Post: The story behind BLACK OPS zombies
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02-05-2011, 07:39 PM
#1
HerbalEye
I'm thinking of a number...
History
Over the first few months after the game's release, the mode became extremely popular to the point that a title update made the zombie map available to all players regardless of campaign progress. Eventually, the fan feedback asking for more zombie content would lead to the release of three new Zombie maps, one for each map pack: Verruckt (Map Pack 1), Shi No Numa (Map Pack 2) and Der Riese (Map Pack 3). With these new maps came new additions to the zombie maps, from the perk machine and Teddy Bear in Verruckt, Imperial Japanese Zombies and the Wunderwaffe DG-2 in Shi No Numa, and ultimately the Pack-a-Punch Machine for Der Riese.
The next year, the zombie mode took to the iPhone as an app called "Call of Duty: World at War Zombies". Infinity Ward, to whom turn it was with the franchise in 2009 with Modern Warfare 2, did not pursue Zombies or any other survival mode at that, instead releasing Spec Ops. Upon the release of Call of Duty: Black Ops, once again under direction of Treyarch, two zombie maps, Kino der Toten and Five, were released (with the latter of those maps unlocked upon completion of the campaign). Those with the Hardened or Prestige additions have access to the original four zombie maps from World at War. For the First Strike map pack of Black Ops, a new Zombie map, Ascension, has released.[multipage=Point system]
There is a point system is the Zombie game mode. This system applies to Normal Zombies, Hellhounds, Gas Zombies and the Pentagon Thief.
Point system
Lethal torso hit: 60 points
Lethal limb hit: 50 points
Lethal headshot: 100 points
Lethal melee: 130 Points
[multipage=Maps]
Maps
— Nacht der Untoten description
Nacht der Untoten is the first map of the Nazi Zombies campaign. It is also the smallest and simplest, there are only three rooms in this map. The Zombies in this map are less deadly than the ones in the others, as they do not reach through windows, they do not run as fast and they're the least smartest in terms of AI. This is the only map not to include perks, traps, or electricity. Because it is a last minute developer addition, this map simply acts as an introduction to the Nazi Zombies game mode and does not advance the zombie story arc. It takes various design elements from a building in the multiplayer map Airfield, the building in the map therefore earning the name "Zombie House". However, it has nothing to do with that map story-wise. The version in Black Ops features every power up including the power up icon, Cold War weapons in the Mystery Box and zombies that reach through the windows to hit the players.
Verrückt
"Electroshock therapy. Chemically engineered beverages. Hordes of Undead Nazis. Find the power to unite and send them back to their graves!"
— Verrückt description
Verrückt is the second map in the Nazi Zombies campaign. It may be based off Asylum, as they share many traits. The zombies in it are much more dangerous because they can attack through windows, deal more damage and run faster. This is also the first map to include traps, perks, and bouncing Betties, as well as the first map to require the electricity to be turned on. There are ten rooms in this map, which require 'points' to open. This is the first map where the mystery box can be destroyed by the teddy bear and reappear somewhere else. This level takes place in Wittenau Sanatorium in Berlin, Germany, and this is the only map to feature different factions. There is a German and American side, each with the faction's respective weapons. When playing with 3 or 4 players, they will be split up and have to reunite at the generator room. This map also introduces the PPSh-41, available from the Mystery Box.
Shi No Numa
"Maggot ridden corpses. Bug infested swamp. Hundreds of undead Imperial Army. Choose your tactic and defend for your lives!"
— Shi No Numa description
Shi No Numa is the third map in the Nazi Zombies campaign, even though it includes Japanese zombies instead of Nazi zombies. The max zombie running speed has been reduced from a full sprint back to the original "zombie run", possibly for difficulty reasons. There are five main buildings in this map and four unlockable swamp areas connecting these buildings. Four of the buildings contain only one room, while the main building has three (Starting Room,Warning Room and Mystery Box Spawn). This is the second map where the electricity doesn't have to be turned on. This is the only map where the perk machines spawn randomly and the second map where the mystery box can move, with a new feature: a yellow beam above the place which it has spawned. This is the only map where the players can walk outside of buildings without glitches or cheating and the first to have zombies spawn next to them. This is the only map with a Zipline, and introduces Hellhounds. It is also the first map where the identities of the players are known. Shi No Numa also introduces a new weapon, the Wunderwaffe DG-2, an electricity-casting weapon that can destroy up to 10 zombies at once, in a chain reaction. This map is also the only one with the Flogger, a manually activated 'trap'. Finally, this map introduces the Nazi Zombie back-story. This is the first map not based on a map built into the game, although it takes some design cues from Makin and Knee Deep, as this level takes place in a swamp somewhere in the Pacific.
Der Riese
"The Giant is rising. Face the might of the Nazi Zombies in their heartland. This is where it all began. This is where the master plan took shape. Is this where it all ends?"
— Der Riese description
Der Riese is the fourth map in the Nazi Zombie game mode. It takes some features from the multiplayer map Nightfire. It is the first map where zombies can climb over areas and jump down from an area towards the characters. It also introduces the Pack-A-Punch machine, which for 5000 points, upgrades weapons to have increased ammo capacity, more power, high RoF, etc. It is the second map where the power is required to be switched on. Der Riese is the third map where Perk-a-Cola machines are included, and the second where perk machines do not spawn randomly. Der Riese is the second map to contain hellhounds, which spawn about every 5 rounds. It is the first map to have teleporters, the Monkey bomb, the Bowie Knife, and the Fly Trap. It is the second map where the identity of the characters are known, and the second to advance the plot. It is the second to have a small objective, which is turning on the power and connecting the three teleporters to the mainframe to access the Pack-a-Punch machine. Der Riese also features the new "Carpenter" power-up, which boards up all opened windows in the level and award the players 200 points.
Kino der Toten
"Battle the undead in this theatrical installment of "Zombies". New twists and clues could uncover the final plan. It's show time!"
— Kino der Toten description
Kino der Toten is the fifth map in the Nazi Zombie game mode, introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops. It has almost all the features from Der Riese including the Bowie Knife, Teleporters, Pack-a-Punch Machine, and Monkey Bomb, although the Wunderwaffe DG-2 does not return. Instead, it introduces a new Wonder Weapon called the Thundergun. It is the first map to have purchasable modern weapons, as well as the first map to have the new 'Gas Zombies'. After the Mystery Box has been used multiple times, a teddy bear will appear, and the box will teleport to a different room.
Quick Revive is now essential in solo play as when the player is downed, he can still revive himself, and therefore have a second chance. However, Quick Revive can only be used three times per game (in solo). The Pack-a-Punch machine now does not only increase the power of a weapon, but gives certain weapons attachments (e.g. customized dot sight, or dual mag).
"Five"
"The Pentagon is under attack! Washington is going to DEFCON 1 in this installment of "Zombies"."
— "Five"
"Five" is the sixth map in the Nazi Zombie game mode, introduced in Call of Duty: Black Ops. It has all the features from Kino Der Toten. A new wonder weapon, the Winter's Howl has been released on this map, along with the revamped Verruckt. The playable characters in this map are President John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Robert McNamara, and Fidel Castro. New features in this map include the use of elevators, the DEFCON control system, American zombies, and the Pentagon Thief. The Thief substitutes the Hellhounds, which do not appear in the map. Also new to this map are the incomplete Electro-Shock defenses, which require one part each before being available for use. Unlike other maps featuring teleporters, this map has multiple teleporters and they can be used by zombies. It is the third map where the electricity is required to be turned on.
Ascension
"The risen dead have overtaken a Soviet cosmodrome and all Hell has broken loose. The countdown to the zombie apocalypse has begun."
— Ascension
Ascension was released on February 1st, as part of the First Strike map pack on Xbox 360. It takes place in an abandoned Soviet Cosmodrome. There are two new perks, Stamin-Up and PhD Flopper. Double Tap Root Beer doesn't return. Space Monkeys have replaced the Pentagon Thief and Hellhounds. There is another exclusive power up, the Bottle, which grants the player a random perk. Two new wonder weapons, the Gersch Device and the Matryoshka Doll have also been released along with the Russian version of the Bowie Knife, the Sickle. This is the largest map do date. The four original zombie characters, Takeo, Nikolai, Dempsey, and Richtofen are back. It is the second map where players can have zombies spawn next to them. It is the only map with the Lunar Lander. It is the fourth map where the electricity is required to be turned on. This map features Russian astronaut, scientist, military and civilian zombies. However, gas zombies do not return.
[multipage=Story]
Story
"R-4808n 37 14 06 115 48 40. I hope that you are receiving this transmission Peter, if not then all has already been lost. You must know by now that we failed to contain the Asylum and we had to move the experiment here. Location: the numbers will guide you. The giant must remain (static) at all costs, repeat, Der Riese must remain (static) at all costs. The DG experiments continues. You're our only advantage now. Find Doctor Richtofen (static is in this word, but it is still audible) and Doctor Max, they may know what's going on. The use of 115 is dangerous at best. I'm not sure how much longer we can continue here. We've lost most of our best people. I hope you get this. I hope I happen to be there too but I'm almost out of hope. 60 54 06.96 101 55 44.94."
— Shi No Numa radio message.
The numbers are the coordinates of Tunguska (end of message) and Area 51 (beginning of message). Dr. Max is probably Dr. Maxis. "DG experiments" is a reference to the Wunderwaffe DG-2. The asylum is the setting of the second level, Verruckt. 115 is element 115, an element found in meteors and known to power the Wunderwaffe. A meteor containing 115 is shown in the map Shi No Numa outside one of the swamp areas. Peter is secretly an American agent and Tank was sent to recover him.
In Der Riese, the creation of the Zombies and Hellhounds is explained. Dr. Maxis was testing Zombies for the government project christened "Der Riese" or "The Giant". He was testing teleporters by sending people and/or dogs through them. They reappeared at the mainframe, but had been turned into Zombies. He tried to control the Zombies, but the problem was that they would always go berserk and try to kill him, resulting in their death. All of these experiments were done with his assistant, Edward. When he used his daughter Samantha's dog, Fluffy, as a teleporter test subject, he accidentally created the first hellhound. The dog was teleported, but like the rest of the subjects, she reappeared at the mainframe zombi-fied. When Samantha came running in and started questioning her dad about her dog, Edward left the room. Edward then betrayed him by locking him and his daughter in the room with the hellhound, which was originally believed to have killed them. Edward let loose the zombies on the factory, as on another radio message the player can hear screams and the sounds of Zombies moaning and attacking. Another radio message explains how hellhounds increased in quantity; in it, Maxis talks to his daughter about Fluffy's pregnancy. One of the characters, Dr. Richtofen, has obviously been to Der Riese before and probably worked there. He knows about connecting the teleporters and about Dr. Maxis. It has been revealed that he is Edward. In Black Ops it is revealed that he and the other three named characters survived the events at Der Riese and time-traveled to a Nazi Theater, where they continue to fight Zombies.
In the intro to Kino der Toten, Richtofen reveals that he knows much more about the energy created by 115, and that he was excited to learn that it was also capable of time travel. He seems unconcerned that he and his partners have been teleported to Nazi Germany in an unknown year.
In Ascension, it would appear Dr. Maxis wasn't killed by Fluffy, but was in fact teleported to the Soviet Cosmodrome. At the beginning of a new game, he can be heard asking the player for help and warning them that Samantha is coming and they must repair a mechanism. He is not heard from for the rest of the game.
Documents from vbush detail more of the story. They reveal that the ray gun was created by Maxis while the Wunderwaffe and the Monkey Bomb were created by Richtofen. As the experiments with 115 continued, Maxis noted that Richtofen had started acting increasingly insane and that he feared for his and Samantha's lives and regretted inviting him to join the group. Maxis also wrote that he and Sophia were attracted to each other. One of the other documents also reveals that Tank, Nikolai, and Takeo had their memories wiped by 115 and were being observed by Richtofen. It is also pretty apparent from the loading screen for Nacht der Untoten in Black Ops that someone (Identity unknown) tried to use Soviet memory modification technology to try and control the zombies.
Black ops zombie facts
On the top left hand corner of either GKNOVA6 Videos there is a zombie trying to break the screen or more likely that is a scientist trying to escape the room because the zombies are coming (although you can't see them it is possible that he is trying to get away as they are getting nearer) and you can see he either falls or gets dragged to the ground by the zombies at the end.
On one of the bars above the screens on GKNOVA6 a number comes up, the number is 47093, which leads to an asteroid found in Croatia back in 1999, which leads to the possibility that the Russians didn't stop their research after the fall of Soviet Russia and found an asteroid that involved a much more stronger version of element 115 or an entire new element altogether. This could also be hinting at the continuation of the Zombie storyline past Black Ops.
During the 2nd zombie update on GKNOVA6, voices can be faintly heard in the background, and it is extremely difficult just to separate the whispers from background noise.
Zombies that have their legs blown off but are still alive are normally referred to as "crawlers". In World at War, these crawlers were used tactically by players as a way to delay the start of the next round. For example, the team would keep a single (preferably slow moving) crawler alive while they prepared for the next round (buying guns, perks etc) then kill him when they are ready for the next round.
A zombie with one or both arms blew up, can't become a crawler, cause they don't have their two arms to move.
The screens of the main menu when Zombies are selected actually show some soldiers from the singleplayer level Rebirth, during the fighting on Rebirth Island (e.g., the U.S. Marine who fails to put on his gas mask and pleas for help during his agonizing death.).
When you select "Zombies" on the main menu the Interrogator leaves his window and comes back as a zombie trying to break into your room. This; however, could be an illusion to Mason's memories. He could also be trying to break in to get away from something.
On rare occasions the tips section under the loading bar in the Black Ops version of zombies will display text to the effect of "Manhattan DOWN!!!". This can happen on the loading screens of Kino der Toten or "Five". This could could have some reference to the Manhattan Project, a nuclear project, meaning that the project failed and the radiation, probably caused by element 115, was unleashed on Americans, causing "Five."
The AK47 seems to have been slated to appear in Zombie Mode, but was removed for an unknown reason. It can still be accessed using console commands on the PC.
Unlike World at War, Black Ops Zombie characters have different first person models, all of which are borrowed from another character.
Dempsey and all playable characters of "Five" use Mason's model from "Payback" (bare arms and hands).
Nikolai uses Mason's model from "Vorkuta" (pale yellow sleeves with grey bloodstained gloves).
Takeo uses the NVA Scavenger model from multiplayer (beige sleeves, dark grey gloves and beige fur).
Richtofen uses Hudson's model from "Rebirth" (long black gloves and yellow sleeves).
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04-26-2011, 05:27 PM
#15
rtkrebs277
Grunt
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