Call of Duty eSports Details and Preliminary Competitive Guidelines

Infinity Ward reveals the first Call of Duty World League and eSports details for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Call of Duty eSports Details and Preliminary Competitive Guidelines

Infinity Ward reveals the first Call of Duty World League and eSports details for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare

Clint “Maven” Evans recently hosted a livestream at Infinity Ward to pull back the curtain on the newest Call of Duty eSports details, including first details for the return of the Call of Duty World League.

To kick things off, Maven was joined by Jack “Courage” Dunlop and pro players from Elevate, EnVy, FaZe, and Rise, including reigning Call of Duty Champion and MVP John and former champions Attach and Clayster, took part in a Hardpoint match on Throwback to show off what pros can do behind the wheel of Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Taking part in the competition were:

WRAITH

SABRE TEAM 7

SBR7 ended up winning this one with a score of 250 to WR8’s 209.

You can see the updated CODcaster mode at work in these matches, which will be used in the Call of Duty World League, and will also allow anyone to cast their own games as well. The mode has many new innovative features, including some of the highlights below:

  • Color coding for the teams: red/blue were used for this showcase
  • X-Ray will flash when a player’s super is ready
  • When switching to a new player, the screen will flash around the border with their team color.
  • The mini-map features arrows showing player direction and names.
  • Player loadout information is featured at the bottom of the screen.
  • Major in-game events will be called out on screen.

After the match, Maven was joined by Joe Cecot, Lead Multiplayer Designer, and Ashton Williams, Community Manager at Infinity Ward. Having just concluded the two Beta weekends for Infinite Warfare, the pair touched on the amount of testing that the team was able to do heading into launch.

One thing the team noticed was the variety of weapons that players used over the course of the Beta. All of the gameplay is invaluable to the team, who will be working hard for the quickly approaching launch day on November 4.

The second pro player match was a Search & Destroy on Frost, which SBR7 won with a score of 6 to 3. It included Clayster falling off of the map, because why break the streak? [link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FbWQku7HnI4]

After the second match, Maven and Ashton were joined by Jay Puryear, Director of Brand Development and eSports, who outlined some of the details about the upcoming season for the Call of Duty World League:

  • Both Call of Duty World League and the Call of Duty Championship will be returning for 2017.
  • Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare will be the game for all events.
  • As per last year, qualification for the Call of Duty Championship will be determined by CWL Pro Points, which are accumulated from LAN and online events through the year
  • The CWL season will start in early December, and players will be able to start to earning CWL Pro Points in GameBattles once the season starts.
  • The first regional event for North America will be at MLG Vegas on December 16, where players will compete for a $100k prize pool and CWL Points.
  • The CWL season schedule and events will be announced in the next few weeks.

As the group got back into the action, the third pro player match was Uplink on a brand-new map, Mayday. This symmetrical map features a Settlement Defense Front ship that is crippled so look for environmental effects and havoc everywhere. Ashton advised to keep an eye on the mess hall in the ship, where much of the action is centered. WR8 came into this match seeking vengeance, and completely decimated SBR7 6 to 1.

To close out the stream, Tyler “TeePee” Polchow joined Maven and Ashton to talk about some of the specific changes that will come to the Call of Duty World League. Infinity Ward has been working closely with active and retired pros like TeePee, Joey “Merk” Deluca, John “Revan” Boble, and Eric “Muddawg” Sanders, along with the pros playing in matches during this livestream, and other players from North America and Europe during hands-on events since the Spring to hone the esports experience in Infinite Warfare.

With the start of the season coming up soon, here are Version 1 of the preliminary competitive guidelines:

PRELIMINARY COMPETITIVE GUIDELINES – VERSION 1

Weapon and Rig Draft

Pending the planned inclusion of the in-game Weapon and Combat Rig Draft systems, each member on a team of four will select a separate Combat Rig, with no duplicate Combat Rigs permitted on the same team.

Each member on a team of four will also select a weapon via the Weapon Draft system, which will restrict each player to two primary weapons (secondary weapons are not subject to the Weapon Draft system). Duplicate primary weapons cannot be used on the same team. The Weapon Draft will occur on a per-map basis.

NOTE – The Weapon and Combat Rig Draft systems are currently in the process of being fine-tuned. The frequency of the Weapon and Combat Rig Drafts (per series vs per map) will be reevaluated in the coming weeks.

Hybrid Weapons

Hybrid Weapons represent a unique weapon archetype characterized by the ability to swap between two weapon functionalities “on the fly.” The team at Infinity Ward has taken player feedback into account and will work to “lock” these weapons in their default primary mode when played within the competitive ruleset. At the start of the season, players may still use these weapons contingent upon using only the default primary mode.

  • Type 2 – Assault Rifle only
  • RPR Evo – SMG only
  • EBR-800 – Sniper Rifle only
  • OSA – Assault Rifle only

Sidearms

With their placement outside the Weapon Draft System, Sidearms hold an especially critical role. The Team at Infinity Ward recognizes how impactful these weapons can be in professional hands, and are actively seeking feedback from the community.

  • Oni
  • Hailstorm
  • Hornet

Maps and Modes

Hardpoint

  • Breakout
  • Frost
  • Mayday
  • Precinct1
  • Scorch
  • Throwback

Uplink

  • Frost
  • Mayday
  • Precinct
  • Throwback

Search and Destroy

  • Crusher
  • Frost
  • Mayday
  • Retaliation2
  • Scorch
  • Throwback

Restricted Items

Payloads

  • Reaper
  • Micro Turret
  • Phase Shift

Traits

  • Ping
  • Persistence
  • Infusion
  • Supercharge
  • Perception
  • Relay
  • Marked Target
  • Heightened Senses

Lethals

  • Plasma Grenade
  • Seeker Grenade
  • Trip Mine
  • Exploding Drone
  • Black Hole Projector
  • C4

Tacticals

  • Personal Radar
  • Dome Shield
  • Cryo Mine
  • Nano Shot

Perk 1

  • Overclock

Perk 2

  • Tracker

Perk 3

  • Pinpoint

Wildcards

  • Overkill

Attachments

  • Fusion Mag
  • Hollow Point/Faraday Slug
  • Ram Servo
  • Akimbo
  • Auto Sear
  • Tracking Chip

LMGs

  • A.W.
  • Mauler
  • Titan

Shotguns

  • Reaver
  • DCM-8
  • Banshee
  • Rack-9
  • S-Ravage

Launchers

  • Spartan SA3
  • P-LAW
  • Howitzer

Scorestreaks

  • UAV
  • Drone Package
  • CUAV
  • Vulture
  • Shock Sentry
  • Advanced UAV

Game Mode Rules

Hardpoint

Game

  • Time Limit: 5 Minutes
  • Score Limit: 250 Points
  • CodCaster: Enabled

Advanced

  • Time to Capture Zone: Instant
  • Zone Lifetime: 1 Minute
  • Activation Delay Time: Disabled
  • Location Order: Linear
  • Scoring: Constant
  • Pause Time: Enabled
  • Capture Team Spawn Delay: Disabled
  • Use HQ Rules: Disabled

Player

  • Number of Lives: Unlimited
  • Max Health: Normal
  • Health Regeneration: Normal

Team

  • Spectating: Team Only
  • 3rd Person Spectating: Disabled
  • Killcam: Enabled
  • Radar Always On: No
  • Respawn Delay: 2.5 Seconds
  • Wave Spawn Delay: None
  • Force Respawn: Enabled
  • Friendly Fire: Enabled
  • Team Kill Punish Limit: Disabled

Gameplay

  • Hardcore Mode: Disabled
  • Headshots Only: Disabled
  • Cranked Timer: Disabled
  • Double Jump: Enabled
  • Wallrun: Enabled
  • Allow Payloads: Enabled
  • Payload Charge Rate: Disabled
  • Payload Score Modifier: x1.5*
  • Perks: Enabled
  • Scorestreaks: Enabled
  • Persistent Streaks: Disabled

Uplink

Game

  • Round Time Limit: 5 Minutes
  • Round Score Limit: Unlimited
  • CodCaster: Enabled

Advanced

  • Carry Score: 2 Points
  • Throw Score: 1 Point
  • Satellite Count: 1 Satellite
  • Practice Mode: Disabled
  • Drone Reset Condition: Never
  • Drone Reset Timeout: Unlimited
  • Idle Timeout: 15 Seconds
  • Explode on Timeout: Disabled
  • Carrier Armor: Normal*
  • Show Enemy Carrier: 3 Seconds

Player

  • Number of Lives: Unlimited
  • Max Health: Normal
  • Health Regeneration: Normal

Team

  • Spectating: Team Only
  • 3rd Person Spectating: Disabled
  • Killcam: Enabled
  • Radar Always On: No
  • Respawn Delay: 5 Seconds
  • Wave Spawn Delay: None
  • Force Respawn: Enabled
  • Friendly Fire: Enabled
  • Team Kill Punish Limit: Disabled

Gameplay

  • Hardcore Mode: Disabled
  • Headshots Only: Disabled
  • Cranked Timer: Disabled
  • Double Jump: Enabled
  • Wallrun: Enabled
  • Allow Payloads: Enabled
  • Payload Charge Rate: Disabled
  • Payload Score Modifier: Disabled
  • Perks: Enabled
  • Scorestreaks: Enabled
  • Persistent Streaks: Disabled

Search and Destroy

Game

  • Time Limit: 1.5 Minutes
  • Round Win Limit: 6 Rounds
  • Win by Two Rule: Disabled
  • Win by Two Max Rounds: 8 Rounds
  • Round Switch: Every Round
  • CodCaster: Enabled

Advanced

  • Bomb Timer: 45 Seconds
  • Plant Time: 5 Seconds
  • Defuse Time: 7.5 Seconds
  • Multi Bomb: Disabled
  • Silent Plant: Enabled

Player

  • Number of Lives: 1 Life
  • Max Health: Normal
  • Health Regeneration: Normal

Team

  • Spectating: Team Only
  • 3rd Person Spectating: Disabled
  • Killcam: Enabled
  • Radar Always On: No
  • Respawn Delay: None
  • Wave Spawn Delay: None
  • Force Respawn: Enabled
  • Friendly Fire: Enabled
  • Team Kill Punish Limit: Disabled

Gameplay

  • Hardcore Mode: Disabled
  • Headshots Only: Disabled
  • Cranked Timer: Disabled
  • Double Jump: Enabled
  • Wallrun: Enabled
  • Allow Payloads: Enabled
  • Payload Charge Rate: Disabled
  • Payload Score Modifier: x5*
  • Perks: Enabled
  • Scorestreaks: Enabled
  • Persistent Streaks: Disabled

*New values to follow shortly pending developer update
1 Initial spawns to be adjusted shortly
2 Bombsite to be adjusted shortly so defensive team cannot see both A&B from a single location

For the latest updates on the Call of Duty World League, presented by PlayStation 4, stay tuned to CallofDuty.com/CWL and follow @CODWorldLeague on Twitter and Instagram.

The Software License and Service Agreement will be updated. Please follow this link [https://www.activision.com/legal/ap-eula] in order to see these changes.