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Hackers Create “Dedicated Servers” in Modern Warfare 2

Nathan Grayson — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 01:46:08 -0600

Where there’s a will, there’s a way. Modern Warfare 2’s adoring public has spoken and, well, Infinity Ward didn’t quite step up and deliver. Enter hackers. And so they said, “Let there be something like dedicated servers,” and it was… not so good. The long and short of it? Hackers like to cheat. Straight from the horse’s mouth:

“Thanks to AgentGOD and his great work bringing the developer console back into the PC version, a whole new wave of servers are possible with vast amounts of customisation. Things such as unlimited ammo, massive experience points (10000xp for a single kill), Field of View tweaks, speed and gravity adjustments and so much more,” reads a Youtube video description of the hackers in question.

“The best bit is, this is all ranked and on IWNet! I guess the game is no longer balanced to f*** the PC gamers over!”

As of now, Infinity Ward has yet to respond to our questions about potential plans for anti-cheat measures. We imagine the trigger-happy developer has something in store for the infinite rocket-firing, gravity-defying scum, though.

If not, well, imagine that a bunch of Unreal Tournament’s colorful combatants decided to travel back in time and take over our world. Because that’ll make getting obliterated by lightning-fast, nigh-invincible super soldiers a little less frustrating.

Modern Warfare 2 Breaks Record for Biggest Launch in Entertainment History

Nathan Grayson — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 02:37:58 -0600

Surprising absolutely no one on the entire planet -- since damn near all of humanity was counting down the milliseconds until the game was clasped between their grubby mitts – Modern Warfare 2 now officially holds the record for biggest launch in entertainment history. We’re not just talking games, either. Books, movies, and music – none of them stood a chance against Activision’s not-so-secret weapon.

Last year, Grand Theft Auto IV stole the show, moving 3.6 million units and raking in $310 million – all after a mere 24 hours. Modern Warfare 2 also lured $310 million from the safety of gamers’ wallets, but sold 4.7 million units. On top of that, Modern Warfare 2’s day-one sales came only from the US, Canada, and UK. GTA IV’s numbers, meanwhile, stem from a worldwide launch. Thus, all things considered, it’s a photo finish, with Modern Warfare 2 sporting slightly longer legs.

So, on a completely unrelated topic, what’s everyone playing this weekend?

No BS Podcast #123: The Toledo Effect

The Maximum PC Staff — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 10:11:01 -0600

Remember, remember the fifth of November! Topics discussed this week: On a slow news week, Will fueled Gordon's rage by briefing him on the Call of Duty PC controversies, then the guy discussed Left4Dead 2 a bit more, and closed the show with an extra-long Doctor section and another vitriolic episode of Rant of the Week!

Do you have a tech question? A comment? A tale of technological triumph? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are standing by.

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John Carmack: RAGE Probably Won’t Support Dedicated Servers

Nathan Grayson — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 02:26:28 -0600

Well, we now have absolute proof that at least one member of the PC gaming community wasn’t living in the hornets’ nest Infinity Ward stepped on when it announced that Modern Warfare 2 won’t support dedicated servers. Unfortunately, that one person is none other than id Software’s John Carmack.

“It’s not cast in stone yet, but at this point no, we don’t think [RAGE] will have dedicated servers,” Carmack told Variety’s Cut Scene blog. “The great thing is we won’t have to be a pioneer on that. We’ll see how it works out for everyone else.”

If it’s any consolation, RAGE is primarily a single-player game. But then, knowing id, we imagine that the game’s multiplayer component will still be better than most.

Guess we’ll just have to wait and see, won’t we?

The Game Boy: One Step Forward, Modern Warfare Two Steps Back

Nathan Grayson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 14:30:00 -0600

You’ve probably seen the headlines. They’re pretty hard to miss. After all, when two of mainstream media’s favorite buzzwords – “violent videogames” and “terrorism” – cross streams, things get messy. If you’ve somehow managed to position yourself smack in the eye of the media storm, however, here’s the story: Last week, someone leaked a scene from Modern Warfare 2 in which you, the player, take up arms and gun down some people. As a terrorist. And those people? Innocent civilians who just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

And I’m perfectly ok with that. Why? We’ll get to that in a bit.

What I do take issue with, though, is Infinity Ward’s treatment of the whole fiasco. Moments after every videogame blog on the planet’s normal programming was interrupted to bring you this special report, Infinity Ward issued a statement. “Players have the option of skipping over the scene,” it read. “At the beginning of the game, there are two ‘checkpoints’ where the player is advised that some people may find an upcoming segment disturbing. These checkpoints can’t be disabled.”

Which is PR-speak for: “We’re afraid that the mainstream media’s going to tear us to shreds for this one, but we’ve handily built in this failsafe. You’ll never take us alive! Mwahahahaha! *Rockets into the sky using a concealed jetpack*.”

See, while stirring terrorists, innocent slaughter, and videogames into the same stew may initially leave a bad taste in people’s mouths, I think Infinity Ward’s taking a big step in the right direction. It’s a shame, then, that they’re so quickly scrambling to cover their tracks.

Here's why I'm ok with the scene. Quite contrary to what many vocal critics are saying, the scene in question isn’t intended to glorify terrorism. Not even a bit. As your character sprays gunfire into the airport’s mortified masses, people scream and cry. There’s no swelling soundtrack, slow-mo, or utterances of “Boom, baby! Headshot!” from your comrades in arms. Just the terrified, regretful, grief-stricken emotions of a bunch of normal people spilling over and quickly drowning amongst a sea of blood and tears.

If causing this kind of massacre puts a smile on your face, it sure as hell isn’t because Modern Warfare 2 told you that terrorism is totally rad. It’s because you’re one seriously f***ed up individual.

Clearly, Modern Warfare 2’s killing spree is meant to make you feel like the scummiest sack of crap ever to stink up the earth. After it’s all said and done, you’ll probably be sick to your stomach. And that’s great! See, while games like Grand Theft Auto allow players to literally terrorize innocent civilians, it’s all just meaningless violence. After just one tiny cognitive leap, your brain’s performed the necessary mental gymnastics to avoid feeling guilty about any of it. In fact, many players even consider these “rampages” to be the most enjoyable aspect of the series.

Modern Warfare 2, meanwhile, contextualizes its slaughter. Terrorism is one thing, but set against the backdrop of an airport, it creates an incredibly provocative image. So, in Grand Theft Auto, you killed some poor, unassuming sap at a place. Big whoop. But in Modern Warfare 2, you know exactly where you are, who you’re slaughtering, and why you’re doing it. Here, you’re forced – as a result of the societal connotations this scene evokes – to question your own heinous actions. Other games put a gun in your virtual mitts and tell you to run wild. And as you skip through eerily realistic worlds, splattering brains and racking up near-genocidal body counts, you probably don’t even bat an eyelash. In games, ending lives is like breathing. You just do it.

By turning that traditional good guy vs. bad guy shooter scenario on its head, Modern Warfare 2 forces us to reconsider our stance on virtual violence. As a result, shooting people in a videogame actually means something again. It’s not just violence for violence’s sake. Instead, it’s a powerful new spin on our main method of interacting with videogame worlds. I, for one, think that’s pretty cool.

And that leads to why I’m not too keen on Infinity Ward’s decision to sweep the airport scene under the rug as soon as media outlets came a-knockin’. See, for storytelling in games, this is a big, big deal. It’s using one gaming’s biggest strengths (highly immersive shooting) to ignite all manner of powerful emotions within players. And it’s doing it in a way only videogames can – through interactivity. Honestly, when people start hooting and hollering about the “Citizen Kane of videogames,” this is the kind of thing I think of.

To me, this is proof positive that videogames can make unique statements with real world implications. A landmark moment like this, then, should be encouraged and promoted. But instead, Infinity Ward’s tossed this integral scene behind a giant blurred out veil, effectively roping it off from the rest of the game. It’s as though they’re saying, “Ok, we’re going to make an actual statement about war, terrorism, and your actions as a gamer now. But let’s just keep this on the down-low, all right?” Would an R-rated movie skip over its most pivotal moment just because it might make viewers feel uncomfortable? Of course not! Yet for some reason, this M-rated game can’t even look players in the eye when it’s making a statement.

Among other things, this is why modern war games see you clomping into Unspecifiedistan and bringing America-flavored justice to Osama Bin De-Clawed. Because the second videogames set foot into realistic, meaningful situations, developers and publishers start getting self-conscious. Remember Six Days in Fallujah, that non-fictional shooter that raised a stir a few months back? Publishers won’t touch it. Can you guess why? Say it with me now: “Controversy!” Until a major developer or publisher takes a stand against this play-it-safe mentality, mainstream media, other developers and publishers, and even gamers will treat videogames like gutter garbage when it comes to handling real world situations.

And that – sad to say – is lose-lose situation for all involved.

Modern Warfare 2 PC Multiplayer Capped at 9v9, Says Infinity Ward

Nathan Grayson — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:33:22 -0600

When it rains, it pours. And for a game that was – a mere few weeks ago – a sure bet for nearly ever gamer on the face of the planet, the storm’s only getting bigger. See, if you’re used to the deafening chaos of Modern Warfare 1’s 32-man skirmishes, Modern Warfare 2 might strike you as a tad barren. Why? Infinity Ward’s Mackey McCandlish explained in a chat with the Best Buy community:

“The max number of players on all platforms are 1v1 through 9v9. This is the number of players we focused on when we were balancing map size, perks, classes, challenges, etc.”

Unfortunately, it would appear that nothing short of a Jedi Mind Trick will sway Infinity Ward from its current course of action. Not even a 178,000-signature petition. Infinity Ward’s Vince Zampella joined McCandlish in shooting down PC gamers’ final push.

“All I can say is that we changed it to make it a better and easier experience. Also, not all of the names on that list are legit,” said Zampella.

“402 signed it 4 times I heard,” McCandlish chimed in.

Hey readers, you guys wouldn't happen to know any Jedi, would you?

No BS Podcast #122: DROID is Short for Android

The Maximum PC Staff — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 13:55:00 -0600

Happy Halloween! Wait, that was last week. But then again, that's also when we recorded this episode of the podcast. Topics discussed this week: how the announcement of Android 2.0 and new Android hardware changes the smart phone market, the many controversies surrounding Activision's Modern Warfare 2, and whether the Left 4 Dead 2 demo assuages boycotters' concerns. We also answer a bunch of listener questions to round out the show. And best of all, we'll be releasing another podcast episode later this week!

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Infinity Ward Explains IWNet, Attempts to Quell Gamer Rage

Nathan Grayson — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:40:46 -0500

Not too keen on Infinity Ward’s announcement that dedicated servers won’t be supported by Modern Warfare 2? Well, you’re not the only one. But wait! Before you go back to boycotting the game as hard as you can, consider the following:

“Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is actually the biggest investment Infinity Ward has ever made into the PC version of our games. It’s also the most feature-rich PC version we’ve ever made. IWNET takes the benefits of dedicated servers and allows them to be utilized and accessed by every player, out of the box, while removing the barrier to entry for players unaware of how to maintain a server on their own,” said Infinity Ward’s Robert Bowling.

“With IWNET matchmaking, it takes all that into account for you. All you have to do is select the playlist (pre-set gametypes with custom rules) that fits the style of play you are in the mood for. When you do, it will automatically find you a game with the best performance, ping, and preferences based on your location and individual connection as well as matching you with players of your same SKILL.”

He also explained that aim-bots, wallhacks, and other species of cheater will be all but eradicated by Valve’s anti-cheat system.

Definitely click through the link and check out Robert Bowling’s full post on the subject. If nothing else, it shows that Infinity Ward's heart is in the right place -- even if its methods leave something to be desired.