Modern Warfare 3 trailer.

[arucarD]

True. I never played COD 4 on a regular basis, more so the here and there casual aspect to it. I am a CS player by nature, still to this day I play it every single day on a custom LAN setup. But you are right, it is definitely in the difference of what can be customized and changed by the end consumer.

I really wish developers would see that and stop thinking everyone wants to rain on their parades. [From what I have been told and have seen, most of them do not wish to release the files due to the necessity of going through them for anything official or of value.] If they would have VALVe's mindset, their multiplayer games would truly be multiplayer.

Instead of closed off versions of ranked servers etc.

[kraze]

Value seems to be the only company that understands games and knows how to support them. I mean games such as CS and CSS that are old still are getting updates and so on..

[arucarD]

Well the CSS / CS communities were divided with the release of CSS in the first place. Due to the extreme differences in the two. Still to this day a CSS sees a CS player and trash talks, and the same goes the other way. I see them in a different aspect,

But they are easily customized due to the release of their dedicated server files. Since VALVe does this, the end user feels the company holds their best interest at heart. That is true freedom with ones own server to do with it and host it as he / she wishes.

TF2, L4D / L4D 2 / CS / CSS, add to the listing games such as Minecraft, Killing Floor, COD 4, etc, all can be customized to ones needs / desires.

[kraze]

Yup..

All I can really say is eventually this is come back and work against these companies.

[arucarD]

Yeah, no customization from a company for an extended period of time will get it blackballed by the general user that loves to host servers for his communities. Also another issue communities encounter is the fixation of these non customized games, taking away their users and then when they get tired of the game they have no place to come back to.

Happened to me with a few of the communities I had created / hosted / helped before.

[kraze]

Yea..

I am curious now to see how mod tools are going to play out with BO. Apparently they come out next month but we have no control and no access. How are we supposed to use them? Also by the time they get out and people make mods we will be another 2 months closer to MW3...

[arucarD]

To that I just see no purpose.. If the game is going to be released within the next few months, there is no general reasoning for them to finally release something for the other game that the new game will not also encompass. Unless they are planning to release ded server files for MW3...

That can cause people to choose the game that can be customized over the game that cannot be customized. Which would be a dumb move on any companies part.

[kraze]

Yea. I am curious how the COD franchise is going.. Seems as soon as they get on a path they throw a curve ball.

I also here their making a play for free thing like EA did with Battle field for free.

[arucarD]

Yea. I am curious how the COD franchise is going.. Seems as soon as they get on a path they throw a curve ball.

I also here their making a play for free thing like EA did with Battle field for free.

Thats just awkward to say the least.. :-/

At today’s investors call, Activision CEO of Publishing Eric Hirshberg announced a brand-new standalone Call of Duty title specifically for China. The new title is confirmed to be a free-to-play, micro-transaction based game. Hirshberg said that the title would not be out this year. No further details, including developer, were given during the call.

Today, at its Fourth Quarter Results Conference Call, Activision announced Beachhead, a newstudio dedicated to creating new online and digital content for the Call of Duty franchise. CEO Bobby Kotick announced the creation of the studio and highlighted the company’s stronger investment in tentpole franchises and digital download content.

The service itself is a digital platform for Call of Duty like Blizzard’s Battle.Net service, possibly including direct sales of Call of Duty titles and addon content. Strong integration and online community features will be the focus of the service. Kotick cited the success of Blizzard’s direct sales of Cataclysm through Battle.Net in 2010 during the reveal.

More information should be available in the near future. [Update: When asked about subscription service for Call of Duty, Activision said, "We're not ready to comment on that."]

Now I see where they are trying to be headed.. But NEXON in cooperation with VALVe has already beat them to the punch in this regard. CSO [Counter Strike Online] is a variation of CS catering specifically to Korea, China, etc. Using micro transactions via the website or using the ingame browser, users can buy weapons, upgrades, models, map packs, content packs, etc. It is literally an incredibly souped up and damn near perfect version of CS. [VERY addictive as well.]

[kraze]

Yea Activision seems to always be late to things like this.

[arucarD]

Its because they invest their money in failed projects or fail at maintaining most of their products. Case in point, after only a quarter of financial slow down in the music genre, this happened. :

Guitar Hero, arguably one of the most famous franchises in the gaming industry, is being cancelled by its publisher, Activision.

The decision to discontinue the franchise was announced by Activision in a press release concerning its December quarter financial results. It said: "due to continued declines in the music genre, the company will disband Activision Publishing's Guitar Hero business unit and discontinue development on its Guitar Hero game for 2011."

So waste a couple million, then chalk it up to a decline in the music genre? Yet Microsoft had Kinect Michael Jackson The Experience, the Wii had Michael Jackson The Experience, and they favored popular. :-/

[kraze]

Yea it just doesn't make any sense sometimes.

[arucarD]

So if that is the way that they will practice business, when the FPS genre slows down, they will cut their losses and bail? Or continue to create new games? If that was the case when they released COD 2 and 3, they should have high tailed it out of the FPS genre. :-/

[kraze]

Exactly. I think the COD series is so big now that no matter where it goes it will never die.

[arucarD]

Which is true, but the series is so big and popular now tracing back to IW's work on MW2.. So everything is basically riding on this new MW3 release for Activision. Everyone I know is riding on MW3's nuts, I ask people if they have seen or heard anything about Battlefield 3, the first thing they say is Battlefield sucks. I agree in a sense, but the games were groundbreaking, specifically 1942 with its MASSIVE multiplayer appeal.

Ah man the allure of having that one game that makes you or breaks you..