[Multiplatform] Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare. God Damn it russ, stop cheating.

The latest in the Call of Duty line, and back in the hands of developer Infinity Ward. Taking a brave, but sensible, step to move the game out of WWII and into the present(ish) day.

[ official site ]

I managed to get myself into the UK/Ireland part of the multiplayer beta program and downloaded my copy last night.

Had a bit of a session last night and I must say I'm loving it. The game's received a fair amount of positive press and praising comments so there's always the danger of something like this being a bit too talked-up. Thankfully that doesn't seem to be the case and I had an absolute blast (no pun intended) playing my way through the three maps on offer. The levelling up, perks, challenges and create a class all work wonderfully to enrich the multiplayer experience.

To me the game felt like a bit of a mix between elements of Battlefield 2 and the previous Call of Duty games (the Overgrown map particularly feels like something that could easily have come from CoD 2 or 3).

I know there's a few other GFFers who've had a go on the beta, so just curious as to what everyone's making of this one.

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by Rock

Would you mind explaining how these things work in detail for those of us who haven't had the chance to play the beta?

Your multiplayer profile has associated with it a rank (or level) and a number of points within that rank. So you start off as a Private (I believe) at level 1 and go up in rank as you earn points in the game. Basically every kill/assist you get earns you points, and at the end of a round you also get points, I assume, based off your performance. This isn't the only way to get points (see challenges below), but is the main way you will do so.

Going up ranks can open up new options, new equipment, new challenges or new perks; so, for example, level 4 opens up the 'Create a class' option in the beta.

Equipment is as you'd expect, the weapons and attachments for weapons that are available to you. At various points new weapons within each of the main gun classes (assault rifle, SMG, light machinegun, shotgun and sniper-rifle) were unlocked, as well as some attachments and camo options. Attachments modify the weapon, so stuff like silencers, red dot sights, or, for example, a couple of the assault rifles could have a grenade launcher as an attachment (though this was in place of the perk 1 group). The five preset classes have predefined load-outs, but in the create a class option you can define your own.

In create a class you essentially you pick your whole setup. Your primary fire-arm and a side-arm, with the option to select from your available attachments and camo options. You pick a special grenade to carry (flash, stun or smoke) and then one perk from each of the three perk groups. The equipment you choose affects your mobility, accuracy, range, firepower, etc.

Perks are little modifiers on your performance. Perk group 1 is mostly concerned with explosives and gives you access to 2 x C4, 3 x your special grenade choice, or an RPG with 2 rockets, and other things (I unlocked a perk which would allow me to see enemy explosives). Not sure whether the other perk groups have themes, but include a range of things and from one that would allow you to sprint for longer, one hides you from the enemy UAV (see kill streak info below), deeper bullet penetration (as you can shoot through stuff), increased hip-fire accuracy or last stand which allows you to pull a pistol before dying.

The game also rewards you with more than points for kill streaks. 3 kills in a row and you can call in UAV. This lasts for a little while (maybe a minute at most) and scans over the map highlighting the enemy, at the time the scan passes them, as a red dot on your map. 5 kills and you can call in an airstrike at a location of your choosing. 7 and you get to call in a friendly attack chopper which hovers about mowing down anyone foolish enough to be seen by its gunners (it can be shot down though).

The other way to get XP points is to complete challenges. These range from getting X number of kills with particular weapons to stuff like killing people whilst crouching/prone or slightly more random achievement-esque ones like jumping and falling more than 30ft to your death. These get you XP points but can also unlock attachments and camo options (meaning if you prefer a certain gun you will unlock bits for it because you use it more often).

I think that covers everything and I've probably rambled on far too long. If you can I'd recommend trying to find any left-over keys and get a download token, it's worth checking out.

For more information the official site is worth checking out for a load of details on the game, including the multiplayer beta.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

Cheers for the clarification Mo0, I didn't realise that's how the perks were grouped, awesome.

One thing I really like is how balanced the Perks are. No one perk felt like it was much more of an advantage, it was all down to tweaking my character the way I play. I like to sneak into enemy lines and take people out, so the UAV hiding perk works brilliantly for me. But it's not an uber-stealth option, because another important thing to note, and really cool, is that whenever you fire a shot on a weapon that isn't silenced you show up on the enemies maps as a red dot briefly. So basically, you have to pick you shots carefully otherwise you'll give your position away. And while a silencer fixes that it also reduces your range.

It felt brilliantly balanced to the point where being level 1 and picking a default class doesn't put you at any sort of disadvantage. It's just about opening up options and tweaking things to match the way you play, which I love.

Also Mo0, I can't find confirmation anywhere (at work so can't look too extensively), but I'm pretty sure they said CoD4 was going to have no multiplayer-based achievements (though one could argue that with the challenge system in place there are, just not 'official gamerscore' ones).

Additional Spam:
Just after posting that, looky what I found:
Xbox360Achievements.org - Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare Achievement List (warning: may contain some spoiler-ish stuff)

No obvious MP achievements, though given some of the descriptions they could be (though I'm pretty certain about hearing they were just going to be all single player achievements).

Also, one thing about Last Stand. As well as shooting back you can hold X to 'take the coward's way out' and shoot yourself (which deprives the enemy of their 10 points XD).

How ya doing, buddy?

Originally Posted by 2401 Penitent Tangent

Ok, that's AWESOME. Is there any detriment to using it though? You lose points or anything for doing that? It might be a piss off if EVERYONE starts doing that and you're unable to acquire any points for your team.

As far as I could tell there was no downside to doing. However, you have to hold down X for a few seconds and the person who shot you can just keep shooting you to finish you off. I took to keeping on shooting until +10 (or +2) appeared. Similarly I only managed to kill someone from Last Stand once because most people would keep shooting me once I was on the floor.

Also, if you lie there for a little while without anyone shooting you you die anyways, and I believe no one gets points that way either (because they didn't officially finish you off), though I could be wrong on that.

Originally Posted by 2401 Penitent Tangent

Or does it only limit the guy's XP gains, and not his team's score?

I'm pretty sure it only limit's the person's XP gains. Since I didn't see any score that wasn't a multiple of 10, I'm guessing the team gets 10 points per kill regardless.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

I could have sworn a saw a message that said you get to deny the person the 10 points, but having played again for a bit last night I'm unsure. Wasn't paying attention to loading screens and I did get a few random +10s appear a while after I shot someone. At this stage I'd err on the side of Iwata and assume that the person does get the 10 points after all.

I was speaking idiomatically.

If there's another session going on I'm up for joining in, though given you lot are in the US I guess it'll have to be a Friday or a Saturday so I can stay up til crazy o'clock.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Well it's only been three weeks since the last post, and there's only so much I could post about the beta (I think I said a fair amount), especially since most of what was said about individual games was done so over Live or in IRC.

Plus, I don't know if you spotted, but there was another 360 game (an FPS no less) released which sort of took everyone's attention.

FELIPE NO

It's so annoying that this doesn't hit stores in Europe until the end of the week. I'm really looking forward to getting stuck in with this game. I'm thinking, since I played CoD2 on Veteran I might brave that difficulty on 4 (or whatever they call the equivalent difficulty).

Fingers crossed I'll be online with you US lot who pick this game up in the next few days sooner rather than later.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

Can't take cover, wtf? You get behind an object, and if it's small, you press B. I've had no problem with getting out of gun fire, other than when you get surrounds, or when I tried to take cover by what turned out to be a door, which opened as I was sat there reloading.

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Skills: I didn't realise we were talking about 'cover systems', so whatever. But on the subject of them, I don't think one in a fast-paced, intense shooter such as CoD4 would work all that well. I could see myself getting annoying that you couldn't 'snap-off' a wall quick enough, or similar.

Slayer X: Shooting through walls works fine. I see no problem with it. If you're dumb enough to stay put behind a bit of wall seemingly getting shot out of nowhere, well you deserve to die.

There's nowhere I can't reach.

OK, so I've not completed the game yet (I've made it to the start of the mission where we're about to go after that guy's son), but from what I've played so far, this game is awesome. Some bits are bastard-fucking-hard on Veteran level (I honestly don't know how I survived the Ferris Wheel bit), but it's brilliant. The story is completely involving, I actually care about my team mates, certainly the SAS squad, and there's been a number of occasions where I've been completely surprised by what's happened.

And on top of that there's the multiplayer, which I've already ploughed a large number of hours into because it's just so damned good. The ranking up system works like a charm and just gives you more options. Yes, you get new guns and stuff, but no weapon out does anything else, it's just about styles of play. The P90 is a brilliant SMG with a crazy fire rate, but it's got a slightly shorter range and longer reload time than some of the others.

Much like Iwata and others, the Headquarters game mode is an absolute fave of mine, though others are pretty great too (Sabotage is a pretty cool game mode). And it's a pretty strong set of maps. Some don't suit certain game types all that well, but there's no map that I outright hate; Bloc is probably the weakest of the bunch.

Absolutely top notch game this.

This thing is sticky, and I don't like it. I don't appreciate it.

Originally Posted by Colonel Skills

No. weakest of the bunch would be Wet Works.

I think I prefer Wet Works to Bloc, but it is one of the weaker maps, true. To be fair though, out of the 16 maps I can only think of two or three I'm not a massive fan of, most are really very good.

So the question for people like russ, Tails and Iwata (and myself I guess), who are creeping up on that rank 55, is will you be going for prestige mode? Having spent time unlocking things, I like having options, so I don't know as if I want to. Does anyone know if the challenges reset too? I'm guessing the do as if you lose all your equipment you'll need a way to unlock things like the red-dot sights, etc.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Originally Posted by crimsonsabre

how addictive it is?

Very. Very, very, very. I'm sat at work counting down the hours (of which there are far too many to go) so I can get home, do a little single player and then hop back on the MP.

Originally Posted by crimsonsabre

I'm absolutely just loving crouching in a building on the Crossfire map, and sniping everyone that gets into my cross!

I assume you're using a silencer on that, either that or you're playing some dumbass people. If I get sniped then I'm paying attention to the kill-cam and telling my team where the sniper is. If someone's sniping teammates then they show up on the map as a red-dot, and you can be damn sure I'm going to shank that bastard if I can (and have done so on many an occasion).

I unlocked the M14 last night and I don't know as if I'm that impressed. It doesn't feel as elegant as the G3. For a single-shot gun it feels a little more hap-hazard, which isn't great.

I was speaking idiomatically.

Originally Posted by Colonel Skills

But I got Mile High Club today.

I'm joining you there sir, just got in now. I did things a little differently, but to the same effect. Got to the last bit with 6 seconds to spare. That is quite insane, and hats off to anyone who pulls that off. In-fucking-tense that is.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?

Originally Posted by Yggdrasil

I've noticed that the M14 simply packs more of a punch and for me it seems steadier while aiming down the sights. For that reason I prefer to field the m14 with a red dot scope.

Due to its accuracy issues I wouldn't pick it over the G3. I was using it + stopping power and steady aim and it was still taking three bullets to down people (one/two only if I got a headshot). With the G3 it's more often than not two bullets, russ will testify to that one.

Going on pure in-game stats, the M14 should be more powerful, so I can only assume it's down to the accuracy. I can't say I'm a fan particularly. I'm somewhat taken with my G36C to be honest.

FELIPE NO

Originally Posted by Tails

Steady Aim only works when you're firing from the hip. It does nothing on recoil if you're aiming.

Thanks Mr Patronising.

Yes, I know Steady Aim is only for firing from the hip, but the issue seemed to be in general, whether using the sight or not, it feels a far more sloppy gun compared to the G3. I might give it another go tonight (providing Xbox Live is working properly) now that I have the red-dot sight for it.

What, you don't want my bikini-clad body?

I stand corrected, with the red-dot sight and some patience, the M14 is a fucking killer. I had it on Stopping Power + Deep Penetration and I one/two-shot kills were the order of the day. I got some brilliant kills where people retreated behind walls thinking they were safe. Oh no, not today son.

Mind you I still think I prefer to roll with my G36C and UAV Jammer. I'm using the silencer to give me some sneaking opportunities. It works pretty well. I'm going to give Overkill a try, pair an M14 with the G36C, that sounds like a good plan.

Jam it back in, in the dark.

Originally Posted by Iwata

Also Shock and awe and all ghillied up are some amazing ass levels. Some of the best levels ever to grace a FPS ever.

Seconding that so very much. There were bits on All Ghillied Up where I held my breath as I felt so in the moment of it all. Also agree about the hard parts, they were pretty tough (the former much more so than the latter).

How ya doing, buddy?

Live patch for CoD4 in the works:

Quote:

Hey Everyone --

Wanted to give you a heads up for an update in the works for the Xbox 360 version. We're going to be optimizing a lot of things behind the scenes with matchmaking and host selection as well as adding a few new features via the update which I have outlined below. No ETA on when this update will be available for download, just giving a heads up on what's to come in the future in the first potential update:

Additions / New Features:
Added Kill cam to Airstrike bombs and Claymores

Addition of Host Migration so if Host Leaves auto-chooses next best host

Tweaked the following Oldschool Mode settings based on feedback:
- Added Unlimited Sprint
- Increased Magazine Size
- Added Ragdoll Cam

Addition of New "N0M4D" Control Scheme

Optimizations / Tweaks:

Identify party by background color (in Lobby)

Optimized server selection for first match for better connections

Improved network performance for 18 player games

Optimized 'Chase Cam' when Spectating

Fixed Playlist error when attempting to join from other games

Handle Corrupt Create A Class data instead of kicking player

[ source ]

Sounds like some sensible updates, especially the finding a new host thing as that's really annoying when the host decides to lame out and the game ends.

This game continues to kick major ass. Amusingly, my sister's boyfriend who is a complete Halo nut. I mean, major Halo nut, confessed to me last night that he's preferring CoD4 MP to Halo 3.

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It was shorter than other games that are longer, yes. However, I really don't think it was short, and I don't think it felt anything other than the right length. But maybe that's just me.

I am a dolphin, do you want me on your body?

Digging up a bit of an older thread, but the Variety Map Pack (featuring four new maps for 800 MSP) is now available on Live.

Quote:

"Creek" is a wide-open village ravaged by combat where concealment is the difference between life and death. In "Broadcast," fight throughout an enemy communications building with confined corridors and wide-open parking lots. "Chinatown" is a foggy downtown district, lit only by a full moon and the neon glow of the city. "Killhouse" features a desolate training warehouse filled with a variety of building mock-ups and soft and hard cover points.

[ source ]

How ya doing, buddy?

Having had a good amount of play-through of these last night, I figure I'll offer up my own thoughts, which aren't such as whiny as Skills's.

Creek: The obvious comparison is Overgrown, but only because it features a lot of growth, which makes it harder to spot people. There is the potential for camping, but those of us who don't sit and hide (unlike Skills) were quite able to sneak around and take mother-fuckers out. Overall I liked it.

Broadcast: At first I wasn't sure about this map, the first game I played was bloody confusing. Once I worked out the layout I started having a bit more fun with it. The outside element is larger than you might think at first and can add an interesting dynamic to the fight if one team takes up position out there. Reminds me, to an extent of Vacant, but yeah, another decent map.

Killhouse: Only played this a little in a private match, but it could be good fun. It's bigger than Shipment and more like the cargo deck of Wet Works, but good opportunities for sneak between things. Would have to play a little more with it to get a proper feel.

Chinatown: A remake of the old Carentan map from CoD2, this is easily the best map in the pack. There's a lot of scope for moving around, and no obvious choke points. Definitely a great inclusion.

One thing I will say, with all of these maps, it felt like there was more focus on vertical play in the maps, with more variation in heights available. Perhaps it's just a perception thing, but it felt that way.

As it's only four maps, with only three featuring in the Variety Pack Team Deathmatch list, we did go back to playing the standard maps for a while for a little more variety (oh the irony hey). It'll be good when these new maps find their way into the standard playlists though for sure.

What kind of toxic man-thing is happening now?