The Modern Warfare 2 beta has given us a good understanding of the direction that Infinity Ward are going in. But there's still work to be done. We suggested 5 changes for MW2 after the first weekend of the beta, and here's how Infinity Ward responded.
We've been playing Modern Warfare 2 and reviewing the feedback from fans. In general, we're happy with what we've got, especially the maps (but you can read our full review of MW2 here for more details). However, there are some aspects of the game that we think need to be changed.
In this article we present our top 5 biggest requests for Modern Warfare 2, and the response we got from Infinity Ward. However, don't expect every single aspect to be covered in this article, since different players have different criticism and we focused on the 5 biggest topics that came up in players feedback after the first MW2 Beta weekend.
5. Explain How The Gunsmith Works With An In-Game Guide
Feedback
We're in the business of offering guides, so we're more than happy to explain how the gunsmith works, but players shouldn't have to use a 3rd-party source to understand something this fundamental. The game should explain how it works with a video or guide.
We want to be very clear here: we love the new gunsmith, but we think most players are very confused by it. The benefits, when you understand the system, are obvious. You will never have to unlock the same attachment twice, making a meta weapon is nowhere near as grindy as it was before, and the receiver/platform system offers a rewarding way to unlock new weapons. But it needs to be explained. Tell me which weapon I have to level to unlock the attachments I still need!
Infinity Ward's Answer
The developers didn't specifically mention the gunsmith in their answer to the player's complaints, but acknowledged some difficulties and bugs in the User Interface. They said, that they won't be able to make any changes here before the start of Beta Weekend Two, but that these topics "are top of mind ahead of launch".
4. Remove Slide-Cancel Completely
Feedback
Whether they should keep slide-cancelling or not, that's a different question, but whatever they decide, they need to commit to. At the moment players have found workarounds that let them slide-cancel, so it hasn't been completely removed, but it's kind of buggy and not as powerful as before. This might be difficult for IW to achieve based on how sliding works in the engine, but if they can, we really want them to just remove it completely.
Infinity Ward's Answer
According to Infinity Ward, they tried to remove slide-canceling, but are aware of the workaround some very high-skilled players found. At the moment, they are contemplating how to handle it for Beta Weekend Two and also announced some unspecified slide changes for the full launch of the game that are supposed to make sliding feel "more fluid and snappy".
3. Don't Disband Lobbies
Feedback
Almost everyone in the community has been asking for this change, and no-one (besides Infinity Ward) seems to be in support of the current system. If we had perpetual lobbies then we could have a bit of story in our games; rivalries could develop between teams, and we might see players adapting to counter their enemies' playstyle. Instead, we've got disbanding lobbies.
The particularly annoying thing about this is that for players who want to join a fresh, new lobby each game, they can just quit and re-search to get that, no matter the system, even if MW2 had perpetual lobbies by default. But it doesn't work the other way around, if you want perpetual lobbies then you're out of luck in the current system. It feels like Infinity Ward are imposing this design on us, when it could be left up to the player to decide.
Infinity Ward's Answer
We don't know why, but IW haven't even touched on this topic in their blog post about the player feedback. But since for some reason disbanding lobbies are part of CoD for quite some time now, we sadly don't expect them to change anything about it.
2. Enemy Nameplates Should Be Visible
Feedback
This is a simple and easy fix, and we think it's one they will actually make (like they did after the MW2019 and Vanguard betas). As cinematic as it is to remove the nameplates in-game, we're seeing so many players confused about who is on their team and who is an enemy. Just adding the nameplates back in would be a quick fix for this issue, and it would protect us against any pay-to-win black/grey skins they plan to release in the future.
Infinity Ward's Answer
Sadly, while Infinity Ward agree with the community that it is quite hard to track targets once you get into a firefight, they won't be making nameplates visible. They announced changes to reduce muzzle smoke opacity and to increase the visibility of enemy muzzle flash to make them easier to spot. They will also investigate more ways to visually differentiate enemy players from teammates outside the standard nameplates. Changes are supposed to be tested in Beta Weekend Two.
And we'll see visibility become even more of an issue when they release the DMZ/Warzone map...
1. Return To The Classic Mini-Map, At Least For Domination & TDM
Feedback
The Classic Minimap (one that shows enemies as red-dots when they fire unsuppressed weapons) is a staple to Call of Duty. But even if you don't care about upholding tradition, and you think it would go against the design philosophy of Modern Warfare 2, so many fans want this change that it's beginning to look childish and stubborn that they won't even address it.
This is by far the number one feature that we're seeing players request after joining the beta. At a certain point, even if you don't agree with the playerbase, surely you have to let them decide what they want for themselves. It's just a bad look to keep ignoring this issue. And as we suggest, why not allow it for certain modes? Even if they want some modes to have a more tactical feeling, surely for TDM or Domination they can allow this older, more arcade-style of CoD to exist.
Infinity Ward's Answer
Sadly, IW won't budge on this topic. They justify the current system by saying they "do not want to punish players for firing their weapons. [They] also want players to actively search out the origin of a gunshot versus just traveling directly to where the dot is on the mini-map". While this does make some sense, it would still be nice to at least test the classic mini-map in the beta and let the community decide...
What do you think of our suggestions? Faded takes? Let us know in the comments what you would change.
And for more on the new features in Modern Warfare 2, check out this vid: