Ranting Kenya

On the single player side of things, do the same. It was a perfect length, you did unique things in unique places, it had very unexpected storylines, had an awesome intro, great set-pieces and was just a blast to rip through. If Infinity Ward can keep me on the edge of my seat again, then that would be perfect.

As somebody who has played a lot of COD4 multiplayer, here are my ideas for the second interation.

Overall, don’t change it. It’s intense, fast, gripping and satisfying. I’ve played this game to the complete detriment of many of high quality titles. It’s very very good, and it’s very not Halo (and other like titles). Keep it that way.

That being said, there are some things I’ve noticed with COD4 that could be tweaked for the sequel.

1. Don’t take away any of the current weapons. I am very familiar with almost all the weapons in COD4. I know what they are, how to use them correctly, and I have my preferences. Rather than tweak the current weapons or remove them all together, just make sure any new weapons fit in the current selection.
2. Allow another perk and/or split some apart to allow a fourth. I understand that splitting the perks into their groups allows for balance (for instance, stopping power and juggernaught being the same perk class, which I agree with). But I fail to understand why putting a grip on a RPD takes away Perk level 1 that has Grenade x3. Or why Matrydom removes the possibility of Deep Impact. I’d like to have a fouth perk option so that players are more customizable. Most people play with a small group of perks.
3. Slower knifing when being shot. This is something that drives me nuts. You pop around a corner and you start shooting somebody. You’re already hitting them. Then they knife you like you aren’t even there. They should still be able to knife, but the action has to be slower. You have to give the advantage to the person who deals damage first. I can’t imagine it would be easy to pull out a knife after taking your hand off your gun then actually knifing someone when you’re being hit with bullets.
4. Include the old mp levels. Please take the Rockband 2 model. You paid for the variety pack, you have the original disc, let us keep playing those maps. I’m happy with COD4, but I want more maps. If you’re going to make me buy another $60 game, let me keep those levels and ease the learning curve for the new game.
5. Add some options for beginners. It is very hard for beginners to get the feel for the game when they’re getting sniped by a level 55 that they didn’t even know was there. If there was a beginner playlist, or “similar skill only” playlist, this would allow beginners to learn the maps and have a chance against the other players. It’s pretty much common for new players to score 1 kill and 15 deaths for their first 100 games. More people will play it if they can learn it at a reasonable pace.
6. Spawn position tweaking. The spawning in COD4 was good, but it could be exploited by a knowledgable team. Probably everyone’s played a game on Downpour where your team was either annihilated, or was annihilating. With little cover on the lower side of the map from helicopters, if the killing team keeps their distance just enough, it’s like shooting fish in a barrel. The other team really has no chance. Also, sometimes when you’re killed, you get spawned so far on the other side of the map it takes to forever just to get back to the action, only to be sniped just as you get there to start the process over again. And occasionally, you’ll spawn right behind the person that killed you for an easy kill.
7. Seemingly strange hit detection at times. Sometimes, and I’m not the only person who’s noticed this, your bullets seem to be doing nothing. I’ve had many times where I’m playing well, leading the team in kills, then all of a sudden in the next game I can’t kill anyone. I’m shooting them, the “x” that appears when you’re making contact is there, but you’re dying everytime. It really feels like you’re shooting blanks. I suppose it could be a connection issue, but it’s like night and day from one game to the next. I’ve certainly played the game enough to know when I’m playing well, and to know how things react, and when this happens it feels like you had no chance at all.

Hopefully, Modern Warfare 2 will address these concerns/ideas plus improve in other areas that I had not considered, and then I can play that game everyday instead.