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Call of Duty: World at War

From PCGamingWiki, the wiki about fixing PC games
Call of Duty: World at War
Call of Duty: World at War cover
Developers
Treyarch
Multiplayer Arkane Studios[1]
Multiplayer maps Certain Affinity[2][3]
Pi Studios[3]
Publishers
Activision
Russia Noviy Disk[4]
Engines
IW 3.0
Release dates
Windows November 11, 2008
Reception
Metacritic 83
IGDB 80
Taxonomy
Monetization One-time game purchase
Microtransactions None
Modes Singleplayer, Multiplayer
Pacing Real-time
Perspectives First-person
Controls Direct control
Genres Action, FPS, Shooter
Vehicles Tank
Art styles Realistic
Themes Asia, Europe, World War II, Historical
Series Call of Duty: Black Ops
Call of Duty: World at War on HowLongToBeat
Call of Duty: World at War on IGDB
Call of Duty: World at War guide on StrategyWiki
Call of Duty: World at War on MobyGames
Call of Duty: World at War on Wikipedia
Call of Duty: Black Ops
Subseries of Call of Duty
Call of Duty: World at War 2008
Call of Duty: Black Ops 2010
Call of Duty: Black Ops II 2012
Call of Duty: Black Ops III 2015
Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII 2018
Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War 2020

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

Source DRM Notes Keys OS
Retail
Disc check (requires the CD/DVD in the drive to play)
CD key
Campaign and Zombies EXE Uses SafeDisc 4.90.010 DRM[Note 1].
Key Required for install and Multiplayer/Zombies Servers but the Multiplayer EXE has no DRM.
Windows
Steam
Icon overlay.png
CD key
Steam DRM v2. See below for a workaround.
Windows
Amazon.com (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
Games for Windows Marketplace (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
[7]
Windows
Humble Store (unavailable)
Icon overlay.png
Windows
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.
Windows
Map Pack 1 Available for free. Included with Patch v1.4. See Patches for a download link.
Windows
Map Pack 2 Available for free. Included with Patch v1.5. See Patches for a download link.
Windows
Map Pack 3 Available for free. Included with Patch v1.6. See Patches for a download link.
Windows

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]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open config.cfg.
  3. Change seta com_startupIntroPlayed "0" to seta com_startupIntroPlayed "1".
  4. Save the file.

Delete/rename image file[9]
  1. Go to <path-to-game>.
  2. Delete or rename cod.bmp.

Game data

In-game general settings (single-player).
In-game general settings (single-player).
In-game general settings (multiplayer).
In-game general settings (multiplayer).

Configuration file(s) location

System Location
Windows %LOCALAPPDATA%\Activision\CoDWaW\players\profiles\*.cfg
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/10090/pfx/[Note 2]
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

System Location
Windows %LOCALAPPDATA%\Activision\CoDWaW\players\profiles\
Steam Play (Linux) <Steam-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/10090/pfx/[Note 2]

Save game cloud syncing

System Native Notes
Steam Cloud

Video

In-game graphics settings.
In-game graphics settings.
In-game textures settings.
In-game textures settings.

Graphics feature State WSGF Notes
Widescreen resolution
Multi-monitor
See the WSGF entry or use Widescreen Fixer.
Ultra-widescreen
See the WSGF entry or use Widescreen Fixer.
4K Ultra HD
In-game AA must be disabled. Force AA externally if required.
Field of view (FOV)
See Field of view (FOV).
Windowed
Type /r_fullscreen 0;vid_restart into console.
Borderless fullscreen windowed
Use T4M.
Anisotropic filtering (AF)
Default is 4 samples.
Anti-aliasing (AA)
Up to 4x MSAA.
High-fidelity upscaling
See the glossary page for potential workarounds.
Vertical sync (Vsync)
60 FPS
120+ FPS
Frame rate is capped at 85 FPS by default. Use com_maxfps 0 in the console to remove the cap.
High dynamic range display (HDR)
See the glossary page for potential alternatives.
Ray tracing (RT)
Color blind mode
Go to Options, Player name indicator; changes to blue and orange.

Field of view (FOV)

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]
Use CoD-SCZ-FoV-Changer[11]
  1. Download CoD-SCZ-FoV-Changer.
  2. Set cg_fov to preferred FOV value. The tool has to be running during gameplay.

Notes

Works in online co-op games.
Change cg_fov using a hex editor[12]
  • For multiplayer:
  1. Open CoDWaWmp.exe with a hex editor such as HxD.
  2. 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.)
  • For singleplayer:
  1. Open CoDWaW.exe with a hex editor such as HxD.
  2. 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]
  1. Bring up the console and type devmap followed by the map you want to load (map names list).
  2. 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.
In-game control settings.

Keyboard and mouse State Notes
Remapping
Mouse acceleration
Mouse sensitivity
Mouse input in menus
Mouse Y-axis inversion
Controller
Controller support
Type exec default_controller in the console. Requires Patch 1.6.
Full controller support
Controller doesn't work in menus.
Controller remapping
Controller sensitivity
Type input_viewSensitivity in the console, with a value between 0.1 and 5.
Controller Y-axis inversion
Type input_invertpitch 1 in the console.
Controller types
XInput-compatible controllers
PlayStation controllers
Generic/other controllers
Additional information
Button prompts
While there are technically no button prompts, binding actions on a controller shows a colored letter instead of a proper prompt. This shows up in gameplay.
Controller hotplugging
Haptic feedback
Digital movement supported
Simultaneous controller+KB/M

Audio

A list of useful audio console commands was available on the Treyarch wiki
In-game audio settings.
In-game audio settings.

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.
In-game cooperative/multiplayer settings.

Multiplayer types

Type Native Players Notes
Local play
4 Versus, Co-op
Use Nucleus Co-op.
LAN play
32
Online play
32 Versus, Co-op
Co-op supports 4 players.

Connection types

VR support

3D modes State Notes
vorpX
G3D, Z3D
User created game profile, see vorpx forum profile introduction.
Devices
3RD Space Gaming Vest

Issues fixed

Unhandled exception caught

Set sound quality to 24 bit, 48000 Hz[citation needed]
Common fix (Windows XP)[citation needed]
  1. Go to Device Manager.
  2. Select Sound, Video, Game Controllers.
  3. Disable Unimodem Half-Duplex Audio device.
Possible fixes[citation needed]
  1. Disable in-game Voice Chat.
  2. Plug-in microphone.
  3. 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.
Update the pb folder[16]

Missing profiles

Instructions[citation needed]
  1. Go to the save game data location.
  2. Open profiles.
  3. Create a folder and name it to the desired name.
  4. Create a active.txt (still in profile folder) and inside the file, write the name of that new folder.
  5. Optional: make active.txt read-only.

Game unresponsive after pressing Alt+Tab

Appears to be caused by enabling 4x anti-aliasing.
Instructions
  1. 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]
  1. 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]
  1. 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
  1. 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]
  1. Navigate to the configuration file location and open configuration file.
  2. Change seta r_mode into the desired resolution and save.
  3. 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

Middleware Notes
Cutscenes Bink Video 1.9g
Anti-cheat PunkBuster See #PunkBuster.

Bypass Steam DRM in multiplayer

Use Retail executable[citation needed]

Use the replacement executable.

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]
  1. Go to the configuration file(s) location.
  2. Open config.cfg.
  3. Change seta r_gamma "1" to seta r_gamma "0".
  4. Change seta r_ignorehwgamma "0" to seta r_ignorehwgamma "1".
  5. 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

  1. 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. 2.0 2.1 File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data (use Wine regedit to access Windows registry paths). Games with Steam Cloud support may store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/10090/ in addition to or instead of this directory. The app ID (10090) may differ in some cases. Treat backslashes as forward slashes. See the glossary page for details.

References