Treyarch will "kill people with facts" over Black Ops 2 balance complaints

Call of Duty Black Ops 2 akimbo pistols

Like their brethren in other FPS games, the bothersome bullets buzzing around in Black Ops 2's frenetic multiplayer regularly takes flak from players lamenting perceived imbalances. Speaking to Destructoid , Treyarch Design Director David Vonderhaar said he'll "drop knowledge bombs" backed by recorded match data whenever complaints arise.

"There's a lot of instrumentation in this game and there's a lot of data logging, so I know exactly what the power band of a weapon is at all times," he said. "So, I can combine how something feels with how it's actually behaving. I just know this is going to happen: A million people are going to Tweet me and tell me [for example], 'The PDW 57 is overpowered, Vonderhaar. What are you doing?'

"What I'll do is look at the math and say, 'Actually, you know what, dude? You're just good with it. Have fun, because the math says that it's not overpowered.' I have the averages. You're being successful."

Vonderhaar went on to successfully string together at least three more war-related metaphors for combating complaints, saying, "I'm just going to kill people with facts [with] this game whenever they say 'This thing is OP.' I'm going to go 'Actually, it's not OP, you're wrong.' I'm not going to yell at them or anything, I'm just going to tell them the truth. I don't have to hide this stuff from people, just drop knowledge bombs on guys. It's gotta be done! What people are doing is reacting emotionally, and I'm like a really emotional guy so I get it."

Our Black Ops 2 review 's hopefully won't further jargonize your brain, but it definitely holds more of our thoughts on both single-player and multiplayer offerings.

Omri Petitte

Omri Petitte is a former PC Gamer associate editor and long-time freelance writer covering news and reviews. If you spot his name, it probably means you're reading about some kind of first-person shooter. Why yes, he would like to talk to you about Battlefield. Do you have a few days?