@@silentcodm6029 This is such a cope argument. Having a celebrity as an announcer takes you out much less than a giant green dragon smoking cannabis out of his gun and then performing a 30 second "execution" on homelander while nicki minaj tbags.
other reason why skins suck: i have to look at them and have a brand new reason to mald as a guy dressed like a raccoon emotes over my dead body in a game that is supposed to have a military aesthetic
@@freakyjim2131is funny how the game supposedly based on the gulf war, has zero operators with the distintive and iconic military style of the early 90s
I think the biggest problem is the large portion of the community buying those skins in the first place. As a company, they will follow the money and people buy Snoop Dogg and Anime, thus, they will continue to sell those.
@@rdrrr some people like guns, some people like art, some people like guns and art, and there's a game for all of them, maybe try looking for a game that suits you.
@@elz1074 I'm not sure what your point is. I used to play military-themed shooters when I was a teenager, now I don't because I find them tiresome. Not a fan of the mountain dew special ops culture. Aesthetically and arguably morally bankrupt. Take that opinion with a grain of salt, you're not required to share it. It's not a personal attack.
Ppl will counter this with "no!1! Its always been an arcade shooter!!1!" As if infinity ward in 2000 would not have prefered launch MW2019 with complex mechanics that allow for realism & Realism mode over what they had available. Even back then you had to find health to heal, you didnt auto-regenerate.
People argue that CoD isn’t a Milsim and they’re right, but CoD has always been a military based arcade shooter that is set during certain eras/ themes. I appreciate when games, CoD especially has uniforms and skins that make sense and look the part. There is no game out there like CoD that is strictly militaristic, Battlefield, Siege, XDefiant, no other game plays the same or is as big. Both the Milsim and non Milsim community can coexist, but it seems Activision is catering to the non serious side obviously because of money, more people buy those skins. I wish there was a way you can turn off your ability to see goofy stupid shop skins and replace them visually with default skins for yourself.
The original MW trilogy only had military skins, and they were decided in the multiplayer based on the weapon you're using. I wish we had an option to turn that feature on in the modern games. If it's on, you only see the default skins, decided by which gun you're using (using an lmg? You get the default guy with an lmg loadout on his vest)
@@redline841 I prefer both feet on the ground at all times and traditional sniping(and staying at its proper range, using secondary/knife where appropriate and leaving the spot booby-trapped and begone from there). Pseudo-quake behavior sounds about right, will be borrowing that one. (I've quit around ghosts, about the right time from the look of things, so evaded the skin and lootbox shenanigans).
Clear faction uniforms in Call of Duty being replaced with Operators was a major complaint of mine several years ago. It negatively impacted quick FoF identification and made gameplay worse.
Thanks for giving Insurgency Sandstorm the credit for its character customization - it’s one of my favorite examples of it in a multiplayer game for the reasons you listed. They do walk on the line of destroying immersion with some of the DLC cosmetic items but I see them rarely in game in difference to COD. And there’re also immersive and really cool characters cosmetic DLC in this game - my favorite being the PMC gear set
What I respect about Insurgency Sandstorm is the community and devs' ability to listen. When they released a flashy colorful plastic skin pack the community gone so nuts over it devs had to recolour it from the scratch. Although, some questionable skins are still there to stay, but the community made it clear they don't want it via steam reviews I actually think that PMC, Technician and Peacemaker are the most authentic skin packs out there done right. No idea why there are not as many of these as it should to be
To me, uniforms are important because it's hard to take seriously a threat when it doesn't look like what it should be. This is super key in fighting games - badly animated attacks are HARD to register as a threat, and thus learn and respond to.
Personally I miss the days when FPSs were modelled on heavy metal album covers and/or 80s action movies Much more _fun_ with none of the nasty aftertaste of military-industrial complex. The faux-seriousness of military-themed shooters is just embarassing, like the faux-seriousness of nu-metal. Sophomoric, a 13-year old's idea of "serious" and "adult".
@@Redmont_ "it's you problem that Activision are making things varying from soulless kitsch to Fortnite level circus in a completely inappropriate setting and visual style"
COD could fix it's problem with skins by giving players the option to turn off skins that aren't immersive. Make it so that any player using skins that non-immersive skins instead appear using the default skins. Halo: MCC did something like this where players could turn off cosmetics that weren't in the original games, and anyone who uses the new cosmetic instead only appears wearing the vanilla ones.
BF: Hardline also did this, such a good feature, problem is they want you to see the obnoxious skins, we are not the target audience anymore unfortunately.
i think the lack of uniforms also come at the cost of Hardcore mode in CoD since player names are truncated and harder to read. in older CoD games this wasn't an issue since each team had their own uniforms with distinct color patterns and accessories. even in BO1 and Ghosts where you can change your uniforms, each side had their own color pallet to make one another distinct.
*insert accidental teamkilling in Squad due to misidentifying friendlies as the enemy here* Reminds me of the days back in the last Beta versions of Squad where CADPAT was almost indistinguishable from EMR, leading to numerous accidental TKs in map layers that involved CAF and RGF
Reminds me of my skin search efforts in Ravenfield for distinctive looking uniforms that are also relatively similar - things like greend woodlands but with different silhouette or hues. Instead what I found out is that everyone is in NATO and have the same base with a few addons on top lmao
tbh, the only way for them to introduce customization while maintaing a sense realism is to add the same system that Black Ops 1 had. Instead of like picking operatives, you customize your own operative(s) and build it from the ground up by picking which color scheme they use (each faction will have it's own one), which pieces of armor they wear, their voice, finishers, etectra.
@@goodsirj.8672 Yes, I also liked how grounded the majority of the skins looked, and that you could unlock most of them through challenges. Advanced Warfare had more ways to customize your character though. You were able to customize your character's head, glasses, helmet, shirt, loadout, gloves, pants, kneeguards, boots and exoskeleton.
Mw2019 system was the best actually. Allegiance faction operators all had Russian and mercenary aesthetics and coalition faction had NATO/western style gear and aesthetics.
Even older cods like B02 had the bacon skin for guns, or COD4 letting you play as the gigachad Russian Farmer. At least those werent as loud as a shark man and a glow in the dark cel shaded anime gorl. I just wish we had a happy medium of sorts. The guns can have all the crazy stuff while characters are more grounded
I actually use camo skins like ghillie suits and dark ghost skins to specifically blend into the surroundings and kill enemies from behind. Way to punish the zeitgeist of overly flashy skins, by jumping on players in stealthy camos ;)
Uniforms are more important in games than people realize and I’m glad you’re bringing this up. With many for the games coming out, it can be very hard with identifying an opponent on the enemy team because they either have these out of place skins where I don’t recognize the operator underneath, giving me no idea on if they’re on my side or not (and I mainly play on hardcore, so I can just shoot at everybody I see) or it just completely ruins the military atheistic that cod has always been about, there’s a very good video explaining the balance cod is supposed to have. People need to learn that cod at its heart is yes, an arcade shooter, HOWEVER, cod always stuck with the theme they set in their game. Theme is the keyword here. Now I was too young to live out the days of black ops one multiplayer in its prime, same with bo2, mw1 (only experienced the remaster) and mw2 as well. I do remember playing MW3 in its prime however. Now uniforms in those games were easy to identify, fit the theme and went so far as fitting the map. (MW1 had 2 versions of British S.A.S and as far as I know, the “night ops” version showed up on one map) MW1 Remaster had a mechanic that was a very early prototype of blueprints. They would change your gun to have either blood along it, or deck it out with additional, (nonfunctional) attachments, or placed ghillie wrap along it. From what I remember, they all fit the theme of MW1. MW1 remaster also had an early prototype of operators, where you could change the head of your character, however this wouldn’t change your entire uniform. It would only remove any headgear or reposition them. I’ve also been playing a ton of insurgency, and the customization is awesome, with a few things i find it lacking in, they don’t really matter in the end. Overall the customization works. The great thing about insurgency customization, is that no matter what you put on your character, you can still identify enemies and enemies can still identify you. Now it does get icky on especially dark maps like prison, where people running ranger green on security or black on insurgents have an advantage when hiding in shadows, but that’s a lighting issue. Same with voicelines, hearing an enemy voiceline has saved me countless times, and sometimes my entire team if I can delay an enemy observer just for a bit by killing them or the commander. The two factions have very distinct voicelines that you can hear and instantly recognize. My solution to a problem like this, would be a cod ghosts (minus the full body character skins, like the G.O.A.T Keegan or merrick) or a darktide. In darktide when playing the veteran, a lot of the guardsmen armor is of different guardsmen regiments. You have the moebian stuff, some kriegsman stuff and some Cadian stuff (what I personally run, cadia stands) but they all fit that character. When playing a Russian faction of sorts, have the ability to have a urban spetsnaz unit with the classic Altyn (through challenges, or paid) where it’s different from a RGF soldier with EMR, but identifiable through voice lines and look as Russian still.
CoD has an identity crisis. Following trends instead of setting them. Notice how the over the top goofy and bright cosmetic crap only infested CoD AFTER Fortnite's success.
@@Redmont_ anyone back then would even tell you that the exo era was pretty mid when they were making Titanfall comparisons. I had fun, but call these games for what they were: mediocre even for the subgenre. Just look at how people talked shit on the care packages.
you people literally see a masked soldier and yall go nutting because its a ''mil sim'' ill rather know whos fighting this war instead of throwing them without knowing them
im glad insurgency sandstorm got mentioned, the fact that security and insurgents have their distinct colors, gear, and equipment is such a breath of fresh air
In DMZ, where COD somewhat become more tactical, skins actually matter, espeially ghillies suit skins and full body dark color skins Its all about what kind of game mode tbh.
@@the-nameless-dude waah waah waah optional stuff that can be obtained in game is obtainable via optional purchases wah wah wah the super hero is in my lobby i wanted my military shooter to look like midsurgency
I like how in battlefield 3 despite being modern camo which can easily blend together, the US camo had a distinct warm beige tone, and the RU camo had a cooler, darker, blue-green palette, which was consistent across the various skins. so even with the HUD off the distinct tonality of the uniforms colours let you easily distinguish the teams
Another overlooked aspect in multiplayer military shooters is dialog. Arguably BF3 had some of the best soldier dialog when things would happen. They would drop F-bombs when getting suppressed and song exactly like how grunts communicate in combat. Now adays the dialog, if there even is any, is so dry and inoffensive it detracts from immersion.
@@majorborngusfluunduch8694 Another thing that made BF3's story great was it was about some normal marines getting wrapped up in something much bigger than them selves.
@@Cowboycomando54 Agreed. This sorta thing is why the Marine and Ranger segments of CoD4 and MW2 were my favorite parts of those games. Everybody loves Cpt. Price and Ghost so much but I always preferred characters like Lt. Vasquez and Cpl. Dunn. They were badasses but felt easier to care about since they weren't Operator supermen.
@@Cowboycomando54 something else I've come to appreciate about BF3's campaign over the years is how genuinely grounded it feels despite being about nukes and invading Iran. The multiple references to Generation Kill was also a massive plus that flew over younger me's head
I despise these skins but Activision aren't going to stop because it makes them money. The simple solution is to give the player the ability to turn off theses skins in the settings so they only see the default skins but everyone else can see their own skins.
There are hundreds of military themed skins they can add to the operators. Military surplus has an endless amount of gear, uniforms and overall styles.
@@VolkovVelikanThe reason silly, glossy skins are more profitable is because they’re unique and loud. No one cares if you have realistic skin on but when you are running around as Homelander or Ghostface everyone is going to look at that. From a business standpoint, there is no logical reason make “boring” skins when you can have flashy skins that people will buy for clout. I’m not going to get upset at a game for making money as long as it’s fair.
@@VolkovVelikan Who are you going to talk about first some guy wearing tactical gear or Snoop Dogg in COD. This is not a matter opinion. Things that don't fit the setting of the game are going to stand out more and draw more people because it makes you seem unique.
If non uniform skins are needed in COD then at least be iconic pop culture characters who actually use guns not character like homelander (deadpool is exception) cosplayed by COD characters like Adler as Tony Montana from scarface with M16/M203 or Park as Sigourney Weaver from Alien with AK potrayed as pulse rifle with under barrel flamethrower from BO's. Revy, Roberta, Balalaika and Eda from Black Lagoon. Motoko, Batou and Togusa from GITS. Characters from Heat.
MW2019 had the right idea until the last season. The two factions had unique aesthetics despite having a big sort of different operators. For example, the allegiance faction had Russian styled equipment and uniforms, and the coalition faction had a notable western/NATO influence in their style. Even when skins were added to the operators they didn’t differ much from their own respective military aesthetic. That’s until they started to add colourful skins in the last season, then everything went to shit with Cold War, because as always, the black ops brand of COD seems to always set a new paradigm for the aesthetic of the franchise itself, and consequently shitting the bed as it always does. back then with BO2 being the futuristic aesthetic, and how people were sick of it later on. and now the colourful and cartoonish look that even tho started in the last season of MW2019 it was sent to extremes with Cold War. Sad thing is, I bought BO6 because a very famous UA-camr that does leaks about the upcoming content and seasons from the COD games (I won’t mention him) said that treyarch was going back to the more mil-sim tone COD used to have, and that the crazy skins will be added later on, since they know some people like it. But you can imagine my disappointment when even the basic skins look cartoonish and dumb, and now when season 1 started, just look at the current selection of operator skins, from robots, to furries.
4:42 My problem with this point about sensitive subjects is that what you mention is shown in the campaign. When you play multiplayer you are more focusing on killing the enemy instead of thinking about these topics
@@UnluckyGunner Counter-Counter point. There is very little motivation beyond personal gain (XP, unlocks, etc.) in Call of Duty's multiplayer. Nobody fights for a cause within the game itself and the factions only exist for gameplay purposes, not narrative
@@UnluckyGunner Well, but i don't care who the enemy is in multiplayer. This argument is so dumb. In Multiplayer i just play to have fun vs other people in a competitive setting, i don't think about history or anything, i just want to grind for camos, get a cool clip or win the match.
Glad you touched on how these skins affect visibility and target recognition. There's more than enough talk about Roze in MW19 and Gaia in MWII being fundamentally hard to see, but even as recently as MWIII, the bright, highly visible gundam skins gave me issues. RX-78 and Aerial look similar at a glance but are on opposite factions causing me to hold my fire at an enemy I couldn't tell wasn't a friendly. Zaku had massive, wide shoulders that bullets would pass right through and cost me kills when I thought I was on target. BO6 already has this issue as well with some of its skins. It's frustrating.
Hey I have an interesting idea for a video. How to make weapons stylistically fit a theme. Since for example Squad guns don't look a wink out of place and represent factions well. Team Fortress 2 Guns, while not realistic, mesh wonderfully into to their theme and style. Cruelty Squad guns, while sometimes being hard to look at have a cool consistent theme of mostly being failed prototype guns. There's clearly ways to do this but it's hard for me to put into words and I think that would be an interesting topic you could explore. Thanks for the cool video and thank you unlucky gunner for your wonderful voice over! Cheers!
@migueeeelet true but I think there's more nuance than that. Starfield is a good example. They had a set theme but the weapons are kinda funky. They clearly followed a sci Fi theme and ideas like caseless rounds. But the weapons are real mixed bag, at a glace they're passable but sometimes while holding a few them they feel wildly out of place
@@dink6530 That is true, also an example of how to do them right are Metro series guns. Not so conventional, but they fit the atmosphere pretty well and do not feel dumb.
Why I'd rather stay with old CoD and BF games(and seek out non mainstream military action games); Instead of being some fully fleshed out unique character, I am a faceless nobody amongst the army of other nobodies. Maybe I'm alone in this sentiment, but, _that's_ the appeal for me; I feel like a part of something bigger, not the big hero of a small battle. So I don't stand out by peacocking, I stand out by doing good with the team. Plus, _uniforms are cool,_ from the standard NOD infantry getup of C&C Renegade, the look of the SEAL team in Black Ops 2, to the incredibly meticulous faction gear and attire in the WWI game series. I always gravitate to those more than pink AR's, chicken hats, and neon accented "combat dress".
It frustrates me how willing these companies are to throw out their own art style. From the war-movie look of Battlefield, to the shiny plastic troopers of Star Wars Battlefront, to the high fantasy with a dash of grittiness of Skyrim, what a game looks like is part of its appeal. But the game doesn't look like anything anymore when there's someone with a wildly out-of-place outfit on screen, so that appeal is lost. Obviously, a number of people disagree, but I wish they'd get their own games instead of turning the poor military shooters into colorful, confused messes.
This is the reason why MW19 operators and Mil-Sims are 10X better than the Garbage clowns as operators in both MWII/MWIII, like WTF is wrong with Actiblizz?!
Dont forget R6 Siege with that wheelchair bound operator and KPop operator. I don't know what Ubi is smoking when they started adding non-military operators.
@@BenetteG I know, they add some dogsh*t operators that isn't even from the Military nor Police. I wish they should update Warzone 2022 to allow MW19 operators to be included, it is a shame that they never included in the game.
I care about this because it helps with target identification. The game usually doesn't show nametags right away and this would cut down on friendly fire or hesitancy to fire.
believe it because people like you or me like these ''god awful'' skins if you dont like them dont buy them if you dont want them dont look at them simple.
@ "if you dont like them dont buy them" do you realize how retarded you sound? that sort of thinking is the reason why games are retarded now. nobody tolerated the golden horse but now everyone is gambling money with digital bullshit that isn't real
goofy skins are fine imo as long as there's an option to dress as a regular ass soldier [kinda like how mw19 did it] unless the game's set before the end of ww2, then it's just really bizzarre and bordeline disrespectful as fuck
This video makes alot of great points about the laziness of injecting random skins everywhere, there's little care for holding a consistent tone anymore. The original Titanfall is possibly the game that pulls this off best. Despite the chaos created by player controlled pilots and titans and squads of AI grunts and spectres, the two factions are easily distinguishable (art styles are very distinct: IMC = clean white/grey uniforms & high quality equipment, Militia = green/brown uniforms with orange markings & tattered/scavenged equipment). Pilot classes have identifying features shared across factions to make their roles/weapons clear (CQB class = lightly kitted, open face helmets, Mid range class = bulkier frame, glowing visor, Sniper class = multi lens helmet with ghillie-like hood overtop). Each faction even has their own voice lines with different accents, from which players can gain valuable information when grunts call out situation updates and enemy player locations to each other (IMC = South African, Militia = American). These great character and game design choices, along with constant movement of AI squads, drop ship delivery of reinforcements and some scripted AI animations, turn the chaos of battle into a smooth flow the player can easily make sense of and enjoy. Titanfall is incredibly underrated and the most immersive game I have ever played, maybe only surpassed by Battlefield 1. Its a shame the direction the franchise took turning into Apex (which is fun I admit, but the art style and immersion have been drastically reduced). Of course its natural for companies to chase trends and implement skins, but it can be done correctly to coexist with and even enhance the game world and art style
Only two games I have trouble telling who’s who is COD and Squad. To me a lot of modern day uniforms look the same to me. Sometimes it’s easy to tell like PLA navy vs Us Marine corps but sometimes it’s hard for me to tell. In real life in Eastern Europe right now it’s hard to tell who’s Russian and Who’s Ukrainian so they’ve resorted to using brightly coloured tape to identify themselves which is the polar opposite to trying to use camo to blend in as much as possible.
Maaaaaan you hit the nail on the head. This is one of many criticisms I have of the current state of games like Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six. The attire, like weapons, had both tried and true and totally new experimental stuff. (The Crye CAGE armor in GRAW being a great example) Now it's a collection of operatives wearing a mishmash amateur hour airsoft kits. (And running about in tournaments in Rainbow Six's current case.)
Tbh, unless i was joking around, using bright and flashy skin would make me standing out and potentially making myself a first target, so no thanks, I'll stick with my military camo/military theme skin.
I used to like silly skins. Then every major franchise on earth started shoving them into their games and now I’m over it. Like yeah, I get it. It’s funny because you wouldn’t expect to see a guy in a banana suit doing special ops. Haha. It was funny the first time, but a decade later it’s just tiresome and immersion killing.
I love whenever I complain about the skins in cod people say "its an arcade shooter don't have a fit over it", I'm like it doesn't match the tone or environment set by the game at all though, it breaks the immersion so bad, I wish I could just turn off the skins
I'm pretty sure a lot of people have already suggested this, but I feel like COD would benefit from a "toggle default skins" option, which would replace all player skins, weapon skins, tracers etc with their default variants for clarity and less eye strain. I think it would actually make sense as an accessibility option and might even improve performance since your PC won't have to load that many models and textures.
Spot on about reliance on ui elements to provide information on friend or foe. It's perplexing that CoD offers so many accessibility features, but doesn't allow you to disable sifi tracers and player skins.
Another problem i have with having no realistic of even different outfits between teams is it helps with friend or foe reignition. idk how many times ive die in a newer CoD because some one on the enemy team is wearing the same skin as some one on my team and i just dont happen to notice the red name plate in time
Within Treyarch and Infinity Ward there are probably entire dev teams who work to model the weapons and gear in the most authentic and realistic way possible; and then there's another dev team of artists who work to cover up all that authenticity with wacky cartoon characters and neon colors. They should just let me turn off player cosmetics in multiplayer. I want to identify my enemies based on uniform and not see people running around with animated galaxy skins on their guns.
Anyone remember MAG? You chose one of 3 very distinct factions, and were locked in to their uniforms, gear, and weaponry forever, creating a very tight allegiance. Even which of the 3 soundtracks (each produced by different artists in different genres) the game used was determined by the faction you chose. It was so cool.
cod community when cod is "rEaLiStIc": the colors are too dull, we need more bright and standout skins cod community when cod has bright and standout skins: this is unrealistic, we need more dull colors. make up your mind.
The game's color palette has nothing to do with character design. Look at MW2 (the og one). That game was colorful, in fact it may be the best game in the series when it comes to the use of colors and yet it was still vastly more grounded in tone and appearance than any of these modern CoDs.
also with bf2042, a hero shooter that forced to be a bf game, there's a reason why hero shooter are either 5v5 or 6v6 it's to easily distinguish friend to foe "my tracer is dead so that tracer is an enemy" now put 128 player that can pick the same hero and class, now you sometimes wonder if it's an enemy or ally
i see this more apparent in CoD: Mobile (its the only cod i got/can afford) while it is a mobile game and the way to define an enemy is thru some red markers it becomes more apparent on Battle Royale where i could spot a player more when their skin is some neon clown rather than those that has camo fatigues even before those red markers become visible
Crowbcat’s most recent vid on CoD hammers this point home without a single spoken word from the creator him/herself. Just goes to show how much of an impact Crowbcat’s vids are to the average watcher/gamer.
Vehicle camos too. Unless it is gangsters in GTA or Saints Row, it is kind of stupid having tanks and other combat vehicles painted in high visibility neon colors.
The problem is that CoD embraced the fortnite effect so deeply that now going back would mean the lost of interest of youngest generations for the title, which would mean losing a large part of the buyers...
reasons why friendly fire should be more accepted in gameplay adds to gameplay when uniforms and making sure your target is an enemy can add to gameplay at times humor for some more immersive games you may be more hesitant to fire at unknown shapes rather than seeing a red square above someone or a lack of a friendly square medieval games, it would be absolute chaos if people act like fighters do in hollywood productions also all early modern - 1890s games have it easy since you wear bright colours for very easy identification
Many multiplayer games have this problem, a lack of visual and thematic consistency, along with those hideous skins being profitable. The company holds a lot of blame, but the players who purchase them are at fault too.
Personally my biggest issue with this trend of making your characters over the top flashy in games not just like COD but also Battlefield as well is the loss of identity that people fell in love with for profits nor the respect for the IP and setting they're wishing to present as a serious investment for our entertainment. The reason why something like Fortnite or TF2 gets off easier is the honesty of the games tone, TF2 is violent, unhinged and goofy with Fortnite being saturated violence with a focus on fun and mechanics over trying to present something more serious, given the fact as well its meant to be as marketable as possible towards young gamers. In Call of Duty, I can go from a child soldier stabbing people in the back to protect my sibling, inform me of the gravity of dealing with counter terrorism to hoping onto the multiplayer to see someone dressed as a Samurai running about with a golden plated sniper rifle gunning down someone dressed in a gimp suit and someone else that looks like they showered in paint. Even then, all of it feels sanitised, corporate, like walking into an office that wants to pretend its lively with heart like a thin layer of paint over black mold, all the while you force yourself to be happy as you make other people rich from working hard. Its why I can't stand COD, I suck ass at it but at least the aesthetic was enjoyable over what it is today.
The only skin I'd actually buy for any COD would be if 21 Savage skin was available again, and only because I really like his songs. Otherwise, I'm more than happy to use default skins.
Big issue for me is I cant recognize who is who especially in BO6. OG CoD enemies were green and you were grey or vice versa. Battlefield does this great
well, idk how did we go from the basic factions in the older cods to Nicki Minaj and Snoop Dog as operators on a "military themed gane"... Also, i dont know if you cover mobile games, but there is a game called Gun Club Armory...lets say, the customization on the guns is cursed. (like a SVU with 6 M203 attached in it)
Planetside 2 had a similar uniform clash with all the various camo patterns that can be in all 3 factions. In the heat of a large battle was that an NC trooper or a vanu wearing something close to blue in the distance? Welp to late to press the spot key im dead anyway.
Same as with the emotes at the end of each match, it's all about the individual now. You're not there as a part of a team, you're there to show off. Our increasingly ego driven society plays a big part in this.
When my eye sees an rainbow coloured operator i dont take it as a direct threat. It does affect gameplay, it affects rational thought and reaction. It removes certain fight or flight responses. This is simple psychology most humans share. The irony though, humans are biased to be weary of colourful foods as they are usually toxic. But not so much in combat... When i see people wearing this stuff in military games i think their children and makes me question what im doing here. This is all outside just how garish and off putting it is. Off note, thank you for your service!
It’s always hilarious to see people complain about Cod even though this game has had gold camo since it became popular. MW2019 has done horrendous damage, fooling people into believing that Cod was this serious gritty shooter, when it’s been a Hollywood blockbuster since MW2.
I wouldn't really consider gold camo as being incongruous with the military aesthetic. A lot of Middle Eastern conflicts have involved despotic dictators that have kept golden firearms as vanity pieces and symbols of prestige. The idea of players getting unlocks like this as status symbols kind of fits with the setting.
@ well the day you find yourself at a military shooting range and see a soldier with a gold M4, give me a call. Not to mention other things like Bacon camo, the ray gun in campaign and Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg already being in Cod since Black Ops 1. Immersion fans just don’t get that Cod has never been what they think it is. Here’s a good solution: if you don’t like the skins, go play a different game that has what you’re looking for. It’s like complaining about not getting burgers at Pizza Hut when Burger King is right there.
@@howdoichangemyusername9802 ice cube was just voice acting bowman. It's different than having a character using your likeness and name. Snoop Dogg and Nicki Minaj got the latter treatment. Snoop Dogg got it twice + a voiceover in ghosts
No clue why COD went to the direction of having SNOOP DOGG in a WW2 FPS GAME.
Money.
Fr he wasn't even born before and after world war 2 yet
Brother have you not played COD ghost he's literally in there as an announcer
@@silentcodm6029 Not as obnoxious as a Nicki Minaj skin, maybe on par with WaW having a ray gun
@@silentcodm6029 This is such a cope argument. Having a celebrity as an announcer takes you out much less than a giant green dragon smoking cannabis out of his gun and then performing a 30 second "execution" on homelander while nicki minaj tbags.
other reason why skins suck: i have to look at them and have a brand new reason to mald as a guy dressed like a raccoon emotes over my dead body in a game that is supposed to have a military aesthetic
Honestly they should add it to campaign too. Imagine playing a mission about fallujah but the insurgents are all anime or rappers or whatever
@@freakyjim2131is funny how the game supposedly based on the gulf war, has zero operators with the distintive and iconic military style of the early 90s
@@VolkovVelikan not to mention planes and equipment that is like not even real at all
@@VolkovVelikan Remember when special ops were ordinary-looking guys and not roid monsters?
Yeah if they gave me an option to turn off skins entirely, I would.
I think the biggest problem is the large portion of the community buying those skins in the first place. As a company, they will follow the money and people buy Snoop Dogg and Anime, thus, they will continue to sell those.
Nothing new here. Counter-Strike is a horrific orgy of psychedelic weapon skins. Gamers have no taste whatsoever.
@@rdrrr some people like guns, some people like art, some people like guns and art, and there's a game for all of them, maybe try looking for a game that suits you.
@@rdrrrTrue, but at least the uniforms are ok as far as i know
@@elz1074 I'm not sure what your point is. I used to play military-themed shooters when I was a teenager, now I don't because I find them tiresome. Not a fan of the mountain dew special ops culture. Aesthetically and arguably morally bankrupt.
Take that opinion with a grain of salt, you're not required to share it. It's not a personal attack.
The playerbase is the problem unfortunately.
Simple: Relevancy.
Call of Duty, since day one, has militaristic theme being the backbone.
Ppl will counter this with "no!1! Its always been an arcade shooter!!1!"
As if infinity ward in 2000 would not have prefered launch MW2019 with complex mechanics that allow for realism & Realism mode over what they had available.
Even back then you had to find health to heal, you didnt auto-regenerate.
People argue that CoD isn’t a Milsim and they’re right, but CoD has always been a military based arcade shooter that is set during certain eras/ themes. I appreciate when games, CoD especially has uniforms and skins that make sense and look the part. There is no game out there like CoD that is strictly militaristic, Battlefield, Siege, XDefiant, no other game plays the same or is as big. Both the Milsim and non Milsim community can coexist, but it seems Activision is catering to the non serious side obviously because of money, more people buy those skins. I wish there was a way you can turn off your ability to see goofy stupid shop skins and replace them visually with default skins for yourself.
I know a few people who would very much love to have that option in other games too(dota 2, for instance).
The original MW trilogy only had military skins, and they were decided in the multiplayer based on the weapon you're using. I wish we had an option to turn that feature on in the modern games. If it's on, you only see the default skins, decided by which gun you're using (using an lmg? You get the default guy with an lmg loadout on his vest)
At least the Campaign feels like a Military shooter
CoD players won't listen because they'll happily take shit skins if Treyarch accommodates their pseudo quake behavior
@@redline841 I prefer both feet on the ground at all times and traditional sniping(and staying at its proper range, using secondary/knife where appropriate and leaving the spot booby-trapped and begone from there). Pseudo-quake behavior sounds about right, will be borrowing that one.
(I've quit around ghosts, about the right time from the look of things, so evaded the skin and lootbox shenanigans).
Clear faction uniforms in Call of Duty being replaced with Operators was a major complaint of mine several years ago. It negatively impacted quick FoF identification and made gameplay worse.
Thanks for giving Insurgency Sandstorm the credit for its character customization - it’s one of my favorite examples of it in a multiplayer game for the reasons you listed.
They do walk on the line of destroying immersion with some of the DLC cosmetic items but I see them rarely in game in difference to COD. And there’re also immersive and really cool characters cosmetic DLC in this game - my favorite being the PMC gear set
What I respect about Insurgency Sandstorm is the community and devs' ability to listen. When they released a flashy colorful plastic skin pack the community gone so nuts over it devs had to recolour it from the scratch.
Although, some questionable skins are still there to stay, but the community made it clear they don't want it via steam reviews
I actually think that PMC, Technician and Peacemaker are the most authentic skin packs out there done right. No idea why there are not as many of these as it should to be
To me, uniforms are important because it's hard to take seriously a threat when it doesn't look like what it should be. This is super key in fighting games - badly animated attacks are HARD to register as a threat, and thus learn and respond to.
MF’s be like: “If you want immersion, join the military.”
How about no.
Personally I miss the days when FPSs were modelled on heavy metal album covers and/or 80s action movies
Much more _fun_ with none of the nasty aftertaste of military-industrial complex. The faux-seriousness of military-themed shooters is just embarassing, like the faux-seriousness of nu-metal. Sophomoric, a 13-year old's idea of "serious" and "adult".
@@rdrrrBoomer Shooters are a thing.
@@rdrrrthese are definitely words
well its your problem if you want immersion
you are the problem not us.
@@Redmont_ "it's you problem that Activision are making things varying from soulless kitsch to Fortnite level circus in a completely inappropriate setting and visual style"
COD could fix it's problem with skins by giving players the option to turn off skins that aren't immersive. Make it so that any player using skins that non-immersive skins instead appear using the default skins. Halo: MCC did something like this where players could turn off cosmetics that weren't in the original games, and anyone who uses the new cosmetic instead only appears wearing the vanilla ones.
The best QOL they could include these days lmao
BF: Hardline also did this, such a good feature, problem is they want you to see the obnoxious skins, we are not the target audience anymore unfortunately.
Activision would never do something sensible like that, people buy tasteless cosmetics so they can force that filth upon other players.
That's too good of an idea for these developers.
i think the lack of uniforms also come at the cost of Hardcore mode in CoD since player names are truncated and harder to read. in older CoD games this wasn't an issue since each team had their own uniforms with distinct color patterns and accessories. even in BO1 and Ghosts where you can change your uniforms, each side had their own color pallet to make one another distinct.
*insert accidental teamkilling in Squad due to misidentifying friendlies as the enemy here*
Reminds me of the days back in the last Beta versions of Squad where CADPAT was almost indistinguishable from EMR, leading to numerous accidental TKs in map layers that involved CAF and RGF
Reminds me of my skin search efforts in Ravenfield for distinctive looking uniforms that are also relatively similar - things like greend woodlands but with different silhouette or hues.
Instead what I found out is that everyone is in NATO and have the same base with a few addons on top lmao
I sure do remember when my KMT grandfather told me the story of Snoop Dog and his EM1 lasering and entire IJA unit in 1937
tbh, the only way for them to introduce customization while maintaing a sense realism is to add the same system that Black Ops 1 had.
Instead of like picking operatives, you customize your own operative(s) and build it from the ground up by picking which color scheme they use (each faction will have it's own one), which pieces of armor they wear, their voice, finishers, etectra.
Didn't COD: Ghosts have something like that? I remember being able to customize the multiplayer characters in that game quite extensively
@@goodsirj.8672 Yes, I also liked how grounded the majority of the skins looked, and that you could unlock most of them through challenges.
Advanced Warfare had more ways to customize your character though. You were able to customize your character's head, glasses, helmet, shirt, loadout, gloves, pants, kneeguards, boots and exoskeleton.
Mw2019 system was the best actually. Allegiance faction operators all had Russian and mercenary aesthetics and coalition faction had NATO/western style gear and aesthetics.
Black Ops 1 didnt have customization outside of face paint.
Your uniform was based on your Perk 1 slot
@@VolkovVelikan Yeah. MW19 cosmetics were awesome. It's a shame that there's nothing as good as those were.
Even older cods like B02 had the bacon skin for guns, or COD4 letting you play as the gigachad Russian Farmer. At least those werent as loud as a shark man and a glow in the dark cel shaded anime gorl. I just wish we had a happy medium of sorts. The guns can have all the crazy stuff while characters are more grounded
I actually use camo skins like ghillie suits and dark ghost skins to specifically blend into the surroundings and kill enemies from behind. Way to punish the zeitgeist of overly flashy skins, by jumping on players in stealthy camos ;)
based tactic
are you over the age of 14?
@@rudolfhess7169 Yes... why?
@ThePlatinumBladecause what you said makes you seem like a major cornball
Uniforms are more important in games than people realize and I’m glad you’re bringing this up. With many for the games coming out, it can be very hard with identifying an opponent on the enemy team because they either have these out of place skins where I don’t recognize the operator underneath, giving me no idea on if they’re on my side or not (and I mainly play on hardcore, so I can just shoot at everybody I see) or it just completely ruins the military atheistic that cod has always been about, there’s a very good video explaining the balance cod is supposed to have. People need to learn that cod at its heart is yes, an arcade shooter, HOWEVER, cod always stuck with the theme they set in their game.
Theme is the keyword here. Now I was too young to live out the days of black ops one multiplayer in its prime, same with bo2, mw1 (only experienced the remaster) and mw2 as well. I do remember playing MW3 in its prime however. Now uniforms in those games were easy to identify, fit the theme and went so far as fitting the map. (MW1 had 2 versions of British S.A.S and as far as I know, the “night ops” version showed up on one map)
MW1 Remaster had a mechanic that was a very early prototype of blueprints. They would change your gun to have either blood along it, or deck it out with additional, (nonfunctional) attachments, or placed ghillie wrap along it. From what I remember, they all fit the theme of MW1. MW1 remaster also had an early prototype of operators, where you could change the head of your character, however this wouldn’t change your entire uniform. It would only remove any headgear or reposition them.
I’ve also been playing a ton of insurgency, and the customization is awesome, with a few things i find it lacking in, they don’t really matter in the end. Overall the customization works. The great thing about insurgency customization, is that no matter what you put on your character, you can still identify enemies and enemies can still identify you. Now it does get icky on especially dark maps like prison, where people running ranger green on security or black on insurgents have an advantage when hiding in shadows, but that’s a lighting issue. Same with voicelines, hearing an enemy voiceline has saved me countless times, and sometimes my entire team if I can delay an enemy observer just for a bit by killing them or the commander. The two factions have very distinct voicelines that you can hear and instantly recognize.
My solution to a problem like this, would be a cod ghosts (minus the full body character skins, like the G.O.A.T Keegan or merrick) or a darktide. In darktide when playing the veteran, a lot of the guardsmen armor is of different guardsmen regiments. You have the moebian stuff, some kriegsman stuff and some Cadian stuff (what I personally run, cadia stands) but they all fit that character. When playing a Russian faction of sorts, have the ability to have a urban spetsnaz unit with the classic Altyn (through challenges, or paid) where it’s different from a RGF soldier with EMR, but identifiable through voice lines and look as Russian still.
Rereading this, all of it is out of place and random but I hope it gets a point across-
CoD has an identity crisis. Following trends instead of setting them. Notice how the over the top goofy and bright cosmetic crap only infested CoD AFTER Fortnite's success.
You've never played black ops 3 / infinite warfare / advanced warfare then
Activision pioneered that ever since the exo era.
Fortnite is to blame
''identity crisis'' and they had these things before fortnite
but you didnt notice it because you had a blast playing the game instead of yapping
@@Redmont_ anyone back then would even tell you that the exo era was pretty mid when they were making Titanfall comparisons. I had fun, but call these games for what they were: mediocre even for the subgenre. Just look at how people talked shit on the care packages.
The fact we have none default soldier on BO6 says a lot about How COD is lost
you people literally see a masked soldier and yall go nutting because its a ''mil sim''
ill rather know whos fighting this war instead of throwing them without knowing them
im glad insurgency sandstorm got mentioned, the fact that security and insurgents have their distinct colors, gear, and equipment is such a breath of fresh air
Once Warzone flew a gay flag in the game it was compromised.
Hello I'm a gay man and the rainbow unicorn skins fucking suck. Piss off, please.
In DMZ, where COD somewhat become more tactical, skins actually matter, espeially ghillies suit skins and full body dark color skins
Its all about what kind of game mode tbh.
But then the paid skins give unfair advantages. And most of those skins look nothing military.
@@the-nameless-dude waah waah waah optional stuff that can be obtained in game is obtainable via optional purchases wah wah wah
the super hero is in my lobby i wanted my military shooter to look like midsurgency
This is true. It was very easy to spot Homelander from the distance compared to some ghillied up soldiers
I like how in battlefield 3 despite being modern camo which can easily blend together, the US camo had a distinct warm beige tone, and the RU camo had a cooler, darker, blue-green palette, which was consistent across the various skins. so even with the HUD off the distinct tonality of the uniforms colours let you easily distinguish the teams
Adding to that, every map had a pattern or two suited to it, there was genuinely an advantage to picking the right gear before spawning in
Another overlooked aspect in multiplayer military shooters is dialog. Arguably BF3 had some of the best soldier dialog when things would happen. They would drop F-bombs when getting suppressed and song exactly like how grunts communicate in combat. Now adays the dialog, if there even is any, is so dry and inoffensive it detracts from immersion.
Insurgency Sandstorm and Squad are really great for this.
Speaking of grunts, I wish we would move away from this fetish the industry has for Special Forces Operators and go back to focusing on the grunts.
@@majorborngusfluunduch8694 Another thing that made BF3's story great was it was about some normal marines getting wrapped up in something much bigger than them selves.
@@Cowboycomando54 Agreed. This sorta thing is why the Marine and Ranger segments of CoD4 and MW2 were my favorite parts of those games. Everybody loves Cpt. Price and Ghost so much but I always preferred characters like Lt. Vasquez and Cpl. Dunn. They were badasses but felt easier to care about since they weren't Operator supermen.
@@Cowboycomando54 something else I've come to appreciate about BF3's campaign over the years is how genuinely grounded it feels despite being about nukes and invading Iran. The multiple references to Generation Kill was also a massive plus that flew over younger me's head
Me: wants to watch video about team recognition and and how uniforms convey tone and add to the immersion
UA-cam:
Barbie doll advert.
Average Munancho W
I despise these skins but Activision aren't going to stop because it makes them money. The simple solution is to give the player the ability to turn off theses skins in the settings so they only see the default skins but everyone else can see their own skins.
C'mon, How can activision earn money without selling those ultra-rare hyperglossy skins?
There are hundreds of military themed skins they can add to the operators. Military surplus has an endless amount of gear, uniforms and overall styles.
@@VolkovVelikanThe reason silly, glossy skins are more profitable is because they’re unique and loud. No one cares if you have realistic skin on but when you are running around as Homelander or Ghostface everyone is going to look at that. From a business standpoint, there is no logical reason make “boring” skins when you can have flashy skins that people will buy for clout. I’m not going to get upset at a game for making money as long as it’s fair.
@@stillvillian”no one” talk for yourself pointdexter
@@VolkovVelikan Who are you going to talk about first some guy wearing tactical gear or Snoop Dogg in COD. This is not a matter opinion. Things that don't fit the setting of the game are going to stand out more and draw more people because it makes you seem unique.
If non uniform skins are needed in COD then at least be iconic pop culture characters who actually use guns not character like homelander (deadpool is exception) cosplayed by COD characters like Adler as Tony Montana from scarface with M16/M203 or Park as Sigourney Weaver from Alien with AK potrayed as pulse rifle with under barrel flamethrower from BO's. Revy, Roberta, Balalaika and Eda from Black Lagoon. Motoko, Batou and Togusa from GITS. Characters from Heat.
GITS Collab happened in CoD Mobile at some point
how about you let me use the super hero and you use the weak looking guy
I just want a foxgirl character if they’re going to be stupid and out of setting.
They aren’t needed and those are still bad ideas
@@Redmont_ Brother, at least pick a cool superhero that isn't treated like a doormat by every other fandom.
MW2019 had the right idea until the last season. The two factions had unique aesthetics despite having a big sort of different operators. For example, the allegiance faction had Russian styled equipment and uniforms, and the coalition faction had a notable western/NATO influence in their style. Even when skins were added to the operators they didn’t differ much from their own respective military aesthetic. That’s until they started to add colourful skins in the last season, then everything went to shit with Cold War, because as always, the black ops brand of COD seems to always set a new paradigm for the aesthetic of the franchise itself, and consequently shitting the bed as it always does. back then with BO2 being the futuristic aesthetic, and how people were sick of it later on. and now the colourful and cartoonish look that even tho started in the last season of MW2019 it was sent to extremes with Cold War.
Sad thing is, I bought BO6 because a very famous UA-camr that does leaks about the upcoming content and seasons from the COD games (I won’t mention him) said that treyarch was going back to the more mil-sim tone COD used to have, and that the crazy skins will be added later on, since they know some people like it. But you can imagine my disappointment when even the basic skins look cartoonish and dumb, and now when season 1 started, just look at the current selection of operator skins, from robots, to furries.
4:42
My problem with this point about sensitive subjects is that what you mention is shown in the campaign. When you play multiplayer you are more focusing on killing the enemy instead of thinking about these topics
I like to raise a counter argument that you KNEW who the enemy was based off of what they were wearing, the weapons they used, how they spoke, etc.
@@UnluckyGunner Counter-Counter point. There is very little motivation beyond personal gain (XP, unlocks, etc.) in Call of Duty's multiplayer. Nobody fights for a cause within the game itself and the factions only exist for gameplay purposes, not narrative
I mean cod multiplayer has always just been about shooting people hasn't it?
@@UnluckyGunner Well, but i don't care who the enemy is in multiplayer. This argument is so dumb. In Multiplayer i just play to have fun vs other people in a competitive setting, i don't think about history or anything, i just want to grind for camos, get a cool clip or win the match.
The multiplayer still takes place in the same setting. You have no point.
Glad you touched on how these skins affect visibility and target recognition. There's more than enough talk about Roze in MW19 and Gaia in MWII being fundamentally hard to see, but even as recently as MWIII, the bright, highly visible gundam skins gave me issues. RX-78 and Aerial look similar at a glance but are on opposite factions causing me to hold my fire at an enemy I couldn't tell wasn't a friendly. Zaku had massive, wide shoulders that bullets would pass right through and cost me kills when I thought I was on target. BO6 already has this issue as well with some of its skins. It's frustrating.
Yeah, that Gundam skin should be in Infinity Warfare cuz is fit on futuristic theme
@@captainnutt2995thing with that game and all the advanced movement cods is that the enemies glowed red and teammates glowed blue
Lmao they added gundam to cod?
Hey I have an interesting idea for a video.
How to make weapons stylistically fit a theme. Since for example Squad guns don't look a wink out of place and represent factions well. Team Fortress 2 Guns, while not realistic, mesh wonderfully into to their theme and style. Cruelty Squad guns, while sometimes being hard to look at have a cool consistent theme of mostly being failed prototype guns. There's clearly ways to do this but it's hard for me to put into words and I think that would be an interesting topic you could explore.
Thanks for the cool video and thank you unlucky gunner for your wonderful voice over! Cheers!
I think it's a general aesthetic thing. If you can get characters, uniforms, buildings, etc, then weapons are just another thing like the rest.
@migueeeelet true but I think there's more nuance than that. Starfield is a good example. They had a set theme but the weapons are kinda funky. They clearly followed a sci Fi theme and ideas like caseless rounds. But the weapons are real mixed bag, at a glace they're passable but sometimes while holding a few them they feel wildly out of place
@@dink6530 That is true, also an example of how to do them right are Metro series guns. Not so conventional, but they fit the atmosphere pretty well and do not feel dumb.
@@dink6530Starfield are generally nonsense
Inb4 “It’s just a game and you HATE fun!”
Why I'd rather stay with old CoD and BF games(and seek out non mainstream military action games); Instead of being some fully fleshed out unique character, I am a faceless nobody amongst the army of other nobodies. Maybe I'm alone in this sentiment, but, _that's_ the appeal for me; I feel like a part of something bigger, not the big hero of a small battle. So I don't stand out by peacocking, I stand out by doing good with the team. Plus, _uniforms are cool,_ from the standard NOD infantry getup of C&C Renegade, the look of the SEAL team in Black Ops 2, to the incredibly meticulous faction gear and attire in the WWI game series. I always gravitate to those more than pink AR's, chicken hats, and neon accented "combat dress".
It frustrates me how willing these companies are to throw out their own art style. From the war-movie look of Battlefield, to the shiny plastic troopers of Star Wars Battlefront, to the high fantasy with a dash of grittiness of Skyrim, what a game looks like is part of its appeal. But the game doesn't look like anything anymore when there's someone with a wildly out-of-place outfit on screen, so that appeal is lost.
Obviously, a number of people disagree, but I wish they'd get their own games instead of turning the poor military shooters into colorful, confused messes.
CoD looks like Skyrim with meme mods, but without the surrealistic humour that makes Skyrim meme mods actually good
Very nice video mate, I appreciate the shoutout. I feel COD hasn't had a cohesive visual character style since MW2019.
MW2019 felt anything but cohesive after season 2 or 3... There were LOTS of goofy skins on that one as well
This is the reason why MW19 operators and Mil-Sims are 10X better than the Garbage clowns as operators in both MWII/MWIII, like WTF is wrong with Actiblizz?!
Dont forget R6 Siege with that wheelchair bound operator and KPop operator. I don't know what Ubi is smoking when they started adding non-military operators.
@@BenetteG
I know, they add some dogsh*t operators that isn't even from the Military nor Police.
I wish they should update Warzone 2022 to allow MW19 operators to be included, it is a shame that they never included in the game.
4:09 Still funny how this clip fully predicted Call of Duty: Vanguard
Never thought I'd find you here.
I care about this because it helps with target identification. The game usually doesn't show nametags right away and this would cut down on friendly fire or hesitancy to fire.
I can't believe people who actually buy those god awful skins and like them actually exist
believe it because people like you or me like these ''god awful'' skins
if you dont like them dont buy them if you dont want them dont look at them
simple.
@ "if you dont like them dont buy them" do you realize how retarded you sound? that sort of thinking is the reason why games are retarded now. nobody tolerated the golden horse but now everyone is gambling money with digital bullshit that isn't real
imagine goint to war and everyone is dressed as santa claus and speaks nothing but gen z brainrot
i would go awol
The difference, is people can actually die in IRL, so going with brightful colors in the open is counter productive. This is a game bruh, no IRL
@@ivanmartinez743I think you need to lookup the definitions of two words, art style and immersion
Operators is a huge mistake feature
It should just be an option in your video settings to have normal team based skins.
goofy skins are fine imo as long as there's an option to dress as a regular ass soldier [kinda like how mw19 did it]
unless the game's set before the end of ww2, then it's just really bizzarre and bordeline disrespectful as fuck
Double standards aren't they
Does anyone else remember MAG and how cool the character customization was? Peak faction-themed uniforms in any FPS game.
This video makes alot of great points about the laziness of injecting random skins everywhere, there's little care for holding a consistent tone anymore. The original Titanfall is possibly the game that pulls this off best. Despite the chaos created by player controlled pilots and titans and squads of AI grunts and spectres, the two factions are easily distinguishable (art styles are very distinct: IMC = clean white/grey uniforms & high quality equipment, Militia = green/brown uniforms with orange markings & tattered/scavenged equipment). Pilot classes have identifying features shared across factions to make their roles/weapons clear (CQB class = lightly kitted, open face helmets, Mid range class = bulkier frame, glowing visor, Sniper class = multi lens helmet with ghillie-like hood overtop). Each faction even has their own voice lines with different accents, from which players can gain valuable information when grunts call out situation updates and enemy player locations to each other (IMC = South African, Militia = American). These great character and game design choices, along with constant movement of AI squads, drop ship delivery of reinforcements and some scripted AI animations, turn the chaos of battle into a smooth flow the player can easily make sense of and enjoy. Titanfall is incredibly underrated and the most immersive game I have ever played, maybe only surpassed by Battlefield 1. Its a shame the direction the franchise took turning into Apex (which is fun I admit, but the art style and immersion have been drastically reduced). Of course its natural for companies to chase trends and implement skins, but it can be done correctly to coexist with and even enhance the game world and art style
I got 5 words for you:
Killzone 2 multiplayer faction classes.
Look em up.
Only two games I have trouble telling who’s who is COD and Squad. To me a lot of modern day uniforms look the same to me. Sometimes it’s easy to tell like PLA navy vs Us Marine corps but sometimes it’s hard for me to tell. In real life in Eastern Europe right now it’s hard to tell who’s Russian and Who’s Ukrainian so they’ve resorted to using brightly coloured tape to identify themselves which is the polar opposite to trying to use camo to blend in as much as possible.
Maaaaaan you hit the nail on the head. This is one of many criticisms I have of the current state of games like Ghost Recon and Rainbow Six. The attire, like weapons, had both tried and true and totally new experimental stuff. (The Crye CAGE armor in GRAW being a great example)
Now it's a collection of operatives wearing a mishmash amateur hour airsoft kits. (And running about in tournaments in Rainbow Six's current case.)
Tbh, unless i was joking around, using bright and flashy skin would make me standing out and potentially making myself a first target, so no thanks, I'll stick with my military camo/military theme skin.
I used to like silly skins. Then every major franchise on earth started shoving them into their games and now I’m over it. Like yeah, I get it. It’s funny because you wouldn’t expect to see a guy in a banana suit doing special ops. Haha. It was funny the first time, but a decade later it’s just tiresome and immersion killing.
I love whenever I complain about the skins in cod people say "its an arcade shooter don't have a fit over it", I'm like it doesn't match the tone or environment set by the game at all though, it breaks the immersion so bad, I wish I could just turn off the skins
I'm pretty sure a lot of people have already suggested this, but I feel like COD would benefit from a "toggle default skins" option, which would replace all player skins, weapon skins, tracers etc with their default variants for clarity and less eye strain.
I think it would actually make sense as an accessibility option and might even improve performance since your PC won't have to load that many models and textures.
Skins in games like Cod or Siege make me wish we had the ability to turn them off
That’s why I prefer the default ones instead of flashy skins
When Mario Kart DS from 2005 has better Team Identification than You
You know You are doing something wrong...
Spot on about reliance on ui elements to provide information on friend or foe. It's perplexing that CoD offers so many accessibility features, but doesn't allow you to disable sifi tracers and player skins.
I recently talked one of my buddies out of Warzone last night, like I did for myself months ago, another joins the recovery group
I just want one operator wearing DBDU.
Another problem i have with having no realistic of even different outfits between teams is it helps with friend or foe reignition. idk how many times ive die in a newer CoD because some one on the enemy team is wearing the same skin as some one on my team and i just dont happen to notice the red name plate in time
Within Treyarch and Infinity Ward there are probably entire dev teams who work to model the weapons and gear in the most authentic and realistic way possible; and then there's another dev team of artists who work to cover up all that authenticity with wacky cartoon characters and neon colors. They should just let me turn off player cosmetics in multiplayer. I want to identify my enemies based on uniform and not see people running around with animated galaxy skins on their guns.
Anyone remember MAG? You chose one of 3 very distinct factions, and were locked in to their uniforms, gear, and weaponry forever, creating a very tight allegiance. Even which of the 3 soundtracks (each produced by different artists in different genres) the game used was determined by the faction you chose. It was so cool.
cod community when cod is "rEaLiStIc": the colors are too dull, we need more bright and standout skins
cod community when cod has bright and standout skins: this is unrealistic, we need more dull colors.
make up your mind.
They should find a balance, but yeah, i agree. They are always whining, even if they recieve what they ask for
The game's color palette has nothing to do with character design. Look at MW2 (the og one). That game was colorful, in fact it may be the best game in the series when it comes to the use of colors and yet it was still vastly more grounded in tone and appearance than any of these modern CoDs.
I wore a uniform enough to earn the rank of Eagle Scout. And if I never put on another uniform again it will be too soon.
as a former Big Red One soldier, the last good call of duty was Big Red One
also with bf2042, a hero shooter that forced to be a bf game, there's a reason why hero shooter are either 5v5 or 6v6 it's to easily distinguish friend to foe "my tracer is dead so that tracer is an enemy" now put 128 player that can pick the same hero and class, now you sometimes wonder if it's an enemy or ally
Cod and other franchises are trying so hard to be the new Fortnite instead of trying to be unique in their own way.
7:09 how tf those cartridges fit that magazine?
i see this more apparent in CoD: Mobile (its the only cod i got/can afford) while it is a mobile game and the way to define an enemy is thru some red markers it becomes more apparent on Battle Royale where i could spot a player more when their skin is some neon clown rather than those that has camo fatigues even before those red markers become visible
Modern fps be like
"Oops i can't tell between the Sasuke Uchiha cosplayer or the guy in a banana suit is my ally"
Man, you summarized why I dislike blue vs blue servers in BF4.
0:18 is that a mod or "Greg Coomer" was a real dev for Half-life 2 ?
Nope it’s real, he worked on Portal too if I remember correctly
@Anime_Hater27 no wonder valve was able to make such kick ass games back in the day, thanks mister Coomer.
I noticed how in MWII at least first or two first seasons all the skins had vests, helmets and other military gear, even the collab ones
if only COD had in-depth character customization again.
Crowbcat’s most recent vid on CoD hammers this point home without a single spoken word from the creator him/herself.
Just goes to show how much of an impact Crowbcat’s vids are to the average watcher/gamer.
This and battlefield have the same problem as of late. Hopefully this trend changes.
At this point id have more respect for an FPS where you just fight naked tbh.
Vehicle camos too. Unless it is gangsters in GTA or Saints Row, it is kind of stupid having tanks and other combat vehicles painted in high visibility neon colors.
The problem is that CoD embraced the fortnite effect so deeply that now going back would mean the lost of interest of youngest generations for the title, which would mean losing a large part of the buyers...
Brilliant video sir. You have a new subscriber.
reasons why friendly fire should be more accepted in gameplay
adds to gameplay when uniforms and making sure your target is an enemy can add to gameplay at times
humor
for some more immersive games you may be more hesitant to fire at unknown shapes rather than seeing a red square above someone or a lack of a friendly square
medieval games, it would be absolute chaos if people act like fighters do in hollywood productions
also all early modern - 1890s games have it easy since you wear bright colours for very easy identification
Max Payne 3 OST spotted, subbed.
It seems so obvious, yet some people don't understand why skins damage the looks and atmosphere of a game..
after a few hours in battlefield 2042 and delta operation, I miss uniform
siege is also pretty guilty with this sometimes i die cause i cant identify my enemy's clothing due to their silhouettes not being the same as stock
Many multiplayer games have this problem, a lack of visual and thematic consistency, along with those hideous skins being profitable.
The company holds a lot of blame, but the players who purchase them are at fault too.
Personally my biggest issue with this trend of making your characters over the top flashy in games not just like COD but also Battlefield as well is the loss of identity that people fell in love with for profits nor the respect for the IP and setting they're wishing to present as a serious investment for our entertainment. The reason why something like Fortnite or TF2 gets off easier is the honesty of the games tone, TF2 is violent, unhinged and goofy with Fortnite being saturated violence with a focus on fun and mechanics over trying to present something more serious, given the fact as well its meant to be as marketable as possible towards young gamers. In Call of Duty, I can go from a child soldier stabbing people in the back to protect my sibling, inform me of the gravity of dealing with counter terrorism to hoping onto the multiplayer to see someone dressed as a Samurai running about with a golden plated sniper rifle gunning down someone dressed in a gimp suit and someone else that looks like they showered in paint.
Even then, all of it feels sanitised, corporate, like walking into an office that wants to pretend its lively with heart like a thin layer of paint over black mold, all the while you force yourself to be happy as you make other people rich from working hard. Its why I can't stand COD, I suck ass at it but at least the aesthetic was enjoyable over what it is today.
The only skin I'd actually buy for any COD would be if 21 Savage skin was available again, and only because I really like his songs. Otherwise, I'm more than happy to use default skins.
Big issue for me is I cant recognize who is who especially in BO6. OG CoD enemies were green and you were grey or vice versa. Battlefield does this great
I miss the anonymous Modern Warfare 2 TF141 and Spetsnaz operators.
well, idk how did we go from the basic factions in the older cods to Nicki Minaj and Snoop Dog as operators on a "military themed gane"...
Also, i dont know if you cover mobile games, but there is a game called Gun Club Armory...lets say, the customization on the guns is cursed. (like a SVU with 6 M203 attached in it)
We went from Captain Price and bad ass US.Marines and Rangers in the original MW2 to Niki manaj with a pink AR 😂
Oh Christ sakes.
Planetside 2 had a similar uniform clash with all the various camo patterns that can be in all 3 factions. In the heat of a large battle was that an NC trooper or a vanu wearing something close to blue in the distance? Welp to late to press the spot key im dead anyway.
Same as with the emotes at the end of each match, it's all about the individual now. You're not there as a part of a team, you're there to show off. Our increasingly ego driven society plays a big part in this.
Man I love your voice man keep making your voice video!
When my eye sees an rainbow coloured operator i dont take it as a direct threat. It does affect gameplay, it affects rational thought and reaction. It removes certain fight or flight responses. This is simple psychology most humans share. The irony though, humans are biased to be weary of colourful foods as they are usually toxic. But not so much in combat... When i see people wearing this stuff in military games i think their children and makes me question what im doing here. This is all outside just how garish and off putting it is. Off note, thank you for your service!
I don’t appreciate dying to a humanoid shark using a power drill.
What? You don’t wanna roll into battle with a vampire chick, Nicki Minaj, 21 savage? How about spawn? Glowy green or orange guys?
It’s always hilarious to see people complain about Cod even though this game has had gold camo since it became popular.
MW2019 has done horrendous damage, fooling people into believing that Cod was this serious gritty shooter, when it’s been a Hollywood blockbuster since MW2.
I wouldn't really consider gold camo as being incongruous with the military aesthetic. A lot of Middle Eastern conflicts have involved despotic dictators that have kept golden firearms as vanity pieces and symbols of prestige. The idea of players getting unlocks like this as status symbols kind of fits with the setting.
@ well the day you find yourself at a military shooting range and see a soldier with a gold M4, give me a call. Not to mention other things like Bacon camo, the ray gun in campaign and Ice Cube and Snoop Dogg already being in Cod since Black Ops 1.
Immersion fans just don’t get that Cod has never been what they think it is. Here’s a good solution: if you don’t like the skins, go play a different game that has what you’re looking for. It’s like complaining about not getting burgers at Pizza Hut when Burger King is right there.
@@howdoichangemyusername9802 ice cube was just voice acting bowman. It's different than having a character using your likeness and name. Snoop Dogg and Nicki Minaj got the latter treatment. Snoop Dogg got it twice + a voiceover in ghosts
Who said old games are good