I’ve been mostly silent about this new game. You may recall that I mentioned it in my Fall 2009 wish list thread. At the time of that post, the 23rd of August, I was really looking forward to that game.
Unfortunately, time and more current developments in the game’s pre-release days and weeks have changed my mind. I won’t be playing Modern Warfare 2.
What brought about this change of plans?
To begin, let me state that I was not really satisfied by COD: World at War. I haven’t played it much since the first few weeks it existed. To sum my feelings on the subject, here’s my quote from that wish list thread.
“not what I hoped for. The lag in multi-player is unnecessary, the single player campaign(s) are disjointed and bland… but the Russian story was fairly fun, and the zombie mode was not worth much unless you play it in coop. Most folks I know of that still play it play for the zombie mode and updates. I personally stopped playing it after finishing the single-player stories.”
Admittedly, I’ve never really been a big Call of Duty fan. I prefer the Battlefield franchise. But I can play a number of different games and game play formats. This one just didn’t quite find the mark.
It is my understanding that World At War developer Treyarch has actually addressed many of my complaints and mods may well make this game great. Glad to hear it. From my understanding, even now they are still patching the game and working to make the PC version more of the game it should have been out of the box.
This pleases me as it shows that the company is interested in its players and working to better their franchise. Though World At War did not match up with COD 4 in my opinions, the developers are at least trying to improve.
Which is more then I can say for Infinity Ward.
Activision has been on the defensive for a few weeks now and Infinity Ward has effectively alienated the so-called hard core gamers of the PC platform. Basically, that’s anybody that expects a PC game to play like a… well… PC game.
Allow me to retreat in time for a moment, dear reader. I want to look back at the start of this apparent feud.
It began with a heightened level of silence on the part of Activision and IW. News releases were abnormally rare, but the ad campaign was building a great deal of hype, particularly around the single-player campaign.
We saw cryptic trailers that revealed many secrets under close scrutiny. Every thing from a snowmobile to an apparent group of Russian terrorists exiting an elevator and attacking someone.
As the hype machine rolled along, we soon saw game play that showed us mountaineering and snowmobiles at E3. Later there was combat in various parts of the world. Then something of a PR speed bump when the first footage of combat in Washington DC appeared. It wasn’t anything too serious, but some of the more extreme types felt a bit sensitive about terrorism in the DC area.
Me? Oh I just chalked it up to a more interesting story in SP. It reminded me a bit of Fallout 3 and I thought, this could really get interesting.
The latest trailers, including the release trailer, show even more interesting events. Something happening in an airport and something that causes a space station to explode and the apparent player to be carried away by the blast.
All this could really make a single-player enthusiast really feel good about this game.
Unfortunately, the negative blows, at least among PC gamers such as myself, have continued as well.
Activision increased the price by $10. That’s not too bad, but for PC gamers that provide their own rigs and hardware support, we feel a bit cheated. One of the best reasons to buy a PC version, beyond customization and details, is the lower price. When a PS3 or XBOX 360 game costs $60, a PC gamer in a pinch can save $10 by purchasing PC games.
It isn’t much and I think that is pretty forgivable too. If only MW2 wasn’t the only franchise to decide their game was worth more. Battlefield Bad Company 2 isn’t going up in price and neither are other PC titles.
But I myself could forgive this. The hype machine made this look like the “must-have” title. I could maybe shell out another $10 despite economic depression events. So I just sort-of shrugged that point off.
The “Big One” hit when, during an interview with the Bash and Slash podcast, Rob Bowling of Infinity Ward stated that dedicated servers would not be used for MW2. When I heard that bit of news, I knew immediately that I would not be purchasing MW2.
For me, a big part of any FPS game is the multi-player aspect. And COD 4 was an excellent game in that respect. I do not expect MW2 to follow in those footsteps.
Here’s a brief run-down of the revealed negatives, as I view them, over the past few months. MW2 will not offer dedicated server support. Though it will use steam for distribution and VAC support, players will be required to use the iwnet service to play online… in conjunction with steam.
fourzerotwo has gone on to post additional information… but in the end, it all sounds a bit like “It’s better because we say so.” The biggest argument in support of the new system is that consoles have used this for years.
Of course, to that I say “a console is a console is a console. They are made nearly identical in every way. PS3’s are mostly the same with the exception of hard disk space and bulk as sleeker models appear. So are XBOX 360’s. And they can get fairly laggy by themselves. PC’s are vastly different and some are better equipped for hosting then others. You can’t really compare PC’s to Consoles when it comes to net connections and online gaming. PC’s are good because they have dedicated servers to join to equalize the playing field and operate under better ideal configurations.”
But there’s more. Modding will not be available. Customization, beyond upgrades, streak bonuses, and weapon selection will not be available. Multi-player games will be capped at nine player teams. Players with a speed or configuration setting that is too low will never be able to host a server.
Hosting will be determined based on match-making for ping and skill level with exception of “private matches” which will be moderately controllable. And that is the closest to a dedicated server that the game will allow on release.
IW’s representatives have gone so far as to suggest that server admins simply “slap” a graphic card in their servers and install the game and start private matches as a solution to the dedicated server issue.
And to top the entire matter off, after an overwhelmingly negative response from PC gamers, IW responded with a poorly worded message that seemed to target server admins and so-called hard core gamers as bad influences on the rest of us.
This business has been followed most closely by the Bash podcasts which can be found at this address. They make a fairly good case for player outrage and also try to find the positive in these matters, hoping that IW will listen to player feedback and update with correction for these mistakes.
I… am less forgiving.
One of my coworkers, a PS3 lover, has been amused by PC backlash and can’t understand why PC users are so upset. His impression was that PC users have been spoiled to all of this “good stuff” and aren’t used to being treated like the consoles.
I’d say that’s a fair statement. And why should we settle for console quality when we build and maintain our system on our own? Why should we PC gamers expect less of a game developer when we make the mods that keep these games alive? We have built the franchise for Call Of Duty and other titles.
Should we ignore that now because IW says “boo”?
Without dedicated servers, I can’t really play a game like MW2 online. My connection isn’t good enough to host and playing on someone else’s listen servers in other games becomes laggy after the fourth or fifth person joins. And a single-player campaign isn’t worth $60 to me. Especially not with outstanding titles such as Left 4 Dead 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2 on the way. Not to mention the already released Borderlands.
Even more icing on this sickeningly bad cake comes in the revelation that MW2 took mod code from COD 4 and implemented it in MW2 without giving the mod developers credit or recognition of any kind.
I simply look to VALVe as an example of how such mods should be handled. Counter Strike, Day of Defeat, indirectly TFC, even hltv were developed by the community. What did VALVe do? They recognized the talent at hand and hired them to turn their projects into profitable merchandise franchises of their own.
IW has really shown a lack of judgment, or as one of the BASH podcast guests stated it, a lack of class.
Now, the most recent stink has arisen over an illegal copy of MW2 that was somehow obtained by a French gamer and posted. IW and Activision have been fighting to have these video clips removed since they first surfaced, but this is the internet.
Be warned, the rest of this post contains spoilers.
Here are a couple of links that seem to be keeping up with these videos.
http://www.modernwarfare2forums.net/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=1472&p=8514
http://www.mapmodnews.com/article.php/Forced-kil-civilians-Modern-Warfare-2 – german version?
To summarize, during the opening of the game, the player is informed that they are an undercover CIA operative infiltrating a terrorist organization. They are offered a warning of impending graphic violence and/or harsh images and given the chance to skip that campaign.
Then they are treated to that elevator and airport hinted at during those early trailers. The player and three terrorists, heavily armed, exit an elevator in an airport and begin gunning down masses of civilians.
The player apparently does not have to shoot anyone, and the German variation of the game may actually give the player a sort of “You Loose” screen if you do kill a civilian. At the end of the rampage, the player largely looses the need to continue controlling the player as we are treated to the game’s villain revealing that he knows you’re a spy and shooting you.
All of this is intended to set up an emotional experience for the player, but many are disturbed by this. Many of the “hard core” gamers actually dismiss this scene as being cinematic and motion-picturesque.
My favorite comments come from gamers that say things like “It’s people like you that keep games from become a more mature form of entertainment.” They usually say this to people upset to see a mass killing portrayed in their game. Sorry folks, but this isn’t “mature” or “grown up” entertainment. It’s “shock value”.
And of course, many gamers are baffled as to why any one would be disturbed by an event that occurs daily.
Well, first of all, no… it doesn’t. Killings happen daily, but not mass slaughters of this nature. And just because this is intended to replicate a potentially real event, that doesn’t deny anyone the right to feel uneasy about its inclusion in a computer game.
Correction… console game.
And, need I point out that the game apparently includes a space battle or explosion on a space station of some sort during this gripping and realistic storyline?
Of course, there are then those that branch out into movies such as Rambo 4 or games like Grand Theft Auto. These gamers sadden me. Rambo is rescuing people from a militaristic regime and most recent GTA titles only have kill streaks for villainous types such as rival gangsters. Oh, but the original GTA titles didn’t make that distinction?
Well, no… but then again… you’re talking about games that looked like this…
Even then, I can still dismiss this moment in the game. I think it is incredibly distasteful and could have been handled in a better manner. It really only marginally strengthens my resolve to avoid this game.
I think the matter of this clip is mostly an opinion discussion and thus isn’t as relevant as shoving PC gamers under the metaphorical bus. However, I do see much trouble for PC gaming in the near future. This WILL hit the major media outlets. CNN has already shown an interest. And the Jack Thompsons of the world now “appear” to have a more sound argument that these games are “murder trainers”.
How shameful is that?
Some of the supporters of MW2 have even gone so far as to post videos on YouTube in which they play GTA 4 and, using cheat codes mind you, run around killing civilians to prove that MW2 is no worse then GTA.
*sigh*
Do you guys really think that’s such a good idea?
And beside that, GTA 4 was not that great. San Andreas was better.
In the end, this “scandal” has drawn only idle comments from Activision about how the scene is taken out of context and how the scene doesn’t reflect the scope of the game and how the copy used to make the video was illegally obtained.
*sigh*
Do YOU GUYS [Activision and IW] really think THAT’s such a good argument?
Take it from me, I would never include such a game play element as this in any storyline. I don’t hold it up as a horrible, despicable, evil action on the part of the developers as many WILL soon. But… It’s very irresponsible on the part of the developer and should have been handled differently.
Here’s one of a million alternatives of the same scene.
The player could have started, unarmed and waiting in line in the airport itself. You would move around, visit the check-points and progress through on your way to your gate. While waiting at the last security checkpoint, the elevator behind you opens to reveal the Russian Terrorists who proceed to gun you down. Laying there, for a few last fleeting moments, you see the terrorists continue shooting and walking past you as you hear the gunfire and screams.
The violence doesn’t need to be shown as it can be more powerful when implied and this doesn’t make the player an unlikable character from the outset. You’re not a murderer… your one of the hapless victims.
But I digress. Love the scene or hate it… or, like myself, simply add it to the list of questionable decisions by IW and Activision. That’s your prerogative and your opinion.
Nevertheless, this may have major political ramifications for gamers and only adds to my distaste for MW2.
I will NOT be buying this game. Perhaps, in a month or two, should the game turn more PC friendly I may consider purchasing it then. But for now, I hope IW and Activision choke on lousy PC sales. I say this not because I horribly resent them for making a console game, but because I am sick of developers essentially ignoring their players.
This is particularly disturbing when they ignore the players that built their franchise. It shows arrogance I don’t plan to support and it shows a lack of interest in improving their games.
COD 4 is still popular, partly because of good game play and partly because of the mod community. World At War may actually be in that same boat.
Did I mention that the next COD title is already planned for 2010. Apparently we’re supposed to shell out $60 per year to buy annual games now. At least the next title will be developed by Treyarch. I wasn’t impressed by World At War, but they seem to be really trying. They’ve shown more interest in PC gamers and in developing better games, and not simply throwing greater levels of shock value at us.
In the end, it’s business decisions that make me draw my support away from MW2. And its business decisions that make me unhappy with developers of games like the modern Sonic titles [I’ll explain this on my DA blog] or the infamous Duke Nukem Forever.
Come along now children… are we the modders and creative minds of you’re supposed fan-base really going to be forced to show YOU how to make games…
…because I will. I have a darker, more grown up Sonic story concept already in the works. It’s meant for a comic or fan-novel, but I have a mod plan in mind too. Die hard Sonic fans will likely hate it, but people interested in a grown up, mature version of those games will love it. I have ideas for a special BWL Duke Nukem Forever also. A heavy story that remakes Duke in a proper fashion rather then simply ripping off Evil Dead catch phrases and passing strippers around.
I can write circles around your airport holocausts if I really want to. And the community can produce more talented developers then you currently employ. Clean up your act, or we the gamers… yes, especially the PC gamers… will replace you with someone better. Such is the beauty of a free market system and capitalism.
We… the consumer… have the real power.
– End of Rant –
