Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 PC Games Interview - Joel Emslie Video Interview

New Modern Warfare Matchmaking Service Will "Definitely" Reshape PC Community

In a webcast this morning, Robert Bowling revealed the existence of IWNet, a matchmaking service Infinity Ward will operate beginning with Modern Warfare 2. But it ends dedicated servers, and fundamentally changes the culture of the game's PC community.

Bowling, the Infinity Ward community manager, said IWNet makes multiplayer more accessible to the PC community on Modern Warfare 2, replacing the need for dedicated servers that are hosted and managed by players. But the hardcore PC crowd to whom he was talking, on BASHandSlash.com's webcast, did not take the news in a completely positive light.

"The silence you hear is because we've got a community right now structured in such a way that it relied on having dedicated servers," one of BASHandSlash's moderators told Bowling.

"You're definitely reshaping the way the community has been set up," another said later.

"Definitely," Bowling acknowledged.

Here's the score: by building up its own matchmaking service riding shotgun with Steam, "you can get in and play with players your same rank," Bowling said. However, "You're completely reliant on IWNet and there is no dedicated server or server list. You rely on IW Net for matchmaking and your games, but you still have your private matches."

The level of control over those matches allows players to set a wide array of parameters and rules for the game. But community features such as clans, and the high level of customization available in hosting a modded game or custom map on one's own dedicated server, face an uncertain future, if not their end outright.

"Custom content, after the fact, keeps the game alive for us a lot longer," one of Bowling's questioners said.

"This is the first time we've ever done something like this, obviously," Bowling said, "and I know the team has huge plans for what IWNet develops into, and this is just the beginning. It's hard for me to speak personally towward IWNet, because that is a code heavy project."

Bowling reminded that this method of multiplayer delivery also allows Infinity Ward "a lot more control and structure for the PC version. From a development standpoint, it's very good on how we can access and update the PC community."

But before this is taken as the definitive end of modding and custom maps, Bowling clearly said "I don't have those answers yet," when asked further about how IWNet would affect that aspect of PC Modern Warfare play.

The entire conversation is archived here, and Bowling comes in at the 1:39:00 mark (that's one hour, 39 minutes). If this matters to you I definitely encourage listening to all of what he has to say before reacting.

But the news is not being taken well. The BASHandSlash guys referred to the vehemence in the chatlog running concurrent with the program, and terms such as "Black Saturday" and "a day of infamy" are being thrown around. "They've made Jesus cry," is another reaction, particularly from the competitive PC community whose future also is affected. "The server community is what's made us. It's what defined us," says Josh Pickler of planetmedalofhonor.com "IW.NET is getting the PC community to turn into consoles. You're trying to re-write our history."

Bowling was steadfast in telling BASHandSlash that, for the whole of the community, IWNet will be a benefit.

"It's definitely going to be a change. It's going to be a very different setup than what we're previously used to in the Call of Duty franchise for the PC," In the long term it's going to help the community. It changes the way and how we're able to update and support the PC version."

It definitely bears watching, and keep in mind the story could change as Infinity Ward releases more information on IWNet.

MW2: Our Game Has Changed Forever [BASHandSlash.com, thanks to all who tipped this]

News Source: http://kotaku.com/53...kyline=true&s=x
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Taken from the prophecy forums. iGame has a similar thread. I'm just going to quote what I said about this, below:

*Watches Activision commit business suicide*

TBH, worst decision they could have made. Not only have they increased the price, but they've basically done away with the features that everyone was waiting for. If this turns out to be legitimate, I will not be buying the game. I don't believe that matchmaking can work effectively in the South African community, or that it will support the type of clan play we (and the international community) use. And we're not even talking about lan here, either.
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What?!
So after being convinced that R500 was worth it, because of the option of Multiplayer,
what makes it worth it now?
 
I live on local bandwidth, If they go to steam..... Yoh.. Some Gamers Will go mal and there will be huge arguments.
All i Play is COD4. Cause the servers are local and accesable. Activision is going suicide to the SA community.

Baboviolent anyone?
 
X-Gamer said:
What?!
So after being convinced that R500 was worth it, because of the option of Multiplayer,
what makes it worth it now?
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Uhm. Nothing really. CoD4 SP was good, but MW2 SP campaign is supposed to be the same length as MW1, so it won't even be worth it from an SP point of view. I can honestly see this game becoming one of the most pirated ever. Very clever activision/IW, very clever.
 
matosha said:
I live on local bandwidth, If they go to steam..... Yoh.. Some Gamers Will go mal and there will be huge arguments.
All i Play is COD4. Cause the servers are local and accesable. Activision is going suicide to the SA community.

Baboviolent anyone?
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Same here also live on local only bandwidth, and this s**t about same skill level is a load of bulls**t. Take HON for instance so far had about 10 games out of 100 that where my skill level!
plus now we wont be able to pay with our friends
 
Heh, coming from a predominantly console multiplayer background, I just don't see what all this fuss is about at all.
 
Azimuth said:
Heh, coming from a predominantly console multiplayer background, I just don't see what all this fuss is about at all.
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Basically, matchmaking would appear to eliminate the ability to play clan matches. The competitive scene is based around clan matches. The only thing that has kept cod4 going is, quite frankly, the competitive scene. So without that, MW2 is frankly a waste of time.
 
GReeN_ORB said:
Basically, matchmaking would appear to eliminate the ability to play clan matches. The competitive scene is based around clan matches. The only thing that has kept cod4 going is, quite frankly, the competitive scene. So without that, MW2 is frankly a waste of time.
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CoD4 is the second or third most played game on Xbox LIVE, and it's played with matchmaking. So no. This is just PC gamers pulling the big red BUT WE'RE SPECIAL card, and pitching tantrums because publishers are consolidating their online play models.

Clans have no business playing in public matches anyway. And from this interview, it seems private matches are still an option. So what exactly is the problem here?
 
Azimuth said:
CoD4 is the second or third most played game on Xbox LIVE, and it's played with matchmaking. So no. This is just PC gamers pulling the big red BUT WE'RE SPECIAL card, and pitching tantrums because publishers are consolidating their online play models.

Clans have no business playing in public matches anyway. And from this interview, it seems private matches are still an option. So what exactly is the problem here?
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Aren't you one in the same:

Azimuth said:
The people on MyBB pirate stuff because they're a bunch of cheap arse freeloading assholes, not the sort of people who might have interesting ideas about copyrights and such (which I disagree with regardless, but at least there's some sort of intelligent thought behind it).
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Spreading your garb I take it;)
 
@ ZenbaaS: I'm not sure I see the relevance of that comment in the context of this discussion. Or are you just trying to make me look like an asshole?

Incidentally, I stand by that comment 100%.
 
will have to see what happens with mods, but not having promod will kill the cod community, I bought cod waw, and I'm not gonna be apart of a tiny dying community again, no mods - no buy.
 
Azimuth said:
@ ZenbaaS: I'm not sure I see the relevance of that comment in the context of this discussion. Or are you just trying to make me look like an asshole?

Incidentally, I stand by that comment 100%.
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You seem to be more than capable of that all by yourself:) It was your words after all.

And I just posted that as I feel your "comment" in this thread was sparked by the earlier posts relating to the fact that the game may be heavily pirated...hence the quote;)
 
ZenbaaS said:
And I just posted that as I feel your "comment" in this thread was sparked by the earlier posts relating to the fact that the game may be heavily pirated...hence the quote;)
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Except that I don't think this has much to do with piracy at all. So how about not putting words or opinions in my mouth, thanks.
 
Azimuth said:
Except that I don't think this has much to do with piracy at all. So how about not putting words or opinions in my mouth, thanks.
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As I said before, they're all YOUR words that you put in your OWN mouth:)

Hence if posted MY feeling and opinion on the matter. Im not putting anything in your mouth:o
 
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