Train2Game students are very likely to have seen the official Call of Duty: Black Ops II announcement earlier this month, along with the accompanying trailer.

Eagle eyed viewers will have noticed the in-game engine looks similar to that of previous games, but Treyarch’s Mark Lamia has dismissed the need for a new one in order to improve visuals for Black Ops II.

“People always ask me, “Is this a new engine?” I liken it to people who live in an older house that has been remodelled.” he told One of Swords.

“Just because you’re remodelling the house and it will look new or it will have a new kitchen, you don’t tear out the foundation, or break out some of the framing. You might even go as hardcore as replacing the plumbing, and we will do that sort of thing, as an analogy.”

“It’s a gross simplification, but it’s one way to say that. There’s a lot of good still in that foundation that you wouldn’t get rid of and we don’t. We look to advance in the areas that support our game design.” he said.

Lamia continued to say that the engine doesn’t need to be altered if there aren’t any changes that need to me made.

“Engines, each time they get touched, they change. The creators alter them; they don’t modify what they don’t need to, and then they alter what they need to. You can’t make a competitive product if you’re not upgrading that engine along the way.”

“I think the whole thing about a new engine…sometimes that’s a great buzzword. Well, I have a new graphics engine — is that a new engine? Where does it start and stop? Elements of the code, you can trace back for a very very long time…but whole parts of the code are entirely new. Two areas we did focus on for this game were the graphics and the lighting — a pretty significant amount of work is going into that.” he added.

You can listen to the full 40 minute One of Swords interview with Treyarch’s Mark Lamia here.

Keep reading The Train2Game Blog for the latest Call of Duty: Black Ops II news.

What are your thoughts on the Call of Duty: Black Ops II engine? Do you think it could do with an upgrade?

Leave your comments here on The Train2Game Blog, or on the Train2Game forum.