This holiday, Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer Games, and Beachhead Studios are embracing the season of giving. If you are a Call of Duty ELITE founder, the next time you boot up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on any platform, you should find a prestige token in your stockings, and two hours of double XP underneath your Christmas tree, figuratively speaking of course. Check your prestige shop, and your player card, which should have and “XP” in the top right corner!
Happy holidays everyone!
Robert Bowling reveals that a new update (hotfix) has been released earlier today for Modern Warfare 3.
The matchmaking issues for smaller countries is apparently coming to an end with an update that when live a few hours ago. Robert Bowling explains that he “pushed another MW3 update for users in remote regions”. This update was “based on feedback.” On another note, when asked about the popular, infected game mode, Bowling has promised that he would like “to keep a constant rotation of new modes showing up in ‘Community Playlists’, but he doesn’t know what is coming next. In the meantime, Drop Zone remains to be the only community mode to be in the new playlist.
Famous YouTuber, Freddie Wong, shows us what co-op might look like in Battlefield 4 powered by FrostBite Real Life engine, yet to be developed by DICE.
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Senior Gameplay Designer, Alan Kertz shares his thoughts on the FAMAS, Operation Metro on Conquest and discusses Comrose on consoles.
Being a few days after the release of Back to Karkand, which included 10 brand new weapons, many fans are beginning to express concern over the FAMAS assault rifle being too over-powered. It seems like Kertz would agree, saying that the “FAMAS with foregrip and silencer is op. FAMAS alone has disadvantages, but the accessories totally cancel them.” Kertz has alo recently been talking about making some significant changes to weapon attachment combinations. Read more here.
The Battlefield 3 community seems to have a love/hate relationship with the map Operation Metro on the Conquest game-type. We can all agree that it can be extremely hectic with it’s narrow corridors and choke-points, especially on 64-player servers. Though many fans would like to see changes made to the map layout, Kertz feels that “given the high popularity of metro, I think it’s fine.” So, don’t expect to see any changes made in the near future, if not ever.
It has also recently been discussed among Battlefield 3 developers to move the Comrose to consoles on top of adding further functionality to the PC version (comrose 2.0). As mentioned in our previous articles, one thing holding the devs back from adding it to consoles is the issue of finding a free button. Interestingly, on fan suggested holding down the “Y” or “Triangle” button to bring up the command list. Kertz simply responded that “it’s been discussed.”
What are your thoughts? Do you find the FAMAS over-powered? How do you feel about Operation Metro on Conquest? Do you think holding Y/Triangle is a good solution for bringing up the Comrose? Let us know in the comments below!
Make sure to follow MPFirst on Twitter and Facebook to stay up to date on the latest Battlefield 3 news!
Senior Gameplay Designer at DICE considers some significant balance changes to Battlefield 3.
Alan Kertz has been good enough to usually let the community know what some of his plans are to tweak or change certain aspects of Battlefield 3 and to acquire feedback before implementing these changes. A few weeks back, he suggested some changes to bolt-action rifles which really stirred some emotions from the community. In his latest dialogue with Battlefield fans, he mentioned some changes he had in mind for weapon balance; specifically, attachments. “Working on rebalancing foregrip, heavy barrel, silencer, and flash suppressor. Less OP combos and more interesting choices is the goal.”
Some fans have been asking for a larger difference between the suppressor and the flash suppressor, both which currently seem to act fairly similar, even though they can be two different attachment options on the same weapon. Kertz suggested, “how about [the flash suppressor] hides you on the map, without a damage reduction like supp., but you have less accuracy on full auto?”
It seems like when mentioning these balance changes, Kertz specifically had the forgrip and suppressor in mind, both which help reduce recoil. One fan asked if the combination of a forgrip, a supressor, and a holographic sight on his engineer class weapons, for example, would become better or worse after these changes have taken effect. Kertz answered, “slightly worse.”
These potential changes listed above could greatly effect the gunplay in Battlefield 3. Let us know what you think in the comments below. Are there certain attachment combinations you find over-powered?
A few hours ago, we reported on the fact that PS3 paid Elite owners will have access to the DLC maps before regular 360 owners. While our report was based on the info provided by one of Activision’s own, Mikey Vega, it appears that he has pulled back his statement by deleting the tweet our report was based on. Fortunately, we were lucky enough to anticipate such a move, so here’s the URL to the deleted tweet and a screen capture.
Basically, we are back to square one with only the two known constraints:
1) Paid Elite Xbox 360 owners will have access to the DLC on January 24th.
2) All DLC will be made available to regular Xbox 360 owners one month ahead of PS3 and PC owners.
It turns out that Mikey jumped gun when he stated that PS3 Elite users will be getting the DLC earlier than regular 360 owners. He explained, “I’m sorry for the confusion. I don’t know 100% how it will work. What I stated was my assumption.” He went on to say that we will learn more of how the Elite release schedule will work in January.
Check out the map pack’s leaked images; the four maps are called Park, MorningWood, Italy, and Overwatch.
Be sure to follow MP1st on Twitter and Facebook for the latest Modern Warfare 3 news.
Robert Bowling of Infinity Ward has recently shed some light on the banning process employed by the security team behind Modern Warfare 3.
As you may remember, one particular Modern Warfare 3 player was made an example of when he received a 5000-day ban from the security team behind MW3. As Bowling mentioned earlier, this is Infinity Ward’s equivalent to a permanent ban. What exactly his offense consisted of, we are still unsure. However, Bowling shed some light when mentioning, “typically, perma bans are reserved for extreme cases or repeat offenses.” He went on to explain what users could expect for more minor offenses: “first offense boosting is a temp ban (2-days) and reset.” Many of these are bound to be handed out in the next couple of days as a recent “prestige token glitch” has been discovered by some Modern Warfare 3 players. Read here for more information. In this case, Bowling mentioned that currently, “the security team is doing temp bans, removing all tokens, and stat resets for boosting.”
If you like playing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and want to continue enjoying it (as much as you can with the rising number of boosters), we suggest staying away from such practices. However, one good practice is to follow MP1st on Twitter and Facebook, where we can keep you updated on all things Modern Warfare 3!
Update: Activision Retracts Statement Regarding DLC, PS3 Elite MW3 Users Back in Limbo.
Activision customer support has shed some light on the release schedule of Modern Warfare 3’s DLC.
In the last few years, Microsoft has had an exclusivity deal with Activision in order for Xbox Live subscribers to have Call of Duty DLC one month ahead of other platforms. With the recent release of Activision’s own subscription based service, Call of Duty Elite, the DLC situation is even more complicated. Regular Xbox 360 owners are still entitled to be able to buy DLC before PC and PS3 regulars. However, how will Elite factor into that? Xbox 360 paid Elite members will have first stab at the newly announced DLC on January 24th, but where will PS3 paid Elite subscribers fit in the equation. Now, we have confirmation straight from Activision’s Mikey Vega that Modern Warfare 3’s DLC will definitely be made available to PS3 Elite members before regular 360 owners. It should be noted that PC players are still out of luck with not even having Elite on PC.
Using projected hypothetical dates for demonstration purposes only, let’s try and visualize the release schedule:
Be sure to check out the DLC’s leaked maps.
After searching through some Modern Warfare 3 files after the latest update, YouTuber MW3 Stream found some images of the supposed 4 new maps included in the recently announced DLC, arriving this January for Xbox 360 Elite Owners first. Below are the images found with the unofficial titles, except for “Park.”
We recently listed some updates that are currently in the works for Modern Warfare 3 which you can read here, including a specific PS3 patch. However, this list has recently been updated and also includes another PS3 patch note that is slated for release this January. The additional notes are as follows:
PS3 users have been inquiring about HD rendering for some time now, so it should prove to be a nice addition. Currently, users are finding that when Extended Mags are attached to a shotgun, it not only increases the magazine size, but also the number of pellets per cartridge, which was unintentional. Besides the PS3 theater update, none of these fixes have been dated. Make sure to stay tuned to MP1st for further details! For now, check out the first image and some details of Modern Warfare 3’s first DLC arriving this January for Xbox 360 Elite owners first.
Today, some new details have surfaces as to what the developers behind Battlefield 3 are looking into fixing.
Some players have been noticing that there seems to be some sort of random bullet spread on some of the weapons, if not all of them. This was demonstrated rather clearly using a bolt-action rifle in this video. Senior Gameplay Designer, Alan Kertz, has taken note of the issue saying, “I’m aware, should be addressed in a future update,” which also confirms that it is indeed a problem. It was also suggested to Kertz that something should be done about the last B MCOM crate in Sharqi Peninsula, as players are reporting it to be too easily defended. Though some fans suggested moving the crate, Kertz responded, “I don’t think the crate should be moved, since you want to assault the TV station, but we can shift defender spawns.”
If you’ve missed some other recent issues that DICE devs are currently working on, check out: BF3 Devs Respond to 2143 Rumor, Platoon Changes, and More
Tomas Danko, Sound Producer at DICE, has some interesting news for us today. He officially announced that the “Comrose 2.0 will launch in February, even though some previous patches included part of the functionality. Submission procedures are slow.” You can read more about these changes here and check out it’s possibility of it making it onto consoles. When asked what would be included in the new Comrose, he responded, “basically a more old school and complete manual comrose including some more commands.” This is definitely something PC players can look forward to, though it may be arriving fairly late. Danko was also recently asked about the audio drop-outs that many players have been noticing on consoles. If you haven’t experienced it yet, it basically drops a certain portion of the audio at random times during gameplay for a random amount of time, if not until the end of the match. When asked if he was aware of the situation, Danko responded, “on console, yes. It’s a performance issue.”
What do you think about the last B MCOM crate on Sharqi Peninsula? Also, have you been noticing the random bullet spread and audio drop-outs? Let us know in the comments below!
Robert Bowling has released the first image of Modern Warfare 3’s DLC coming in January.
Earlier today, we reported on MW3’s first DLC coming to Elite premium subscribers. The DLC is going to release on January 24th, and Elite paid members will be able to download it for free as part of the promised monthly DLC drops. Moments ago, Robert Bowling posted the first teaser of the new DLC. The image below is from the map “Park”.
UPDATE: To check out images of all of the new DLC maps, click here.
Read more about the first DLC slated to release on January 24th for 360 owners.
David Jaffe reveals new Twisted Metal multiplayer details.
Be sure to read about multiplayer Balance, Teamwork, and The Juggernaut first.
In terms of how servers will be run, David Jaffe currently has no definite answer other then that his lead designer, who’s an absolutely brilliant person who has worked on multiplayer projects such as Warhawk according to Jeffe, is working on the servers. On another note, health regeneration has been adjusted since the E3 build. The regen-rate went from 2 minutes to 3 minutes causing players to use the map a lot more rather then stick in one area. Jeffe explains in a recent PS Nation podcast.
Some additional details:
17 Competitive Multiplayer Vehicles
7 Online Modes
Co-op Split screen for Story
As for some private matches, players will be allowed to adjust the amount of Heavy Vehicles such as the Juggernaut, Talon, Junkyard Dog, and many others. Ranges go from having none to having an infinite amount. Ranked games Heavy Vehicles are based on what best fits, which at the moment is still being adjusted.
Also fans hoping that a Collector Edition to be made for the game may be disappointed as David Jaffe has said that there will not be one at launch and depending on how well the game does, then later on the line they may make one, otherwise you’ll be able to buy the RC Vehicles and T-shirts separately.
Make sure to follow MP1st on Twitter and Facebook for the latest Twisted Metal news.
Robert Bowling has revealed that the first set of DLC will be released next month.
Robert Bowling via Elite TV, premium, has announced that the first map pack will be released on January 24 for the Xbox 360. While the DLC will obviously include maps, Bowling teased that “a variety of things that players have never seen before” will also be packed in this DLC or future DLC, such as new Spec Ops missions. It’s worth noting that Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer, and Raven Software are working on MW3’s post launch support. Elite premium members will able to play on the new maps first.
This DLC might include CoD 4 and MW2 maps according to the rumors we reported on.
Modern Warfare 3 First DLC Leaked? – Maps from CoD4, MW2, And 2 New Ones
Back to Karkand’s recent launch hasn’t been as smooth as DICE would have ideally wanted it to be. While it’s not plagued with issues, there are some kinks here and there that still need to be ironed out.
Daniel Matros has officially announced that “QBU-88 Sniper rifle and MG36-LMG in Back to Karkand [are] not acting as they should.” Daniel explained that DICE has “identified the problem and are working on a fix.” While there is no estimated time of arrival for these fixes, we can safely expect the next patch to address these issues along with the IRNV and SOFLAM tweaks.
Many of you have already noticed the Battlefield 2143 rumors floating about the internet after screens like seen below have surfaced. Of course, fans looked to Global Community Manager, Daniel Matros, for clarification. However, it looks like we’ll have to wait a bit longer for answers as Matros replied, “I will let the rumors linger a bit before making a statement. It amuses me.” Perhaps as spirits move to a more merrier state during the holidays, he will rid us the agony of waiting and spill the beans! Matros also recently spoke of Battlefield 3 Platoons stating that there are now “almost 400,000 Platoons on Battlelog. Pretty sweet.” He also added that “there are plans to integrate platoons more,” seeing as at the moment, they don’t have very many functions.
Speaking of Platoons, why not become a fan of the MP1st Platoon!
Recently, Senior Gameplay Designer, Alan Kertz, has been receiving inquiries as to why it seems like players are getting killed from bullet fire even after taking cover. To many, it seems like there is some sort of disconnect with what the player is seeing and what the server is seeing. Kertz had this to say so far: “aware of some desync issues between client and server yes.” Hopefully this is something that will be looked into for future patches or server updates.
Gameplay Designer, Gustav Halling, has also weighed in on some issues the community is currently experiencing since the recent patches (PC, 360, PS3), one of these issues being an instance where players are spawned on top of a jet or tank during the beginning of a match. He’s assured us that “its a bug of course. Hopefully fixed in next big patch.”
…I’m on a Jet.
Battlefield 3 – PS3 VOIP Issues, Private Servers on Consoles, and FXAA Use “Under Discussion”
YouTuber, irontjunfisk, has posted a video that showcase jaw dropping jet stunts on Back to Karkand maps, Wake Island and Gulf Island. This video was made for Battlefield 3: The Experience competition, where videos that are only possible on Battlefield 3 go toe to toe for a chance of winning a trip to Sweden.
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Last week, we reported on the 5000 day ban that one player received in Modern Warfare 3. While that player must have committed a considerable offence that resulted in a permaban, bans are being handed out to the ever popular prestige token glitch.
Basically, this glitch enables you to have an infinite supply of prestige tokens to use. The prestige token counter would display a negative number after using the exploit. Robert Bowling has warned players that you can get banned for exploiting the infinite prestige. Unfortunately, Robert didn’t reveal how many days this ban will entail, but he did explain that along with the ban, exploiters’ “stats and prestige tokens reset to zero.”
On another note, matchmaking issues have been addressed via a playlist update earlier today. Whether this update has resolved the small counteries’ matchmaking debacle is unknown, but please do let us know in the comments’ section whether you’ve been having a smoother matchmaking experience.
David Jaffe is back again revealing many new details concerning how balance works and how the game is focused on team playing.
During a recent PS Nation podcast, David Jaffe has recited that the single-player isn’t something as big as GTA or Batman, but compares it more with Ace Combat in terms of more focus on the vehicles, yet the single-player still offers a great story experience. Being good at the single-player doesn’t go unrewarded either as there are medals that can be earned and used in the multiplayer to unlock new items. Though balance is the key in the multiplayer, the developers, Eat, Sleep, Play, made sure that no vehicle, weapon, or any other unlock is better then another. Even players with high levels don’t have an unfair advantage over lower leveled players by having unlocks that they don’t have.
David then stressed how the team had been working hard on the levels, weapons, vehicles, specials, modes (not just Death Matches), making sure that teamwork is used throughout the multiplayer.
To give an example of how teamwork is done, one of the vehicle in the game is called “Juggernaut”, which according to Jaffe is a giant Semi truck where you and two other team mates can hop in and start using the turrets. The vehicle can only be used once per game, so deciding when to use it is very important. The Juggernaut can also be combined with the Junkyard Dog which is a Tow Truck carrying a Taxi cab filled with explosives. Optionally, this can be loaded onto the Juggernaut and be deployed at any time in case the Juggernaut is in danger of being destroyed. You are only limited to three Junkyard Dogs, so once again you’ll have to decide as a team when it’s right to use them.
To get the latest Twisted Metal news make sure to follow MP1st on Twitter and Facebook.
The Battlefield 3 community has given us an infinite amount of amazing clips, from gameplay to montages. But, YouTuber, Jake88, has a different take. He made a scripted cinematic video that is simply incredible and only possible on Battlefield 3. You can see in this video how the frostbite 2 game engine can significantly elevate immersion. Enjoy!
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