only one.
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since they are going to have the mod tools no one will need to pay for the map packs if they charge for them since ppl will either make them or make completely new maps that are amazing. the only reason we had to pay for the map packs in mw2 is cuz there were no mod tools and there was the server matchmaking garbage which is also lame since it puts u in a server over and over again until it fills so even if u dont want to join that game u still will. got a lil side tracked but ya all in all dedis and mod tools will be the death to paying for map packs
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After reading this i am very dissapointed.They killed again PC community.No dedicate server public files ?! C’omon i want to run my own server with my own rules with max players 14.I just feel that 14 is the right number for me and my friends.Now i am forced to play with whatever number they feel it’s right like 24!STEAM again ?What ?! Why ?Why am i forced for one more time to install this programm,on every PC whenever i go!VAC protection !? WTF ? Have you guys been on drugs ?VAC does s**t!I feel more comfortable while playing CoD4 with Punkbuster than MW2 with VAC.I’m not making the same mistake twice like i did with buying MW2 over BF2.I will wait 2 months until considering buying this and if it’s like MW2…oh well propably there will be already a free way to play it online,like it is now with MW2.
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No public server files this sucks big time, for gaming communities like DAUK that have made a huge investment over the past few years in high end server equipment and pay to have it located in a data centre it’s like a kick in the nuts, you will always get players that cheat and bring out new cheats for games look at Bad Company 2 please reconsider and let the public have the server files…
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vac sucks,steam sucks, and if blackopps is gunna b like mw2 this will suck also, hackers f**k it up for every 1 . u ppl remember F.E.A.R combat. yeah that game has the most hackers of all time intill mw2 came out .and vac saying they banned 12,000+ players wrongly… and give them left for dead 2 game . its bs , the hackers get banned and 3 weeks later given a game free. and what do vac always say . we are 100% sure about the ppl we bann and we will never lift a bann after its been given …. phh . i watched so many vids of black opps i want this game to live long . with no hackers and always work first time with no looking at the screen and waiting to find players,dissconnected, and so on , we all played mw2 u no how it goes, vac dont give a s**t about the hackers i was playing mw2 like 6 months back . i mean wh aimbot , lmg fireing like f**k and he was spinning like f**k . full on aimbot . and i coppyed his steam id into my clan forums and i loooked at it and he is still not banned . and not long after vac said if u report ppl hacking we dont want to now about it , so another words there saying so f**king what if i was wh, aimbot , at least we gat payed for banning ppl and 2 weeks later lifting there bann and giveing them games for free. and for u honest players f**k you .. stop crying, that y i say f**k YOU STEAM , AND VAC , AND BIG f**k YOU TO ALL THE HACKERS f**kING UP OUR FUN IN GAME. so give me a thumb’s up if u think im rite in what i say. thanks
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VAC is worthless. They say they are committed to anti-cheat, yet they stick with their own pointless system. Read any hackers site and you will find numerous articles and posts about how easy it is to circumvent.
Deeply disappointed that they have decided to stick with this system, clearly MW2 wasn’t enough of an eye opener for them, although in reality, they don’t care, as long as people keep buying the game.
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I am against steam on a lot of things, they overcharge, you never REALLY own a game, they are inept when it comes to hacking, the only good thing is the cloud, although cloud technology is becoming far more accessible.
But i do think that hacking in this game will be tougher than any previous because it is being tackled on many levels.
-VAC- which does work on certain (obvious hacks)
-In Game admins- me and you protecting our enjoyment
-Game Developer- this game has put the spotlight on treyarch they will want this to work and will invest in its integrity, particularly the wager match and currency.
PB was only good because of ingame admins, and it will be those same people who will make this game good.
Lets give it a chance as on paper it could be THE game to beat all games.
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I have never had any hackers on TF2 and it uses VAC and admins and works 100%
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I love it, dedicated servers,mod support,sweet steam support and i don’t care if it uses VAC since PB is crap too, back in cod 2 i found myself getting kicked by PB all the time for no reason, also there will be server admins and we can vote to kick off cheaters now so no need for anti cheating programs anymore…. almost. Just gotta find a good server with a good ping and some good admins and you’re all ready to go.The reason why i like the steam exclusive is becuse of achievments support easy friend acces, i alredy have like 50 games on steam so this will be great and AUTO updates.
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all the good players will be banned due to dumb and or jelaous hosts, this game is for noobs
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Hey… i am not a fan from vac²… cause punkbuster is still 1000 times better… but.. guys.. dont worry. everyone knows, CoD6 was a fail on PC. but, you can report cheats to valve, report the cheat page to a steam forum admin and he will forward this to valve, i reported a hack with more than 6500 downloads, and now catalyst-hax. know i hope valve will check this pages also for black ops hacks. only the privat hacks will own us.. this is the only thing i hate on steam. you cant report hackers
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There will be Public Ranked and Unranked servers hosted by Gameservers.com
So no “Jealous Admins kicking everyone”
Anyone for a price can make their own unranked server:
Unranked = Do what the f**k you want, no “XP” no “leveling” so that sounds like alot of fun to me and my clan mates.
With no public server files and a single company hosting:
VAC will be much stronger due to hackers not being able to simply turn the f**ker off like they were in MW2.
Steam:
Shrug. I’ve got a handful of games on steam. Only good for the friends list.
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Black ops is only steaming at my computer, how?
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Call of Duty Black Ops sucks big time.
You need a f**king mainframe with a seperate room full of gigabytes and videocards to get this game running without lag.
What a disgrace…..
I had big expectations after MW2, but this has been a waste of money
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I won’t be getting the Black Ops for PC, just because it lacks the split screen co-op, just like mw2. Split screen co-op is what makes the game so fun to play at a friend’s place on ps3 with some beer. Don’t have any online friends, don’t want any.
How hard can it be to have some support for couple pc gamepads?
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please cut this game out of our household our son is addicted and its affecting family life,,, hes 13 anyway,,,i want the server removed from our internet … how,,,
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CODBLOPS is the worst release I have seen in ages from Steam.
Laggy on even highend machines
Continually dropping connection
Crashes on steam every second load
Patch did nothing to fix this
I am so fed up with this game it is not funny…
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suddenly in a week or two, there has been more people hacking on Ranked servers, wall hacking mainly, people jumping from around corners you’d have to be psychic to know someone was there. Its totally sucked the fun out of playing when you know people have an unfair advantage
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hello everyone,
I would like to ask for your help concerning black ops ranked servers and admin missusage of their rights,
so many times I was kicked from a server and every time without explanation or giving any reason for kicking me, I couldn’t have done anything wrong because all of my classes are made according to ESL rules, no semtex, stun, nova gas, ballistic knife, crossbow…. I only use smoke or frag and flash, weapons only sniper (L96A1), ak47 and 74u, so it couldn’t have been for banned weapons or something like that,
I want to know how can I report those admins, because I heard that there is EULA policy which says that admin cannot kick/ban without explaining (telling you the reason) and worning you at least once before doing so,
also that on ranked servers you cannot ban one thing (like claymores) and allow some other things like motion sensor or c4, you must make your server barebones or leave everything,
but apparently most (or even all of them) admins don’t know that,
I am sick of being kicked not even knowing why, or simply because I am the first, or because I killed admin and he got angry,
thank you for any kind of help,
let’s make the game fair and competetive and not allow admins to do whatever they want
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