Title Update 8 - 4/28/11 - New Xbox 360 Black Ops

Hey 360 gamers,

We are listening to you and we’ve been busy working on updates based on feedback from the community. We have already deployed a number of updates, and there will be many more to come. Stay tuned right here for all the latest info.

LIVE FIXES

4/28/11 Title Update

• • Support for Escalation Map Pack (Releasing 5/3/11)
• • Security Updates.
• • Addition of banner-style Message of the Day on the MP Main Menu.
• • Addition of Hardcore FFA and TDM for Combat Training.
• • Additional sniper rifle tuning changes.
• • Addition of “Competition” Barebones playlist.
• • Replaced RPG with Grim Reaper in Gun Game Wager Match.
• • Prevent automatic weapons from jamming if the player is feathering the fire button on “Default Alt”, “Tactical Flipped” or “Nom4d Flipped”.
• • Fine-tuned napalm and bombing-run damage indoors.
• • Prevented rare invulnerability issue.
• • Additional game mode timer options for Custom Games.
• • Fixed a minor out of map exploit in Grid.
• • General Killcam and death-cam improvements.
• • Improved Auto-Assign reliability in Private Match.
• • Addressed an infinite “joining session in progress” screen under very specific timing conditions.
• • Demolition bombs can no longer explode and be defused at the same time.
• • Spy play now activates in One in the Chamber in all cases.
• • The “Sprint Kills” challenge for Steady Aim perk now rewards the player with the correct number of kills.
• • Contracts purchased but not yet expired no longer count as expired when viewing a friend’s player card.
• • Addressed a rare issue where a hacked camera spike would not function properly if the hacker also had a camera spike that was destroyed.
• • Recording a clip with the speed mode for 2 cameras set to .1 will no longer increase in speed when switching perspectives back and forth.
• • Improvements to Zipline functionality when viewed in Theater mode.
• • Settings from custom games are all cleared and no longer carry over from one custom match to another.
• • Improvements to map voting reliability in lobbies.
• • Nova gas will now affect players that are standing over their tactical insertion.
• • Hardcore players who kill another teammate in last stand now lose the proper amount of points.
• • Players can no longer transfer emblems/backgrounds from Combat Training to Player Match.
• • Player is no longer able to use a primary weapon in Second Chance (rare, specific instance).
• • Improvements to “Community” filters.

New Black Ops Map Pack - Escalation

New details regarding the upcoming Call of Duty: Black Ops map pack have been revealed, via GAME Australia’s website. It’s difficult to garner too much info, but the pack in question is called ‘Escalation’ and looks to feature a new Zombies map, in addition to the new multiplayer arenas.

Once again, it’s tough to gather any real concrete info from this reveal, but a map… in a zoo? That’s bound to be… interesting. From the wording it also looks as though each map has been designed around specific objective based game types.

The date on the advertisement is May 3, but we’re unsure whether that’s just the date the expansion will go on sale at retail, or whether that’s the date it’ll go onsale digitally as well.

More news as we get it.

Machinima employee, Fwiz recently posted the following: "I recently went to the Treyarch Studio and sat down with David Vonderhaar to discuss a competitive playlist. Not everything could be implemented due to the game being shipped. However, we were able to come to a middle ground to arrange a competitive playlist that will replicate a competitive enviornment. Rule sets are a healthy blend of multiple leagues. We did the best we could to please all crowds. Please support this cause, as it is a stepping stone in the right direction for what we need."