Combat Training



Combat Training is a new game mode in Call of Duty: Black Ops. It serves as online multiplayer for those who are new and those who want to try out new tactics or practice with different weapons. It features a separate ranking and unlock system with AI opponents instead of online enemies. It can be played cooperatively. The players can change how difficult it is to kill the AI opponents much like single player's difficulties: Recruit, Regular, Hardened, and Veteran. The bots can play on any map in Free-For-All and Team Deathmatch games. One interesting note, however, is that Combat Training only allows the players to practice on Free-For-All and Team Deathmatch modes, and not more tactic-based modes like Search & Destroy. Treyarch’s MP Design Director, David Vonderhaar, responded to a question about this in the official Call of Duty Forums. His comment was that the A.I. Bots are not developed enough to take objectives yet, such as capturing flags and arming/disarming bombs. He did say a more intelligent A.I. was a possibility for future Call of Duty titles. In this mode there is no option to perform a Wager Match.

As of the 1.4 patch, Combat Training is available under the Split-Screen option. This means Combat Training can be now played offline with 4 local players. The most notable difference is you can only have 10 players instead of the 12 available online You can now also select how much time and points you can play to where previously there where no options to do so. AI bots now seem to be smarter and more likely to utilise grenades and other tactics. Unlike its online counterpart you can't level up as everything is still unlocked from the start.

Rank progression
In Combat Training it is possible to rank up and unlock features just like normal multi-player. Though this mode does not have leaderboards, it has a separate ranking system to other game modes. Players can't transfer unlocks, ranks, or CoD Points from Combat Training to Multiplayer and vice-versa.

Contradictions before release
In a post on the official Call of Duty forums, Lead MP Designer David Vonderhaar posted that Combat Training would need an internet connection to be able to play it. He listed it amongst the other modes showing the differences between them in the ranking system. The only offline modes he listed were vague four player split-screen and LAN options (system link). Two player split-screen online was also confirmed in the same post.

On the other hand, the information on the official site suggested that there is offline split-screen as well as the confirmed online option: "Jump into Combat Training and hone your tactics offline against A.I. bots in both Free-For-All and Team Deathmatch game modes." and "Combat Training allows you to play against enemy controlled AI with your friends, online and split-screen." are the official words. On top of this, Community Manager Josh Olin confirmed that it is playable offline via Twitter ''"@JD_2020 #AskJD how many people can play co-op together on one console (zombies and combat training)? @yen888 Two player local Split-Screen." Dan Suarez, Executive Producer, also mentioned when asked if Combat Training had local split-screen play (6:23 in the video) that “Yes, you can play split-screen on the combat training mode and on MP." was his response.  ''

In a later development; the official Call of Duty website has changed its information regarding Combat Training. It has now dropped saying the mode is available offline as originally intended. Wii specific information has also been added quoting that this version of the game does not support split-screen. David Vonderhaar has also said on Twitter that the mode was originally intended to support both off and online modes. His comment to a user on the service suggests that the person who programmed Combat Training also wanted both options. Why this never happened is unknown.

Equipment
Bots do not use any placeable equipment, no claymores, Sentry Guns, Sam Turrets, the RC-XD killstreak, and so on. This makes the Ghost Pro, Hardened Pro, and Hacker Pro perks unobtainable in Combat Training without real people on the enemy team, since each of these require the player to destroy enemy equipment which the bots will never place. However, it is possible to get Ghost Pro if the bot uses Hacker pro to turn your own Sentry Gun against you and you take it out, you will get the needed challenge for "Destroy an enemy sentry-gun."

Trivia

 * On Combat Training, the CPU controlled players (Also know as bots) have their Clan Tag set to [3arc], which is the clan tag used by Treyarch members.
 * Players can choose whether to use their friends' online names for the Bots. If the player chooses not to, the names will be the names of employees of Treyarch. It will be the Clan Tag, the employee's first initial, and their last name, with the first letter of their last name in uppercase. It is shown like this; DVonderhaar (David Vonderhaar). However, there are few names that do not apply to this because some names are just names, like Larry, which can be one of the names of any AI.
 * It is possible to play Team Deathmatch and have all Bots on one team and the player on the other.
 * In the Combat Training menu, players may not customize their Emblems and Clan Tag. They will have to switch to a valid lobby where they are able to, such as the Player Match or Wager Match lobbies. Though players can't change their Clans and Emblems in the Combat Training lobby, they will still appear on the player's weapon if they choose to put their Emblem or Clan Tag on it.
 * Bots can take the player's care package and use some of the killstreaks/ammo it contains.
 * Some perk challenges such as Lightweight's "Offensive medals" or Marathon "Capture medals" aren't included in combat training because there is only Team Deathmatch and Free-for-All available in this game mode, therefore, some of the perks have only two challenges to complete for the Pro version.
 * Prestige Mode is not available in Combat Training, which means that some things that require the player to be a certain prestige cannot be unlocked such as the Golden Camouflage.
 * It is apparent that Combat Training needs an internet connection (no matter how bad) in order to play it.
 * In the PC version, it's possible to use bots to do Wager matches with some minor bugs, or even in private match with customized settings like custom classes or killstreaks using the console and the config file.
 * No matter what weapon is being used, or what difficulty the player chooses, the bots' weapons will never show recoil in the Killcam.