Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has struck all the right chords, as the back-to-basics approach resulted in one of the best games in the long-running FPS series. However, despite the incredible campaign, the multiplayer has become a hot button issue for veterans and newbies alike. The key complaint is that the multiplayer experience is overrun with camping and overpowered weapons. According to the developers, this all seems to have been by design to bring in new players.
Players are finding themselves at a loss for playing the traditional run-and-gun style found in previous titles. Every weapon upgrade seems to penalize using an equipped scope, meaning that staying put and holding ground is the name of the game. Overly loud footsteps and hideously overpowered weapons such as the M4A1 and 725 shotgun accompany maps that are enormous in scale, but all to the benefit of those jumping into the series for the first time.
Joe Cecot, current Co-Design Director of Multiplayer for Infinity Ward, confirmed that the camp-heavy maps and seemingly overpowered weapons were all part of the plan. “Our weapons are a bit more lethal … that helps the lower skilled player get a kill when they otherwise wouldn’t. Our maps are a little more porous and we want that player to have a safe place.”
“A safe place” is precisely the issue that makes an otherwise enjoyable experience tedious. While it is true that previous entries can be overly hostile and oppressive for those uncommon to the game or the scene, this safety blanket approach can also serve to alienate fans of the series should it not improve or at least strike a happy medium to what they are use to.
Whether or not one considers the complaints to be valid or just nitpicking on an otherwise stellar game, there isn't much incentive for the multiplayer to receive a massive overhaul. If anything, Infinity Ward is already taking steps to fix some of these issues with patches and upcoming content such as map packs and balance tweaks to improve the experience. With that being said, it is going to take a lot more than noisy footsteps and a bunch of campers to derail the Call of Duty train.
Source: MP1st