Everything Wrong With the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Beta

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare needs a polish before it"s release. | Source: Activision

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare PlayStation 4 open beta landed earlier this week, and now that players have had a few days to get their heads around Infinity Ward’s latest effort, we can confidently say that the game, in its current state, is pretty rough around the edges.

The Most Common ComplaintsPeakers advantage is overpowered – players getting killed before they even spot the enemy, especially coming around corners.Name tag viewable through closed doors.Name tag positions don’t correlate to player position.Interior areas are too dark.In-game notifications appear smack bang in the middle of the screen and obscure game play.Weak username filter (racist, sexist, derogatory, etc. terms getting through the net)No mini-map in Modern Warfare, period.Cluttered UI.UAV is overpowered.Login issues.Broken spawn system leads to spawn-kill massacres.Lengthy spawn animation.Weapon damage is inconsistent, especially the shotgun.Modern Warfare‘s Poor map design. Unfair lines of sight and overly exposed maps. The maps are conducive to camping, perch style game play, and similarly conservative play styles.Movement and sprint out are too slow.Netcode is inconsistent; hit boxes and hit registering is pretty volatile.Audio issues.Loads of texture, asset, and hit box bugs.Source: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare/Infinity Ward/ActivisionCall of Duty: Modern Warfare Beta’s Biggest Problems

Infinity War opted to remove the mini-map for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare, porting in a compass instead. Nearly immediately, players complained that the absence of a mini-map (a staple for all Call of Duty games to date) was conducive to camping and defensive game play. Fortunately, Infinity War was listening, and as of today, a mini-map has been implemented to the delight of players.Three enemies spawn on me right next to the HQ I’m defending in a matter of seconds. 1st & 3rd enemy is the same player. from modernwarfare

The spawn problem is two-tiered. Firstly, Modern Warfare is spawning players in ludicrous positions such as right in front of enemies, repeatedly in the same location, and very near where players die. Teams can more or less camp spawn points and pin down the other team for an easy win.Gun cocking animation after re-spawn got me killed from modernwarfare

Secondly, returning to the game after dying triggers a two-second or so fly-in spawn animation. In first-person shooter terms, that’s a long time. Flying-in also exposes enemy positions on the map below.

Finally, another issue is an amalgamation of a couple of the problems in the list above. With sketchy hit registration, erratic audio (doors can be too loud, footsteps sometimes don’t register and so on), wavering gun damage, and the open nature of the maps, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare doesn’t offer a consistent experience for all players.

Suffice to say Infinity Ward has got its plate full, but then again that’s the whole idea behind a beta; get players to stress test the build, gather feedback, and theoretically make the game better.

The fact Infinity Ward quickly responded to feedback about the mini-map is a good sign for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare moving forward.

Last modified (UTC): September 15, 2019 9:32 AMactivision Call of Duty Call of Duty Modern Warfare infinity ward