Call of Duty - MW3

Banned for boosting - Bancandy

2012-02-27T05:21:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't already know, an IW developer called Bancandy has spent the last few weeks reviewing player-submitted footage of boosters in MW3. After reviewing submitted videos, Bandcandy takes action and bans those involved. They guilty are also given a stat reset. Sometimes, the stat reset involves being given 0 kills and 1000 deaths. After being banned, boosters will often find that their in-game emblem has been reset to the Infinity Ward logo, which basically adds insult to injury. In the video below; one such booster received a ban after video footage of him boosting was submitted to Bancandy:

If you wish to report boosters on MW3, be sure to record Theater footage of them in the act and send it to Bancandy on the Call of Duty forums.

Clan Ops go live tomorrow

2012-02-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

It seems as if Clan Operations will be going live tomorrow on COD Elite. According to the Call of Duty Elite Twitter page, the community's most anticipated feature will be available from tomorrow onward. In case you didn't already know - a number of technical issues with the website resulted in Clan Ops being held back for a couple of months. Apparently, the developers had to fix a number of underlying problems before the feature could be launched.

Speaking on Twitter, the COD Elite team said:

New ELITE functionality is almost here. Tomorrow, your most anticipated feature goes fully operational. Stay tuned.

It is pretty clear what this anticipated feature is.

Overwatch gameplay

2012-02-18T02:29:00.001-08:00

Here is a teaser of some gameplay on the new MW3 map: Overwatch. It kind of looks like a cross between Hardhat and Highrise from MW2. Overwatch will be released this month as a map pack for XBox Live Elite subscribers.

Will Gun Game be made public on MW3?

2012-02-13T08:19:00.000-08:00

In case you didn't already know, Gun Game was a popular game mode in Black Ops. Players started off on a weapon and had to progress through 20 different weapons in order to win the game. To progress past a weapon, you needed to kill somebody with it.

Anyway, since release; Gun Game has existed in MW3 as a private game mode. However, so did Drop Zone and Infected; and since then - both of those game types have made their way onto the Community playlist (which allows them to be played via public matchmaking). On Twitter, Robert Bowling said that adding Gun Game to the community playlist was a future option that they would be looking at. He also said that they added Drop Zone and Infection to the Community playlist based on the number of people that played them in private games. Unfortunately, that put Gun Game at a major disadvantage. Of course gamers were going to play Infected and Drop Zone because of how new and novel they were, whereas Gun Game had been out for an entire year.

Hopefully, Gun Game will be made public in MW3 in the next update.

Claymore glitch - Infected - Friendly fire

2012-02-11T09:21:00.000-08:00

Over the past day or so, videos have begun to surface on Youtube showing players on Infected killing their own team mates with claymores. Obviously, this is a glitch that will probably be patched as soon as it becomes a more common "trolling device".

Basically, if you set down a claymore and shoot it while it's facing towards you, the blast will kill you and any team mates that are located behind you. This only seems to work if the blast kills you as well. There have been instances where players have been able to wipe out five or six of their own team mates in one blast. I'm not sure if this glitch is present on other game modes. However, in Infected, team mates often huddle up together in small corners, which means that the possibility of trolling people with this glitch is endless.

My guess is that this will be patched pretty quickly once IW get wind of it becoming a major problem. Until then, be wary of your own teammates ;)

In case you didn't already know, Infected is a new game made that was added to the community playlist last week. It's crazy and hectic, to say the least:

New prestige levels coming to XBox / PS3

2012-02-11T03:16:00.000-08:00

The PC community was shocked yesterday when they realized that a number of new prestige levels had been added to MW3. For the moment, four hundred new ranks and five new prestige levels have been added to the game on PC.

Speaking on Twitter, the Infinity Ward community manager Robert Bowling announced that it was indeed official and that the new prestige levels would also be added to the XBox 360 and the PS3 in the upcoming future. Bowling Tweeted:

Added 400 new ranks of 5 new Prestige levels in Modern Warfare 3 on PC in latest patch. Expect the same on consoles soon for everyone! #MW3

While have some have welcomed the new levels, others have complained about the fact that they will have to continue to grind their way through five more prestiges in order to reach the top prestige level. The new icons for these can be seen below:

Many believe that these were added because of the fact that clan operations have not been implemented yet via COD Elite. Apparently, these clan operations rely on the fact that you are leveling up in rank.

MOAB Fail

2012-02-10T05:36:00.000-08:00

If you die in infected, you will lose your MOAB.

New Infected updates

2012-02-08T10:00:00.000-08:00

A number of changes have been made to the Infection game mode (which can be found under the Community Playlist).

The throwing knife is back. My guess is that it was too difficult for infected players to get at survivors hiding on top of glitch areas. Approaching the balcony on Dome without a throwing knife was extremely frustrating to say the least, especially if the guys on top of it were rocking the PP90m1.
The RSASS sniper rifle is a new addition to the playlist. With this sniper rifle, you also get akimbo secondary handguns.
The 50. Cal sniper rifle is also on the playlist. Unfortunately, you don't get a secondary weapon with it, so surviving can be difficult on close-quarters maps such as Hardhat.
The AA-12 shotgun is now on the Infected playlist. Problem is; you don't get extended mags and your ammo is extremely low to start off with (16 shells overall w/ 8 per clip). You'll quickly run out of ammo if you're charged my multiple infected players. The only consolation is the fact that you get the Specialist Strike package with it. This means that you'll earn perks as you get more kills.
The Striker class now comes equipped with the Specialist Package. To make things even better, you start off with Hardline as a perk, so earning the first perk on your package (Sleight of Hand) only takes one kill. This is one of the better classes.
The PP90m1 also comes equipped with the Specialist Package on Infected. This makes both the Striker and the PP90m1 classes extremely powerful. Both classes also have extended mags on by default.
A number of glitches have been patched. If you get into these areas, the game will automatically kill you.

Infected glitch spots patched

2012-02-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

A few days ago, Infected was added to the Community playlist and Dropzone was taken out. Since then, Infected has been a pretty popular game mode. Unfortunately, there were a few things were pretty annoying about Infected:

A lot of players spent the game trying to get up onto glitch areas in the map. This was annoying because if you were infected, there was no way you'd be able get at them unless you had a throwing knife. If a player standing on top of a glitch area had a striker or dual magnums, it would be close to impossible to get close enough in order to knife them.
Games ended after three minutes. At the beginning, the timer didn't really matter. However, as player's strategies evolved and players figured out ways to prolong their survival, this short time span became a problem.
You were only given two choice of loudouts. A striker or dual magnums. This became boring after a while.

Today, on Twitter, IW's community manager Robert Bowling announced that a lot of these issues had been dealt with and hotfixed (no need to download an update).

Firstly; a number of the glitches have been fixed. Now, if a player enters any of the areas listed below, they will be insta-killed by the game:

The ledge in Lockdown overlooking domination flag B. This window ledge is located in the corridor of the main building.
The lamp post in Fallen, which is at the back of the map. Players could jump from the railings over onto the top of the lamp post.
Bakaara helicopter rotor (bottom side). This is situated in the middle of the map.
Resistance telephone box / railing jump. This is at the end of the long alley by domination flag B.
The boxes in Hardhat. Players used to jump up onto these.

There are still a lot of glitch areas to be fixed. For example, the metal shed on Mission is still frequently used by almost everyone. You can still jump on top of the van in Resistance.

Fourzerotwo also mentioned that they had added the RSASS and the PP90M1 as weapons. They've taken out the dual magnums because I'm guessing that they were considered too weak (it would impossible to survive the infected for 10 minutes with those).

Another thing they've done is taken out the throwing knife. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Yes, it was difficult to survive the infected when they were launching hundreds of throwing knives at you. However, throwing knives are the only real counter to people using glitch areas in Infected.

Here are some of the crazy things you'll see on infected:

Robert Bowling is literally Hitler

2012-02-05T07:17:00.000-08:00

Robert Bowling, the community manager over at Infinity Ward (the guys who made MW3) - is literally Hitler.

Here are some real photos of him with Osama bin Laden and Kim Jong-il.

He even burned down an orphanage.

Check out Bowling is Literally Hitler

Funny MW3 clips

2012-02-03T10:47:00.001-08:00

Funny clips from MW3:

Dead Man's Hand Glitch

2012-01-28T02:56:00.000-08:00

Once again, we're faced with an annoying glitch that could ruin the game for others. As if Dead Man's Hand wasn't already bad enough, it seems as if somebody has figured out a way to throw the C4 while they're lying on their back.

Once the C4 is thrown, a frag grenade indicator shows up on the screen and points towards the C4 in question. Obviously; this is a bug in the game that needs some attention from Infinity Ward.

Basically, it works like this:

If you're holding the "throw" button WHILE you receive damage and fall into Dead Man's Hand, whatever you were about to throw becomes a piece of C4 that can be tossed at the enemy. As you probably already know, the blast radius on Dead Man's Hand is pretty large, so this glitch might make it even more difficult to get away from the guys using it as a death streak.

This needs to be fixed asap, lest it happens to me in-game and I end up throwing my console out a window.

Press the tweet button below to tweet this and add @fourzerotwo. Hopefully, this can be fixed via a hot-fix.

Boosters on MW3

2012-01-24T14:40:00.000-08:00

Here is some booster justice from MW3.

Striker nerfed - other shotguns buffed

2012-01-24T13:49:00.000-08:00

According to Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling, the Striker in MW3 has been nerfed (at least by a little), whereas all of the other shotguns have been buffed because of the general consensus that they were a little bit too weak in the past.

Fourzerotwo broke news of the Striker nerf on Twitter:

Updated #MW3 today; you'll notice improved lag comp, theater fixes, nerf to Striker, buff to all other shotguns, upload to YouTube faster.

Another thing that will be welcomed by COD fans is the fact that they have applied some fixes to Theater Mode in MW3. Theater Mode had a number of annoying glitches and bugs that made it frustrating to review and edit gameplay.

Since the latest update, it seems as if the USAS 12 and the KSG 12 shotguns now have 9 pellets per shot instead of 6.

When do PS3 players get the MW3 DLC?

2012-01-24T03:24:00.000-08:00

Because of Activision's ongoing deal with Microsoft (the company that owns the XBox 360), PS3 / PC players will not get access to the latest piece of DLC until March 2012.

However, PS3 players who have paid for a premium subscription to Call of Duty Elite will get the map pack before XBox players who haven't paid for Elite.

Here's a basic gist of who gets the DLC and in what order:

* XBox 360 players with Elite subscription will get the map pack first.
* PS3 players with Elite subscription will get the map pack second.
* Regular XBox 360 players will get the map pack third.
* Regular PS3 / PC players that have not paid for Elite will get the map pack last.

My guess is that this is how the pecking order in regards to map packs will work from now on.

Liberation Gameplay

2012-01-24T02:44:00.000-08:00

Liberation is one of two multiplayer maps found in the first piece of DLC for Modern Warfare 3. This map is based on central park in Manhattan and supposedly, it boasts some wide open areas.

Here is some gameplay / a walkthrough of the map Liberation. A walkthrough is much more informative because it gives you a full view of the map, whereas actual gameplay might not let you see how the map is laid out.

Piazza Gameplay

2012-01-24T02:38:00.000-08:00

The first piece of DLC for MW3 has been released today, with Piazza and Liberation being the two downloadable multiplayer maps.

Here is some actual gameplay / walkthrough of the map Piazza, which is based on an Italian coastal village. Walkthroughs like this are much more informative than regular gameplay as they show you the entirety of the map (as opposed to what you'll see via some dude camping in a corner).

Lag compensation in MW3

2012-01-22T17:05:00.000-08:00

Ever since the term "lag compensation" became a hot topic within the Call of Duty community, I've noticed that a lot of people have been throwing the phrase around on Youtube, Twitter and other various gaming forums on the Internet where angry Call of Duty players like to congregate and grab one another by the throat. What frustrates me is the fact that most of the people that I've witnessed using the term "lag compensation" have made it perfectly clear that they don't actually understand what the hell it is.

I've often heard people making stupid statements such as "Lag compensation should be removed from MW3!" and "Lag compensation is only there to help out people with crappy connections!" I'll be honest - those people are idiots. Not because they said something that was incorrect or outlandish, but because they haven't taken the time to educate themselves about the thing that they're complaining about.

So let's clear a few things up:

Lag compensation is NOT a new feature. It has been present in MW3, Black Ops, MW2, World at War and even Call of Duty 4.
Taking lag compensation out of a P2P game (host to host) would make it unbearable to play.
Lag compensation is a vital part of modern multiplayer games. It exists in many other games; not just Call of Duty.

Without lag compensation, you would never be able to play in a lobby with a high ping; and if you did, it certainly would not be enjoyable. As the name suggests, lag compensation compensates for lag / high latency. Hell, even under perfect/low ping latency conditions, playing without lag compensation can be a frustrating experience. Why? Because lag compensation attempts to figure out where the enemy was when you pressed the trigger button on your controller. When you fire your weapon, data is sent from your XBox/PS3 to the host. By the time the host machine receives your data and knows that you have fired your weapon in a specific direction, the enemy that you were shooting at will probably be a few steps ahead. Basically, you will have missed your shot even though you were aiming at him when you pressed the button on your controller. In games that have no lag compensation, players are actually forced to fire a few steps ahead of where the enemy is headed. Now imagine that for a second. You see that a foe is sprinting in a certain direction and in order to take him down, you must aim at the spot that you "think" he might be headed.

That would make the game pointless and unbearable to play.

So please; don't complain about lag compensation as if it's some sort of new feature that is there to help those with bad connections. It's also there to help YOU shoot people with bad connections. It is a vital part of P2P multiplayer games and taking it out of the game completely would be catastrophic. If there are problems with lag in MW3, don't blame lag compensation. Blame how MW3's lag compensation is tuned.

How do I enlist in Clan Operations?

2012-01-22T04:36:00.000-08:00

Well, you can't. Not just yet anyway. The COD forums have been thronged with anxious Elite members asking about when Clan Operations will be available to players.

To make matters worse, it is not yet clear when exactly clan operations (and double xp for your clan) will come into effect, as IW, Activision and Beachhead Studios have yet to pinpoint an exact date for their availability.

According to the development team behind Call of Duty Elite, they had to push out a new version of the Elite system this month (January) in order to fix a number of bugs and issues with the website. Unfortunately, this new build did not include Clan Operations. Instead, the feature will be released sometime AFTER January 2012. Obviously, this vague release date has frustrated a lot of COD players, as they were expecting this system to be 100% when MW3 was released back in November.

Speaking about the clan operations feature, a Beachhead Studios developer painted the picture of an extremely complex system that needed to be tested and ready for "the real world" before it could be pushed out.

Prestige Token Glitch - Still not patched

2012-01-20T16:50:00.000-08:00

The notorious Prestige Token Glitch has still not been patched. This is because the glitch cannot be patched via a hotfix. Instead, the fix requires some changes to MW3's code, which means that we'll have to await the next downloadable patch before the issue has been resolved.

In case you didn't already know, this particular glitch gave players the ability to generate unlimited amounts of prestige tokens, which they could use to unlock classes and weapons that aren't available to people at their level.

No, I do not have a tutorial on how to do the Prestige Token Glitch. If I did, I probably wouldn't post it anyway. Why? Because you're likely to face a stat reset or a ban if you're found using it. And yea, I know what some of you are thinking: "But a stat reset would be great! I'd like to start over again with a clean slate!" Wrong! Those who have been reset have also had their deaths set to -1000. This means that if you get caught using the Prestige Token glitch, you're likely to end up with a horrendous KDR. Worse - you could end up with a stat reset AND a 48-hour ban. Either way, it's just not worth it. Just play the damn game.

MK14 Damage Glitch has been patched

2012-01-20T16:41:00.000-08:00

Another day, another glitch patched...

Over the past few weeks, news of a glitch for the MK14 Assault Rifle has been flooding Youtube, Twitter and gaming forums around the Internet. Basically, the glitch in question allows you to use the Damage proficiency on the MK14, which turns the assault rifle into a one shot weapon.

No, I do not how this glitch worked and even if I did, I wouldn't post a tutorial on a blog that sees a lot of MW3-related traffic, lest I add to the problem and increase my chances of ending up in a lobby with a bunch of MK14-glitching douchebags.

Anyway; apparently, this glitch has been recently patched via a hotfix (i.e. it doesn't require you to download a XBOX Live / PSN / Steam update).

On Twitter, IW's community manager Robert Bowling made it clear than anyone that had used the glitch in the past may face the possibility of being banned. Bowling made a similar threat in the past when people used a Prestige Token glitch to give themselves unlimited Prestige Tokens. To be fair to him - he actually followed up on his words by resetting people's stats. Not only did he reset people's stats, but he also added -1000 deaths to their KDR, just to add insult to injury.

Dome is MW3's most popular map.

2012-01-20T16:25:00.000-08:00

According to FourZeroTwo, Dome is the most played / voted for multiplayer map on Modern Warfare 3.

After a random Twitter user told Bowling that Dome was the worst map in the entire game, the IW community manager replied with:

@BabyWhypes WHA?! Statistically speaking, DOME is the most played and most voted for map in #MW3. I personally prefer bigger maps.

Booster Justice - MW3

2012-01-10T15:40:00.000-08:00

Boosters are cheaters that basically ruin the game for other players. Click here to watch Booster Busting MW3. Watching boosters receive justice is always fun.

Boosters team up with one another in FFA and trade headshots with one another. They use tactical insertions to hide and remain in one secluded spot on the map. While they aren't as common as they were in MW2, they are still an occurrence in MW3.

Booster Busting MW3

Liberation and Piazza apart of MW3 DLC - January 24th Map Pack

2012-01-10T12:57:00.000-08:00

On the 24th of January, XBox Live COD Elite subscribers will get access to the first piece of DLC for MW3. Two of the maps have been named as:

Piazza:
Piazza takes place on the coast of Italy. Piazza is described as being a chaotic vertical route map. This map has been designed to appease those who like close-quarters run-and-gun combat.

Liberation:
Liberation is a map situated in Manhattan, New York. Described as having fountains and castles, Liberation will supposedly have a lot of sight lines for snipers, which means that SMG and Assault Rifle users may have to adjust their play. It also boasts a rail gun (like the ones seen in Wasteland on MW2).

Is the next Call of Duty game called Iron Wolf?

2012-01-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

It is rumored that the next COD game will be called Iron Wolf. Will this be the case?

Check out the article about it:

Will Iron Wolf be the name of the next Call of Duty game?

There's a screenshot in there as well.

Unreleased maps found in MW3 game files.

2012-01-03T08:09:00.000-08:00

A Reddit user by the username of Furyhunter discovered unreleased maps in the MW3 game files this week.

The under-developed multiplayer map, named mp_coast was last touched by IW in February 2011. As you can, it wasn't exactly finished.

More interesting things were also found in the game files. Here is what looks to be the original design of Arkaden. Judging from this shot, it looks as if Arkaden was redesigned somewhere along the line:

Loading screens from both mp_strike and mp_crossfire also found in the game files. Does this mean that we should expect to see Strike and Crossfire from COD 4 in some future MW3 map packs?

The loading screen from a multiplayer map called mp_warlord was also found. The loading screen was simply a real-life picture of a busy street in Africa.

A file called Meteora was also found. A screenshot can be seen below:

In case you didn't know, Meteora was leaked as the name of a MW3 map back. Supposedly, it was cut from the game.

A picture of Price was also found in the game files, as were a number of pictures of MW2 guns such as the Intervention and the TAR-21.

What looks to be a texture map of Makarov's face was also found:

What looks to be a bump map from a MW3 character was also found:

MW3 - First Map Pack DLC details

2012-01-03T07:52:00.000-08:00

On the 24th of January, 2012, the first piece of DLC for Modern Warfare 3 will be released. At first, it will only be available to XBox Live Call of Duty Elite subscribers (those who paid for the Call of Duty Elite subscription - i.e. premium members). Call of Duty map packs are always released on the XBox 360 before other platforms such as the PS3 and PC because Microsoft and Activision have an ongoing-deal.

The DLC will contain:

New multiplayer maps.
New multiplater game modes (this is something new that we haven't seen in previous Call of Duty DLC).
New Spec Op missions.

According to Robert Bowling at Infinity Ward, the team are looking to deliver more value with their DLCs by adding new multiplayer game modes and Spec Op missions, instead of just the regular addition of new maps.

Below is a screenshot of one of the new multiplayer maps that will feature in the new MW3 DLC. The map below has been simply referred to as "Park".

In case you didn't know, "Park" was included as the name of a new map in a supposed leak of the new DLC. Other map names included in that leak were Cement, Italy, Morningwood and Overwatch. Overwatch was the name of a Spec Ops mission in Modern Warfare 2.

I don't know about you, but I personally want to see Terminal be included in some MW3 DLC!

Next MW3 patch / update

2011-12-06T03:03:00.000-08:00

New updates and patches are on the way, according to Infinity Ward.

The next update will make a better attempt to fix/address multiplayer lag. The melee jump, which is a glitch that allows the player to hurl themselves into the air will also be fixed. This jump allowed them to jump outside maps. They will also be removing buttons from clan tags on the XBox 360. At the moment, if a player enters particular codes into their clantag, images of XBox 360 buttons will appear. This update will also attempt to improve the logic of host migration. Maybe the host migration system has been choosing bad hosts? The issue of stats loss is the final thing to be addressed in the next patch / update. At the moment, if a player dashboards, he or she runs the risk of losing all of his/her stats. This was obviously not intended.

After the next update, a few hot fixes will be made/discussed:

- The Dual / Akimbo FMGs will be re-balanced. i.e nerfed.

- The Type 95 will also be re-balanced / nerfed.

- The underbarrel glitch on the CM-901 will be fixed. In case you didn't know, putting a shotgun or a grenade launcher on the CM-901 as your only attachment raised the rate of fire of the gun. That's a bad thing because the CM-901 is pretty powerful in terms of damage.

- The hitmarker sound on the PS3 will also be fixed.

They are also discussing future updates at the moment.

- The spawn system is being discussed. Many users have complained about the spawns in MW3.
- Lag compensation / Host advantage issues will be tweaked even further. They will also be making changes to the system so that they can hotfix these issues in the future and not have to rely on updates / patches.

MW3 patch / update notes - change log

2011-12-06T02:47:00.000-08:00

A number of patches and hotfixes have been released by Infinity Ward since MW3 was released. Yesterday, they provided details of what these updates did.

Update 1:
This enabled Theater Mode, your Clip Vault and special private match options. This update also setup Facebook and Elite integration for launch day.

Update 2:
They fixed an issue where Theater Mode clips uploaded from Standard Definition TVs were out of proportion or skewed. An update to improve matchmaking was also released.

Update 3:
Theater Mode improvements were made. Most notably, the fixed an issue with Fast Forward and Rewind in Theater Mode.

Update 4:
A number of changes were made to address lag and gameplay hitching.

Update 5:
More changes were made to address multiplayer lag. Note that more updates are expected regarding lag.

A number of hotfixes were also made. In case you didn't know, a hotfix is a change that doesn't require the player to download a patch or an update. These hotfixes were:

The No Recoil glitch. This glitch allowed the player to have zero recoil on his/her weapon.

A glitch on the PC version which allowed players to have infinite Stealth Bombers was also fixed.

Map exploits were fixed. For instance, you could get inside the truck on Outpost. The hotfix also stopped a number of exploits that allowed the player to get outside maps.

Slow-mo and super fast lobbies were patched. As far as I know, these were an issue on the XBox. Basically, in slow-mo lobbies, the game played as if you were in zero gravity.

Funny MW3 clip

2011-11-20T13:12:00.000-08:00

A care package chopper saves the enemy team from a Javelin multikill.

The only thing I miss about Black Ops

2011-11-10T12:22:00.000-08:00

... is knifing people in public gun game matches and listening to their reactions. Here is WayneWexford doing some trolling in gun game by knifing people and recording their rage.

Here's a full playlist of knifing in gun game videos.

Will MW3 have boosters?

2011-11-06T06:26:00.000-08:00

According to reports from those who got the game early, the Tactical Insertion can be used in FFA in MW3. However, the Tac Insertion cannot be unlocked until Level 63. One thing's for sure: If MW3 has boosters, at least booster hunting will be a COD sport again.

MW3 countdown clock

2011-11-04T05:51:00.000-07:00

A countdown clock for the release of Modern Warfare 3 on the 8th of November, 2011.

Excited yet?

Your prestige levels from previous games will show on your MW3 callsign

2011-11-04T03:22:00.000-07:00

Your prestige levels from COD 4, World At War, MW2 and Black Ops will appear on your MW3 callsign.

Leaked MW3 video - main menu

2011-11-02T05:01:00.001-07:00

A legitimate video of the MW3 menus. Lucky guy managed to get his hands on MW3 5 days early. Seemingly; they're blocking people from the multiplayer until release date.

Less than 7 days until MW3 is released.

2011-11-01T03:02:00.000-07:00

After a long summer and autumn of waiting for Modern Warfare 3, we are less than a week away from getting our hands on the game. Will you be lining up at midnight for the release? Will you wait until the next day? Will you be waiting until Christmas?

Early copy of MW3 leaked

2011-10-28T01:51:00.000-07:00

Apparently, people manage to get copies of MW3 early by getting them from small "mom and pop" stores. Yesterday, pictures of an early copy of MW3 on PS3 flooded the Internet.

Below is a picture of the MW3 case with the disc inside:

Below is the main menu for Modern Warfare 3:

Below is a picture of the splash screen:

MW3 Weapon Camos

2011-10-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

A full list of the Weapon Camos in MW3 has finally been released.

From the camouflage list above:

NONE (no camo)
CLASSIC
SNOW
MULTICAM
DIGITAL URBAN
HEX
CHOCO
SNAKE
BLUE
RED
AUTUMN (like Fall in MW2?)
GOLD

Assassin users can be tagged by those using the Recon Perk

2011-10-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

After the MW3 Perks were announced, many people felt uneasy at the prospect of Assassin becoming the new Ghost perk.

In case you didn't already know, the Assassin perk is a Slot Two perk, which does the following:

Regular: Immune to UAVs, Heartbeat sensors, Portable Radar and Thermal.
Pro Version: Immune to the Counter UAV and the EMP

As you can see, Infinity Ward have basically split up the Cold Blooded class. Assassin will not save you from killstreaks like Cold Blooded/Ghost did in the past.

To help balance out the game a bit more, the Recon perk will allow players to "tag" Assassin users so that they appear on the minimap. The Recon perk works like so:

Regular: When you cause damage to an enemy player with explosives, that player will be highlighted on the minimap.
Pro Version: When you cause damage to an enemy player by shooting them, that player will appear on the minimap so that your team mates can see them too.

Recon is a First-Tier perk.

MW3 Juggernaut Killstreak Gameplay

2011-09-03T10:56:00.000-07:00

Here is some gameplay footage of the Juggernaut Killstreak in action. The Juggernaut suit will be a 18 killstreak in MW3. For more information, please see our page on MW3 killstreaks.

Sniper Rifles in MW3

2011-09-03T08:31:00.000-07:00

Thankfully, the COD XP event led to the discolsure of lots of information regarding MW3. In terms of sniper rifles, we learned that quickscoping has returned. We also got to see what sniper rifles players can choose in MW3. Here is a screenshot of the Modern Warfare 3 weapons menu, which shows the sniper tier:

Above, you can see that the sniper rifles are as follows:

Barrett .50 Cal
L118A
Dragunov
AS50
RSASS
MSR

Apparently, sniper rifles in MW3 will not have a random sway like they did in Call of Duty: Black Ops.

MW3 Multiplayer Gameplay

2011-09-03T04:35:00.000-07:00

This is one of the first videos that actually showed MW3 multiplayer gameplay. It's a game of Domination on the map Resistance.

The next piece of MW3 gameplay is a game of Search and Destroy on a map called Arkade. The player is using the AS50 sniper rifle and the Spas-12.

This video is a game of Team Deathmatch on Underground. The player is using the Barett 50 cal sniper rifle.

The next bit of MW3 gameplay shows a game of Killed Confirmed on the map Village. The player is using an AS50 sniper rifle with the ACOG. He can also be seen using the Spas-12. In case you didn't already know, Shotguns will be primary weapons in Modern Warfare 3.

The next game shows Seananners playing CTF (Capture the Flag) on MW3. You get to see him using the UMP.

This video shows Hutch quickscoping on MW3. He's playing on the map Resistance.

MW3 multiplayer teaser trailer details

2011-09-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

The MW3 multiplayer teaser was leaked before the official video was uploaded. Here are a number of notable scenes.

The above screenshot shows a number of interesting things:

A new game mode called Kill Confirm3d (kill confirmed) will feature in Modern Warfare 3.
The M4 is a primary weapon in MW3.
A new feature called "Proficiency" has been introduced. We're still not sure what a "Proficiency" is. However, in this case, the player has "Kick" equipped as a Proficiency.
You can choose two pieces of equipment in MW3. In this case, the player has equipped both the Flash bang and the Frag grenade.
The grenade launcher or "noobtube" is equipped as a Secondary weapon. Will this mean that Primary Weapons won't have grenade launchers as attachments?

Here, we're shown what perks and killstreaks the player has equipped. In this case:

The player has chosen a Strike Package called "Assault".
The UAV is returning in MW3 - it's chosen as a 3 killstreak.
A new killstreak called the AH-6 Overwatch is chosen as a 9 killstreak.
Juggernaut is a 15-kill killstreak.
For his first perk, the player has chosen Recon.
For his second perk, the player has chosen Quickdraw, which will work like Sleight of Hand Pro.
For his third perk, the player has chosen Stalker.
We can also see that there is some integration with COD Elite. This means that the clans you setup in COD Elite will be shown in the game.
To get an overview of the perks and what they do, visit our MW3 perks page.

In the screenshot, we can see that Capture the Flag will be returning in MW3. He's using the M4 Assault Rifle as a primary weapon and the FMG9 as a secondary weapon. To view more information about these weapons, please visit our page on MW3 Weapons. This time, the player has "Focus" chosen as a Proficiency (Profici3ncy). We're still unsure as to what Proficiency's actually are. He has chosen the Bouncing Betty and an EMP Grenade as pieces of equipment. An EMP Grenade is an interesting concept to say the least. Will it disable all electronics and equipment within a certain blast radius?

If you look at the screenshot above, you'll notice that the player has chosen Support as a Strike Package. His killstreaks are Airdrop Trap, the Remote Turret and the EMP. The EMP will be an 11 killstreak in MW3. The Remote Turret seems be a moving robot that was shown in one of the scenes. The Airdrop Trap will probably act like a Hacked Care Package in Black Ops. His Perks as Extreme Conditioning, Assassin and Sitrep. To view details about the perks, please view our page on MW3 perks.

From the shot above, we can see that the Claymore and Portable Radar are pieces of equipment. The XM25 is chosen as a Secondary Weapon. The ACR is chosen as a Primary Weapon. He has chosen Focus as a Proficiency.

A new killstreak called the Ballistic Vest is chosen as a 5 kill streak. A Recon Drone is a 10 killstreak. The Strealth Bomber is a 14 killstreak. He has chosen Recon, Blast Shield and Dead Silence as perks.

A Proficiency called "Attachments 2" is chosen. The ACR is chosen as an Assault Rifle. It has two attachments - The Hybrid Scope and a Heartbeat Sensor. We can see that the Dragunov is chosen as a Secondary Weapon because he has Overkill selected as a perk. It has a Variable Zoom scope attached. This means that the Dragunov sniper rifle will be returning in MW3. He has the throwing knife chosen as a piece of equipment. It's also interesting to see a new piece of equipment called a "Trophy System". This looks to be the piece of equipment that we saw repel RPG rockets. Maybe, it's a portable EMP?

As you can see, he has Blind Eye Pro, Overkill Pro and Sitrep Pro chosen as Perks. He has chosen "Specialist" as a Strike Package. His Strike Chain is "Scavenger Pro", "Steady Aim Pro" and "Marksman Pro". This means that in MW3, you will be able to earn perks as killstreaks.

MW3 Maps Leaked

2011-08-29T03:58:00.000-07:00

When screenshots of the MW3 multiplayer menu were leaked, a screenshot of the MW3 multiplayer maps was also leaked.

As you can see, the maps in MW3 will be:

Carbon
Coast
Dome
Exchange
Hardhat
Interchange
Lambeth
Meteora
Mogadishu
Paris
Plaza
Radar
Seatown

MW3 menu leaked

2011-08-29T03:45:00.000-07:00

As you probably already know, those who attend COD XP will get to play the MW3 multiplayer. One of the latest leaks shows what looks to be the MW3 multiplayer menu:

As you can see from the screenshot of the MW3 menu/GUI above, the options are:

Find A Game
Closed Match (I'm guessing that Closed Match is the new name for Private Match)
Class Editor
Playercard
Elite Service
Barracks

MW3 Perks supposedly leaked

2011-08-18T13:24:00.000-07:00

After a number of Youtube channels posted MW3 perk list information, their videos were immediately taken down after Activision filed a DMCA (take-down) notice against them. Fortunately for everyone who wants to see what perks will be in the Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer, by the time the videos were taken down, the perk list had already been posted on several websites. To see the supposed perk list for MW3, see our MW3 perks page.

All Youtube channels are advised not to upload this information.

MW3 will have dedicated servers

2011-08-17T04:06:00.000-07:00

Today at Gamescom, which is the largest trade fair for interactive games, Activision announced that Modern Warfare 3 will have dedicated servers. This comes as great news to PC players, who felt jilted when it was announced that MW2 would use IWNet instead of dedicated servers. Activision, the publishing company behind the Call of Duty series, wanted to show that they are still serious about the PC platform.

The Dolphin Dive will not be returning in MW3

2011-08-14T10:25:00.000-07:00

Treyarch introduced the Dolphin Dive in Call of Duty Black Ops. The dolphin dive basically allowed players to dive into a prone position. Some gamers liked the new feature - however, those who liked to dropshot found that it to be annoying as they could no longer dropshot while sprinting.

FourZeroTwo announced on Twitter that the dolphin dive would not be returning in Modern Warfare 3:

@Mikey4800 There's no dive to prone in #MW3 but I can't talk about MP specifics yet, but there are new modes.

COD Points / Currency will not be featured in MW3

2011-08-12T09:38:00.000-07:00

It looks as if MW3 won't have the COD Currency system that was first introduced in Black Ops. Speaking on Twitter, FourZeroTwo said:

@TTG_Skooshbag No sir, the MW3 multiplayer has a completely unique unlock and rank system. No currency in multiplayer. #MW3

This means that weapons, attachments and equipment will all be unlocked by the player leveling up. Many Call of Duty players had complained that the currency system in Black Ops made the game boring, as unlocking certain attachments became too easy.

MW3 Multiplayer Teaser details

2011-08-11T05:23:00.000-07:00

To the delight of Call of Duty fans everywhere, Infinity Ward treated everyone to a small multiplayer teaser, which was shown at the end of the Spec Ops Trailer that they released on Tuesday.

Here is a screenshot of the multiplayer teaser scene.

A few things that immediately sprung to mind:

The mini map has a colored 3D effect. It looks a lot more detailed than the mini maps we've seen in previous Call of Duty releases.

We're shown the perspective of somebody that is holding an ACR Assault Rifle. He then switches to an FMG Machine Pistol. Could this mean that machine pistols will be returning as secondary weapons in MW3? In case you didn't realize, the two guns shown in the multiplayer teaser were also featured in the Kotaku leak. You can view screenshots of known MW3 weapons over on our weapons page.

Some sort of device is tripped (a bouncing betty?). The device then launches a bomb into the air, before it explodes, killing FourZeroTwo. Will the bouncing betty be featured as a piece of equipment in MW3?

If you look in the bottom right corner, you'll see what looks to be a Predator Missile. Basically, it looks as if the Predator Missile will be returning in MW3. Another more important thing that was spotted was what looks to be the ability to cycle through your killstreaks. A small select graphic appears over the latest killstreak / scorestreak that was earned.

After the bouncing betty earns our guy the kill, we're told that a killstreak / scorestreak called Juggernaut is ready for delivery. Firstly; does this mean that killstreaks will now be known as scorestreaks? For instance, if I cap two flags in Domination without dying, will I be awarded with a UAV? Secondly; what is the Juggernaut killstreak? Will a Juggernaut suit be delivered so that we can take extra damage? Or will an AI-controlled Juggernaut (like the one's seen in the Spec Ops trailer) be air lifted to the map so that he can fight on our behalf?

MW3 Spec Ops Trailer

2011-08-11T05:02:00.000-07:00

Eager Call of Duty fans finally got a glimpse of what to expect come November, when Infinity Ward released their Spec Ops Survival trailer on Tuesday. Fans were also treated to a MW3 multiplayer teaser at the very end of the trailer.

MW3 Spec Ops gameplay footage - Remington ACR

2011-07-06T13:50:00.000-07:00

Robert Bowling, the Creative Strategist for Infinity Ward, decided to treat his Twitter followers today by posting a picture of MW3 Spec Ops. When asked what the gun shown in the picture was, Bowling replied that it was the Remington ACR. In case you didn't already know, the Remington ACR was featured in the MW3 gun leak a while back.

As you can see, the ACR is visible in the screenshot above. According to Bowling, the guy with the yellow helmet is a Juggernaut. A Juggernaut will be a Spec Ops enemy that will require more damage to kill.

Players will get to play the MW3 multiplayer at COD XP

2011-07-02T09:28:00.000-07:00

Call of Duty XP is a COD convention that will be held in Los Angeles in September. Described as "One Epic Event", those who attend the convention will be given the chance to play paintball in a real-life remake of MW2's Scrapyard multiplayer map. The convention will also allow players to run the pit, which was an introductory mission in MW2's single player campaign. Speaking on Twitter, FourZeroTwo said that those who attend COD XP will get a chance to play the Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer for the first time.

CODXP announced! Your chance to play #MW3 MP first, run ‘The Pit’ in real life, or fight in a full size Scrapyard recreation!

MW3 Gameplay Footage - Single Player Campaign

2011-06-15T04:25:00.000-07:00

While we've yet to be treated to some MW3 multiplayer footage, we can take solace in the fact that several bits of single player gameplay footage were shown at E3. Thankfully, a number of Youtube channels have used the Fair Usage policy to upload this gameplay footage to a more accessible platform.

This piece of MW3 gameplay footage takes you through the streets of Manhattan!

Second Chance will not be featured in MW3

2011-06-11T06:29:00.000-07:00

Second Chance earned itself a bad rep in Black Ops. The perk allowed players to be revived after they had received the damage needed to die. This frustrated many players, as the perk would often slow down the game and make it difficult to fight off multiple enemies. Speaking during his questions and answers thread on Reddit.com, Infinity Ward's Robert Bowling made it clear that Second Chance would not feature in MW3. During the AMA (Ask Me Anything) thread, one Reddit user asked:

What perks are you dropping from previous games? OMA, Commando, Second Chance?

Bowling's reply was straight-forward:

All of the above. None of those are perks in Modern Warfare 3.

Will quickscoping return in MW3?

2011-06-11T06:24:00.000-07:00

Speaking during an IAMA on the popular social news website Reddit, Infinity Ward's Creative Strategist made it clear that it is currently possible to quickscope in the MW3 multiplayer. When asked if quickscoping would make a reappearance, Bowling said:

Currently, you can still quick scope in Modern Warfare 3. Keep in mind though, multiplayer is always changing at this stage (new perks, new balancing, new everything all the time based on feedback), however our philosophy on that hasn't changed since MW2.

I think the most interesting aspect of this answer is that he made it clear that IW's opinion/philosophy on quickscoping hasn't changed since MW2. In case you didn't already know, Bowling has often stated on Twitter that he believes quickscoping takes skill.

There will be no Stopping Power in MW3

2011-06-02T01:00:00.000-07:00

Speaking in response to an alleged multiplayer leak on the popular gaming website Kotaku, Infinity Ward's Creative Strategist Robert Bowling stated that Stopping Power will not be returning in Modern Warfare 3. Bowling also dispelled rumors about "Team Perks" appearing in MW3:

There is no Stopping Power period. We also have no such thing as 'team perks'. All other #MW3 MP details remain undisclosed.

When asked whether the lack of Stopping Power would prevent MW3 from having a fast-paced multiplayer, Bowling insinuated that base damage of weapons will be made higher than before in order to compensate for the lack of Stopping Power:

Stopping power is not what makes Modern Warfare fast paced, weapon damage does that. It can be fast without a single perk.

MW3 Spec Ops details released

2011-06-01T01:57:00.000-07:00

It has been revealed that Spec Ops on MW3 will have its very own matchmaking system and that it will also include a progressive ranking system.

One interesting part of Spec Ops will be the new Survival Mode, which will force the player to fight off and defend against waves of different kinds of enemies. A few of these enemies have already been touched-on by Infinity Ward's Creative Strategist, Robert Bowling. The player will have to fend against regular enemies, dogs, Juggernauts (in case you didn't already know, a Juggernaut is a regular enemy with added health) and Suicide Bombers. While speaking about the new Spec Ops mode, Bowling said that each enemy will have to be fought off using a different strategy.

Call of Duty Elite will be free

2011-05-31T04:44:00.000-07:00

Following speculation that COD Elite would be a subscription based-service, Robert Bowling, the Creative Strategist for Infinity Ward, announced on Twitter that Call of Duty Elite will be free for everyone and that paid-for features of the service are yet to be decided. Speaking on Twitter, Bowling, whose online alias is FourZeroTwo, said:

COD ELITE is free, for all players, some paid aspects TBD. Absolutely NO fee to play #MW3 multiplayer. Detailed reveal coming tomorrow AM.

Bowling also stated that more details on the service will be released tomorrow, adding that players will not be charged for anything that was previously free:

Absolutely not. Nothing is being charged for that was previously free. More details coming in the morning. Give it a read.

Complete Breakdown of the MW3 Reveal Trailer

2011-05-26T10:54:00.000-07:00

This is a complete breakdown of the MW3 Reveal Trailer.

The Modern Warfare 3 trailer starts off by showing us events in America.

As you can see, it looks as if New York is under a full-blown attack. We have warships in the Hudson River and attack helicopters and fighter jets in the sky. Many of the surrounding skyscrapers are on fire and have suffered heavy damage.

The next scene shows us the New York Stock Exchange building and a hovering attack chopper. This is interesting because one of the multiplayer maps listed in the MW3 leak a few weeks ago was called Exchange. Will we have a multiplayer map that is based on the New York Stock Exchange?

In the above scene, we're shown a submarine, which is launching a missile from the Hudson River.

In the above scene, a fellow soldier is tossing you some ammo. I'm not an expert on weapons, but the other soldier in this scene looks as if he is holding the M4A1 assault rifle, which was a multiplayer weapon in Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2.

In the next scene (above), we're shown what is happening in London, England. As you can see, Big Ben is in the background. Here, we are shown a group of soldiers that are equipped with the MP5 Sub Machine Gun. It looks as if the MP5 has a Holographic Sight. In case you didn't know, the MP5 was an SMG in the COD 4 multiplayer. The MP5K variant was an SMG in the MW2 multiplayer.

Here, we're shown British soldiers/SAS/Police members firing upon an encroaching truck / van. Later in the scene, the truck flips over. As you can see, British police cars are strung along the road. The fact that they're firing upon a truck suggests that England is dealing with a terrorist threat rather than a foreign invasion.

For some reason, it looks as if we're chasing after a train in the London Underground. This is the second level of the Modern Warfare 3 campaign. During this level, which is called "Mind the Gap", you take control of Sgt. Marcus Burns, who is an SAS soldier. During this mission, you drive a pick-up truck through the subway while chasing a train that is filled with enemy soldiers.

Later on in the scene, a truck smashes into the front of the train carriage, causing it to slide off track and topple over

For the next scene, we're brought to Paris in France. As you can see, the Eiffel Tower is shown in the background.

In this scene, two sets of uniformed soldiers are fighting against one another. This suggests that France is trying to fight off an invasion. Has Russia invaded France as well? Has another country sided with Russia?

Here, we're shown a van belonging to the Gendarmerie. It is being chased by a Mil Mi-24 helicopter gunship, which is firing at through the glass roof. In case you didn't know, the Mil Mi-24 is/was used by the Soviet Army from 1972 onwards. The National Gendarmerie (Gendarmerie nationale) is a French paramilitary force that is in charge of public safety. It also carries out civilian policing duties.

This is an interesting scene because it looks as if the soldier on the left is using the Famas. In case you didn't know, the Famas is manufactured in France. It appeared in Modern Warfare 2 as a burst-fire Assault Rifle and later in Black Ops as a fully automatic Assault Rifle. Another point to note is that these are American soldiers in France (you can see American flags on their uniform). What are American soldiers doing in France? I'm not entirely sure what weapon the soldier on the right is carrying. Whatever it is, it looks as it has a suppressor.

There's nothing that can really be said about the scene above except that it looks as if Paris is being engulfed by a large battle. The vehicle above doesn't look like a Humvee. Instead, it looks like a private military vehicle (French paramilitary?).

Next, we're shown what is happening in Germany. From the scenes we are shown, it looks as if Germany is also dealing with an invasion in MW3. This begs the question. What country or countries are invading the US, France and Germany? I intentionally left England out of that list because judging from the trailer, it looks as if the British are dealing with a terrorist group and not an actual invasion. I could be wrong about that, mind you. In the scene above, a M1A1 Abrams tank is clearly visible. This is an American tank. Are the US involved in Germany as well?

In this scene, an airstrike is being carried out on a tank. The aircraft is a US A-10 Warthog. The tank is a Russian T-80 tank.

For this scene, we're brought back to the New York Stock Exchange building. Soldiers are running across the street while flares lie in the background. Admittedly, the flares look like enemy tactical insertions.

During this scene, Makarov's voice cuts in and says:

Is doesn't take the most powerful nations on earth to create the next global conflict. Just the will... of a single man.

The scene aboves shows us a military patrol. I can't make out what weapons they are carrying. It looks as if one of the soldiers might be holding an RPD LMG.

It looks as if the soldier above is carrying an AK47. Is the soldier Russian? It looks as if a Russian BTR-80 personnel carrier is present in the background. Are those civilians being rounded up in the background?

The soldier above is holding an AK47. Men in plain clothes (civilians or terrorists?) are being lined up.

I've heard a lot of people saying that the guy above is Ghost. Who knows? MW2 brought with it a lot of unexpected twists. Who's to say that a character called Ghost won't return from the 'dead' in MW3?

Here, we're shown special operatives (SAS?) breaching a door. This shot kind of reminds me of that first mission in Call of Duty 4 where they have to infiltrate the ship. The men above are using the MP5 SMG.

It looks as if this is one of the Modern Warfare 3 level's. As you can see, you're in a flooded New York tunnel, which is littered with cars and tankers. On the sign, it says that Brooklyn is 1.5 miles away (I think).

This is another exciting scene as it shows the AC130 in use. In case you didn't already know, the AC130 was a popular killstreak in MW2. The operator had the choice of three types of on-board weapons. Because this is the campaign mode, it is not entirely certain that the AC130 will return as a killstreak in the MW3 multiplayer.

The above scene shows you inside of a helicopter, taking control of a minigun. You're firing at a Russian Mil Mi-24 gunship. I'm guessing that this level will be full of air fights.

This looks to be another piece of in-game footage. By the looks of things, you're driving a speedboat through the Hudson River, New York. The guy in front of you is holding an MP5 SMG. As you can see, warships surround you and it looks as if a large battle has taken place.

If you have any insights into the images above, please leave a comment below.

The noobtube will be returning in MW3

2011-05-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

As suspected, the grenade launcher will be returning for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. Leaked screenshots earlier this month depicted a number of weapons; one of which was the m320 Grenade Launcher (seen below).

Speaking on Twitter, Robert Bowling said:

Grenade launchers are a valuable tool in modern arsenals. There is no doubt they need rebalancing from MW2, but not removal. #MW3

MW3 will not be released for the Wii

2011-05-25T08:43:00.000-07:00

ATTENTION: This is old news. The Wii version of MW3 was announced AFTER this post was made. Disregard the rest.

According to FourZeroTwo, the acting Community Manager for Infinity Ward, no Wii version has been announced for Modern Warfare 3. Speaking on Twitter, Robert Bowling (FourZeroTwo) said:

No Wii version has been announced, currently available for pre-order on Xbox 360, PS3, and PC.

This is disappointing news for Wii owners, as the previous Call of Duty title, Black Ops had a Wii version on launch-date. This doesn't rule out the possibility of MW3 being released on the Wii in a later date. In fact, Call of Duty 4 was released for the Wii under the title Call of Duty: Reflex after the game had already been released for the XBox, PS3 and PC.

MW3 Gameplay Trailer

2011-05-23T17:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight, Infinity Ward released the first gameplay trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.

Dedicated servers for MW3?

2011-05-22T16:08:00.000-07:00

Update. Dedicated servers WILL be featured in MW3.

Well, it looks as if dedicated servers will be available for Modern Warfare 3. During a Twitter conversation with Robert Bowling, the Creative Strategist at Infinity Ward, user irishstorm_IRL stated:

If IWNet is confirmed for MW3, I'm not going to touch it. Learned that mistake from MW2.

Bowling's replies to the topic of Dedicated Servers was pretty telling:

To be fair, your problems were not with IWnet, but with the lack of options (like Dedi) that it offered... Correct. Matchmaking makes it more accessible, Dedi make it more reliable.

Has Robert Bowling finally realized that IWnet is not a substitute for dedicated servers? Has the fact that Black Ops included dedicated servers changed his mind? Or was it the backlash from PC players over MW2? I'm guessing it was the latter.

Offical MW3 Forums due to open after reveal trailer

2011-05-22T11:15:00.000-07:00

Speaking on Twitter, Infinity Ward's Creative Strategist Robert Bowling stated that the offical MW3 forums would open for business after the MW3 trailer reveal, which is due to be shown tomorrow.

@siwelmail There is no official #MW3 forum yet, but there will be soon (after the first gameplay trailer on May 23rd).

Modern Warfare 3 engine adds a lot of "new and cool stuff"

2011-05-22T11:05:00.000-07:00

Speaking on Twitter in response to a question concerning the MW3 engine, Infinity Ward's Creative Strategist and Community Manager Robert Bowling stated that the Modern Warfare 3 engine adds "a lot of cool stuff to the game" and that Infinity Ward had "moved beyond" the engine used in MW2. One rumor that has been floating around is that MW3 will have destructible environments. At this moment in time, the addition of "destructible environments" is only speculative as most of MW3's details have yet to be revealed.

Activision was "lucky" that last weeks data leak was close to the official launch

2011-05-21T06:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, the video game database website GiantBomb, claimed that it had acquired an internal memo sent to Activision employees. In the memo, Activision Publishing CEO Eric Hirshberg remarked that the company was extremely lucky that this month's data leak concerning MW3 had occurred so closely to the official launch date. Hirshberg said:

We had a number of assets that had not yet been released, but were ready to go... When it came to light that we had suffered a significant security breach, it became clear that a leak of this size had the potential to throw our launch off of its schedule, or worse, blunt its momentum... As a company, we needed to look both backwards and forwards simultaneously. Of course we needed to immediately begin finding the source of the leak. But we also needed to deal with the fact that, like it or not, our launch had just begun...

Earlier this week, Hirshberg stated in an interview that Activision had been able to leverage the unforeseen data leak into a marketing opportunity. According to Hirshberg, there are ways to respond to such a leak and turn lemons into lemonade. Activision's response to the leak was to jump on board the excitement of its fans and release a series of Modern Warfare 3 teaser videos on the exact same day. In 48 hours, those four teaser videos accumulated over 4 millions views on Youtube.

Leaked MW3 Beta Title Screen is a fake

2011-05-20T03:03:00.000-07:00

A picture of what looked to be the MW3 Multiplayer Title screen has been doing the rounds on blogs and twitter over the past couple of days.

Unfortunately, the picture is a fake. As FourZeroTwo pointed out on Twitter, the beta screen in the picture doesn't have the official Modern Warfare 3 logo and the name Sfukuda was actually lifted from the credits of MW2. Also; from what I can see: The option "Find Match" is highlighted, yet the screen is saying "Blocked until level 9". Why would your level prevent you from finding a game?

MW3 Trailer will be revealed on May 23rd during Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks game

2011-05-19T15:30:00.000-07:00

On the 23rd of May, Activision will air the trailer for Modern Warfare 3 during the NBA playoff game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Dallas Mavericks. This falls into line with the advertising for the previous two releases as both MW2 and Black Ops had their trailers shown during the NBA playoffs. From the official MW3 Facebook page:

Watch the teasers (http://www.callofduty.com/mw3) and tune in for the Modern Warfare® 3 World Premiere on May 23rd during game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on ESPN.

Box Art for MW3

2011-05-19T13:04:00.001-07:00

The box art for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 has been released for the XBox 360, PS3 and PC.

Box-art for the XBox 360:

Box-art for the PS3:

MW3 box-art for the PC:

FourZeroTwo announces that feedback from the community regarding OMA, Commando and Second Chance has been loud and clear.

2011-05-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

During a Twitter conversation with the community manager of Machinima, FourZeroTwo stated that they should not waste their time talking about Second Chance, One Man Army and Commando, as feedback from the community regarding these perks had been "loud and clear". This obviously means that Infinity Ward are well aware that these perks are hated by the vast majority of players in the Call of Duty community

One Man Army (OMA): This perk gave players the ability to refill their grenade launchers after they had run out of ammo. This resulted in players bombarding the enemy team with an infinite amount of explosives.
Second Chance: Second Chance is a perk in Black Ops that gives players the ability to survive after they've received the amount of damage that is typically needed to die. Second Chance Pro allowed players to be revived "from death" by their team mates. This perk frustrated other players because it slowed the game down.
Commando: Commando was a perk in MW2 that drastically increased the range of the player's knife lunge.

What is COD Elite?

2011-05-19T10:32:00.000-07:00

When the cover art and logo for MW3 was leaked a few days ago, it was accompanied by another logo for something called "Call of Duty: Elite" (pictured above). Nobody at this point is completely sure of what COD Elite actually is. However, speculation is that COD Elite is the name of an upcoming "all-new and connected digital universe". After reporting profits of $503 million, Activision revealed that their next Call of Duty release (MW3) will be accompanied by an unprecedented online universe. It should be noted that a few months ago, rumors that MW3 would have its own MMO (Massive Multiplayer Online) surfaced on the Internet. The question is: Will this "digital universe" be free to use or will players have to pay a monthly subscription?