Highlights
- Call of Duty has had various customization options over the years, but one new concept could work well.
- Players have expressed themselves creatively through features like the emblem editor and Paint Shop, but having a custom calling card option would offer even more possibilities.
- If the emblem editor were to return alongside calling card customization, it could be expanded with new pieces unlocked via the progression system, and players could download and share creations. Offensive designs could be deterred with better detection methods via Ricochet.
Over the years, the customization options available in Call of Duty have changed in a number of ways. Things started simple with weapon camos, calling cards, and emblems before new additions like the emblem editor started to shake things up. However, changes like that editor have come and gone. Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare’s character customization that allowed players to adjust every piece of their soldier’s gear quickly faded away, as did the face paint from Black Ops 4. As Call of Duty adds and removes customization options like finishing moves and watches, it will hopefully inch closer to reviving player creativity.
When thinking about players expressing themselves in the Call of Duty franchise, a few things likely come to mind. The aforementioned emblem editor would be great to see again, as would the Paint Shop from the beloved entry Black Ops 2 that let players make custom weapon skins. Theater mode and its many screenshots and clips would be another thing to revive. However, when it comes to something new, there is one great option that remains on the table: custom calling cards.
Call of Duty Calling Card Customization Would Be a Game Changer
Despite only having a few dozen layers and a limited number of shapes to work with, gamers accomplished some amazing things with Call of Duty’s emblem editor. Superheroes like Deadpool and Batman, animated characters like Goku and SpongeBob, tributes to CoD Zombies and games outside the franchise - fans could do it all. All throughout YouTube, players can find old emblem tutorial videos, showing how passionate players were about the system. As such, it is fun to think about how much could be done if players had an entire calling card’s worth of space to work with.
While custom emblems were great, players only had a small square to play with, meaning that they were a bit limited as to what exactly could be made. While close-ups of single characters were doable, or one big item, that was about it. Similarly, players could not do much with backgrounds and environments. With custom Call of Duty calling cards, though, players could really shake things up. An emblem focusing on Finn from Adventure Time could be crafted, with the Land of Oo and other characters spread throughout the calling card. Alternatively, an image could start in the emblem and continue through the card, like Batman throwing a Batarang in the emblem and the gadget traveling across the card to hit Joker on the other end.
To make an emblem and calling card editor more in-depth, Treyarch, Infinity Ward, or Sledgehammer Games could add emblem editor pieces to the progression system. Every few levels a player progresses, they could get access to some new pieces for emblem creation. Additionally, instead of just letting players view the best emblems through the in-game theater, Call of Duty can allow players to download them if the creators give permission. This way, there would be a reason to constantly search up new emblems, and players who lack time or artistic talent would not need to slowly copy a guide off the internet.
Unfortunately, just like with the NSFW emblem designs that saw Call of Duty’s emblem editor being retired, there would be a concern about offensive calling card designs. Still, with inappropriate names being seen in Call of Duty already, it seems odd to remove a feature that a majority of the player base will use correctly. Players can simply report rude players like they used to, and thanks to Ricochet anti-cheat, it may now be possible to easily detect offensive emblem designs, stopping them before they are even finished.
Had Call of Duty’s custom emblems stuck around, a calling card editor likely would have happened eventually. Unfortunately, that was not the case, with the series returning to official designs only following Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare. Though there are certainly some neat designs available that have been crafted by Call of Duty’s developers, players can no longer express themselves in the same way and celebrate the things they love via emblems. Hopefully, the emblem editor returns one day alongside a calling card editor, as having both features at once would allow creative players to make designs that are more stunning than ever before.