As we gear up for the debut of Season 2 in Black Ops 6 and Warzone, the buzz from Treyarch has been hard to miss. They’ve been addressing a variety of hot-button issues that have the community buzzing, including the perennial debate about cross-play compatibility in ranked matches.
Treyarch wasn’t shy to dive into other controversial topics either. One major concern among players is the escalating issue of cheating in both games. Moreover, there’s been quite a stir about the moderation team’s choice to mute individuals who feel they’ve been wrongly accused of abusive language in voice chats.
In a comprehensive community update, Treyarch shared plans for an array of changes designed to enhance the gaming experience in the upcoming season. This update tackled several long-standing grievances from the player base head-on.
A key announcement from the developers is that players will soon be able to disable cross-play when it comes to Ranked Play on consoles. This feature, applicable to both Black Ops 6 and Warzone, is currently in the testing phase, with expectations to roll it out during Season 2.
Ranked players have even more to look forward to—Vote to Forfeit is making a return. This allows you to end a losing match early, without the dread of sitting through it. While it will count as a standard loss, it won’t incur SR penalties. Perhaps the most exciting news is the introduction of join-in-progress for Ranked Play, ensuring those teammates who drop out can swiftly rejoin the action.
Treyarch’s post also touched on a widespread sentiment among players: an apparent surge in cheating. The developers pointed out that this isn’t just about obvious cheats like aimbots; several underlying factors are contributing to this narrative.
Specifically, the developers highlighted issues like the poor quality of matches leading to rubber-banding and severe packet loss, both of which significantly degrade the gameplay experience and can cause server disconnects.
There are also frequent reports of certain players being regulars in these crashed lobbies. Although a permanent fix isn’t in place yet, Demonware developers are diligently working to identify the causes of these targeted crashes while upgrading server infrastructure and code to counteract the issue. It’s worth mentioning that some regions experience these problems more intensively due to factors like player pool size and server capacity.
Another sore point since midway through the first season has been the growing concern over what some players perceive as overly aggressive moderation of voice chat. Many claim they’re simply taunting or engaging in trash talk, yet find themselves penalized.
Treyarch, however, stands by the system, stating it effectively curbs harassment and hate speech. For those dissatisfied with the moderation decisions, they’ll be pleased to know that the moderation team conducts regular tuning sessions. These meetings aim to ensure consistency in recognizing what constitutes inappropriate language.
Lastly, the post addressed the issue of mass-reporting abuse, clarifying it does not lead to automatic bans. Some cheat vendors sell tools that allow mass-reporting of a single player, but Treyarch has countermeasures in place. Such mass reports are flagged as suspicious and treated as a single report. The moderation team can distinguish genuine multiple reports against a player, and systems are in place to detect when groups of cheaters are playing together, raising red flags for further investigation.
The community update covers a lot of ground, and you can dive into the full details by following the link. Get ready, as Season 2 kicks off on Tuesday, January 28.
