Scrobbs

Infinity Ward - MW2 news

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They've just announced that the PC version will not be delayed after all but there will be no dedicated server support for the forthoming Modern Warfare 2. :fart:

So here's a bit of internet theorycrafting. I imagine this means that they were lagging behind with the server code (hence the PC version being pushed back) and that there has been an executive decision to not bother with that section of code after all, and just deliver the Xbox Live version. Now, despite assumption being the mother of all fuckups, from a development point of view this makes perfect sense - less dev time = lower costs, and there is a working MP model as evidenced on Live. Unfortunately, PC players are well used to a much richer experience than that can be delivered on such a closed model.

As you may imagine, this has caused a massive internet outcry™, with petitions, forum threads and what have you, none of which are likely to make a blind bit of difference. I think IW have also been deleting all the whinging threads on their forums about this.

So, my question to you all - is this maybe a continuation of a trend to maybe dilute the development of PC titles to bring them more in line with consoles? A statement of intent from IW, that if the 360 didn't share a code base with the PC, we wouldn't get a version?

Or (and this is the more likely), a simple cost saving measure?

Edited by Scrobbs
Title edit

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Speculation is that by making it matchmaking/p2p they have more control over the content of the game, since there won't be dedicated modded servers. And more control means it will be feasible to "force" players into buying DLC instead of running custom stuff like maps or whatnot.

I don't see this as cutting costs AT ALL, it's just another measure to nickle and dime the PC customer base. It seems that it wasn't enough to raise the price to $60, Activision had to go one step further.

IMO, it doesn't matter how popular the COD franchise is... they're defying the most basic characteristic of PC gaming by doing this and it will bite them in the ass. MW2 was a day one purchase for me, now they lost my business and I have an extra 60 bucks to spend on something else.

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Activision would probably like very much to cut off PC support entirely. Removing dedicated servers, mod servers and charging sixty dollars are all elements to bring the PC game in line with the consoles and thus devalue the PC experience-- you can probably expect to see little support on IW's end for fixing PC glitches and resolving compatibility issues.

Like DDP said above, Activision also wants to sell DLC to PC gamers in the same way they do PS360 guys-- gutting the ability to play mods pretty much ensures that any MW2 experience will be an experience directly controlled by and thus monetized by Activision. But perhaps something even more cynical may be in play on Activision's part-- by ensuring that all MW2 games take place on Activision's servers, Activision can force the MW community to switch to MW3 when the time comes.

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I certainly dropped my monocle in shock when I read about this! To be honest though I wasn't the biggest cod4 fan, so I wasn't planning on playing for a good while anyway. My personal feelings on cod aside, it seems pretty suicidal to release a major fps without dedicated server support.

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And to think, COD started out being a PC exclusive. I am positive Activision is pretty much forcing IW into doing this.

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I can clearly see it : Infinity Ward - I'd guess one of the top 5 profitable studios under the Activition umbrella - being wedgi-ed into dropping dedicated servers. Come on, if this issue was going against their philosophy and was crucial to them, IW had the leverage to make Activision rethink their decision. How many billions have they been making since CoD1 ? Any guess should dwarf the cost of the 2 months of dev they were allegedly refused .

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I suspect this will force piracy of the game through the roof. Then there will be the self-fulfilling mantra of 'piracy hurts sales', perhaps persuading more developers to only release on consoles.

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Removing dedicated servers is a measure to hinder piracy, since it was possible to connect to "special" servers that didn't authenticate cd-keys.

However, this measure also hinders multiplayer in general, enough that many people (including me) won't buy the game. And to me it isn't a stretch that some people will decide to torrent the game to play singleplayer because they won't have the expected added value of multiplayer.

GJ Activision, way to kill the brand on the PC. It would even be more ironic if someone is able to code a workaround and make pirate dedicated servers.

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I did have it pre-ordered on PC, as we have a bunch of servers set up for CoD4, ready to upgrade. I've cancelled the order too. So have most of the group.

Edited by Scrobbs

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This is extremely depressing. This was the game I was looking forward to most of all this year (especially for its multiplayer)...and I have a feeling this will pretty much kill the potential it had for a thriving multiplayer community on the PC. Whoever made this horrible decision needs to change it ASAP. I don't care if it delays the game, though it shouldn't given the fact that they already pretty much had this code in place and doing this stuff would actually require MORE work on their part.

I don't know if this is IW just really really not understanding their market on the PC side, or if its Activision (i.e. Kotick and company) being moustache twirling fucktards who are out to eventually take the fun out of playing games as well as making them...but this is really really horrible and it just makes me sad on several levels.

I'm hoping IW/Activision get the message and change course on this. I don't care if it takes a patch or what...but I want to see this fixed. I am worried that even with a patch that this might hurt the PC version and may be used as an excuse to kill off PC versions of the CoD series (something I'm sure Kotick would like given the fact that he's a blood sucking parasite on the industry's ass who seems determined to drive things into the ground on the long term in order to enrich himself in the short term).

Edit: Thought I'd add that looking at the IW forums a while back was really depressing as well, in that you had console people getting all pissed because PC gamers were pissed over this...and both sides were basically fighting and generating a lot of noise and very little was actually said after a while...it was just generally horrible.

I'm not sure if I'll cancel my pre-order...but I'm tempted given that unless this changes the game is an unknown quantity and I should probably wait and see what issues others encounter before I put down my money. The fact that I'd even consider that is shocking given that yesterday at this time it was a given that I'd buy this on launch day and I'd likely buy a version for my brother as well.

Edited by Vorlonesque

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Edit: Thought I'd add that looking at the IW forums a while back was really depressing as well, in that you had console people getting all pissed because PC gamers were pissed over this...and both sides were basically fighting and generating a lot of noise and very little was actually said after a while...it was just generally horrible.

I really fucking hate the split between console and PC gamers, it's horrible, why can't we just get on? :frusty:

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Speculation is that by making it matchmaking/p2p they have more control over the content of the game, since there won't be dedicated modded servers. And more control means it will be feasible to "force" players into buying DLC instead of running custom stuff like maps or whatnot.

I don't see this as cutting costs AT ALL, it's just another measure to nickle and dime the PC customer base. It seems that it wasn't enough to raise the price to $60, Activision had to go one step further.

This.

It's a content control/piracy issue, I think.

I'm mostly upset because they're trying to conform console standards to the PC. Why can't we just let PC games be PC games? I want server browsers and I want dedicated servers and I want mod tools for the community. Not this closed off bullshit.

Dramatic statement! If PC gaming was indeed dead, then its cause of death would be murder through actions like this... (And maybe also piracy :owned:)

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I really fucking hate the split between console and PC gamers, it's horrible, why can't we just get on? :frusty:

Because each side is so much stupider than the other.

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Hey but you've got the single player, which if it is as engaging as the first game's.... uh oh

Even if no PC user buys this, didn't CoD4 sell like 8-9 million units on Xbox 360 alone?

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One of the big things with PC FPSs like the CoD series is that you have a few servers that you go to, as you know the community there, the house rules, etc. It becomes a community of players rather than just randoms thrown at each other. You can even go to servers where bigotry and swearing is not allowed, and be free of the immature hate speech so prevalent in internet gaming.

Matchmaking and P2P eliminates a lot of this, and quite honestly, kills the game for me. I know that my group of friends will not be buying this game because of this move.

But, we can all look on the bright side. PC gamers will be sticking to CoD4, and we wont have to go spend $60 to buy a game that isn't really much different than the one we have now.

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http://bashandslash.com/

Wow, they're removing leaning from the game (it was a PC feature)...which was a running gag on the IW forums...and they're actually doing that.

And one of the devs was bragging about having an awesome 100ms ping in a game (note: I find anything below 200 to be playable and I used to play Quake2 and Quake3 over 26.4k dialup with sometimes 400ms ping or a little higher and I'd sometimes get at the top of the scoreboard in an FFA with that (though anything more than 350 enters the realm of complete shit...and 250ms is really where things begin to break down...but I digress)). While 100ms ping might be fine for some (like me)...its not something to brag about.

There also isn't a feature for recording demos, and there's no drop down console and your fov is going to be locked at 65. Oh and 9v9 is the maximum player count (not a huge deal for me, but it is pissing some off).

Add to that the fact that my favorite weapon (the AK47) unlocks at lvl 70 and my favorite mode, Hardcore Domination, can't be played (no playlist for it and no dedicated servers that could enable it). More hilariously the only HC modes available are TDM and S&D (they tried to keep the number of playlists the same avoid "confusing" the players...and they had to make room for new stuff so some stuff got cut...I'm amazed that they have that low an opinion of the intelligence of new players...I mean you have to be literate to navigate their menus I assume...it isn't that hard to assume that 3 or 4 extra lines of text wouldn't be that big a hurdle).

Its like they're trying to make this game as unappealing as possible to me personally.

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If the developer thinks 100ms is good ping, he must be playing World of Warcraft or an RTS... because in shooters I will only play with less than 50ms ping. Any more than that the latency compensation in the netcode has to be really really good, otherwise it's unplayable.

And I wanted to make a joke about your favorite mode being Hardcore Domination, but it's too early in the morning for that :clap:

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By far my favorite part is on bashandslash they mention that anyone who tried to ask about dedicated servers in some official IW chat was just asked to leave. Delicious.

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This is pretty "entertaining", nothing like homophobic undertones to pump you up for this holiday season's biggest smash hit:

http://www.gameshadow.com/gamepedia/11335b/call_of_duty_modern_warfare_2/trailers/call_of_duty_modern_warfare_2_fags_video/

wow, that's terrible...

what with the no leaning, the "mowing down innocent civilians" video and now this stupid trailer I no longer have any interest in this game... talk about playing down to your audience...

:frusty:

Edited by Floordje
redundancy

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I have a friend who's playing through MW2 (yes, pirated copy) and from what he told me, there's all the cheap, cookie-cutter, controversial things one can imagine to draw as much attention as possible. If a good game comes from it I don't know because I haven't played it, but it surely will be on Fox News for a long time.

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