Proto:Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Windows)/Build 253
This is a sub-page of Proto:Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare (Windows).
This prototype is documented on Hidden Palace.
Build 253 of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released anonymously to the public on May 2, 2018. It is the earliest available build of Call of Duty 4, being compiled eight months before the final release.
 | To do:
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 | Unused Audio Cut dialogue and sound effects. |
 | Maps The cut multiplayer and campaign maps. |
Contents
Narrative Changes
- Captain Price looks to have been used as a placeholder in the American campaign. He is seen in USMC gear in The Bog. He was replaced with Lt. Vasquez in the final version of the mission. Price is also voiced by the same person who voiced him in Call of Duty 2 instead of Billy Murray.
- In this build, training occurred with the USMC instead of the SAS, in a similar environment to Modern Warfare 2's SSDD. The training mission was only removed late in development, sometime between builds 290 and 328. This was probably after Carver's story arc was removed.
- Crew Expendable was originally intended to be the final mission of the game. The mission would have involved a speedboat chase and a final fight on a beach. This eventually became MW2's final mission "Endgame". According to developers, this mission was very difficult to place, with the cutting of one particular mission (which was not named) permitting it to be moved to the beginning of the game.
- Al-Asad originally had a larger role in the game, rather than being demoted to a secondary antagonist in favour of Zakhaev.
Weapons
The vast array of modern weapons on show has changed a lot since this build was compiled.
Pistols
- All pistols re-use animations from Call of Duty 2.
- All pistols use the Call of Duty 2 Colt .45 (M1911) icon as a placeholder.
Submachine Guns
- The Skorpion uses the Mini-Uzi's model as a placeholder.
Rifles
- All rifles use the AK-47's icon as a placeholder.
- The AK-47 has rougher animations.
- The M16A4's campaign version also has rougher-looking animations.
- The G36C has a different empty reload animation.
Sniper Rifles
- All sniper rifles use the Call of Duty 2 Lee-Enfield icon as a placeholder.
- The M21 uses the final's M40A3 firing sound and M4/M16 reload sound.
- The M40A3 has a completely different firing sound.
- The Barrett .50 Cal uses the Dragunov's model as a placeholder.
- The cut AW-50 sniper rifle is present.
Shotguns
- Both shotguns use the Call of Duty 2 Trenchgun icon as a placeholder.
- The W1200 has a shorter pump and reuses Call of Duty 2 Trenchgun animations.
- The M1014 has a different reload animation, where the player inserts a shell into the chamber before loading other shells.
Other
- The claymore, instead of having a proper animation for planting, will instead show a "Planting claymore..." bar on the middle of the screen.
Cut Gamemodes
(Information about these is in discussion - remove when summaries are completed.)
Tag
Objective: Score points by being "it"; kill the "it" player to become "it"
Map ends: When one player reaches the score limit, or time limit is reached
Respawning: No wait / Away from other players
Acquisition
Objective: Score points by holding onto the flag
Map ends: When one player reaches the score limit, or time limit is reached
Respawning: No wait / Away from other players
Level Select
Game
This menu contains levels that were still planned to feature in the final product. (while other levels are accessible - they were cut and presumably being used for assets)
| Mission name | Reported build date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Kleenex Training | 2nd March 2007 | Possibly a jab at the new recruit like FNG? (Fucking New Guy) |
| Cargoship | 2nd March 2007 | |
| Coup | 14th February 2007 | |
| Armada | 9th March 2007 | In the final game, this mission takes place immediately after Blackout instead. |
| Bog_a | 6th March 2007 | |
| Bog_b | 9th March 2007 | In the final game, this mission follows Death From Above (ac130). |
| Aftermath | 18th December 2006 | Occurs after Shock and Awe (airlift) in the final game, which does not feature in this build. Confirms that the build date seen in the final game is a typo. |
| Scout Sniper | 6th March 2007 | Occurs between Safehouse (village_assault) and Heat (village_defend) in the final game. |
| Sniper Escape | 12th March 2007 | |
| Zipline | 8th March 2007 | Early version of Blackout occurring much later in the story. |
| Ambush | 14th December 2006 | Occurs between Heat and Ultimatum (ICBM) in the final game. |
| Hunted | 5th March 2007 | Occurs way earlier in the story in the final game. |
| AC130 | 7th March 2007 | Occurs between The Bog and War Pig in the final game. |
| Village_assault | 7th March 2007 | |
| Village_defend | 8th March 2007 | |
| School | 9th March 2007 | Cut mission. |
| ICBM | 8th March 2007 | |
| Launch Facility A | 11th March 2007 | |
| Launch Facility B | 9th March 2007 | |
| Jeepride | 23rd February 2007 | |
| Airplane | 1st February 2007 |
Test
| Mission name | Reported build date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| vehicledamage | 13th March 2007 | |
| Bog_a | 6th March 2007 | |
| Firing Range: Non-assault rifles | 20th March 2007 |
Dev
| Mission name | Reported build date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pilot Cobra Day | 16th November 2006 | |
| Pilot Cobra Night | 16th November 2006 | |
| Swat | 4th December 2006 | |
| Firing Range: Assault Rifles | 30th January 2007 | |
| Firing Range: Non-Assault Rifles | 31st January 2007 | |
| Interior Concept | 19th January 2007 | |
| Javelin Weapon Test | 16th January 2007 | |
| Javelin Weapon Test Night | 16th January 2007 | |
| MenuTest | 30th August 2006 | |
| Dog AI | 6th February 2007 |
MenuTest
MenuTest shows an earlier version of the campaign menu. Instead of a static image as in the final game. The background is instead fully animated (not pre-rendered from the looks of it), with the camera panning around a war-torn city that resembles the map Citystreets (District). The menu is dated August 30, 2006, so predates even build 114. The MenuTest contains an early level select that reports the completeness of each level at this point in development. Levels without a corresponding FastFile, such as Seaknight Assault and Designated Marksman, can be selected here but obviously cannot load.
| Name | Developer notes | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| CQB Test | 1st pass | This is Embassy/Immediate Action. |
| Bunker | 1st pass | This is Descent. |
| Aftermath | 100% initial geo | |
| Chechnya Escape | 40% initial geo | |
| Marksman | 25% scripted | |
| Seaknight Defend | Prototype Level, 30% scripted | |
| Wetwork | 100% initial geo | |
| Cargoship | 10% scripted | |
| Bog | 35% scripted | |
| Training | 5% scripted | |
| AC130 | 30% | |
| Seaknight Assault | Initial geo in progress | |
| Pilot Cobra | Initial geo in progress |
Developer Levels
These levels were never intended to appear in the final product, and are merely used for testing purposes, to test the game's various features and mechanics.
Swat
This level was used to quickly test updated enemy AI and scripting. It's a run-of-the-mill test level, and is also the only level where the Default Weapon can be found and used through normal means. When all of the Spetsnaz enemies outside are dispatched, the message "A winner is you!" is shown, obviously referencing Pro Wrestling.
Firing Range
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These levels were used to test weapons quickly. Two versions of this level exist, Firing Range: Assault Rifles and Firing Range: Non-Assault Rifles, which both have a different variety of weapons as the names suggest.
Interior Concept
This level was most likely intended to test indoor lighting effects. The level features two houses outside, with one featuring a randomized USMC soldier that stands still, and the other being much less detailed. Pressing left on the D-Pad will change the lighting to an orange haze.
Javelin Weapon Test
This level was used to test Javelin pathfinding. The Javelin locks on five specified objects in the level, all indestructible: two parts of a building, two active tanks below the ground, and an idle tank that's behind the player.
Javelin Weapon Test Night
This level is simply a night variant of Javelin Weapon Test.
Dog Survival
This level was used to test dog pathfinding. Here, USMC soldiers fight Spetsnaz enemies that bring out attack dogs to hunt both the soldiers and the player down.
Vehicle Damage
This level was used to test destructible vehicles. The level gives you an AT4 on the floor along with ten cars to explode. Eight of these cars are idle, two of them move in circles, and one of them cannot be destroyed (the bus).
Level Videos
Cut Campaign Levels
Cut Multiplayer Levels
Early Campaign Levels
Early Multiplayer Levels
Remnants from Previous Call of Duty Games
- In this build, intro.bik is the introduction video copied straight from Call of Duty 2.
- There is a reference to Burnville, a mission from the first Call of Duty game, starting at line 82591 in autoreplay1.svg.
- There are many references to Dawnville, a mission from the first Call of Duty game in autoreplay1.svg.
- There are many references to Red Army Training (moscow), the first mission in Call of Duty 2 in autoreplay1.svg.
- A fix for a bug in Stalingrad Sewers, a mission from the first Call of Duty, is found starting at line 43713 in autoreplay1.svg.
- There is a reference to gully_assault, a cut mission from Call of Duty 2, starting at line 82585 in autoreplay1.svg.
- The executables are labelled CoD 3. (e.g. CoD3SP.exe) Screenshots from earlier builds indicate an internal name of CoD 3.
Cut Weapons and Vehicles
The following weapons and vehicles feature in this build, or have remnants, but were cut from the final game.
Bizon
Reference to this weapon can be found in aitype/enemy_terrorist_smg_bizon.gsc and aitype/enemy_merc_smg_bizon.gsc in embassy.ff.
FAMAS
Reference to this weapon can be found in aitype/enemy_merc_ar_famas.gsc in embassy.ff.
MAC11
Reference to this weapon can be found in aitype/enemy_terrorist_smg_mac11.gsc in embassy.ff.
Five-Seven (fn57)
Reference to this weapon can be found in aitype/ally_sas_black_shtgn_winchester.gsc in embassy.ff.
Videos
- If the player stays idle on the campaign menu, a short clip from Black Hawk Down will play. In the game's files, this video is called attract.bik.
- An unused load screen can be seen in dog_vs_player_load.bik, featuring a marine being killed by an attack dog with very basic blood effects. This was presumably used as a load screen for one of the dog AI testing levels at some point.
