Nerd Rage: PC gamers start Modern Warfare 2 petition

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Home Call of Duty

8:40 AM on 10.19.2009, Jim Sterling

139 comments | 21288 views

Nerd Rage: PC gamers start Modern Warfare 2 petition photo

#Activision #Call of Duty #Infinity Ward #PC #Things gamers do

Yep, it's that time again. Another bunch of enraged gamers who believe a petition over a silly thing will change a developer's decision. Infinity Ward revealed that dedicated servers would not be a part of Modern Warfare 2 on PC, opting instead for console-like matchmaking. Since PC diehards are obsessed with ending the tyranny of home consoles, they went completely insane at the news, and now over 50,000 nutjobs have signed a petition.

"Get Infinity Ward to review their decision not to allow fully dedicated servers for their forthcoming game release CoD:MW2. Remember that this Call of Duty was made popular by PC Gamers who have supported the series throughout," states the petition, driving home the entitlement complex that must accompany all gamer petitions.

"WHAT THE f**k!!!! This is such bullshit. This is taking XBL putting on PC and saying have fun. If IW.net sucks ill say bye bye to MW2 and hello CoD4," rages one PC gamer.

Activision games are not making friends among the PC community, are they? With Blizzard dropping LAN in StarCraft 2 and Infinity Ward ditching dedicated servers, it seems that Activision is making serious attempts to merge console and PC experiences together. I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing, and it's certainly not the most evil thing Activision has ever done. However, as you can see, PC fandamentalists want nothing to do with anything even remotely console-esque. This is probably going to continue bitterly onward.

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next 50 comments

139 comments | showing # 1 to 50

sickNasty

I don't get it, I love matchmaking. I never got into online PC gaming as much as console online gaming because I hated trying to find a server with a decent map and number of players. Then usually when I did it was people that knew the map much better than I did or were just much better.

I like that with matchmaking I can just jump right into a game, and for the most part the game will be competitive.

AdamantiumHip

LOL PC gamers...first the stupid L4D petition, now this. And they have the gall to insult console owners.

Czech Monster

I'm starting a petition to have all these douches petitioning against L4D2, MW2 and whatever other petitions they might start in the future locked up and put away at Gitmo!

Magnalon

I was talking about this to a PC fan. While console users probably won't care about this (read: ignorant), it does in fact mean the end of advantages of gaming on the PC, which is a damn shame.

Activision knows the bulk of their user base is on consoles, so that's why they're abandoning this. I don't expect a PC built company like Valve to abandon their PC superiority anytime soon.

"I'm not entirely sure that's a bad thing, and it's certainly not the most evil thing Activision has ever done"

No, maybe not the most evil, but it IS a bad thing. No dedicated servers; possibly no FREE dlc updates; $60 games rather than $50; and if any of you play World at War on the PC (I have both PC and 360), you'll know how AMAZING servers are compared to the 360.

MrSadistic

If this was any other game or any other company with any other issue, I would say that it was pretty stupid. In this case though, it's Activision with MW 2 and the lack of dedicated servers and mod support. Of course people are going to be butt hurt.

Tha Meat

Seems like a legit reason to be pissed. At least they are asking to have the game reviewed rather than flat out telling them to change it.

Misanthrope

Lets be fair: its not very "fundamentalist"-like to want to be able to select servers with good ping or quickly enter a match. The PC gaming model is different because people actually have to pay and/or use their own resources to get a dedicated server to get those better pings, mods, privacy, common meeting place, etc.

I can see the benefits of xbox live but I have also been waiting for an hour to get into a Halo 3 match without dropping the connection when normally I can see a server to which I have 2000ms and don't even attempt to play on it.

If they would stop shielding the auto-aimers form the console ( removing auto-aim on cross-platform matches of course ) or at least have the choice to cross plataform play then I wouldn't mind so much since I could see a bunch of friends that play on Live and finally prove to them that the game cheats for them.

Its the combination of charging 10 more than any other PC game and intentionally crippling the game to promote their own experiment which will impact the experience greatly that makes MW2 a no-deal as of right now.

Magnalon

@Sick
Why not have both though? Sometimes I like joining a server that bans grenade launchers, or has a specific wacky mode/game style on it. Or sometimes I like joining a server that has 24/25 people, so I know I'll be the last one in.

With WaW, I have about 20 servers that are up 24/7 that I can join without fail: I also see a lot of the same people in them, which helps build a sense of community that you'll never find with random matchmaking. I also forgot a very staple component of PC gaming is also lost: modding (thanks Sadistic).

shabooty

I just like server lists better. Not that I'd sign a silly petition over it.

Brannigans Law

The l4d2 petition was stupid. This mw2 issue however is pretty valid. Here's the thing, People want dedicated servers because they provide a far smoother experience then having some kid host a game off his crap connection. The lack of dedicated servers also means that most likely there won't be mod support or custom maps. Basically from a PC gamer's perspective, they're charging us 10 more dollars than usual for less features. Now if there was matchmaking alongside dedicated servers there would be far less of an issue. I myself don't have a problem with console gamers or anything like that. However, IW is pretty much shooting themselves in the foot on this one, and from what I've seen there's been alot of canceled orders. I doubt the petition will do much of anything, but at least this one makes some sense.

To sum it up, the l4d2 petition was retarded because Valve is charging us the same money for way the hell more stuff. Activision is charging us 10 more dollars for less features. I wasn't planning on getting mw2 for a while because while cod4 was a good game, it wasn't amazing to me. Now I'm less inclined to check it out.

AdamantiumHip

The sad fact for PC owners is, that they just aren't that relevant any more.

A few years ago, did you see Valve launching titles day and date with consoles?

Support is dying because PC gamers love piracy and that's the facts.

Kaspar

Online on the PC sucks for people who aren't freaks.

Matchmaking, you couldn't come faster.

And seeing that Activision has it's claws rooted in this situation, I don't see them giving in neither. Which is good.

Chaos Mage

One of the reasons I hate playing online on consoles is because of matchmaking. It sometimes takes ages to get into a decent game that is not filled with a bunch of douche bags or ass holes that rage quit when they don't get their way screwing up the entire game. On the PC if I don't like the game I'm in I can quickly exit and join another server without having to go through damn matchmaking for 5-10 minutes and end up getting into the same shit sundae.

$Retrofraction's Avatar - Comment posted on 10/19/2009 09:05$

Retrofraction

well it wouldn't have been such of a big blow, but a week earlyer they raised the price to $60.

Molo

@Adam

It's because PC gamers don't like being treated like console gamers.

Magnalon

@Molo
"It's because PC gamers don't like their games being dumbed down, and more expensive like console games."

Fixed. There's millions of advantages for owning a console, but for FPS/RTS games, forget about it. Imagine Warcraft III on a console: there would be no DotA.

Demtor

I wonder why Activision is doing all this. Have they made statements regarding it? I kind of feel its a start of the long term plan to phase out the PC, but that's just my complete guess.

matrixdude171

Well, console owners don't like paying $60 for a game, so I'd say just pirate it to spite them.

AdamantiumHip

Magnalon, PC gamers talk about console games being dumbed down, yet petitions like this show that PC gamers aren't exactly the folks I'd listen to about being smart, either.

If you think liking a certain type of game makes you somehow smarter than others(whoopie you like rts games, you must surely be an intellectual heavyweight), you need a life.

Fo0dNippl3

The Left 4 Dead 2 thing was dumb, but I'm actually pretty appalled that they're doing this to Modern Warfare 2, even though I have no plans on buying the game.
From what I've read, this will apparently take almost all control of the servers away from players, which seems like a huge step backwards. Now, I'm not 100% sure of this, but apparently this also means you won't be able to use custom maps and game modes, either? That's a load of crap.

At the very least, they could put in the ability to find servers like you used to. It's either laziness on their part or some plan to combat piracy, like they're also doing with the lack of LAN on Starcraft 2 (something that is also stupid).

PhazonYoshi

This isn't about "omg consoles", Jim. You complain just as much as the rest of us when Activision tries to screw over console users, but when they're screwing over PC users it's somehow different? Dedicated servers are a huge part of PC games are played. PC gamers are PC gamers because of the freedom that offers them, there's literally no reason NOT to allow dedicated servers to be run (and they will be run, whether activision likes it or not).

I agree that signing a petition is fucking stupid, but this isn't just PC fanboys going "waaah consoles are closer to us now :(".

You say you hate fanboyism, but yet you seem to assume all PC gamers are fools. Please prove me wrong :)

twincannon

Dedicated servers are one of the main reasons to play games on a pc. Take away that and there's no reason for me to ever even care about MW2 multiplayer on PC, which is one of the main deterrents of PC piracy as well.

There is no reasoning with people who think that playing with analog sticks because it's more comfortable though, as dedicated servers are purely for the enthusiast, not the casual console gamer breed.

Monodi

I am beginning to become a PC fanboy but I dont give a cook about MW2 so far.

dj-anon

Dedicated servers and Mods is what makes PC gaming fun.

N0R3M0RS3

It's not so much about it being console like, it's about the destruction of a traditional PC communities. Communities grow around servers. Finding a good server is like finding a game family. People you play with a lot that you get to know and have fun with. And, to be frank here, it's simply better than a P2P model. There's much more consistency as the servers are hosted off Internet connections designed to handle more load than a standard home Internet connection, which is what IW is doing, using IWNet to perform matchmaking while someone hosts the server off of their PC, giving them host advantage as well. If anything I'm surprised console gamers aren't clamoring for dedicated servers. I know I can't be the only to have played a game on the Xbox where you end up connecting to a host that separated by a large geographical distance and have the lag be horrendous. With dedicated servers and a server list this is eliminated as you can find servers with a decent ping and that's reasonably close to you. Say what you will about the other "boycotts", this one is wholly legit.

blurryphoenix

A. Jim, nice picture choice :P

B. I used to be a hardcore PC player because I didn't have a good console to play the games that I wanted to. Then my PC went to shit, and now I'm playing on console considering I now have a PS3. I can see why everyone is getting pissed, but it's just another one of those "I can't get my way, so I'm going to make a petition about it" type of situations. Quite frankly, I also like the matchmaking multiplayer. With Jim bringing up Starcraft II not having LAN, I'm a little annoyed at that, because I'd enjoy going to LAN parties and not having to connect to Battle.net. But again, there's nothing that can really be done. Infinity Ward has to have a reason, besides to merge console and PC, that they aren't having dedicated servers.

Here's my other issue. As Jim has said in many Podtoid episodes, a lot of the people signing the petitions will be the first in line when the game is released anyways. Thus, defeating the purpose of signing the petition.

PhazonYoshi

@Adam; Please don't lump us all into one :)
I don't think console games are "dumbed down", I think the CONTROLS are sometimes dumbed down, but many people would argue that if the y key on your keyboard has a useful function then you have too many fucking buttons, but the games themselves are great.

Equally, PC gamers have fanboys too. Except wheras console fanboys think their consoles are better than the opposing party, PC fanboys think they themselves are better. But anyway, yeah, I like to think I'm not a fanboy.

Magesx

This actually isn't silly at all, Jim. The petition, maybe, but not the reasons for it. Dedicated servers are pretty much the main reason of playing multiplayer games on the PC, and taking those out //will// lose sales. I understand that you're all hip and edgy and stuff, but think of things from other perspectives more often.

Janxer

The thing is, this is not a minor change in how you find a public match, however much Infinity Ward wants it to seem so.
Dedicated servers provide better pings, better stability and when running public servers on them you generally eventually grow some sort of community around the server.

But that is not even the most important part to me. What's really important is that this signals the end of modding on Call of Duty, the professional Call of Duty scene, and clan gaming as we know it.

Personally, while I really enjoy playing Call of Duty public for a while, getting teamkilled by martyrdom grenades as you round a corner gets really frustrating after a while, and just as I did with CoD4, I was planning on doing most of my Modern Warfare 2 gaming on PCW matches with mods to improve game balance and competetiveness. Is competetiveness a word?

Right now, that seems like it will be impossible, which is why Modern Warfare 2 is going from my must-have game this year, to "I won't ever pay for this."

What really makes me fume on this is that they announce this just over THREE WEEKS before launch - a lot of my less informed friends would not have heard of this news before they bought the game if I hadn't told them, and they would have wasted their money on a game lacking the features we were planning on getting it for in the first place.

KrazyKraut

@AdamantiumHip and all other anti-mw2-petitions-dudes
have you ever played in an e-sport league? Ever earned money for playing in a professional clan? owning a clan public server of a game and meet new ppl? new friends?looking for the best server to fit your ping? so..plz...

Satsumomo

Dedicated servers are more stable and are always there. You don't have to rely on people being connected there at the moment. Also, you can add favorites, people become regulars for certain servers/game modes and you know where to look for people that you like.

The-Excel

I have to admit, I prefer dediservers over matchmaking. Server mods are fun.

wardprod

@AdamantiumHip

"PC gamers love piracy"

Khmm.... I laughed a big one here. C'mon don't tell me that the BOX games are more clean than the PC ones. From 10 of my friends i can tell you there is 7-8 of them who uses the warez version, the other ones buy 4-5 games a year. Big business realy. Piracy is there with the consoles too, the mayor difference in them is the fact that the casual player needs to do more to get a game for his/her BOX to run. It isn't a big tradition as it is on the old PC.

Kad

I was actually quite surprised to see a poll appear. If you don't want to buy the game, don't buy it. Making a petition to change the developers minds will not work.

Magnalon

@Adamantium
You're completly missing the point. While I love visercal console experiences like Gears of War, there's also a time and place for RTS and PC games.

Do I want and RTS game like Halo Wars, where I have to pay $7 for a few game modes? Or do I want Warcraft III on PC, where I'll get a lifetime of free community based mods and support. What Activision is saying is "enjoy the pay content, because we're taking out FREE mods".

Do you not get this? It's not a rapier battle of genre wits or e-peens; it's simple facts. If you enjoy some cross-platform PC games (Left 4 Dead comes to mind), and you aren't playing them on both platforms, you're missing out. How can anyone look me straight in the face and say "no sir. I do not want free Left 4 Dead mods and levels that infinitely increase the replayability of the game, for $10 cheaper than other platforms. I WANT to pay $7 for DLC rather than get it for free."

Janxer

I have to add: I did sign the petition. Not that I think it will make a difference, but just in case Infinity Ward is open to critique.

wardrox

... but this is a legitimate thing to be pissed off about?

Face

I find dedicated servers make playing online much more bearable for me personally. And I don't just mean in terms of host issues, lag, and auto-matching. With a server list you can build up a nice list of favorites, each one with it's own regulars who are like-minded to your own style of play. Serious or not so serious. Modded or vanilla. You actually meet new people through the game. Each one is someones property, so they generally have moderators looking after the place. It's like visiting your favorite bar instead of walking down a random alley to drink with the people there. With no dedicated servers, you basically have to only play with real life friends, or roll the dice on how many assholes you end up playing with. I think this a big reason why the XBL community gets such a bad reputation.

This whole thing is taking away the things that make the PC an "open" platform. I think it's a bad move for all of gaming. As consoles become more and more like PCs I would have expected things like modding and custom content to become more common on them. It just seems like a backwards step.

KrazyKraut

"Not that I think it will make a difference, but just in case Infinity Ward is open to critique." no mate, they delete a 100+ page long thread on the official IW forums just about how much the new concept sucks.

Magnalon

@PhazonYoshi
I could care less about control preference (it's up to the individual), but how is a console version of a game with a lack of mod support, and no dedicated servers where you can control every single facet of the entire game not a dumbed down version?

I'll admit that 90% of my game collection is console based. But if I see "Game A on Console" and "Game A on PC", and the PC version has free DLC and is cheaper, I'll go for that one: or sometimes both, if my friends don't game on PC.

@Face
Great write up. Valve recently said that they want their console games to be more like PC games, so I agree that it's odd that Activision wants to go the other route.

Oh wait it's not odd: less free user mods = a need for DLC = more money.

eduh

the thing is that it kills competitive play on PC.

will the matchmaking system allow me to play online tournaments with <50 ping?

will it allow me to have a decent competitive mod without the bullshit perks that if used at pro level completely ruin the game?

if it does, than its fine, if not, its dine too, 1 less game i need to buy.

boabie86

Nothing quite tickles my funny bone like enraged gamers who think companies give a shit about 'loyalty' or what they think and take everything as a personal insult. NEWS FLASH: ALL THEY WANT IS YOUR MONEY!

Lets face it 50,000 will be a very small proportion of what this game will sell and we all(including activision) know 49,000 of those people on there will buy the game anyway.

Don't get me wrong it's a fairly crappy thing they've done after putting the price up, but is anyone surprised?

It's a big break from tradition and the problems this is going to cause with latency and home broadband connection speeds will be big not to mention the impact on community created content.

The whole paid DLC argument doesn't hold any water with me. You're not entitled to DLC and neither are you obliged to buy it. After you've paid for the game thats all you should get and if you do get any bonus content thrown in later then you should be thankful to the hard working people who created it rather than acting like you deserved it.

SniperXan

Pancakes?

deadline

When I saw this headline I assumed they were pissed about the $10 price hike.

Krahsh

/sigh. while I'd normally glance over the delicious flame bait that most of Jim's articles are without giving a second thought to actually responding I felt like I needed to here.

While I agree that petitions, let alone any "online petition" are generally a waste of time the reason behind this one is much more valid, in my opinion, than say those signing the L4D2 list.

My reason being is that having a dedicated server not only gives a much, MUCH more reliable gaming experience but it also grants a level of control and customization that you won't find on a matchmaking platform of networked play.

If anything it is able to provide a more level playing field where latency is concerned.

p.s. props to Jim for spinning this as a "PC Gamer fandamentalists" tinfoil hat story. It'd be nice to see the blurb of info attached to something a bit more substantial.

ThEgg

Of course, leave it to Jim Sterling to ride in on his high horse and put down anyone who disagrees with publisher/developer decisions. Then all his cock-riding fans will agree, "LOL PC gamers," "You are the God of my thoughts, Jim." So, by Jim's stance, PC gamers are narcissistic people who think they should be catered to by every developer and if they are the slightest bit disappointed, they are automatically deemed "enraged."

While not every petition is based on a sound claim, most are reasonable. You cannot put down fans who are highly disappointed in something they were planning to invest in. No LAN option for SC2 is a choice that makes no sense at all, to be honest, especially when that was a huge thing for SC1 and made it a classic, and match-making for PC gamers is completely opposite of what PC gamers are used to and, more importantly, what they like. This is why in-game and third party server lists have been around since multiplayer made it's entrance to PCs.

Oh, but never mind the logical and open minded response that I've shared, Jim. You're always going to be the egotistical person basher than you've always been. You enjoy your high horse there, mister, we'll all be here on ground level when you fall.

Torzelan

Perfectly legitimate complaint. For literally everyone playing competitively (not talking wannabe-Fatal1tys but the thousands upon thousands playing more than just random games on public servers) this is a horrible downgrade from what they've had since forever.

Won't play this game but it sucks to see some of their decisions.
Magnalon says a lot of teh smarts.

PhazonYoshi

@Magnalon; Because mods are extra things, and dedicated servers don't really work on consoles. Perhaps we have different definitions of dumbed down, but to me those things don't matter massively (with the exception of dedicated servers if it's main draw is the multiplayer, but I'm definetaly more of a SP guy)
Mods are a lovely extra, of course, but again - they couldn't really work on consoles. As for the controls thing, I didn't mean "oh lol m&k>controller", I meant my mouse alone has more buttons than a 360 controller, so the controls have to be more concise, but again, that;'s not necessarily a bad thing.

SniperXan

@ThEgg

Actually, Jim posts such obvious flame-bates for the hits. It's his job and he's damn good at it. That's why he keeps his job.

Hits = money and Flame-bait = hits, basic math really.

sickNasty

@mag: Yeah, there's no reason not to have both. I just don't think there's any need to talk shit about how consoles do online multiplayer as if it was inferior.

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