Slain civilians in Modern Warfare are 'collateral damage'

The new Call of Duty: Modern Warfare reboot won't end a mission for killing too many civilians. Instead, it'll just lower your "collateral damage" score.

In the new Call of Duty game, murdering civilians won't outright end the game, but only affect a new type of scoring. It's called the collateral damage system and it tallies up your nefarious misdeeds at the end of every mission, doling out a score based on the mayhem you did or didn't unleash. Modern Warfare aims to be more grisly, realistic, and visceral, and part of that comes from a more dynamically reactive punishment system for killing civilians.

The game will punish you in other ways for massacring civilians apart from a low score, though. In a recent interview with PCGamesN, campaign director Jacob Minkoff says in-game characters will react to what you do in the game. Killing too many civilians might cause your team to turn on you, or heighten the aggressiveness of enemies.

"We want you to feel bad [for killing civilians] and the characters around you will respond and react to what you do."

The converse is also true. Modern Warfare will reward you for correctly killing dangerous NPCs and sparing civilians. Finding out who's an enemy or an innocent bystander is difficult and never obvious. The line between friend and foe has been blurred so much gamers will always be on their toes. Soap's opening line in the reboot rings true: "There's a fine line between right and wrong. And somewhere, in the shadows, they send us in to find it. We get dirty and the world stays clean. That's the mission."

As Minkoff explains:

"On top of this, we also have a rank A to F collateral damage score that we give you after each mission. We talk about unknowns--an NPC is an unknown until they prove whether they're a threat or not. If you kill no innocents and you evaluate all unknowns correctly then you'll end up with a rank A, and if you kill more than three you will get a rank F. There are rewards associated with being as accurate with your threat assessment as possible."

With the new re-imagining, Infinity Ward aims to create a striking, haunting, and memorable rendition of multiple theaters of war. How players interact with enemies, innocent civilians, and the world around them determines the overall impact of the game...and from where we stand it should be pretty brutal.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare releases on October 25, 2019 for PS4, Xbox One and PC.

Check below for more information about the game:

THE RULES HAVE CHANGED.

The stakes have never been higher as players take on the role of lethal Tier One operators in a heart-racing saga that will affect the global balance of power. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare engulfs fans in an incredibly raw, gritty, provocative narrative that brings unrivaled intensity and shines a light on the changing nature of modern war. Developed by the studio that started it all, Infinity Ward delivers an epic reimagining of the iconic Modern Warfare series from the ground up.

WAR ISN'T BLACK AND WHITE.

In the visceral and dramatic single-player story campaign, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare pushes boundaries and breaks rules the way only Modern Warfare can. Players will engage in breathtaking covert operations alongside a diverse cast of international special forces and freedom fighters throughout iconic European cities and volatile expanses of the Middle East.

And the story doesn't end there.

THERE'S A FINE LINE BETWEEN RIGHT AND WRONG.

In Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, players will be thrust into an immersive narrative spanning the entire game. Experience the ultimate online playground with classic multiplayer, or squad-up and play cooperatively in a collection of elite operations accessible to all skill levels.

Prepare to go dark, Modern Warfare is back!