Search and Destroy, CODM: Complete the mission
“There’s no honorable way to kill, no gentle way to destroy. There is nothing good in war. Except its ending.” — Abraham Lincoln
The rise of online games has been popular ever since the pandemic captured us as hostages in our homes. These online games, categorized as First-Person Shooter games (FPS), Real-Time Strategy games (RTS), Massively Multiplayer Online games (MMO), Multiplayer Online Battle Arena games (MOBA), Battle Royale games, and other notable games, have significantly replaced the physical games we used to enjoy, like patintero, tumbang preso, basketball, and many more. They have dramatically overthrown these enjoyable childhood games as we shifted to the digital era and have been following these strict protocols to keep us safe from the unseen foe.
These online games were actually lavishly patronized by avid gamers even before the pandemic came. However, since we are all caged by ennui, we have intimately engaged ourselves with these games. Most gamers actually shifted from consoles or personal computers (PCs) to mobile phones as their medium since a lot of computer shops have closed due to the COVID-19 situation. These patrons of Defense of the Ancients (DOTA) 2, Counter Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO), Cross Fire, League of Legends (LoL), PlayersUnknown’s Battleground (PUBG), Fortnite, Overwatch, and a couple of well-known PC games have switched to mobile online games like Call of Duty Mobile (CODM), PlayersUnknown’s Battleground Mobile (PUBGM), Mobile Legends (ML), and League of Legends: Wild Rift (LoL: WR) to keep their fanatic selves alive.
Call of Duty Mobile, known as CODM, has climbed to the top as the most downloaded and played online games like PUBG Mobile and Mobile Legends. CODM was first available on PC, PlayStation 3 (PS3), and Xbox 360 (X360), and it was released in 2003. Over the years, the developers have created other versions that fervent fans of COD can enjoy. Several versions of COD were called Call of Duty Warzone, which is actually still popular nowadays, as well as Call of Duty Black Ops, which was really adored by the fans.
Call of Duty enthusiasts was really hyped and exultant about the transition of this game, which was originally enjoyed on PCs or PlayStations (PS), to mobile. The launch of its mobile version was actually the talk of the town and the most looked forward to when the developer of the game announced its birth on mobile. The downloads reached millions in just a year when it was released. It was developed by TiMi Studio Group and published by Activision, Tencent Games (China and Korea), Garena (Southeast Asian countries including Taiwan), and VNG Games (Vietnam). CODM is known for its genres: FPS, battle royale, and action-horror; and is recognized for its modes: multiplayer, battle royale, and zombies that can be accessed on your Android and IOS devices.
Although Call of Duty Mobile was patronized for its features similar to those of other battle royale games developed and published first, like Rules of Survival (ROS) and PUBGM, a lot of gamers could still have themselves entertained with this game through its FPS game, which is Multiplayer, italicized as MP. This mode, multiplayer, is actually a lot like famous FPS games like CSGO, Valorant, etc.
In multiplayer, it allows you to play with your friends up to a five-man or five (5) player limit in its lobby. For neophytes, multiplayer is the default game used to have a newly created and registered account level up and unlock its other features. Its matchmaking requires a 5v5 setup, either in its unranked or ranked modes in short game modes.
A lot of people actually think that Battle Royale was the key feature of CODM. Multiplayer is actually the main mode of the game, and it allows you to battle against other players through its multiple modes, which you can actually choose from. This mode requires teamwork, flexibility, and a strategic way of accomplishing tasks depending on the mode chosen.
No doubt that MP has garnered the hearts of the players with its exceptional way of stirring them to take on the challenge of this mode. These so-called multiple modes are actually stunning, exhilarating, and sometimes heart-stomping. Other players actually loathed MP because it was kind of complicated to play as its game-play badly needed extreme focus, quick wit, and strategic style to accomplish the tasks.
There are five (5) game mode selections, also known as the core, that are the only options when you play ranked games in MP. These selections come with a random map, and sometimes the developers decide to take out a specific map and add a new one to change the tempo of the gameplay every time the season resets. Also, they switch maps every season to fix bugs and glitches that ruin the game environment partially. These glitches or bugs are actually used by players who are aware of any of these, then abuse them to their advantage every game.
A season reset actually happens every two (2) months. Therefore, the players are graced with two (2) months to climb up the leaderboards or rank up. A new tier was actually recently added, sliding between the Master tier and the Legendary tier, making it more difficult for the players to rank up. Players start off in the rookie tier (1-1,000 points). By playing ranked games either in MP or Battle Royale, they could advance into any of these tiers: Veteran (1,001-2,000 points), Elite (2,001-3,000 points), Pro (3,001-4,500 points), Master (4,501-6,000 points), Grand Master (6,001-8,000 points), and then Legendary (8001+ points) respectively.
First on the selection and the default mode before any new player could access the other modes, Frontline (FL). In FL, the objective was to reach a certain number of kills to win the mode. Its objective was to kill a guerilla squad (the term used for one of the teams in cooperative modes, which was actually an opposing squad of Special Forces, and the guerilla squad was marked as red and blue for the special forces). This mode is actually referred to by some players as one of the spawn games of MP. In FL, every time you are slain by any player from the opposing team, you’ll get to spawn on your team’s base. The next mode on the selection, which is similar to Frontline, was Team Death Match (TDM). Just like how FL works, TDM requires you to reach a certain number of kills to win the game. However, unlike FL, you don’t get to respawn at your base, instead you respawn randomly on the map.
As for the modes of MP that are regarded as the best for spawning, then capturing and holding, Domination is the first one. Domination’s goal to win is to capture objectives (A, B, and C) and earn points as gained per captured, cleaned, and held objective. It doesn’t have a time limit; hence, the game is divided into two (2) rounds, and the goal is to earn 100 points to secure victory. That is why diverse roles were popularized, as it’s part of the strategizing part to outwit enemies and win the game. They coined the term “slayer” for players who take the role of slaying enemies to avoid them from capturing objectives to earn score, and they are assisted by players who are called support. Players who ensure that the enemies respawn far from the objectives or places where their teammates can easily spot and slay them are called anchors. Being an anchor necessitates the ability to determine the spawn area of enemies, including team members, as well as knowledge of how to use the map. An anchor should be the one who knows the map the best. And the last role that a player could have is objective, or OBJ. Their sole focus is to score for their team by capturing objectives, clearing objectives captured by the enemy, and holding objectives. They don’t have to kill as they are sometimes accompanied by a slayer who ought to protect them as the OBJ secures a score for the team.
The other mode that is similar to Domination is Hardpoint, also regarded by players as HP. This mode requires a “capture and hold” play style. The players’ objective is to capture the HP, and by holding it, the team earns points. If both teams were holding or on the HP, the scores would stop counting as it was contested. The HP switches rotational around the map during the match. Securing the HP earns points for the team, and the players need to reach the score limit, which is 150, in order to win the match.
And finally, the king of multiplayer modes, Search and Destroy (SnD or S&D), which is just my opinion. I highly regard this game mode as the most intense and challenging mode that anyone would play. I do remember the first time I played in this mode. And really, for someone who has no experience with any FPS games, they would be really at a loss. This mode is different from the other four (4) introduced modes. Personally, this is my favorite mode.
For someone who gains pleasure over pressure, this mode would be the perfect game to play. If you want an experience that could make you cry for the burden being carried, being the last man standing, or the jittery feeling since in this mode, you’d only rely on your hearing sense and reflexes for enemy attack—this torturing yet indulging mode might be really meant for you.
S&D is a one-sided mode in which the objective for the attacking side is to eliminate the defending side, and it works the other way around. Also, the goal of the game is for the attackers to detonate the planting sites (A and B) by planting the bombs and prevent the defenders from defusing the bombs to win the round. Or it could be that the defenders would eliminate the attackers and defuse the detonated bomb. A S&D match is a best-of-five-rounds, and the first one to reach the score limit claims the victory.
A round per match may last up to three (3) minutes. The attackers were given 120 seconds (2 minutes) to either eliminate the defenders or detonate the bomb successfully, and it takes five (5) seconds to plant the bomb. The defenders were only given a 45-second time limit to defuse the bomb once it was planted by the attackers, and it takes five (5) seconds to defuse the bomb. What makes it hard is that you don’t get to have an unlimited respawn per round. Each team will take a turn being the attacker or defender every fourth round, or halftime, or overtime of the match.
It’s a matter of outwitting the opposing team and deploying flawless teamwork with the squad to win the game. It might be really hard, especially if players have diverse game styles. Some may use their expertise in a specific weapon to their advantage, while others may simply sit and wait for the prey to serve themselves to the predators.
As someone who enjoys S&D, I really love the adrenaline rush every time I become the last man standing. It’s scary, indeed. But what choice do I have? I have to use it to urge myself to at least try my best to ace the remaining enemies to win a round.
What’s really sometimes a heart-stopping situation is when it’s 4-4, and you just really have to arm yourself with your best weapon and win the remaining point. Sometimes, really, the feeling of nervousness will make your brain stop working. Being pressured by teammates or feeling bad about being the bot frag ruins the tempo, resulting in a poor performance during the match. There are moments wherein you feel like you could’ve done better, but you were just too nervous that you were crouching like an idiot while the enemy was attacking you.
I used to like HP, honestly, rather than S&D. However, lately, as I was trying to find an avenue to vent my anger, frustrations, and stress—I’ve realized that S&D is a much better venue to do so. It might be true that it would trigger the negative feelings I harbor that I am trying to get rid of by playing. I actually like the idea of beating myself up in the game, as I could express my anger or frustration by focusing on winning the game. And the feeling of being able to get out of a 1v4 situation is really overwhelming. The happiness you attain after clutching a round is something I look forward to every time I play the game. It’s not because I wanted to impress my teammates with my skills, but it makes me realize— if I was the last man standing and could clutch the remaining two (2) to three (3) enemies, I might be able to clutch the frustrations, stress, and anguish I was feeling that actually pushed me to play the game in the first place.
S&D requires patience, self-control, and quick reflexes in order to defeat your enemies and win the match. And most importantly, you can be competitive, but don’t forget to enjoy the game.
You’re the last one, complete the mission.
