Modern Warfare 2 devs don’t want PC players to get an advantage with settings
ActivisionModern Warfare 2 developers say that PC players will not have a big advantage by exploiting the new water feature.
Modern Warfare 2’s latest trailer revealed many exciting new features that will be coming to the game. One that stood out, and perhaps not completely for the best reasons, was the upgraded water rendering.
With MW2 being built on a brand new engine, graphical upgrades were almost a given. The water shown in the trailer looks incredibly realistic as Captain Price floats beside a buoy and the game is confirmed to have at least one underwater level.
Although the game’s water may look great in the campaign, multiplayer and Warzone fans were left a bit concerned. With its glossy, opaque appearance, players will be able to slip into the water to avoid detection from enemies. But that may not be the case for all players.
Could MW2’s water be a problem?
ActivisionOne big concern from Call of Duty fans regarding previous games had to do with graphical disparities between console and PC versions. While the version of the games for consoles had certain graphical restrictions, on PC that was not the case.
This meant that Call of Duty players could turn their PC’s graphics so low that certain surfaces and effects would not render. The most common advantage this gave was that when enemies popped a smoke grenade or disappeared into fog, they would still be visible to players with low graphics.
As a result, many console players were concerned that the improved water in Modern Warfare 2 could be exploited in a similar way.
Modern Warfare 2’s water won’t be exploited
In an interview with Eurogamer, the Modern Warfare 2 developers confirmed that they had considered and addressed these concerns. Water will not be exploitable in Modern Warfare 2, they say.
“When we first approached water, it was from the perspective that this should be an escape mechanic, not an attacking mechanic. You should be able to jump in the water and swim away and players aren’t able to see you,” MW2 multiplayer design director Geoffrey Smith said in the interview.
Multiplayer co-design director Joe Cecot confirmed “[i]f your settings are low, we still want the same coverage, the same treatment of water.”
Luckily for Call of Duty fans, it seems the engine and design of the water are not the only features getting upgrades. The developers’ attention to detail and consideration for pain points in previous installments should make the game feel much fairer.
