Technologically, Treyarch has pushed the boundaries of visual fidelity in Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War through environments and characters captured by photogrammetry, photometric lighting and a 4K high dynamic range experience on next-gen consoles and PC. With the move to 4K, the small details of the environment stand out, and by using photogrammetric techniques that measure the precise colors and material properties of physical objects and environments, gamers can see even clearer details when playing the game.
Next generation and current generation visuals are particularly immersive thanks to the latest advances in lighting. Measured, physically accurate lighting values and a design workflow based on credible placement of complete lighting fixtures lead to the most natural lighting possible. With these new tools, the art and design teams are able to enhance gameplay and maintain visibility of enemies without disturbing the natural beauty of the surroundings.
A new set of contour terrain building tools also enables the development of larger, more immersive play spaces for entirely new multiplayer experiences. They started with their tools and processes for procedurally creating large, open maps in natural spaces, first seen in Blackout in 2018, and extended them to make things faster, more powerful, and more detailed.
Bigger and more expansive environments for Fireteam modes require going beyond fixed-size worlds. To unleash the full potential of these larger play spaces, the world is divided into several interactive districts that smoothly transform into precise background thumbnails, allowing for a greater variety of unique map designs.
During the Call of Duty Black Ops Cold War multiplayer reveal, we learned that the game plans to support 3D audio on the PS5, Xbox Series X, PS4, Xbox One and PC.
