RadZakpak

2 hours ago, anonymous said:

Today I've heard about the story of the Monarch butterflies, the ones we see in Grief. The butterfly species live in Canada, and during one period in the year they fly to Mexico. The unique oddity this species has, is that their journey is multi-generational. There are tons of examples of animal species (most obvious: birds) who travel to another location during one time a year, but what makes the Monarch butterflies so special, is that they die during this voyage to the south (and later back north as well). During the journey, they procreate, die, and their offspring repeats this. This happens many times before the species arrive at their destination.

 

Could the butterflies in Grief be symbolical? Could the CDC/CIA agents be the butterflies, dying and living many times before they have reached their final goal? Does Richthofen, or any other aetherial force, revives them any time again, untill they are at their destination?

It just makes me curious what Richtofen’s end goal is with Grief besides just having fun for himself. 

I think it is plausible that because the CIA and CDC are trying to get involved saving people, Richtofen is trapping them in this hellish cycle so they do not interfere with the survivors he is controlling, maybe even specifically Victis. After the bombs from the Moon came down, the timeline states there was a ten year period where Maxis and Richtofen competed for power over the survivors. Radios in TranZit and Die Rise from the CDC say to ignore the voices as they are tearing groups apart. So Richtofen may have plucked the CDC and CIA agents aside to keep them away from other survivors, and to torture them for his own fun.

I would probably make them a short history of the location with dates noting events surrounding the location.

I’ll work on some location descriptions when I get the time. Are you looking for descriptions that catalogue all the events surrounding the location with dates and such, or something else?

No doubt the trailer should finally arrive then for IX. Can't wait for this song and any other collaboration A7X is having with BO4.

On another note, Classified trailer soon as well? Even just some info on the map or a screenshot would be great.

I can agree about consolidating certain subforums. As it stands now there are 49 places to post, and many of them get no activity whatsoever. I know back in the day browsing forums of a similar format to CoDz this was the norm and people loved the variety of places to post because the communities were so tight knit, and people rarely left. But with places like Reddit dominating, people are more drawn to the simplicity of the subreddit system. /r/CoDZombies is a conglomeration of everything zombies related, all thrown together in a mish-mash of fan content, memes, news, and discussions; Some of it is good, while much of it is... well, bad. But that community has retention, and even during the off-season there was a decent amount of discussion every day at every hour, because it is so centralized and simple. It's the one place you go if you are a fan of zombies, and posts you wouldn't find in a more complex forum like ours are right there in your face, for better or for worse. I'm not suggesting this website should just be like Reddit, because I think this forum is a unique corner of the community with its own style. But consolidating subforums may be a good way for the forum to seem less daunting.

If you look at my profile, it says I signed up for this website in 2011. 7 years ago! But everyone who has been here since then can tell you my activity here did not begin until maybe 2016-2017. The truth it, when I initially signed up after hearing what a great community there was here, I was intimidated by all of the different systems and subforums on the site. It felt like such an overload and I didn't know anybody here so I just never posted and didn't come back for a few years.

I think CoDz can maintain a lot of its charm while simplifying its layout, even just a bit. Just my 2 cents and personal story.

So Nuketown, TranZit, Call of the Dead, Buried, and Verrukt so far all have areas inspired by them. Interesting how most of those are maps that were not in Zombies Chronicles. I've seen people speculate these assets are being made for the inevitable remakes in a Zombies Chronicles 2 similar to assets in Revelations being made for Chronicles. I don't personally think we'll see a ZC2, at least not at the same scale as the original, but we will see. I'm curious what other zombies secrets are on this map.

3 hours ago, Boom115 said:

I would definitely agree that this is likely the post rev Richtofen. He recites at least one of the Origins quotes in every single one of the BO3 maps. Also it would take more work to render a seperate model without blood vials rather than just using an exact copy. So I think it was very intentional. With only 4 zombies maps on the Black Ops Pass and 2 storylines, do you think it is safe to say that this will be the last map featuring the Primis crew?

On one hand I don’t know how they can cap off a storyline 10 years in the making with just this map and Classiefied. But on the other, I don’t know where else they could go with this. Let’s hope the Chaos crew takes off successfully.

I don't trust stats like these online because they ALWAYS neglect to include digital sales. Until around 2013 almost nobody bought big games like CoD digitally on release. It was always disc sales. But digital is starting to be a major contender against physical sales, and so of course when you just look at physical sales it will look like CoD is declining steadily.

I'm genuinely hoping there is no deal this year. It honestly benefited no one besides I guess Activision for quick cash. As an Xbox player, getting the DLC late or not will be a decider in how invested I will be this season. It's just not worth the effort getting into the story as much when I'm not even allowed to experience it for the first time through the game itself. My interest dipped quite a bit in Black Ops III because of this, and I didn't play the maps as much when they came out because it felt like there was nothing new to discover.

I pre-ordered this edition. Mostly as part of tradition and support for a zombies-centric special edition. Also it technically cost less for me to get this edition, since I had $100+ in Amazon gift card money and I would have gotten the Gamestop edition with the Steelbook since I collect Steelbooks. TBH I am more excited for the puzzle than the box. Maybe I'll get it framed...

I wouldn’t be surprised if we got a new trailer within the week with some Classified info. It is the map we know the least about and the one I am most excited to play. Also it is good to hear about the A7X song! Let’s hope Kevin Sherwood, Elena, Malukah, and Clarke all return for music as well.

You can also find info on the upcoming Zombies Risk Board Game they showed off: http://usaopoly.com/games/risk-call-duty-zombies

I would certainly say Origins is one of, if not the most impactful map in the series. It completely changed the direction of gameplay (though elements were in Mob of the Dead) and the story. In the eyes of many it "redeemed" Black Ops II Zombies for some of its missteps. It's crazy to think it's been 5 years since I was up at 3 in the morning waiting in a party with my friend to download the map on my Xbox. I remember thinking making the staves was too complicated and the Panzers too hard! But I got better over time.

This reminds me of the rumor about the horse in TranZit. What a time that was...

And I'm all for more companions like Arthur in Buried or the Civil Protector. Actually something of a combination between those two would be awesome.

I agree with a lot of your points, and I feel like the forum is a sort of stand-still, not really at the fault of anybody in particular. I'm sure it has been considered in the past to add new Admins and Mods, but the issue with that lies in finding people to trust with that kind of power. First the current admins have to be active enough to keep up with the best, most trusted users, and then they have to hand-select them, and further than that, the person they select has to WANT to be an admin and dedicate their time to the forum for free. 

I imagine for most people here, playing Zombies started out as a pastime in a time in our lives when we had time to spare. I know that is certainly the case for me. It's been nearly ten years since the community dug in its roots and has grown. Some change certainly needs to happen if the forum will be as active as it once was, but I can understand the struggle to be motivated enough to do it after so long. I know I struggle to find the time for the Storybook, and when I have the time I struggle with the motivation.

I think your ideas are on point, though. I think a large update/revamp to the site + wiki around the time of Black Ops IV's release would do well to bring some people back. I wish I could help more in this and could check in here more often.

5 hours ago, anonymous said:

Tough question. The only explanation I can think of right now is coincidence, though that it the worst kind of explanation.

 

Following this theory, the origins box is, just as the origins PaP, a device that assists the Keepers, the Knights Templar and the Crusader Knights -in short: the Ancient Order of the Keepers (I think?)- in their battle against the Apothicans. They had one at the tomb in France. They had none at the Wolf's King castle in Austria. Maybe it's that simple. The Pack-a-Punch was simply present at both places.

 

While typing this I know how stupid this sounds. Maybe there, indeed, is another 'real' reason.

 

Ily more

My personal theory is the Keeper/Apothicon PaP and box designs were only present at Origins from the great battle. But perhaps near the end of the battle the PaP was destroyed, and its pieces were taken to the King’s new castle and left there. I believe this since in Der Eisendrache to acquire the PaP you have to go to 2 of the 3 pads and teleport the pieces back together. So the pieces were taken to the castle after the Great War, and when 935 took over they used teleporter technology to create a device to reassemble the pieces in their original form. In Origins in 1918 we even see the PaP is broken when you start, but with enough power from all the generators, it can reassemble itself, while the box is fully intact and may have never left the dig site. 

5 hours ago, Lenne said:

So we are on the same page when I say how BO IIII mp just looks like an update for III? As in the mechanics (minus thrust jumping) and the general look of it seem to be the same as 3 years ago?

 

Yep, I mean, I enjoyed BO3 multiplayer, it just doesn't feel like typical Treyarch to be so unimaginative.

The multiplayer just isn't really doing it for me this time around. I feel like with each Black Ops game before the changes were an evolution of the previous, but gameplay this time around doesn't really strike me as interesting. I'm sure it'll be good, but the beta isn't a great indicator of what my actual experience will be months into the game's launch. I remember really liking WWII's beta but when I got the game the shallowness sunk in so much I ended up trading it in recently, and I NEVER do that. I just really didn't want to own it anymore. I hope Treyarch surprises me here, and they have a tendency to do that. But Blackout and Zombies are the more interesting side of the game this year, though I really don't enjoy Battle Royale modes so I hope the map can be used in other ways that I will enjoy. I suppose we will see, and I will play this beta.

On 7/25/2018 at 12:58 PM, Lenne said:

How do you feel about cutscenes in general in the zombies stories? 

 

Is that the MR6 and in general the Blops III guns the guys are using? ugh...

I feel like they should do a lot to show some progression in the characters. I think Black Ops 3’s gradually showed Primis grow as a team while progressing the story and being entertaining to watch as well as setting the tone. Gorod’s cutscene did really well in setting Gorod as a goofy, over the top map where all hell has broke loose thanks to Ace of Spades. Der Eisendrache and Zetsubou could have been better though. I also like to see things I don’t expect. So less, “they go the place”, and more unexpected events like this one.

Let's discuss this cutscene and what you guys think it means. Maybe it's just the hype but it feels like my favorite zombies cutscene in a while.

RadAustins27 discussed on his podcast potential theories behind the scene, and I'm of the belief that the Richtofen there when they arrive is from Post-Revelations, while Primis that shows up is after Zetsubou No Shima. This is an alternate version of the events of the timeline, as Richtofen notes the change in the pages in the Kronorium. They also pointed to the significance of his "Opening the gateway, a vessel for Maxis" line when Primis arrives. The Richtofen there is clearly distressed by something to have just happened, and any time this line is said in Origins, the Giant, and I believe Gorod and Revelations, Richtofen is stressed and trying to regain his mind. It is ptentially the effect of him traveling so much through time, as it deteriorates his mind, and he has to reframe his thinking to the place that started it all, his time in Origins. This would point to the Richtofen already there having just done something to alter time or stress him in some way, perhaps killing the version of himself that was guiding Victis into the pods. Or perhaps he killed him even earlier, and built the lab in a different area of the prison, hence why Primis arrives further away than expected.

You should not beat yourself up over it, school can be a real living Hell sometimes. Many of us know that. I would say definitely say that should be number one priority. This forum and the rest of us will be here for a long time. I have a lot of respect for you, and thank you for making this forum as awesome as it is!

I think it will be really interesting to have a map with Blundell-type writing and story and characters from a much... simpler time in Zombies history. As much as I love Ultimis, they barely have any character, but this is perfect opportunity for them to flesh them out more and answer SOOOOO many questions. The only thing that saddens me is how this will affect the Storybook. It seems with every new release in this series I am set back and slightly discouraged to write knowing the canon could change at any moment, because it is really important to me I stay authentic to the canon because my work isn't supposed to be fan-fiction, it's supposed to be viewing the existing story in a different way. That's why I was lowkey hoping this game would have a new storyline, which it does, but things about the old one are still changing and I don't know what to do.

Anyway, this isn't about me. I really like the idea of clearing up inconsistencies and filling in gaps in the old story with this game while introducing a new one. I appreciate Blundell not completely abandoning Ultimis and Victis, and I'm really curious where Classified goes. One issue I kind of have is that all of this didn't really appear in the timeline, since it is supposed to be the timeline from Primis Richtofen's perspective. Why he would find the events of Ascension important, but not Classified seems odd, and leads me to believe what happens in the map is very unimportant. I feel the same way about Blood of the Dead, since whatever crazy things happen in it, it must not be important enough for Richtofen to see it in the timeline. I'm kind of skeptical about continuing the old story unless it is the breaking of some kind of cycle, and thus Richtofen does not see the events in the version of the timeline we see.

I'm cautiously optimistic about it. I loved the first game, but I don't know if I'd be that interested in another one in this day and age just with a new coat of paint. I hope the game is pretty off-the-wall like GTA V was, and some parts of RDR1. A big part of the appeal for GTA V was the characters and how exaggerated they were for me. No one in this trailer really struck me as interesting so my response was, "meh"

Also, I really hope they do the online well. I loved RDR 1 online and there really wasn't much to do in the open world, and despite it it was so much fun. I'm just worried how microtransactions will be implemented. (Cards to buy flying horses or gatling guns?).

Hmm, very interesting, I can agree with most of this. My only question is your meaning behind immortality. By immortality, I'm sure you don't mean their body cannot be killed since we do see the Ultimis souls' bodies die by very normal means (Katana in the chest, shotgun blast, shutting off life support). Is what you are saying that the souls themselves are immortal, and though their bodies die, the souls are harnessed and brought to the house? That brings up another question of what happens after Revelations inside the house that resets the time loop and puts the souls back into bodies, that also causes Monty to forget what has happened. I really like this theory, it gives me some understanding why Primis was so important, as despite the fact that they do not have immortal souls, they drank the blood of Victis and Sal and Finn, and so they were able to preserve their existence despite Monty attempting to wipe out all other traces of them.

Another question I have, however, is about this cipher from Zetsubou:

"Edward, as you know it is imperative you and the group find the exact versions of yourselves that I have highlighted in each universe. Only by killing that version of yourself in that particular universe at that particular moment in time will we be successful once each of your other selves are killed across all the universes. Remember, we are only immune because we opened the portal in France but I am afraid this might not be permanent. I fear there is something M isn't telling me and that there is not much time left for us."

Maxis mentions not only killing the specific bodies of their souls, but also killing them at the right particular time. What significance do you think there is to the time they are killed? Does it have something to do with what they experience at that time? I have always thought that these "immortal souls" are so special because they are the most pure versions of themselves. The Nikolai in Gorod appears to be the most broken and angry Nikolai we have ever seen caused by his drinking in grief. Perhaps only after his rampage in Stalingrad could he be at his purest to be collected? In Zetsbou, Takeo is killed at the peak of his suffering. I'm not so sure about Dempsey, and we never saw the version of Richtofen that was collected. Perhaps he was the most evil, and from what Primis Edward saw, that is what made him hate the version from the Giant so much.

Also, another idea to add to this is that perhaps with each cycle the amount of diverging paths is expanding infinitely, even if there is still only one original immortal soul somewhere in it all. I hate to bring up the show, but Rick and Morty had a somewhat similar idea. Essentially due to their manipulation of time, by having an uncertain thought or action, they create an alternate version of their timeline, which continues to expand as different versions of themselves make different choices. Throughout the episodes it continues to expand exponentially, and the versions of the characters can "hear" the other versions of themselves like they are bleeding through. In the end, they manage to merge back to their original timeline. Here's an image from the episode:

I think a similar idea could be going on here, that after Richtofen began meddling with the MTD and 115 the timeline began to split, and got to the point where we are now in-game. Perhaps Monty's goal with collecting the souls was to forcefully merge all of these souls back into one singular timeline and abandon all the others for the sake of simplifying things. It would make sense and Monty seems to show some disdain for Primis and other versions of them for mucking with time and making his job so much harder. His end game appears to be bringing everything into his own "perfect" world where he has total control. It would make sense that Primis Richtofen is against this, as he wants the divergent version of himself, and eventually the rest of Primis, to continue living.

3 hours ago, anonymous said:

 

*How does this fit on Pablo Marinus being both a king/knight in the end of the 1200s and the Mexican test subject of Group 935 in the 1940s. And why can in one universe his 1940s self see part of his soul's medieval life. What could have caused this?

 

 

I've pondered this too, and after @Electric Jesus's theory, I think this must mean the version in the original timeline is the version with Pablo's immortal soul. Perhaps with no where to go and no one to collect a soul upon death, the immortal soul floats around in search of a new body before being reincarnated in the 1900's. "Accept your fate, begin anew." As Richtofen says. This may also be why Richtofen can continue bringing Primis back to life as seen in Die Rise: These are their souls, and Richtofen has the power to manipulate them and place them into identical bodies. The bodies they see in round infinity in Buried's easter egg are just another, non-immortal version of themselves. It would also explain the Mob of the Dead cycle: Whoever is in control of immortal souls can continue to place them in bodies and kill them as long as they desire.

11 hours ago, Dr Edward Richtofen v2 said:

I have a choice xbox one or PS4 and i am so stuck on what to choose

 

Depends what you're looking for. PS4 I will admit has a lot of great games coming out that xbox is lacking in, but I think Xbox has the advantage in that you can play many games backwards compatible with no added gimmick or cost. It's the only console you can play all of Zombies on (not speaking of PC). Another disadvantage of Xbox is the DLC deal where PS4 is getting DLC first. But as someone more interested in the story it doesn't bother me too much.

I thought Takeo’s sickness was due to teleportation and something he ate, “That’s what you get for eating raw fish!” For someone with a weak stomach teleportation seems to cause nausea. In the Der Riese trailer Nikolai is sick presumably after teleportation and Richtofen calls it “A mere side effect.”

As for the status of Zombie Chronicles, I think it is still Ultimis just with slight deviations to show this is a cycle, but things can change in each rotation. Differences like the perks, wunderfizz, guns, and gobblegums can be explained away as just gameplay conventions. But more subtle differences lead me to believe in something more. Things like Richtofen not having the space suit in Ascension, or the Shadowman. Not to mention the radios from Monty hinting that at one point they fought with Gersch, and that sometimes they were at Nacht and Verruckt, while other times not. So I think ZC is set in a different iteration of the cycle than the originals, but I do not think it is significant. I think the only reason it is this way was to explain inconsistencies, like new perks in BO3’s version, mule kick and cold war weapons in BO versions of WaW maps. I don’t think there is anything deeper. Just a neat bow to keep things contained and make anything possible.