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Weekend Open Forum: Modern Warfare 2 on the PC, a multiplayer fiasco?
in-house feature
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 was released worldwide this week to an overwhelming success, selling 4.7 million copies on a single day and raking in an estimated $310 million in North America and the United Kingdom alone. Reviews have been mostly favorable too, at least as far as gameplay is concerned. But there is one group who feels slighted by a series of changes made in this latest addition to the Call of Duty franchise.
Ever since the word was out, PC gamers have been up in arms with Infinity Ward's decision to replace dedicated servers to host multiplayer matches with a proprietary infrastructure called IWNet. This has translated into less control in the hands of gamers, with no way to choose who is hosting matches (one player is assigned automatically), and no ability to kick or ban players from your game.
These are all things the PC community has grown accustomed to and taken for granted for years. Furthermore, player cap has been reduced from 64 on previous versions to just 18, with 9 vs. 9 matches becoming the new norm just like in the console versions. Looking at some disgruntled user reviews you'll learn about a few other omissions that have left people complaining of this being nothing more than a console game that plays on your PC.
In its defense, Infinity Ward claims the new matchmaking system "takes the benefits of dedicated servers and allows them to be utilized and accessed by every player, out of the box." For example, it will automatically find you a game with the best performance, ping, and preferences based on your location and individual connection as well as matching you with players of your same skill. They also promise a cheat and hack-free experience.
Today we want to know your thoughts on the new multiplayer functionality and lack of control on the user side. Is all the backlash really warranted or will the game's multiplayer mode remain just as enjoyable while making it easier for less experienced users to join the fun?
Ever since the word was out, PC gamers have been up in arms with Infinity Ward's decision to replace dedicated servers to host multiplayer matches with a proprietary infrastructure called IWNet. This has translated into less control in the hands of gamers, with no way to choose who is hosting matches (one player is assigned automatically), and no ability to kick or ban players from your game.
These are all things the PC community has grown accustomed to and taken for granted for years. Furthermore, player cap has been reduced from 64 on previous versions to just 18, with 9 vs. 9 matches becoming the new norm just like in the console versions. Looking at some disgruntled user reviews you'll learn about a few other omissions that have left people complaining of this being nothing more than a console game that plays on your PC.
In its defense, Infinity Ward claims the new matchmaking system "takes the benefits of dedicated servers and allows them to be utilized and accessed by every player, out of the box." For example, it will automatically find you a game with the best performance, ping, and preferences based on your location and individual connection as well as matching you with players of your same skill. They also promise a cheat and hack-free experience.
Today we want to know your thoughts on the new multiplayer functionality and lack of control on the user side. Is all the backlash really warranted or will the game's multiplayer mode remain just as enjoyable while making it easier for less experienced users to join the fun?
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User Comments (73)
Post a comment| ColdFusion1990 on November 13, 2009 10:17 PM | I can see why people dislike being unable to choose which map or a specific server they want to play in, but the new system really helps you get into a decent server with incredible ease. |
| Guest on November 13, 2009 10:36 PM | COD-MW2 multiplayer for PC. The lag is shocking- cannot run without being 'halted' every few steps, graphics ceiling has been dumbed down to max 1600x1200- cannot run 1560x1600 (like COD-WAW could), if the host leaves (getting owned), all other players are left hanging in limbo, cannot choose your side- all auto assigned, clan members get auto asigned to one side only (great for them but lousy for other players), long delays between games (1-2 minutes), long delays while the auto system finds other players, then sorts who to host, then starts the round, then lets you actually play, and of course, NO DEDICTED SERVERS- so makes it very hard to play with mates. The game itself would be probably be good but for the above, and in the end it has RUINED THE GAME. IW simply ported the console version to PC- cos it was cheaper and easier, instead of spending the time and $ to do it properly. Let's face it, how sophisticated is a PS3 (many years old) or Xbox360 (all using twilight MS technology) compared to a PC. If this is what console users think is acceptable, then I pity their limited gaming experience. Well done Infinity Ward, you f@'d us PC users. Am returning to COD-WAW and MW1. |
| tehoste on November 13, 2009 10:54 PM | IW is so stupid. And I'm going to have to agree completely
with the guest comment. For completely ruining the pc
version of this game I most definitely will NOT purchase
MW2. "takes the benefits of dedicated servers and allows them to be utilized and accessed by every player, out of the box." For example, it will automatically find you a game with the best performance, ping, and preferences based on your location and individual connection as well as matching you with players of your same skill." We players can decide that for ourselves. Pc gamers should know their ping and skill by now... "They also promise a cheat and hack-free experience" Where there's a will, there's way. Someone will eventually figure out how to hack. And finally the only non-profanity word that comes to mind to express my anger at the dumbing down of the pc version is ROOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARWWARRAWRWRARRRA!!!!! > 
|
| shossofe on November 14, 2009 12:10 AM | No matter how I look at what they did. I just keep seeing
the word fail popping up all over the MP title. If it 'aint broke, don't fix it. |
| Guest on November 14, 2009 12:20 AM | Second rate pc game end of story, back to MW1 & BF2, lets forget this ever happened. |
| xclusiveitalian on November 14, 2009 12:31 AM | Haven't you guys heard... "It's not balanced for leen." lolllllllllllllllllllllllll |
| klepto12 on November 14, 2009 12:37 AM | i personally think the system sucks i mean if the host leaves you get stopped and have to wait on a new host and the time it takes to get into a match seems like forever plus the 9v9 system is bs atleast 24 would have been nice i mean this is not a console and there is no bandwidth limit so why mess up the system that has worked for years. i will play it because its the only way to play it but i dont have to like it end of story. |
| Adhmuz on November 14, 2009 12:48 AM | To what should have been a great game with a epic multi player they really went and F'ed things up real good. Not buying this, but I will play through the 6 hour single player. If this is some kind of new trend that has any possibility of catching on it will be very bad times for PC gaming. Good job Infinity Ward, you made you millions now go crawl into a hole with your money and try not to feel bad about your decision. |
| Guest on November 14, 2009 2:11 AM | From 32 vs 32 to 9 vs 9 - its just
crap. literally. Thats why i am not going to buy this game. But hey? do you think they give a crap? they just sold 4.7 Million in one day. My voice is unheard. |
| Guest on November 14, 2009 2:37 AM | all i got to say is that i do have a hack out. yes i said i have a hack for mw2 it is a aimbot and wall hack, [url removed] it works and its vac proof. and its sweet. |
| IvanAwfulitch on November 14, 2009 3:21 AM | Guest said: Whoever you are, you're
one of the people that ruins multiplayers WAY faster than
whatever Activision and IW are doing with MW2. That should
tell you something. Get the hell off the internet and play
single-player if you're going to be a cheater.all i got to say is that i do have a hack out. yes i said i have a hack for mw2 it is a aimbot and wall hack, [url removed] it works and its vac proof. and its sweet. As for Modern Warfare 2, I'm not even going to bother wasting 60 dollars. Call of Duty 4 was the pinnacle of their achievements and it won't get any better. COD6 was a complete waste after what they did to it. It was so bad that many people who heard about the changes actually cancelled their pre-orders. This has to be one of the biggest blunders after such a great run that I've ever seen. Come on Infinity Ward, you were never like this. Why start now? Ditch this bullcrap! If anything, I would ONLY play their even FURTHER shortened Single Player, and only if someone else already had it and I could use their copy. Team Fortress 2 is vastly preferable to this trainwreck of a multiplayer and that should tell you something. Anyone reading this and thinking about buying it, please for the love of God don't. |
| Guest on November 14, 2009 3:54 AM | The game falls short of what it was expected to be. Good gfx
do not make a good game. The campaign is short and
uninteresting. (we already knew that) I was going to buy the
game just for the multiplayer, but since they messed this up
there is absolutely no reason to go out and buy it.
The lesson to be taugh here is 'never believe the hype'. This game is top story in every video game site but the truth is that it will be forgotten very soon.... |
| guyver1 on November 14, 2009 4:07 AM | http://i33.tinypic.com/2mgqzw3.png a nice little round up add to that list a FOV of 65 that you cant change! 65 FOV!!! FFS thats rediculous on a PC. We all know why they did it, its becasue a smaller FOV has less to render meaning they can bump up the GFX quality a little bit more for the hardware crippled consoles. |
| Guest on November 14, 2009 4:43 AM | I'm a player of MW1 who is in his 40's , I play on sniper
only mods myself as my old eyes can't take all that running
around on the normal mode of the game :0) . I'm happy to
sit there for 30 mins a round and maybe pick off only a
couple of enemies , nice and a calm and chess like. I play on a 3 or 4 servers mainly and have just joined the clan of the one i play the most. Of course the great advantage - unlike IWnet apparently - is that as happened last night , someone was arsing about ( a rare occurance fortunately ) . Within 30 seconds and 2 warnings later he was gone and banned , ahhh peace reigned once again and i was back to my game of chess /MW1 sniper mod. It's a shame IW seemed to have ruined the MW experience for pc gamers as this was the first game I'd really gotten into , still MW1 is still fine for me for the next few years tbh so I'm happy really. I most certainly wont be buying MW2 though if I can't get sniper mods on it , personally. Can't believe I'm actually on here writing about it really as there are far important things to be worrying about in this , but hey ,like others have said , ' If it ain't broke , don't fix it ' . As for 9 v 9 that I've just read about , well lets be honest as MP gaming goes that figure is laughable . Finally ,I'd like to offer a big thankyou to the map makers on all the dedicated servers , as my own pc knowledge amounts to turning the thing if I'm honest , and it's you guys who make MW1 worth playing. I can't understand for the life of me why big Co.s like ATVI & IW just don't get that? Their loss. Cheers - DeathbyDonut |
| Sevrage on November 14, 2009 6:38 AM | I dont play games but I find this interesting... doesn't it
have LAN play? is it illegal to create a LAN server for internet access? and get rid of this IWNet? one can easily setup the thing... and redirect internet traffic as it was LAN traffic... in my time when I used to play, I would play with friends... from what I understand, this just randomly puts you in some server with random ppl... thats just pointless.. |
| Guest on November 14, 2009 7:26 AM | I havent been reading the forums so bought this pile of
crap. I`ve owned all the cod games on the pc and still paly
cod 4. Couldnt belive my eyes when installing and steam came
up. Anyway.. no console, crap match making, 9v9, lag, drops,
wall hacks and aim bot to name a few problems. This is a
very big mess. Infinity ward you are stupid to think this
would work. What to do i thought? I felt like i had been robbed of my £40. I rang the shop to complain and got told to go away. So took the game back to another branch and told them in wouldnt install, that got a credit note. Will be keeping that for the next real pc shooter. Battlefield 
Infinity Ward you suck.
|
| JieMan on November 14, 2009 8:14 AM | I will never buy this game and support this BULL SH*T ,, I
can't even believe they are selling it for 60bux for PC when
the excuse why games are 60 on console are management rights
to microsoft and sony ... WTF they can suck the big one.
I'll pass. I don't know what pisses me off more this game or the huge delay for Assassins Creed. |
| ---agissi--- on November 14, 2009 8:40 AM | After reading about what they've done / how they set it up I
wont be buying the game. The multiplayer problems they have incorporated drive me nuts. No thanks. |
| Guest on November 14, 2009 8:55 AM | Well Luckily its only 3 more days til Left 4 Dead 2 comes out and we can have a game that excells at playing online with friends and has a good multi player experience. I did buy MW2 and so far I do enjoy the single player and co-op modes but I havent tried multiplayer yet so I cant comment on it but I think ill stick to L4D, borderlands, and TF2 they are the best purchases so far. |
| Guest on November 14, 2009 8:57 AM | i refuse to buy this game now as the multi-player is ruined imo, lacking dedicated servers, good anti cheat systems, custom maps and mods (which made the game so popular originally when it first came into being), not to mention the silly player cap just makes it pointless buying |
| tehDARKNESS on November 14, 2009 9:49 AM | The Pc community is still reeling from the exclusion of our
gamestyle from the new IW release. We have been through many
of the stages:denial, anger, etc.. but have yet to reach the
point of accaptence. Perhaps we never will. This hurts the
future of PC gaming. I sincerely hope that Treyarch takes
atvantage of IW's ingorance and doesnt follow suit with COD
7. It's all about $$, obviously... Console gamers get bored
fast, move on, play a variety of games and will shell out
for DLC because they don't know any better. Still hoping for a patch; with no where to call home there is no point in playing. |
| Guest on November 14, 2009 9:51 AM | Remember that the head of Activision indicated that he
wanted to take the fun out of game making ... That is money
first quality second ... One could surmise: 1. Charge the same price as console 2. Remove modding so that the company can take over DLC map market 3. Restrict development beyond console version (just a port .. that is why 9v9 etc) I love dedicated servers this is one game I wont buy ... If Activision was to vanish from the PC, one need not worry since we now know the new policies of the company. |
| Guest on November 14, 2009 11:17 AM | the game is doomed to failure day 1 hacks exist there experience matching system doesn't work you cannot block players from joining a game there is no LAN version gentlemen you fail The time limit for this game I would give An estimate to be about one the year After that Over 95 to 99 percent of the players will have dumped the game If you want it too controlled map generation this would have been fun if you wanted to controls servers this too would also have been fine But total control of the game means that the game will absolutely positively die As no one wants to play a game that's under total control of the manufacture players want the game to become part of them in attempting to play this game or realize that it can not be. TF2 Is a game that is three years old it's been updated every six months with new game material thus the interest of the game has not very the other reasons it has not varied is because of clans people like to join together to have fun in modern warfare two that's impossible. |
| TomSEA on November 14, 2009 11:19 AM | I think the first post by Guest nailed it. This is a complete and total failure on IW's part. I'm glad I waited before buying this game. I'll save my $60 for a game that actually caters to the player and not the developer |
| ghostface900 on November 14, 2009 12:34 PM | Except from the fact that you can't choose the map you want
to play in, the ping is enormous, I used to have between 10
and 30 ping, now its 100+, you can't play with your clan as
it picks people with the same skill and matches are filled
within seconds, you can't have competitive gameplay, you
can't have mods, etc. And what is so hard about browsing a list where there is indicated what map you play on, what gametype you are playing, what ping it has, what clan owns the server, etc. Why don't they get it? |
