Call of Duty: World at War is a singleplayer and multiplayer first-person action, FPS and shooter game in the Call of Duty: Black Ops series.
All downloadable maps are free on PC, included in the various patches. However, it lacks two-player splitscreen, some gore and slow-mo effects present on the console versions. For the multiplayer mode, it requires a PunkBuster update to play on protected servers, which is no longer hosted on Even Balance's website.
General information
- CallofDutyMaps - A detailed Website for all included multiplayer maps.
- Steam Community Discussions
- UGX-Mods Custom Zombies
Availability
- SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows Vista and later (see above for affected versions).
DLC and expansion packs
Name |
Notes |
|
Makin Day |
Available for free. Included with Patch v1.2. See Patches for a download link. |
|
Map Pack 1 |
Available for free. Included with Patch v1.4. See Patches for a download link. |
|
Map Pack 2 |
Available for free. Included with Patch v1.5. See Patches for a download link. |
|
Map Pack 3 |
Available for free. Included with Patch v1.6. See Patches for a download link. |
|
Essential improvements
Patches
- Only needed for retail version. All patches must be installed in order.
or use the unofficial 1.0 to 1.7 Patch.
PunkBuster
- To play on protected servers, multiplayer requires a PunkBuster update which is no longer hosted on EvenBalance's website. Obtainable here or here.
Skip intro videos
Edit config file[8]
|
- Go to the configuration file(s) location.
- Open
config.cfg .
- Change
seta com_startupIntroPlayed "0" to seta com_startupIntroPlayed "1" .
- Save the file.
|
Skip logo
Game data
In-game general settings (single-player).
In-game general settings (multiplayer).
Configuration file(s) location
-
config.cfg
is for single-player, config_mp.cfg
is for multiplayer.
- The profile can be forced to save into the game folder by starting it this way:
CoDWaWmp.exe +set fs_localAppData "%cd%" +set fs_BaseGame "%cd%"
for multiplayer
CoDWaW.exe +set fs_localAppData "%cd%" +set fs_BaseGame "%cd%"
for single-player
Save game data location
Video
In-game graphics settings.
In-game textures settings.
- Values higher than 100 introduce graphical glitches, like gun viewmodels being cut off (This issue is even visible at 90 with a small handful of weapons, like the FG42).
- FOV is capped at 80 on the majority of multiplayer servers.[10]
Change cg_fov using a hex editor[12]
|
- Open
CoDWaWmp.exe with a hex editor such as HxD.
- Go to the address
004A3240 , and change 82 42 to A0 42 for FOV 80, or to B4 42 for 90 (To get different values, use a Floating Point Converter.)
- Open
CoDWaW.exe with a hex editor such as HxD.
- Go to the address
004AEF40 , and change 82 42 to A0 42 for FOV 80, or to B4 42 for 90 (The difference is that solo and zombie map files themselves revert cg_fov back to 65, change it back to 80 on spawn or use /bind W "+forward;cg_fov 80" as a workaround).
Notes
- Hex edits do not work on the Steam install, as
CoDWaW.exe appears to be protected. Such edits will result in a Error code 51 when attempting to launch the game.
|
Start maps in developer mode[13][14]
|
- Bring up the console and type
devmap followed by the map you want to load (map names list).
- Change
cg_fov value.
Notes
- Has to be repeated for every map load.
- Does not work in co-op modes.
|
Use console command (multiplayer)[15]
|
Use \cg_fov command.
|
Input
In-game control settings.
Audio
- A list of useful audio console commands was available on the Treyarch wiki
Audio feature |
State |
Notes |
Separate volume controls |
|
|
Surround sound |
|
If the automatic detection fails, launch the game with +set snd_force51 1 to force 5.1 surround, or +set snd_force71 1 to force 7.1 surround. |
Subtitles |
|
Subtitles are shown only for main dialog. Foreign languages are ignored. |
Closed captions |
|
|
Mute on focus lost |
|
|
Royalty free audio |
|
|
Localizations
Language |
UI |
Audio |
Sub |
Notes |
English |
|
|
|
|
Czech |
|
|
|
Retail only. link #1 or link #2 |
French |
|
|
|
|
German |
|
|
|
|
Hungarian |
|
|
|
Fan translation, link #1, link #2. |
Italian |
|
|
|
|
Polish |
|
|
|
Polish retail release only. Patch for digital release here. |
Brazilian Portuguese |
|
|
|
Fan translation: download. |
Russian |
|
|
|
Retail only. Patch for digital release here. |
Spanish |
|
|
|
|
Network
In-game cooperative/multiplayer settings.
Multiplayer types
Connection types
VR support
3D modes |
State |
Notes |
vorpX |
| G3D, Z3D User created game profile, see vorpx forum profile introduction. |
Issues fixed
Unhandled exception caught
Set sound quality to 24 bit, 48000 Hz[citation needed]
|
|
Common fix (Windows XP)[citation needed]
|
- Go to Device Manager.
- Select Sound, Video, Game Controllers.
- Disable Unimodem Half-Duplex Audio device.
|
Possible fixes[citation needed]
|
- Disable in-game Voice Chat.
- Plug-in microphone.
- Set compatibility mode to Windows XP SP2.
|
PunkBuster kicks with PB_INIT_FAILURE error message
- PunkBuster has dropped support for the game; by default, every new install has this issue.
Missing profiles
Instructions[citation needed]
|
- Go to the save game data location.
- Open profiles.
- Create a folder and name it to the desired name.
- Create a
active.txt (still in profile folder) and inside the file, write the name of that new folder.
- Optional: make
active.txt read-only.
|
Game unresponsive after pressing Alt+Tab
- Appears to be caused by enabling 4x anti-aliasing.
Instructions
|
- In Graphics Settings, limit Anti-aliasing to 2x, or alternatively force 4x or higher externally.
|
- The game has problems with modern multi-core processors.
Instructions
|
- Start the game with
+set sys_smp_allowed 0 .
Notes
- Additionally, for better performance, limit the CPU affinity to the real core number of the CPU (not threads).
For example, with a a six-core (12 threads) CPU the command should look like this:
start /affinity 3F CoDWaWmp.exe +set sys_smp_allowed 0
|
Stuttering on modern systems
- Game gives impression of stuttering despite a locked frame rate.
Instructions[citation needed]
|
- In Graphics Settings, enable Dual Video Cards.
|
Nvidia Card Performance Boost
- If you have a Nvidia card, setting V-sync within the NVIDIA Control Panel to "Use the 3D Application Setting"
will provide a ~30% uplift in CPU performance if you're not GPU-Bound
Instructions[citation needed]
|
- In the NVIDIA Control Panel, set V-sync globally or per app basis to "Use the 3D Application Setting".
|
- The game has problems with modern multi-core processors.[citation needed]
Instructions
|
- Start the game with
+set sys_smp_allowed 0 .
Notes
- Additionally, for better performance, limit the CPU affinity to the real core number of the CPU (not threads).
For example, with a a six-core (12 threads) CPU, the command should look like this:
start /affinity 3F CoDWaWmp.exe +set sys_smp_allowed 0
|
Crashing while changing resolution
Manually edit configuration file[17]
|
- Navigate to the configuration file location and open configuration file.
- Change
seta r_mode into the desired resolution and save.
- Repeat for the second configuration file (single player and multiplayer).
|
Other information
API
Technical specs |
Supported |
Notes |
Direct3D |
9.0c |
|
Shader Model support |
3 |
|
Executable |
32-bit |
64-bit |
Notes |
Windows |
|
|
|
Middleware
Bypass Steam DRM in multiplayer
Mods
- Fall of Berlin - increases historical accuracy of many missions.
- T4M - unlocks many limits of the graphics engine (memory, assets number, FoV in co-op).
- COD5 Zombies Remastered - greatly rebalances the gameplay of the zombie mode.
Allow custom color profile (optional)
Edit config file[citation needed]
|
- Go to the configuration file(s) location.
- Open
config.cfg .
- Change
seta r_gamma "1" to seta r_gamma "0" .
- Change
seta r_ignorehwgamma "0" to seta r_ignorehwgamma "1" .
- Save the file.
|
System requirements
Windows[18] |
|
Minimum |
Operating system (OS) |
XP, Vista |
Processor (CPU) |
AMD Athlon 64 3200+ Intel Pentium 4 3 GHz |
System memory (RAM) |
512 MB 1 GB (Vista) |
Hard disk drive (HDD) |
8 GB |
Video card (GPU) |
ATI Radeon X1600 XT Nvidia GeForce 6600 GT 256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible |
Sound (audio device) |
DirectX 9.0c compatible |
Notes
- ↑ SafeDisc retail DRM does not work on Windows 10[5] or Windows 11 and is disabled by default on Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 when the KB3086255 update is installed.[6]
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
References