When players rank the many Call of Duty Zombies maps that have been released over the years, TranZit will often be found at the very bottom of most fans’ lists. An overly ambitious map, Treyarch was essentially aiming to create open world Zombies years before it was ready to do so with Outbreak mode. Due to the limitations of the hardware, the overbearing fog and lava had to be added so that the map could run properly, with features like the Denizens and Avogadro only adding to the annoyingness. However, TranZit did do one thing right with its multiple maps, and it should become the norm for Zombies once again.
Instead of Call of Duty Zombies fans being limited to just TranZit (and possibly Nuketown) when they loaded up Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 on launch day, they were able to choose between a series of survival maps that took place on small segments of TranZit. If players were still learning the basics or just wanted a simple round-based map like back in the World at War days, they could load up Town. Farm served as a mid-level challenge thanks to its lack of Pack-a-Punch, while Bus Depot was the toughest option available. Though every map is not as big as TranZit, it is easy to imagine scenarios where any full-sized map provides at least one small survival location.
Bonus CoD Zombies Maps Will Help With Replayability and Content Droughts
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War had a few significant content droughts. The first came at launch, as Die Maschine was the only map available, which quickly saw the mode becoming stale for many. The second drought was the one between Firebase Z and Mauer Der Toten, as if players disliked Outbreak, they were out of luck for several months. However, the droughts could have been solved if the TranZit approach was taken and a few different survival maps were added.
For Die Maschine, a standalone version of Nacht Der Untoten would have been the simplest route to take, with rumors suggesting that this was in the works despite the map never actually coming to fruition. The bunker itself could have also been a survival map. Firebase Z’s starting area would have been a viable survival map, while the trenches could have been another, with players able to switch between them using a jump pad. In co-op play, each player could have had their own trench, making for a unique experience. The subway of Mauer Der Toten could have been the best small map of all, keeping the passing trains and adding some extra perk machines to give players a better chance to survive.
Just like in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 Zombies, separate leaderboards could be included for the segmented maps, with gamers competing for the high round record on the purely round-based locations. Though newer CoD Zombies maps take less time to get setup on than something like Zetsubou No Shima or Shadows of Evil, they still require work. Players looking to get right into the action and simply survive on a small map should be catered to as well, with the TranZit formula being the best way to satisfy casual and veteran players alike.
Bringing back the TranZit style would also be the perfect way to make Call of Duty’s seasonal formula work better for Zombies. At the start of a season, a full-sized map could be released, with players exploring and enjoying the new location for a month’s time. Then, once the excitement has died down and the midseason Reloaded content has launched, Treyarch could drop a smaller survival map that takes place in a portion of the full round-based map that was released a few weeks earlier. This, combined with Outbreak content, could keep Zombies fans very busy until the next full map debuts.
Though TranZit has many flaws, and certainly deserves its place at the bottom alongside the Call of Duty: Vanguard Zombies maps, it is important to recognize the few things that it did well. Though the main quest is tedious and lacks a meaningful reward, bonus modes like Grief and Turned are worthy of praise, Even more importantly, separate survival maps like Town and Farm were awesome to see, and bringing the TranZit style back would greatly benefit the next iteration of Call of Duty Zombies.