That's PC gamer for ya! Sorry Slabs! ;)

You should try playing in big games of S&D. If you play in a server w/ enough rounds and you do well, you'll get 2000+ XP a game. I just unlocked the M14. It's pretty cool, it reminds me of the M1 carbine in COD2, but with more recoil, and it does a ton of damage. Close quarters versus something like a P90 it's not that great, but it still gets the job done. I think the MP44 (WWII German AR, featured in the other COD games) is the only gun I've got left to unlock.

360 version runs at something like 1200x600 with 2xMSAA (and presumably no AF on the 360 version and PS3 version has lower resolution textures). The game seems very CPU dependant. I am running at mostly low settings at 800x600 and it is ok.

ATI's followup/improvement to the 2900XT is going to be $199 at retail it appears: http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2007/1... DX10.1 and such.

I will be interested to see 8800GT versus HD3870 GPUs.

Yeah.. all signs point to it still being inferior to the G92 though. And that's not even considering models like EVGA's highly overclocked board (which I have yet to see benchmarked). All signs point to me owning an 8800GT by the end of December if possible. I can't wait really.. it's going to make PC gaming feel like a brand new platform again. Haven't been there for years, and it's a great time to be on top again. There are plenty of games outside of the "Shooter" genres that I'm interested in playing, but even if you don't consider them, I'm still looking forward to Bioshock, UT3, Crysis, Stalker, Orange Box, Project Origin and maybe even Gears of War.. it's sorta crazy.

I still want to see how things like dynamic lighting and AA effect the games performance on an 8800GT. I could easily sacrafice dynamic lighting in MP if it turns up the performance at 1920x1200 or 1680x1050. The higher resolution is more important to MP than enhanced lighting is. I know for certain that I'll never turn on DOF for MP, it seems pointless and just makes your iron sights blurry by comparison.

I'll probably play SP w/ everything on though.

I haven't even touched the campaign yet. Yes the MP is very good.. and I think it's what pushes COD4 over that 9.0 barrier, even without having played the campaign yet. I hate GRAW though (console version, at least, haven't tried it on PC), so I'm not really fond of that comparison. GRAW excels in presentation, and I do really enjoy it's third-person-shooter mechanics quite a bit--but some of the missions are just lame, and the story takes a nose dive towards the end of the game. By the time I finished that game I just really wanted to get it over with.

Now going back to COD4...

The M14 is awesome. I love it. I find myself only using the P90 in FFA, but in larger team games, the M14 is quickly becoming one of my weapons of choice. It gets torn apart at close range by the SMG's if you don't get the drop on your opponent, but otherwise it's just awesome. The M16 has some real competition now.

@Inflatable:

Yea that's very understandable. I'm finding S&D frustrating at times and I've already played the game a decent amount. There are a few maps where I seem to get owned on quite a bit, which is a pain in my ass.. but I'm pretty sure it's what we're going to be playing in competition play, so the more experience I have with it the better.

Any objective mode seems to be good for gaining XP though. I've noticed that a good long game of Sabotage seems to do the trick too. I think one of the reasons S&D seems to get you so much XP is because you get a match bonus for every round.

Oh, and I'm not sure if I mentioned this here yet. On the PC version, ranks and unlocks are stored locally. It's a very stupid design decision, but it's something that every PC player should know about. Make sure you back up your profile regularly, especially if you're planning on uninstalling it or installing it on a new machine. I've heard that it also does some sort of hash check against a record on the master server, so if your file doesn't match that exactly, you'll lose your ranks. My only real major complaint about the game so far.

Overall I still think it's fantastic, and while I see patches in the near future, I think it's much better than most games are at launch.

It is hard to say something negative about CoD4 MP. You rank up fast, perks are very balanced, as are unlocks. MP is really intense. Sabatoge and Domination are great MP modes and Hardcore mode is a lot of fun. The UAV/Airstrike/Helo "rewards" are a nice dynamic and don't break the game, but instead make it intense. It is difficult to get a helo strike in, but if you do it is a huge reward. Kind of odd to give great players even more power, but it is a nice reward for playing smart. I can get a UAV in almost every match--usually when I have played smart and took good positions and not rushed in.

The game has amazing depth. The number of loadouts and perks is really impressive and you can really tailor kits for your preferences and style and have a couple good kits for every map--and the default ones are decent as well. It is all about compromises.

The MP has a lot of contextual aids. Hopping over walls and through windows is done VERY well. The toggle for sprint and crouch is nicely implimented as well.

I finally hit level 50. Five more levels, and one more gun to go!

The order of unlocks/perks, btw:

Key
(A) Assault Rifle
(SUB) Submachine Gun
(SNIP) Sniper Rifle
(SHOT) Shotgun
(LMG) Light Machine Gun
(P) Pistol
(1) Perk Class 1
(2) Perk Class 2
(3) Perk Class 3

1 All Starting Equipment
2 Demolitions Class (SHOT)
3 Sniper Class (SNIP)
4 CREATE A CLASS
5 Gun Challenges
6 New Playlists
7 M40 (SNIP)
8 Last Stand (3)
9 Boot Camp Challenges pt 1
10 M4 Carbine (A)
11 UAV Jammer (2)
12 CLAN TAGS
13 Mini Uzi (SUB)
14 Bomb Squad (1)
15 Boot Camp Challenges pt 2
16 M1911 .45 (P)
17 Martyrdom (2)
18 Boot Camp Challenges pt 3
19 M60E4 (LMG)
20 Sleight of Hand (2)
21 Operations Challenges
22 Dragunov (SNIP)
23 Claymore (1)
24 Operations Challenges pt 2
25 G3 (A)
26 Iron Lungs (3)
27 Operations Challenges pt 3
28 AK-47u (SUB)
29 Double Tap (2)
30 Killer Challenges
31 M1014 (SHOT)
32 Bandolier (1)
33 Killer Challenges pt 2
34 R700 (SNIP)
35 Eavesdrop (3)
36 Killer Challenges pt 3
37 G36C (A)
38 Overkill (2)
39 Killer Challenges pt 4
40 P90 (SUB)
41 3 Frags (1)
42 Humiliation Challenges
43 Desert Eagle (P)
44 Dead Silence (3)
45 Humiliation Challenges pt 2
46 M14 (A)
47 Humiliation Challenges pt 3
48 Humiliation Challenges pt 4
49 Barret .50 cal (SNIP)
50 Humiliation Challenges pt 5
51 Elite Challenges
52 MP44 (A)
53 Elite Challenges pt 2
54 Elite Challenges pt 3
55 PRESTIGE MODE

Perk Description

Class 1
C4 x 2 – You get 2 C4s to detonate remotely
Special Grenades x3 – Instead of 1 special, you get 3
RPG-7 x2 – You carry a RPG with two rockets
Claymore x2 – you carry 2 claymore which detonate when an enemy comes close
Frag x3 – get 3 frag grenades instead of 1
Bandolier – Gain more ammo (unknown amount at this time)
Bomb Squad – Points out Claymores and C4s planted by enemy

Class 2
Stopping Power – Increases bullet damage
Juggernaut – Increased health
Sleight of Hand – Decreases reload time
Double Tap – Increases rate of fire
Overkill – Carry 2 Primarys instead of 1 and a pistol
UAV Jammer – Undetectable on enemy radar
Sonic Boom – Higher weapon explosive damage

Class 3
Extreme Conditioning – Sprint for longer distances
Steady Aim – Increased hip-fire Capacity
Last Stand – Fall on the floor and pull out pistol before dying, doesn’t work on critical hits
Martyrdom – drop a grenade when you die
Deep Impact – Deeper bullet penetration
Iron Lungs – Hold breath longer while under scope
Dead Silence – When moving you make no sound
Eavesdrop – Hear enemy’s voice communication (unknown how)

Rank
1-3 Private
4-6 Lance Corpral
7-9 Corpral
10-12 Sergeant
13-15 Staff Sergeant
16-18 Gunnery Sergeant
19-21 Master Sergeant
22-24 Master Gunnery Sergeant
25-27 2nd Lieutenant
28-30 1rst Lieutenant
31-33 Captain
34-36 Major
37-39 Lieutenant Colonel
40-42 Colonel
43-45 Brigadier General
46-48 Major General
49-51 Lieutenant General
52-54 General
55 Comander"

---

RANK (number/rank title/xp required)

1 Private First Class 0

2 Private First Class I 30

3 Private First Class II 120

4 Lance Corporal 270

5 Lance Corporal I 480

6 Lance Corporal II 750

7 Corporal 1080

8 Corporal I 1470

9 Corporal II 1920

10 Sergeant 2430

11 Sergeant I 3000

12 Sergeant II 3650

13 Staff Sergeant 4380

14 Staff Sergeant I 5190

15 Staff Sergeant II 6080

16 Gunnery Sergeant 7050

17 Gunnery Sergeant I 8100

18 Gunnery Sergeant II 9230

19 Master Sergeant 10440

20 Master Sergeant I 11730

21 Master Sergeant II 13100

22 Master Gunnery Sergeant 14550

23 Master Gunnery Sergeant I 16080

24 Master Gunnery Sergeant II 17690

25 2nd Lieutenant 19380

26 2nd Lieutenant I 21150

27 2nd Lieutenant II 23000

28 1st Lieutenant 24930

29 1st Lieutenant I 26940

30 1st Lieutenant II 29030

31 Captain 31240

32 Captain I 33570

33 Captain II 36020

34 Major 38590

35 Major I 41280

36 Major II 44090

37 Lt. Colonel 47020

38 Lt. Colonel 50070

39 Lt. Colonel II 53240

40 Colonel 56530

41 Colonel I 59940

42 Colonel II 63470

43 Brigadier General 67120

44 Brigadier General I 70890

45 Brigadier General II 74780

46 Major General 78790

47 Major General I 82920

48 Major General II 87170

49 Lieutenant General 91540

50 Lieutenant General I 96030

51 Lieutenant General II 100640

52 General 105370

53 General I 110220

54 General II 115190

55 Commander 120280



UNLOCKABLES (Unlockable/Rank #)

Features

Demolitions Class 2

Sniper Class 3

Create-A-Class 4

Challenges 5

Clan Tag 12

Prestige Mode 55

Pistols

M9 0

M1911 .45 16

USP .45 0

Desert Eagle 43

GoldenDesert Eagle 55

SMGs

Mini Uzi 13

MP5 1

Skorpion 4

AK74u 28

P90 40

LMGs

M60E4 19

M249 SAW 1

RPD 4

Shotguns

W1200 2

M1014 31

Assault Rifles

AK 47 4

M4 Carbine 10

G3 25

M16A4 1

G36c 37

M14 46

MP44 52

Sniper Rifles

SVD 22

M21 8

M40A3 3

Barrett .50cal 49

R700 34

Perk 1

C-4 x2 1

Special Grenade x3 1

RPG-7 x2 2

Claymore x2 23

Frag x3 41

Bandolier 32

Bomb Squad 14

Perk 2

Stopping Power 1

Juggernaut 1

Sleight of Hand 20

Double Tap 29

Overkill 38

UAV Jammer 11

Sonic Boom 1

Perk 3

Extreme Conditioning 1

Steady Aim 1

Last Stand 8

Martydom 17

Deep Impact 1

Iron Lungs 26

Dead Silence 44

Eavesdrop 35

Now I just need to find a list of all the unlocks (e.g. red dot scope, silencers, sniping scopes, etc). Anyone else find those?

Ditto on how much health Jugs gives you, how much Stopping power helps, etc

People's favorite modes, maps, and Custom Classes would be cool.

I like the M4 + Red Dot, 3 stun grenades, Stopping Power, and Last Stand or Martydom.

Two more levels and I've got my MP44. I can't see myself using it much. It's my favorite non-rifle gun in Call of Duty 2 (it's my favorite weapon to use on normal servers), but I don't really see it living up to this games current selection of assault rifles. The stats listed in the menu seem to indicate as much as well. Maybe at close and medium distance, but with no attachments and a poor range, I just don't see it being a primary weapon. More of an homage to fans of the series, I figure. Still can't wait to unlock it.

I've noticed some peoples deagle's are gold, and mine is chrome.. what's up with that? I want a gold deagle :)

There are only the primary set of attachments you've seen btw: Red dot, ACOG, M203, Grip, and Silencer. Not sure what weapons are compatible w/ what attachments off the top of my head, but they're unlocked by completing challenges for that specific weapon.

Ahhh, ok, so you have to use the weapon to get the unlocks. Most seem to be kill based, with a Level 1, 2, and 3.

Well, you get the gold deagle at level 55. There's another unlock I must have. I still have mixed feelings on the fact that all guns carry the same stats (at least, that's what I've heard). The desert eagle can't use a silencer, so why not give it at least a slight boost in stopping power? That seems somewhat fair.

I take back my previous statements against the deagle and its lack of attachments. It even says in game that it's a higher power than the other pistols. I can only assume the game is not lying to me. All is right in the world. Now I just need the gold one.

I still love the M14.