So the cat is out of the bag, and now everyone knows that I wasn’t just cycling around Venice Beach trying to find Tenacious D last week. Call of Duty Ghosts is aiming to step things up a notch for the franchise later this year, and while baysplosions and 60 frames per second are par for the course as with any COD title. There is something else that’s new as well. Military trained killer attack German Shepard dogs. And their cute dog goggles. Or doggles. Ha!
Speaking to Activision Senior Producer Yale Miller again, one topic that kept on surfacing was the addition of a dog to the Call of Duty formula. According to Miller, that trusty canine is going to be a key part of your arsenal.
“The dog is an integral part of the squad. We worked with real SEAL team advisors and service dogs, and figured out what they’re capable of and how they’re used in the real world, and figured out how we can make them meaningful for the game”, Yale said.
Not just to make them a companion and a part of the family, but to make them a tool and a useful part of combat. Whether that is actual combat, like with a door breach with the dog, or for surveillance purposes using real gear that was modelled, different ways that you can use that in combat.
So why a dog then? Sure, it has surveillance options as mentioned above, and can be used to help players perform door breaches and can attack enemies as well. The thing is though, we’ve done that before. But with AI human partners and robotic drones. So is the inclusion of a canine with a bulletproof vest and tattooed ears part of a method to get players more emotionally invested in the game? Or does it really add to the gameplay?
“I think maybe both”, Miller said.
Working with advisors, figuring out how they use dogs. It made sense for our story, and then it also made sense from telling a different story and adding a different emotional element that we haven’t done in the past.
And I get that idea, I honestly do. But to me, it’s still just a bunch of pixels, but in dog form. It’s an idea that’s going to work for some, but not everyone. What was more interesting though, was listening to Miller explain the challenges that they faced capturing a performance for the dog, as they had an actual military dog in their motion capture studio, dressed in his or her own little motion capture suit;
They are very bright. The only difference as well, is with actors you can say ‘Fight!’, but with the dogs, they think that they’re playing and we’re not actually putting the dogs in combat, but we want it to look real when we’re doing a takedown in the game, so that was really a different dynamic that we haven’t worked with before.
But it was really awesome when we put them in the mocap suits and said, ‘let’s do that’, and we were blown away by that one AV compare shot, when that ledge that that dog jumps onto, was seven feet tall actually.
And that was awesome for us, because we were figuring out new ways that the dog can be useful towards the story.
So there you have it. Call of Duty Ghosts may not be changing the formula too much this year, but at least it has dogs. Which is a perfect excuse for me to shout “WHO LET DA DOGS Out” every time I use one in combat. By the way, the dog also has its own Twitter account now.
It’s called Collar of Duty. And it has more followers than the entire Lazygamer gang put together. Dammit.
Last Updated: May 22, 2013
Mark Treloar
May 22, 2013 at 11:29
Wonder how many people were sacrificed to the dog in the suit
HvR
May 22, 2013 at 11:32
Nobody is going to miss the few dozen overweight Dew drinking/Cheetos munching teenagers who answered the Beta testing add.
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 11:29
DAT red suit!
So damn awesome!
Andre116
May 22, 2013 at 13:42
I can already see some granny walking down the street with her dog in a bright red spandex suit.
HvR
May 22, 2013 at 11:33
They took my doug!!!!
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 11:35
To be honest, I’d be real emotional if my companion got shot or blown up.
I know someone (whom I shall not name or name my relationship to) that used to be in the SAPS dog unit, and he suffered a mental breakdown after his second dog got shot by a filthy criminal.
While the idea is nice, that dog better have super regen health or godmode applied
HvR
May 22, 2013 at 11:37
Its CoD, you toss him a few scooby snacks and he is good to go.
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 11:41
Heh, but I was being serious
HvR
May 22, 2013 at 11:47
I do feel they are playing into the hands of the “anti-video game chat show alliance”, I do not care if my human team member or opponents get blow up but I care for my dog.
Also “attack dogs” aren’t used in the army as weapons in full combat close combat scenarios (as it is going to betrayed in CoD) otherwise they would just be just cannon fodder which is cruel.
They are used in specialized units, bomb/drug sniffing or when less lethal submission is needed.
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 11:51
Yes was aware of that, and those heroic dogs do amazing work!
I hope they don’t use them as cannon fodder
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
May 22, 2013 at 12:01
Yeah, I have a real soft spot for dogs hey. I can watch an entire city being blown to shreds and not flinch. (Talking about movies and stuff not real life naturally) But show 1 dog in the streets before the explosion and I suddenly feel horrible and terribly sad.
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 12:07
Yeah dude, shows something about your character
(not trolling)
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
May 22, 2013 at 12:12
🙂
Ultimo_Cleric_N7
May 22, 2013 at 11:43
Haha me too. Cant watch a single Lassie movie. Or WallE
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
May 22, 2013 at 12:03
Dude… WallE… What an emotional movie. Not that I was emotional in it. Nope. Never.
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
May 22, 2013 at 11:37
I’m sorry. I couldn’t resist! …
Go ahead Dogfort!
Rince an repeat
May 22, 2013 at 11:54
Well done sir, well done! Mwahahahaha!
That Tall Twit
May 22, 2013 at 13:32
SO. MUCH. WIN!
Jim Lenoir (Banana Jim)
May 23, 2013 at 19:28
#winning
HvR
May 22, 2013 at 11:41
I hope they bring out an attack pug DLC package.
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 11:42
Pugs can’t bite, but they sure are mooi van lelikwees
Sir Rants-a-Lot Llew
May 22, 2013 at 11:44
Dude I love pugs!
LordCaptainAwesomeness
May 22, 2013 at 11:57
Anything that bounces when it barks is not a dog….
anything you can drop kick over a wall …. not a dog
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 12:06
XDXDXD
Umar 'Van Hohenhaim' Bastra
May 22, 2013 at 11:59
I LOVE PUGS!!!
That Tall Twit
May 22, 2013 at 13:33
I used to have a pug. I am missing him now.
Rince an repeat
May 22, 2013 at 11:44
Hahah! Awesome, this makes me giggle. At first I thought that you just let the dogs run with C4 strapped to them. Perhaps they learnt from the Second World War that it wasn’t such a good idea, especially when the dogs got spooked and ran back to their masters, all eager for a pat, pat BOOM!
HvR
May 22, 2013 at 11:49
Hehe leon shcuster movie where the dog fetches the dynamite stick which right wing owner tossed under the taxi.
Rince an repeat
May 22, 2013 at 11:54
Oh yes, hahaha!
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 11:56
Then when the cake blows….
“HIER, NET HIEEEEEEER!!!!!!!”
*cake on groom’s face*
lulz
Khulani Ndlovu
May 22, 2013 at 11:52
Does my dog respawn if its killed in combat or there’s a dog for sale caravan always parked in the battlefield ready for those who would love dog purchases or their dogs been killed, lol 😀
Andre116
May 22, 2013 at 13:37
There will be boxes of puppies scattered around the game so you can refill when required to.
Khulani Ndlovu
May 22, 2013 at 14:21
That’s cool, can i name my dog? 😉
Trevor Davies
May 22, 2013 at 11:57
I hope to God they have top-notch AI for the dog, can you imagine the memes if it turns out to be a stupid block of pixels.
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 12:06
If it tries to hump your leg or piss on something I’d laugh my ass off!
HvR
May 22, 2013 at 12:52
I was an good dog until I took an arrow in the knee.
(could not resist)
Umar 'Van Hohenhaim' Bastra
May 22, 2013 at 11:59
I’m getting my Doggs confused
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 12:19
Its Lion now, didn’t you hear?
Umar 'Van Hohenhaim' Bastra
May 22, 2013 at 12:25
Dammit , so my joke is irrelevant!!
Admiral Chief Commander
May 22, 2013 at 12:28
Good thing the hammer isn’t effective…else….
😛
Trevor Davies
May 22, 2013 at 13:48
Does this help?
Mark Treloar
May 22, 2013 at 12:19
P.E.T.A is going to love this
Slade Boender
May 22, 2013 at 12:56
Ha good damn point!!
HvR
May 22, 2013 at 13:18
You are right exposing another generation of CoD player to more CoD is cruel.
HvR
May 22, 2013 at 15:03
new CoD multiplayer game, instead of zombies there are 1000’s of PETA hags attacking you with fake blood, and if you to get to much fake blood on you turn into a hipster.
Alex [SS] PsyChoPanthis
May 22, 2013 at 16:40
Obvious Spoiler Alert!!!! Do not read if you dont want this obvious spoiler!!
The dog is more than likely going to die for dramatic effect… mark my words here peoplez