[tlr]

So, do I buy this game, or would one of the earlier CoDs be more fun for me (especially in campaign mode rather than online)?

Hardly played any shooting games, but enjoyed Killzone 2.

[Fiend]

As before if you have a half-decent PC, try the COD4 demo...

[Richie Crouch]

Haven't played an fps since CoD 1 came out! Used to be a bit addicted to the MP and almost went to the cpl in america but sacked it off to go on a trip to font instead and stopped playing clan matches after that 

Is CoD 4 more akin to original CoD or is MW2 a good alternative to both if I were to get into some casual online play now and again 

[fatdoc]

My point is that in a slayer/deathmatch game then ratio is everything. Not just in MW2, in any game.

The team with the positive ratio wins, the one with the negative ratio loses. If they both have a zero ratio then it's a draw - simple as that.

A lot of people don't understand this so they chase kills, die a lot and lose the match.

that is the failing of this game.. i admitt halo sorts this

[Bubba]

that is the failing of this game.. i admitt halo sorts this

Nah, it's the same in Halo and any other slayer/deathmatch game - it's just life

[Bubba]

I was thinking about this topic on the way home - I sort of assumed that talk of ratio in relation to shooters was referring to "Kill:Death Ratio" but realise that not everyone may have been on about the same thing. Sorry if my ramblings above made little sense without that assumption.

[robertostallioni]

Just picked up my copy, so now i have to decide to wait till 8pm when minime goes to bed or to get him skilled up as my point man (jump on that grenade for me). He's 4.

I ain't got time to bleed!

[Carnage]

Iwas referring to "Kill:Death Ratio"

I knew what you meant. Not sure if I agree with you on the Positive -win/negative - lose tho. So many people quit to preserve theirs and your chances of winning are affected by lag and other factors. I can proudly say that I've finally gone + on GOW2 but even when I play with others with 'good' ratios we still get beat by opponents with lesser ratios.

[vivahate]

I was thinking about this topic on the way home - I sort of assumed that talk of ratio in relation to shooters was referring to "Kill:Death Ratio" but realise that not everyone may have been on about the same thing. Sorry if my ramblings above made little sense without that assumption.

In the world of kill:death ratios (KDR, if you will), where do assists fall?

So much harder to keep up a good kdr in MW2 compared to halo3 or CS for me.

[Bubba]

Not sure if I agree with you on the Positive -win/negative - lose tho.

If you have two teams playing a game where the one with the highest score wins (or the first team to score X) then it's the only way it can be (assuming suicides, etc aren't scored).

If Team A goes +10 then Team B must have gone -10.  Team B cannot win.

Say Team A gets 40 kills and incurs 30 losses - that means that Team B cannot have got more than 30 kills and must have incurred 40 losses

In the world of kill:death ratios (KDR, if you will), where do assists fall?

I think on a personal level they are valid - if your personal KDR is brought down by lots of assists then it doesn't mean your a bad player, but it still won't affect the outcome of the game. I know in Halo (and prob many other team based games) may teams will allocate a "main slayer" and "backup slayer(s)" - the backup guys will often get a lesser ratio due to their greater number of assists rather than straight kills but the team will still need to stay +ve as a whole in order to win.

I've had so many games where some shouty kid will berate you for not getting more kills but when you check their stats they have gone negative. You point this out to them but they just don't get it. N00bs!!

My MW2 ratio is only 1.10 at the minute but that's fine considering I'm learning the game/maps/etc. Never really played COD online before so I'm going to suck for a while.

[Carnage]

Sorry - crossed wires. 

I was meaning the individual stats of the players before the games starts ie if one teams combined stats were all + and other teams were all - .

Oops.

You should head back to Gears Bubba - So many changes now for the better. I play Guardian all the time. You can actually play and have fun. Still get lag but its rarely unbearable.

[vivahate]

Not sure if I agree with you on the Positive -win/negative - lose tho.

My MW2 ratio is only 1.10 at the minute but that's fine considering I'm learning the game/maps/etc. Never really played COD online before so I'm going to suck for a while.

Mine is a measly 0.9, just got my CSS ratio up to 3.2 this week as well I'll work on it! I get the feeling that once you mastered sentry guns or whatever your kill/death will go through the roof. You're totally right about the kill/death ratio being all that matters to the team in a deathmatch game

Does anyone play MW2 on a PC?

[Richie Crouch]

CSS you say Chris!

I reinstalled steam and downloaded it again 2 days ago. had my first game of CSS in 4 years the other night and managed to get more around a 1.5 k:d somehow. My reactions and general co-ordination are so much poorer than they used to be 

Few more sessions and relearning maps other than dust/dust2..etc and I will have to get on a server with you without being humiliated! 

[vivahate]

keen for that Rich! Get on MW2, it's pretty fun really. What's your SteamID? Think mine is deityofheresy or beardown but will check and let you know later!

[Bubba]

Well I've been playing this game quite a lot - I'm not particularly good, only just hit level 40 (and got my M16 ) but have been enjoying it immensely. Am still >1 KDR which is fine for a COD n00b like me.

My final pros / cons would be for the multiplayer:

*H3 = Halo 3. As the other top MP shooter on Xbox Live comparisons are inevitable

Pros

• Serious fun and very addictive.
• Matchmaking system is good - tries to find games with <50ms ping - wish H3 would do this too.
• Matchmaking also seems quite good at balancing ability - there's no real information on how this is done but it seems to work - I usually get matched with people not to far above/below my skill level. In H3 this is all done by level (the level system works on wins/losses not XP like in MW2) but is very open to abuse/boosting/etc.
• The Perks system seems nicely balanced forcing you to make far reaching decisions on your spec.
• Huge variety of weapons & equipment specs to choose from.
• The facility to create custom classes is great - love being able to pick from a fast running class with fast firing submachine guns if you're in a certain mood/on an FFA map and then have another one for crafty sniping, etc.
• The graphics are excellent; players, events like explosions and the map scenery all look awesome (certainly as good as H3) and never suffer from any flicker or slowdown.
• I love the ability to shoot through certain surfaces with certain guns - adds an interesting element to using and fighting cover.
• The way motion sensors have been implemented is excellent - the whole UAV from Killstreaks thing.
• The Killcam is great for stopping people camping in one place for too long.
• Stats are great - it's nice to be able to see your Kill/Death ratio inside the game, rather than having to use an external website like you have to with H3.

Cons

• The sound isn't as accurate as other games - in H3 the sound of fighting will allow you to pinpoint where the action is much more intuitively.
• It's doesn't have the toe-to-toe combat skill that H3 has. I'm not being a H3 fanboy, it just doesn't. In H3 you can have long exchanges where the outcome is unclear until the last second. I don't see this in MW2. It's not as "competitive".
• The "feel" is also much less intuitive to H3 but it's still very good so you just get used to it.
• The aircraft are too over the top. When you can call in a Harrier Strike and get 5 or 6 kills from it by doing nothing then it spoils the balance of the game. Basically a good team who's in the lead and have some decent killstreaks gain a massive advantage that it's difficult for the losing team to eat into. It'd be better if it was a little easier to counter the aircraft and they didn't last as long. That would make games more competitive.
• There's a lot of camping and the complexity of the scenery in the maps lends themselves to this. Although the Killcam does mitigate this to a certain extent, it still doesn't a player moving from one camping spot to the next - there's so many of them that this can still be a strategy. Guess this is just how COD maps are so I've tried to get used to it.
• Things like thermal sights make it too easy for snipers to gain kills at long range - again it needs balance, e.g. the thermal image only lasts a few seconds.
• No facility to turn off the music.
• Needs more maps quickly. Some of the maps are great but there's not enough of them.
• H3 has a fully fledged video editor and map editor/creator - MW2 would benefit a great deal from similar functionality.

All in all, great game well worth buying for the multiplayer alone. The campaign is similar to the rest of COD campaigns but the Spec Ops is a nice addition.

[fatdoc]

I'm on level 21.
I agree with totally.

best post of the thread.

 - waddage -

[Plattsy]

• Things like thermal sights make it too easy for snipers to gain kills at long range - again it needs balance, e.g. the thermal image only lasts a few seconds.

Great post. Heard something about a "cold shoulder" achievement which I think makes you invisible to thermal imaging. Not sure if this can then be used in multi-player though.

Here you go.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for PC will include 50 Steam Achievements, enticing players to train a local militia and be “Back in the Saddle” or infiltrate the snowy mountain side base and earn the “Cold Shoulder.”

[vivahate]

• Things like thermal sights make it too easy for snipers to gain kills at long range - again it needs balance, e.g. the thermal image only lasts a few seconds.

Great post. Heard something about a "cold shoulder" achievement which I think makes you invisible to thermal imaging. Not sure if this can then be used in multi-player though.

Here you go.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 for PC will include 50 Steam Achievements, enticing players to train a local militia and be “Back in the Saddle” or infiltrate the snowy mountain side base and earn the “Cold Shoulder.”

Cold-Blooded | Cold-Blooded Pro
Cold-Blooded Perk Ability: Undetectable by UAV, air support, Sentry Guns, and thermal.

Pro Ability: No red crosshair or name shown when you are targeted.

It's essential in my opinion, along with Ninja (though I'm not a high enough level for Last Stand (~38)

Ability: Invisible to heartbeat sensors.

Pro Ability: Allows you to move silently.

Ninja+Coldblooded and a silencer makes you essentially invisible in game

Edit: Added Perks link http://www.themodernwarfare2.com/mw2/multiplayer/perks/

[fatdoc]

what level do I have to get to go cold bloodied?

God, I bet the search and destroy / hardcore modes are then ace!!

with such big levels i bet you only see 2 players a round.

wont get you levelled up, but that's where the class action is i reckon.

[vivahate]

I can't remember exactly, around level 30 I think. With all the stealth perks/addons on a hardcore map you would untraceable if you found a good camp spot, but I prefer to move between good positions; rather than spend a whole map in one place. Cold blooded pro and long grass is a great combination.

I heard something about hidden games they found on MW2, with a 5v5 arena subgame, and VIP/escort scenario and like 3 others so hopefully they'll patch in different games with dedicated servers sometime in the future for the PC.

I think with the quasi-tactical nature of the game, I'd prefer Halo3 if I was playing on a console, but I think it works really well on PC. Agree with everything Bubs says.

[BB]

Right, I've just completed the single player mode and am about to start my journey into Xbox live. What are the things you most wish you'd known before beginning online play?

[Bubba]

Right, I've just completed the single player mode and am about to start my journey into Xbox live. What are the things you most wish you'd known before beginning online play?

Have you played many online shooters before?

[BB]

Yeah loads. I was heavily into COD4. I just didn't want to ruin my KDR by committing some horrendous error on weapon/spec!

[fatdoc]

you dont get the whole choice of game modes as early.. concentrate on 1 assault rifle and one machine gun for 150 kills each to get the 1000s of points to assist leveling up quick.

carry a launcher, to get the helicopters down quick.

use frags not semtex, it throws further

[Bubba]

Learn the maps - they're pretty complex; I'm only just getting the hang of them after 200 odd games.