As a first-person shooter, Call of Duty places the player in
control of an infantry soldier who makes use of various authentic World War II
firearms in combat. Each mission features a series of objectives which are
marked on the heads-up display's compass; the player must complete all
objectives to advance to the next mission. The player can save and load at any
time, rather than the checkpoint system utilized in later Call of Duty games.
The player has two primary weapon slots, a handgun slot and can carry up to ten
grenades (all of the later Call of Duty games feature only two weapon slots; a
sidearm will fill one of these slots). Weapons may be exchanged with those
found on the battlefield dropped by dead soldiers. Unlike later Call of Duty
games, the first allows the player to toggle between different firing modes
(single shot or automatic fire). Call of Duty was one of the early first-person
shooters to feature iron sights in game play; by pressing the corresponding key
the player aims down the actual sights on the gun for increased accuracy. In
addition to weapons carried by the player, mounted machine guns and other fixed
weapon emplacements are controllable by the player. The game uses a standard
health points system, with a limited amount of health reflected by a health
bar. Medkits scattered throughout the levels or dropped by some foes are used
to restore health when the player is injured. This contrasts with all
subsequent Call of Duty games in which there is no health bar and the player's
health recharges when not taking fire. Call of Duty also featured
"shellshock" (not to be confused with the psychological condition of
the same name): when there is an explosion near the player, he momentarily
experiences simulated tinnitus, appropriate sound "muffling" effects,
blurred vision, and also results in the player slowing down, unable to sprint.
As the focus of the game is on simulation of the actual battlefield, the
gameplay differs from many single-player shooters of the time. The player moves
in conjunction with allied soldiers rather than alone; allied soldiers will
assist the player in defeating enemy soldiers and advancing but the player is
given charge of completing certain objectives. The game places heavy emphasis
on usage of cover, suppressive fire, and grenades. AI-controlled soldiers will
take cover behind walls, barricades, and other obstacles when available.
Minimum System Requirements
3D hardware
accelerator card required - 100% DirectX 9.0b compatible 32MB hardware
T&L-capable video card and latest drivers*
English version of
Microsoft Windows 98/ME/2000/XP
Pentium III 600MHz
or Athlon 600MHz processor or higher for systems with Windows 98/ME
Pentium III 700MHz
or Athlon 700MHz processor or higher for systems with Windows 2000/XP
128MB RAM
8x speed CD-ROM
drive (1200KB/sec sustained transfer rate) and latest drivers
1.4GB of
uncompressed free hard disk space (plus 400MB for Windows 98/ME swap file,
600MB for Windows 2000/XP swap file)
100% DirectX 9.0b
compatible 16-bit sound card and latest drivers
100% Windows
98/ME/2000/XP compatible mouse, keyboard and latest drivers
DirectX 9.0b
(included)
