The UAV makes every enemy (except those using the UAV jammer perk) appear on the radar. You also appear on the radar when you fire your weapon, unless you are using a silencer. Don't listen to Roxy. You can breath.

Footsteps are also incredibly loud in this game, listening to enemy movement (especially in S&D) can be a dead giveaway as to a players location.

It means they were dead when the round ended.

Most valuable player.

Yea, I think Winter Crash is entertaining but I don't enjoy playing it too much. The lighting and additional objects are distracting. I was in a pug yesterday and someone was hiding underneath the Christmas tree picking people off. Annoying. :)

By the way.. to answer a question from ages ago: Stopping power makes you do an additional 40% damage, and Juggernaut makes you take 75% of normal damage.

75% is a lot. It means it takes more than two headshots with an M4 to kill someone--more than a single knife stab--more than, etc etc. Juggernaut is a pain in the ass. Luckily, they have to sacrifice stopping power, which I suppose more or less makes up for it. In the CAL beta ruleset, they've adjusted Juggernaut to 90% of total damage, and it's still hard to kill people.. but you're doing 40% less damage too, so I'm not too worried about it.

I always use stopping power. It makes a pretty significant difference on most of the weapons, I find. I've started using deep impact over steady aim on the assault rifles, just because being able to wall people is pretty important if you're using an M4. Unfortunately, it kills your ability to strafe while shooting from the hip, unless you're at an extremely close range.. which has taken some getting used to. I also switch up between attachments quite frequently, using the silencer and the red dot sight mostly. I love the silencer, because I hate the muzzle flash, but while it makes the M4 easier to aim, it also reduces the amount of damage you do in long range firefights, so it's far from the perfect solution.

I hate LMG.. thank god you can only have one LMG, one shotty, and one scope in the competition mods.. also, they remove the ability to attach a grip to the LMG all together. Those things are nasty.

I just went 125-42 on Shipment Headquarters. HOLY SHIT I love the P90. I unlocked all the challenges for it already! Even with the ACOG scope its brutal. Better with the red dot really, I mowed down 10 people on one clip. LOL @ Sath for saying it sucked.

My definitive defence of CoD4 MP from B3D. The criticism was:How long have you played MP?

There is plenty innovative about MP. First is the "RPG-lite" design. Importantly, it isn't broken. The core kits work fine and have suitable perks. Just as significantly is you get perks quickly, so the process isn't overly laborous (until the last 1/3rd which takes 3-5 quality matches to gain a rank).

Anyhow, the RPG-lite system works as a well designed two-tiered system of Perks&Challenges and Weapon Unlocks. Perks and Challenges are granted when you obtain a new rank. You gain rank through "Experience Points" i.e. doing well in matches -- defuse or plant a bomb, capture and defend control points, kill opponents, and so forth. Every time you gain a new rank (55 in all) you get a new Perk/Challenge. Perks allow you to create a custom class, challenges are essentially achievements--and everytime you successfully complete a challenge you get more experience points which, in turn, allows you to rank up faster. There are hundreds of challenges that all tie back into the core gameplay and even make you try new tactics.

The Weapon Unlocks are substantial and based on performance. e.g. Get 25 kills with most weapons and you get a red dot scope. Get 150 head shots you get access to the ACOG scope. You, the player, decide on your loadout. Do you want a 'Nade Launcher on your M16 or do you want a Red Dot scope?

The weapon customization is really deep.

Which brings us back to perks--you can tailor your player, in a very balanced way to lean toward your strengths or to buttress your weaknesses. Do you like to run and gun? Then something like this may suit you well:

Primary: P90 with Red Dot Scope
Perk1: Bandolier (more ammo)
Perk2: Double Tap
Perk3: Steady Aim

Are you more stealthy? Why not toss on a gilly to blend right into your environment with the following loadout:

Primary: RD700 Sniping Rifle
Secondary: Deagle
Perk1: Claymore x2
Perk2: UV Radar Jammer
Perk3: Iron Lung (or Dead Silence or Deep Impact)

The above would work just as well with an Assault Rifle or Sub Machinegun with a silencer as those, too, don't show up on radar when fired.

I have found a lot of kits that I like. e.g. My sniping kit has the Overkill Perk so I have the P90 with Red Dot scope for close quarters and an RD700 sniper and the steady aim perk as well as claymores. My current favorite kits include a silenced M4 with claymores, Deagle, stopping power and steady aim (and an alternate with martyrdom for crouded close in servers; I also have a variant of this with an M16 with red dot scope when I can be more at a distance in combat).

And in CoD style you can see the perks others killed you with so you can see what combos work well. This isn't your grandfather's "weapons spawn in open fields" shooter with a limited array of weapons. There are dozens and dozens of guns--with probably over a thousand weapon loadout combinations. This is the GT of gun games.

And all of this falls back into (A) Really great map design and (B) team/objective gameplay. Yes, CoD4 has Free-For-All and Team Death Match. And while those modes work great, the real meat is the teamplay in Headquarters, Search & Destroy, Domination, and Sabatoge. These modes are essentially variations on classic modes for the most part, but they are very, very well executed and balanced.

CoD4 also offers some final touches. e.g. There is Hardcore mode with minimal HUD as well as a more lethal damage model. And for those dieing to play Doom/Quake style gameplay in the CoD4 universe there is the over the top Old School mode where weapons and perks spawn in fields and buildings. You have more health, unlimited sprint, can jump higher, etc.

I will say this: If you lack the skills to be in the top 20% of gamers when it comes to shooters all of this probably means squat: You are going to get owned. If you have never figured out a tactic that works well for you, be it run&gun, sniping, good strategical use of surroundings, etc that enable you to hold your own (i.e. you cannot aim or haven't figured out more tactical approaches to get a drop on enemies) then this isn't going to fun like most other shooters online.

I personally don't like the faster pace of CoD4. I have more of an affinity for DC or CS slowness in these sort of shooters. The fact the first shot of pretty much any gun is accurate (if you are not moving) also takes a bit to get used to as it means that pretty much any gun, within their range, can be lethal with a well placed first shot. You really need to learn the guns in the game as they are all quite distinct. Iron sites is always something new to get familiar with as is the unique action of each gun when fired.

Yet there is so much that has drawn me into CoD4. The refined elements: a lot of very good MP maps and refined game modes means pretty much every map and round has the potential for a good game. The RPG-lite system brings you back for "one more round" and doesn't discourage new players as the core kits are fine and you gain rank very quickly at first. The class customization rocks and is both robust and balanced and keeps team-objective gameplay interesting and fresh. And you always have an incentive to live (or kill the other teams best players) in the "combos" that get you UAV access, Airstrikes, or Helo Support. And as a server admin, if you dislike such, can literally custom tailor what features are and are not available--even what perks, perk slots, weapons, combos, and so forth can be used.

Sure, CoD4 didn't add vehicles. And it didn't add a cover system. It doesn't have an advanced combo based melee system either or robust motion sensative controls.

But to say it lacks innovation, imo, means you didn't play the game much. Yes, large chunks of the game are more "evolutionary design, refined for the design". Yet in MP a HUGE part of the gameplay is based on the Perks, Unlocks, and Challenges which is quite unlike any other MP shooter on the market. CoD4 has a unique game design that builds on the genre, adds plenty of fresh elements, but most importantly is very balanced and ver well executed. Nothing is useless or broken, and everything works well within the team oriented shooter design.

Yes, Winter Crash is an official map. The PC version also has elements that have been patched far quicker than the PS3/360 versions. It's probably just a matter of the complicated process of certification that MS requires on the 360 that prevented console users from getting the map. <3 IW.

Personally I think prestige is a waste of time, and I'm not just saying that because it's not in the PC version. My personal interest in multiplayer FPS is not driven by RPG elements that reward playtime as an artificial means to increase the games replayability. Replay (for me) comes from the games core mechanics being fun, and from an active, healthy community and the competitive nature of the games. I played around 1000 hours of BF2 and it was entirely unmotivated by unlocks.

I hate martyrdom, probably the most, out of all perks. More than Claymores or 3X spamtastic-frags.. but I prefer playing comp. rules anyway. That way I don't have to deal with any of that stuff. I do pub from time to time still, but when playing by default rules I still try to stick to competition kits so I'm sharp with what's available in that setting.

The M16 is a really great gun. Not terribly well balanced but for long range combat the only thing that has it beat (granted, beaten by quite a bit) is the scope. Well.. the G3 and M14 are great too, but there's something really great about the M16 still. Great power, extremely stable.

PS. Hardcore still sucks.

http://www.majornelson.com/archive/2008/01/21/live...

1 Call of Duty 4
2 Halo 3
3 Guitar Hero III
4 Gears of War
5 Rock Band

There are those who said this day would never come.

Doesn't surprise me one bit ;)