Modern Warfare 2 Is Already Changing The Game

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2's developer Infinity Ward is promising fans they'll fix the game's unbalanced footstep audio.

By Jason Collins | Published

Though the title of this report sounds worrisome — because great games shouldn’t be changed — the fandom can rest assured that all changes are purely technical. Infinity Ward announced that it would address the upcoming Modern Warfare 2’s unbalanced footstep audio before the game’s official launch, on top of dealing with various hackers that currently plague the game — in its beta state. These announcements were made in the game’s post-beta statement from the game’s developer, stating that they’re acknowledging the fandom’s feedback, and will continue to balance out the game.

As reported by IGN, the fandom’s sentiment regarding the footstep audio was more positive in Beta Weekend Two. However, the volume between the enemy/friendly footsteps still isn’t quite where it needs to be, and Infinity Ward plans on implementing further tweaks in Modern WARFARE 2 based on the fandom’s feedback. Additionally, the enemy visibility will be balanced as well; the issues surrounding said visibility were mentioned in both Beta weekends, and though improvements were noted, further tweaks are required to increase enemy visibility and thus enable better tracking.

However, there are several other implementations with which the gaming community isn’t quite comfortable. One of those is skill-based matchmaking — abbreviated SBMM — which is the matchmaking system that groups players together based on their skills. Streamers and more casual players have already come out against this implementation, as it makes the game unnecessarily competitive for both categories of players. Admittedly, this discussion is held every time a new multiplayer mode or game releases, and it always ends in a stalemate.

One side suggests that streamers are gamer-divas who want to stomp out every game, simultaneously saying that casual gamers need to improve. The proverbial blue corner, the streamers, and casual gamers state that they only want to enjoy the game and not sweat during every Modern Warfare 2 gaming session. And with both sides offering compelling arguments, it’s quite possible that we’ll hear more about SBMM in the coming days.

modern warfare 2

On a more concerning note, apparently, not even the Beta state of Modern Warfare 2 is sacred to nefarious gamers. Multiple reports have suggested that hackers are already reverse-engineering the game’s code, trying to create means that would give them an unfair advantage over honest gamers. This is an ongoing problem with Call of Duty games — and many other multiplayer titles — which Infinity Ward and Activision resolve by issuing bans, which are so massive that they sometimes include over 500,000 players.

Well, at least they’re doing something about it; there are titles who had descended from fantastic titles to ones that are entirely played by bots. Admittedly, some of Infinity Ward’s methods are quite unusual and borderline epically hilarious, like making the cheaters’ weapons dysfunctional or making them blind and deaf. When it comes to Modern Warfare 2, the developer hadn’t disclosed how it intends to deal with the dishonest players, and it’s better that way since each attack increases the cheaters’ defenses.

In the end, Modern Warfare 2 is still in beta, and the game still has a long way to go before release, especially considering the number of crashes and error codes that are currently plaguing the game. But Infinity Ward said they’re going to fix it — and their track record is pretty good on that front.