So this is COD:World at War 2 then I guess?

A Hollywood casting call seems to have outed details about Call Of Duty 7 - revealing names of characters and news of the title's Vietnam setting.

The ad mentions a Call of Duty-related "voice over/motion capture" for an Activision "video game" - and describes lead character Frank Barnes as being part of an elite Vietnam unit.

VG247 reports that Barnes is part of an elite Vietnam unit: the Military Assistance Command, Vietnam - Studies and Observations Group (SOG).

SOG was a real-life special operations unit which conducted covert unconventional warfare operations prior to and during the Vietnam War.

Barnes is described as "a fiercely patriotic veteran of WW2... A solid leader, possessed with an excellent ability to assess and respond to any situation quickly and decisively".

Other characters include Joseph Lewis, a "very physically fit" black man in his 20s; Jason Hudson, a white man in his 30s with "over 15 years of military experience, making him an excellent tactician and mission co-coordinator"; and Kristina Ivanova, a Russian-born martial arts expert and CIA operative who's "calm to the point of being cold and detached".

CVG reported earlier this year that the Call Of Duty 7 release date is coming this November.

Activision subsequently confirmed the game - but said that it confirmed the gamedoesn't expect it to sell as well as Modern Warfare 2.

Call Of Duty 7 will carry the name 'CoD: Black Ops' when it arrives in November, and feature missions set in various recent conflicts - including at least one as an SAS operative - according to online reports.

Hardcore CoD site Tek9 (spotted by MapModNews.com) cites 'undisclosed sources at Activision' as having confirmed the existence of 'Black Ops' - and a few alleged game details.

The report says that 'Call of Duty 7 will be set in recent history, between WWII and present day' and will feature missions in Cuba and South America among others - suggesting the title won't be solely set in Vietnam as previously thought.

The source also claims that in certain missions players are able to take control of a member of Britain's SAS. One of these SAS missions reportedly places you in close combat during a mission in the Iranian embassy in London during the 1980s.

The site also says the game will be coming in November - something trade sources told CVG earlier this year.

We'll check in with Activision, but expect the usual 'rumour and speculation' comment...

According reportedly leaked information from 'undisclosed Activisions sources', the PC version of Call Of Duty 7 will be getting dedicated servers.

The lack of dedicated servers in last year's Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 upset a small army of PC gamers.

According to Tek9's source, 'Call of Duty 7: Black Ops' will also feature the popular zombie mode from predecessor CoD: World At War, in which players get to shoot down hordes of the undead.

The site adds: 'Last but not least, dedicated servers will also be part of the new Call of Duty game, much to the delight of PC gamers across the world. After Activision fired Vince Zampella and Jason West from Infinity Ward, it seems like they are taking yet another step back from the direction they had taken with Modern Warfare 2 by re-adding dedicated servers."

Again, we'll check in with Activision to see what the publisher says...

They're also getting shorter and more expensive...meh!

This is why I probably wont get it, tried MW2 and I can honestly say Borderlands was a more enjoyable experience including 2/3 of the DLC (the underdome would be better if me and my mates werent all level 50+ but more varied)

Call of Duty 7 - long rumoured to be set in Vietnam - will feature the custom killstreaks introduced in Modern Warfare 2.

That's according to the eagle-eyed super-fans at CoD Vietnam News, who've dug through Treyarch's recent forum comments with a fine comb to compile a list of things we know about the next Call of Duty (which admittedly isn't much).

Apparently, the developer's 'Treyarch dev Vahn' (real name David Vonderhaar - Multiplayer Design Director for the upcoming CoD game) has strongly suggested the firm will ditch a lot of the imbalances of MW2 multiplayer, including the Commando perk and the controversial nuke killstreak.

Previous rumours suggested the game will be called 'Black Ops' and feature SAS missions in Iran, according to an 'Activision insider'.

Here's what they came up with:

* While they've tried having custom killstreaks for each class, that seemed to complicate the 'purity and speed' of Create a Class.
* Consequently, it's fair to assume that customizable killstreaks are all but confirmed.
* At this stage in development, killstreaks stack and carry over if you die, but do not contribute to further killstreaks (hence eliminating the 'camping for killstreaks' problem of Modern Warfare 2).
* Treyarch are not fans of Commando, the extended melee range perk in Modern Warfare 2, and it is unlikely to return.
* They've tried a 'manned' version of the Sentry Gun killstreak, but weren't fans.
* We may well see a return to pistols as the only available sidearm, or perhaps a choice between pistols and launchers. Vahn and many of the team are not fans of shotguns and machine pistols as secondary weapons - it gives a player 'too much firepower'.
* The knife may well become a secondary weapon - although Vahn didn't want to say too much.
* Finally, don't expect the nuke to return as a killstreak. Vahn says they are not fans of a game-ending killstreak

The commando streak was pretty useful. It (seemed to) extend the tange of your melee attack so you gould get someone just as they came around the corner. A lot of people were running around with ninja, lightweight/marathon and commando, going round and meleeing everyone which upset a few gamers.

The shotguns were ridiculously overpowered. Moreso with akimbo. There are times when people just go around and shoot with no skill involved in aiming or shootong or tactics.

Activision's on-going legal row with the sacked Infinity Ward bosses, Jason West and Vince Zampella is delaying work on Modern Warfare 3, the publisher's admitted.

Communicating via court documents surrounding the case, Activision complained that West and Zampella's intent to form a new "spin-off" studio is "delaying pre-production of Modern Warfare 3", and that this delay is being used as "leverage in their negotiations with Activision".

The publisher claimed that "as a direct and proximate result of this breach of the covenant of good faith and fair dealing, Activision has been forced to commit additional resources to Modern Warfare 3".

The two Infinity Ward founders were removed from the studio premises after Activision security "stormed the offices" earlier this year.

Activision later tried to brush off the media storm by announcing ambitious expansion plans for the Call of Duty franchise, including a new entry by Sledgehammer Games.

So to no-one's surprise Activision is indeed ploughing on with Modern Warfare 3, despite the departure of senior team members from Infinity Ward. Will the series have lost many of its valuable community ultras by the time it arrives, though?