Treyarch responds to Black Ops Cold War killstreak complaints

The Black Ops Cold War multiplayer reveal gave us our first look at new competitive footage. Many in the Call of Duty community were quick to lash out at changes to the killstreak system, however a Treyarch developer has clarified why they were made.

As each Call of Duty release comes around, the killstreak system is often tweaked for better or worse. Some iterations played with the idea of scorestreaks instead, while others have stayed true to form. Treyarch’s recent Black Ops Cold War reveal was received well for the most part. However, streaks soon came under fire.

“We’ve updated scorestreaks so that earned score is kept through death,” Treyarch explained in the multiplayer showcase. “This change gives all players a chance to engage with scorestreaks.” Perhaps unsurprisingly, the more hardcore player base lashed out at these changes, criticizing the devs for ‘catering to casuals.’

There’s more to the system than meets the eye, however, as bonuses can be applied for longer killstreaks. Even the most experienced pro players were left confused after going hands-on with the Alpha. But Treyarch Game Designer Tony Flame has since expanded on the streaks while addressing concerns on Twitter.

“The Black Ops Cold War Scorestreak System incentivizes a greater range of playstyles,” he shared on September 10. “Earn low-tier streaks by contributing your part to a team victory. But to afford the juicy high-end streaks, you still need to rack up multiple kills in the same life to earn that Streak Bonus.”

• Read more: Black Ops Cold War multiplayer: trailer, gameplay, weapons, maps, more

Essentially, the more you do in a single life, the faster you’ll reach the more devastating streaks. A ‘Chain Score’ is shown on your HUD when performing well. This will indicate your current bonus for stacking up multiple kills in a row. You’ll be able to call in a Chopper Gunner much sooner if you go on a tear, as opposed to dying on repeat and waiting for your score to pile up.

While some argue that this change “rewards bad players,” Flame “wouldn’t say that at all.”

“Trust me we’ve still gotten plenty of feedback internally that some players cant earn streaks, and that’s ok,” he added. “But we do want more of the middle-tier players who invest so much time in our game to also participate in the fun.”

• Read More: Theater mode & standard mini-map returning in Black Ops Cold War

In terms of potential changes from the Alpha, it’s clear that Treyarch is taking feedback from the community. “This is something we are actively working on,” Flame reassured. “We’ve built an extremely in-depth economy model for this system, and we’re ready to pipe in and review analytics data from when everyone starts playing so we can dial it in.”

Moreover, they’re actively working towards a state of scorestreak balance for the competitive playlist. “We are still developing the final competitive ruleset. Will be able to speak more on this soon.”

So while standard Black Ops Cold War playlists may still offer a chance at streaks for those not performing well in a single life, it could be a different story altogether in competitive modes.