Hey CODZ! It's your friendly neighborhood GRILL here, checking in. What a viscous pandemic that has gripped our planet! It's truly in these dire times that I thank CODZ for a community that I can return to, and feel comfort to envelope myself in. To me, it honestly feels like a zombie apocalypse out there - I live in a highly effected area. How's everyone doing? Everyone washing your hands like crazy? I just needed to come here and once again acknowledge how important this place is.

Okay wait I didn’t even say anything about my HoF inductee brothers. @Electric Jesus I learned about chicken sandwiches from you. You were always around and having fun with everyone, even if it was just to be mischievous. You were and will always be the king of Off Topic. @DeathBringerZen to my brother who always brought the death, but more importantly brought the zen. I learned how to speed run rounds from you, and how to be generally better at zombies in every way. CODZ had always been a home for theory nerds and that sort, but you brought a lot of legitimacy and overall “coolness” with your efficient strategies and videos. All the love. That’s all until I remember anyone else...

Wow. Thank you, anyone and everyone. I am but a humble barbecue or mouthpiece who would shake all your hands way too hard and aggressively hug you. I joined CODZ in 2011, or 2012 I think. One of my Xbox friends had walked me through the Ascension EE and it blew my mind; not only that there was more to this side mode then simply lasting against waves - but more so the depth, eccentricity and overall cryptic nature of the storyline itself. Call of Duty had always seemed pretty straight laced to me, but this was something weird and new and fun. I had to be a part of the community. A southern gem by the name of @FatedTitan (who I was co-running a PvP clan with) told me about CODZ, and how these dudes named @Tac & @Shooter were uncovering this mystery about Shangri-La. “Shangri-La mountains”, they were different during the eclipse. They were talking about Vrill-ya, and 115, and Admiral Byrd, and the locked door in COTD, and alien skulls, and different planets, VIMANAS UFOS DIE GLOCKE OH MY! I had to be a part of this. I needed to be a part of this. I will become a part of this. I will Kool Aid man burst through the wall if I have to. I learned how to debate, peacefully disagree and become strong friends with @Lenne, my brother, and @MMX (whom I can’t seem to tag ?) my weirder brother. I learned how to edit and create videos with @Rissole25, @perfectlemonade and @RequixEclipse in an attempt to revive the CODZ YT. This never came into fruition but brought us all together. I learned to research from @PINNAZ, @AlphaSnake, and @MrRoflWaffles (to name a few). These savants taught me that no detail is too small, no stone should be unturned, and that truly any theory can be possible if you can back it up. I learned to make a dumbass hilarious podcast with some of the best dudes I’ve met. @Flammenwerfer @InfestLithium @FatedTitan @Tac . We talked about CODZ, we had guests, contests. It was really amazing and was one of the high points of being on CODZ and to be alive. Brent @Boom115, Kieran @darkjolteon, Paolo @eyecantspell, Cody @Undead, @RADAUSTIN27, @MrRoflWaffles, and everyone else who helped us - I love you all. I learned how to be a part of the staff, as @Strwrsbob begrudgingly brought us in. He was wary of new staff, as @carbonfibah had instructed him to be. Thank you Nick for the chance to help this place. I learned to sacrifice my own time and money to help build this place back up. A Scottish genius came along and whipped us all into shape. His name is @Hells Warrrior and he is the biggest numpty I know. He is, first and foremost, the reason CODZ still exists. He is an absolute legend, an amazing father, a tireless warrior, and most importantly someone whom I am incredibly privileged to know and call my friend. I learned what it was like to welcome in new staff. @Boom115 @anonymous @NaBrZHunter @Slade, and how exiting it is to have new blood reinvigorate everyone. I learned what it was like to belong here. I would wake up and read CODZ, check on CODZ before I go to sleep, think of CODZ and my theories while at work. And I suppose now we’re here. The cruel hand of time endlessly pulling us towards newer and different experiences, the bittersweet memories that seem extracted from a “coming of age” tale, and all those f***ing unanswered Zelinski questions. I will always always always have the warmest place in my heart for all of you. @Lenne you seriously made me tear up when you said I’ve always got a home here. I promise I’ll check back when I can. I love this place and all of you. Thank you for the honor of making me yellow, it’s truly something I’ve always wanted. I play Apex now, but honestly I love to just chat in parties. “l GRILL l” - find me on XBOX (p.s. those are lowercase L’s). I know I forgot far too many people in this post, and for that I’m sorry. Let’s talk soon.

PDT was very fun but also a labor of love. At first we used a free program called “Pamela” that allowed you to record the Skype calls, but the quality sucked and we didn’t want to buy a program (more on this in a sec). From there, I would put it into Audacity (free editing program) and boost it up/add effects/whatever. After we decided to ditch Pamela, I had each PDT member download Audacity and taught them how to record themselves - then they would send me the audio tracks separately. This proved to be exceptionally hard to line up given respective latencies for each member. The final solution which worked best was to simply use a 2nd computer. I created a 2nd Skype name “Grillmic”, which would join the conversation and record all parties onto one track.

@Boom115 it’s a bit jarring at first. You have to get used to the concept that you are never safe, and that an enemy player could literally be hiding behind any tree, or door. You also have to get used to basically disregarding all of what I just said, because if you play too conservatively then you’ll never get very far. The thing that really hooked never about PUBG was the teamwork. When you have a fun team, it doesn’t matter if you win. Solo is super fun too, a nice challenge. If you want to get right into the action or are looking for a quick game, you can drop into a popular spot. If you want to play conservatively there are a million places to land that are remote. In general these battle Royale modes encourage creativity, and they often play out in unique scenarios - which is why each match feels fresh.

@Lenne I’m excited to get my hands on this tomorrow. Been following some folks playing on twitch. I’ve been playing a lot of PUBG myself, you kind of have to embrace the chaos and thrive in it. I equate it to gambling - mostly luck with a dash of intuition and skill. Good headphones are a must. in terms of map design I’m excited for some familiarity. Coming from PUBG (which looks like PS2 era graphics sometimes and has stale reused textures) it looked way better, but I’ll report back when I get some hands on experience.

Hey dudes! Touching words, meh. Reminds me of a lot of the posts i made before I was staff (in a good way). I was the producer of PDT while trying to revamp the YouTube. The #1 issue was always getting the community’s to participate. Considering the community is so small here now, I’d reckon it would be difficult to attempt to get new active members through a medium that has essentially surpassed ours (YouTube/Reddit). that being said I’m all for fostering the remaining kick ass community. I like the idea of catering to those that stuck around, rather then catering to some jerk who thinks we are JUST an old dusty museum.

The thing is, for what it's worth, they've cultivated a brand. Bringing out the O4 (am I old because I don't refer to them as the "primis" group?) is like bringing out the greatest hits; it's a safe bet. 3arc tried to take a chance with TranZit - and a lot of BO2 - look where that left them (weaker then a nerfed Sliquifier - seriously guys, "verticality" is your best selling point? I'm pretty sure we got that with Tetris). I'd love new characters, but I'm not surprised the O4 are making a comeback. BO3 zombies was much more commercial success all around (see: inclusion of the O4 and p2w), so get ready for microtransactions aplenty and a revamped <s>Dr Magorium's</s> magical gumdrop machine.

ALSO also (also) we could just make it bimonthly maybe? Until traffic picks up? UotM(s). Just a thought. I'm happy to help work this out as well, in terms of sharing judging responsibilities or whatever.

^^^^^^ this a thousand times my dear numpty. Would it be too much for to ask for just a straight up zombie map with no buildables, no parts, PaP behind a door, and a sidequest that doesn't scream at you to complete it? Who's leg do I have to hump to get an EE that doesn't prompt you to start it on the first f***ing round? The Call of Duty Zombie community is absolutely brilliant, and in that fact we can appreciate subtlety as much as complexity - we don't need this bullshit hammered into our skulls over and over every new map that there is a secret quest. WE F***ING GET IT, a standalone tower defense game doesn't jive with your marketing anymore so you have to amplify the fact that it is more then just a side mode. News flash, it didn't jive to begin with. It's always been a mode apart from the mainstream What I have seen, I don't know about all of you, is a systematic dumbing down of the overall complexity of the zombies mode. It seems more important to find a modern yet retro nostalgia cast then to actually focus on replayabiilty. It seems more important to focus on what parts you need to get to the next step on Round 1, then just f***ing enjoying Round 1. Don't tell me I have shit to do, I know I have shit to do - this is zombies... and here's the important part, IF I DON'T KNOW then eventually I will learn from other players what to do. It's honestly part of the magic, learning from people. I never knew there was anything more to zombies until someone showed me the EE on Ascension, my mind was blown. Yes, Yuri gives you a hint at the start, but it is nowhere near as specific as the directions given in zombie maps now. I'm rambling. It's quite simple (to me, at least - but I'm just a dude so what do I know): have your Origins (loved), have your TranZit (technical difficulties), have your Die Rise (vomits in mouth), but give us a Kino. Give us an Ascension. Give us a spooky throwback that doesn't rely on any mechanics past BO1, when the formula was intact. There are so many zombie survival games out there, all I want is for it to be the game it was. We don't want a copy of a copy of a copy. /endrant also hi.

Wubba lubba dubs dubs my dudes. 2018 is a bright year indeed for us folks. Time (travel) will tell.

But you can do SO much more! Zombies was brilliant, and you know what so were you. Geronimo! etc. Fantastic job with everything here, MMK.

These guys, these guys right here. Festo the sweatervesto, friendo 'till the death-o. El boombyeyeah, my Mexican heart throb. Love you guys. Congrats.

If the original post (from 2011 - and through the years) could see what it's become, it's kind of like a multiverse in itself. Welcome back :D Where would you like this thread moved?

Great turnout so far folks. Thanks for being so awesome. Spread the word, let's keep it up! Merrrrry Christmas

you can do whatever you want @HitmanVere !

CHRISTMAS AVATARS 2015 WHAT WHAAAAAAAAT. Let's see some radical xmas avatars (preferably zombie related, but do whatever makes you happy - zombies stuff not mandatory) This time, let's try and post our avatar as well as change it, so that in future we can look back and see the lovely creativity. Santa Maxis in full effect: Tag those who you want to join in! your turn: @PINNAZ @NaBrZHunter @InfestLithium @Lenne @Tasha @Slade @Nightmare Voyager @steviewonder87 @Jolteon @Tac @BlindBusDrivr @Monopoly Mac @LiamFTWinter @MrRoflWaffles @Hells Warrrior @way2g00d @Tattoo247 @Stop Mocking Me0 @Chopper @83457 @Amantha77 @HitmanVere @Spider3000 @Kill_All_Monkeys @ZombieOfTheDead @MixMasterNut @DeathBringerZen @The Clay Bird @Rissole25 @BennetsGreen @PortlyLlama80 @Covert Gunman @MysteryMachineX @Naitrax @FatedTitan @Flammenwerfer @Boom @Strwrsbob @Phantom and everyone else