When Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 was revealed during this year’s Xbox Showcase, fans of the franchise were excited to see another entry into the series under the Black Ops moniker. Many are awaiting the game, as it could mean they get more of what they loved in the earlier years of the franchise.
Activision may be banking on nostalgia to some degree, but the company is also looking to implement new features and mechanics. One of these, which at first glance seems to break the rules of reality, may have its origins in an actual technique the developers found through research!
Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 Prioritizes Movement Even if It’s a Bit Unreal
Games in the franchise have always been about staying active and constantly moving. Not only does this ensure you reach objectives quickly, but it also makes you a difficult target when you’re weaving and rapidly ducking around corners. But this has, for the most part, always been when moving forward. Black Ops 6 is looking to change that.
There are quite a few changes coming to Call of Duty, including some weapon choices that may not go down with all fans. But the newest addition is ‘Omnimovement’. The new mechanic will enable the player to sprint in any direction, even backward. Not only that, it will also allow players to perform sprint moves such as dives in those directions as well.
Now, sprinting backward may sound like a recipe for tripping within a couple of steps, but it’s not entirely fantastical! The team at Treyarch has based their inclusion of this feature on some actual research and understanding of physics. It did require breaking the conventional paradigm of movement, but it made available many avenues by which players could strategically move.
Speaking at a press conference, Matt Scronce, Associate Design Director, and Yale Miller, Senior Director of Production, elaborated on the ideation and inclusion of the new feature, stating, “We’ve read white papers from the Air Force Academy on what is the actual speed that a human being can physically sprint backwards.” The interview was transcribed by VGC.
Developers States Omnimovement Was Designed for Fluidity
The team’s goal is to ensure fluid movement is available across every Black Ops 6 mode and will also be coming to Warzone. The goal is to improve the game and possibly start a paradigm shift within the FPS genre to offer more responsive movement capabilities for strategic escapes and opportunities.
The series has been receiving lukewarm to poor reception over the years, and this is in large part due to the repetitive nature of the franchise. The genre has not seen a significant degree of innovation in the last few years, and even XDefiant failed to bring something new to the table that could become a new benchmark.
Omnimovement could be the spark that reignites interest and innovativeness in the FPS genre, but players are going to have to experience it first to decide if it truly is a worthwhile addition. The game is slated to launch on October 25, 2024, and pre-orders are open and going strong.
What do you think of the omnimovement system? Let us know in the comments below!
