As many of you know, the Infinity Ward developers held a "live" chat session with interested fans of the game at Best Buy. Here are the PC-specific parts of that live session courtesy of RudeDog @ FPSAdmin.com.
Ive had to post it in 2 Parts, as the forum has a post length limit -
Part 1:
Quote:
01:09 Mackey-IW
Hi I'm Mackey McCandlish, I've been at IW since day 1 and have worked on CoD1, 2, 4, and MW2. I'm primarily responsible for single player scripting and design. Some of the missions I scripted were Burnville, Stalingrad, Demolition, One Shot One Kill (Ferris Wheel!) and more.
01:10 Ryan-IW
Hello everyone I'm Ryan Lastimosa. I'm an artist at Infinity Ward and I'm responsible for weapons.
01:13 mon3ymak3r4812
can u get support powers after 25 killstreak?
01:13 Mackey-IW: To mon3ymak3r4812
Mon3ymak3r4812: After you use the 25 kill streak, the game ends.
01:21 nkrull
Is the tactical nuke an immedeate win for your team as it is shown in one video?
01:22 Ryan-IW
Yes, the tactical nuke is a win. A BIG win! lol
01:24 xxTex
Can explain how IW.net works for the PC platform?
01:26 Mackey-IW
PC has no common provider of matchmaking like on xbox360, so to have match making on the PC we had to create IW.Net, kind of similar to the match making networks created for RTS games on PC. This was not a trivial undertaking, although it's understandable that these days consumers may take match match making for granted.
01:32 Josh111
PC Question... What will the max amount of players per map be for PC multiplayer on IW.net
01:32 Vince-IW
9v9
01:32 GeneralClean
With the new IW.net, how many players can it support at one time with each server set-up, 8 vs 8, 12 vs 12, 16 vs 16, and how much bandwidth are we talking about per player basis, Upload and Download?
01:33 Mackey-IW
The max number of players on all platforms are 1v1 through 9v9. This is the number of players we focused on when we were balancing map size, perks, classes, challenges, etc.
01:38 MW2Fan
If my computer can handle COD World at War, Can it handle MW2
01:38 Vince-IW
System Requirements
o OS: Microsoft Windows XP or Windows Vista (Windows 95/98/ME/2000 are unsupported)
o Processor: Intel Pentium 4 3.2 GHz or AMD Athlon 64 3200+ processor or better supported
o Memory: 1 GB RAM
o Graphics: 256 MB NVIDIA GeForce 6600GT or better or ATI Radeon 1600XT or better
o DirectX�: Microsoft DirectX(R) 9.0c
o Hard Drive: 12GB of free hard drive space
o Sound: 100% DirectX 9.0c compatible sound card
o Internet: Broadband connection and service required for Multiplayer Connectivity. Internet Connection required for activation.
o Co-op/Multiplayer Hosting: To host Co-op or MP matches, a 2Ghz dual-core or better processor is recommended.
01:38 pittboss
will the private multiplayer matches for the pc be run as a p2p connections or are they run via the IWnet?
01:39 Deaths_head
Is there any type of character customization in the multiplayer?
01:42 xxTex
What are the types of features that IW.net offers for PC players?
01:42 Mackey-IW
The ability to quickly and easily find a good multiplayer game. We're also able to host your rank and create-a-class online so any PC you log in with will be ready for you.
01:46 Laugh
Is there a console in the PC version of the game, so we can change our field of view from the xbox's default 65 FOV to 80 also can we tweaks the weapon damage for each gun, removes perks, graphical debris, breathing sway, also thru console like we where able to before or is this all gone?
01:46 Vince-IW
We would like you to play the game the way we designed and balanced it.
01:49 TheNinthAxis
If you charge for PC dlc will it be released at the same time as the consoles.
01:49 Vince-IW
We honestly haven't put much thought into DLC for any platform yet, we have been working on getting the game done
01:51 zackattack300
Is iw.net laggy? Has it been tested in the sahara on dial-up while downloading 3gig files and running antivirus with less than 200 ping? Hope so, it'll need it.
01:51 Vince-IW
We did test it in the Sahara, but we were only downloading a 1GB file...
01:53 maniac1969
How are PC gaming clans going to uphold their clan rules in the IW-net system? Are you going to give admin rights to gaming rooms so that admins can Kick or Ban players who refuse to follow clan rules? For example, {MRoA} servers prohibit racial comments from guest and/or clan members...
01:53 Saucy
Will the DLC for PC version cost anything?
01:53 Vince-IW
No idea yet.
01:55 xxTex
Will IW.net require players to pay for downloadable content, updates or just to play the game?
01:55 Vince-IW
no
01:55 Mackey-IW
In response to the PC clan question: Private matches are a way for players to easily play with their friends and apply whatever House Rules they want. You can not kick players from Ranked matches. If language is a problem you can easily mute players.
01:56 ulukai
Will it be possible to use "lean" in the pc version, can we chat like in cod4 and is there any x-fire system to join friends allready playing ?
01:56 Vince-IW
Since we use steam for the PC version you have access to your Steam friends list.
01:59 The3rdNipple
Using steam (which I have been for years) if I were to reformat my computer and redownload the game will my online profile be stored with steam? For instance, if I was level 24 and had all my classes and perks set, would they be saved online and brought back once I redownloaded? -The3rdNipple
01:59 Vince-IW
Stored on Steam!
02:00 kaRMa
Regarding the PC version, will all games be hosted by players or just private matches? And will the host have a zero ping advantage?
02:01 Mackey-IW
We put a lot of work into making the game tolerant of latency. In my personal experience it is not obvious which player is host. The game plays well on broadband.
02:01 Stormbringer
If a game on IW.net is hosted by a player would that player not then have an unfair advantage in terms of network latency?
02:01 Mackey-IW
We put a lot of work into making the game tolerant of latency. In my personal experience is not obvious which player is host. The game plays well on broadband.
02:02 Josh111
For the PC.. You guys have said people will be matched by skill.. How is this skill determined? Is it by kill to death ratio or something else?
02:03 TheNinthAxis
Is there lean in PC multiplayer.
02:03 Vince-IW
No.
02:05 Trac_Vantro
Is Iw.net going to help keep clans together the way we are use to playing together as clans now.
02:06 Mackey-IW
You can use friendslists in steam to play together.
02:06 TRU-Jennifer
Are you considering dedicated servers for the PC gamer in the near future?
02:07 Mackey-IW
Our main focus right now is on making sure the game will work well when it is released (on all platforms).
02:09 Porschy
Will you guys ever rethink about making a possible dedicated server patch after the initial launch? BTW I LOVE U GUYS <3
02:09 Vince-IW
We feel the PC game is great in it's current form. We put a lot of work into IWnet in an effort to make the PC experience better for our users. If there is a need for somthing more in the future we will address as needed.
02:10 rnrmusic55
you said IWnet was created to help stop piracy, what do you say about the Xbox 360 version leaked and shared on torrent sites?
02:10 Vince-IW
IWnet was designed to make the MP experience on PC easier and more balanced.
02:13 Stringarray
Will IW ever consider developing games on the PC to support dedicated servers, be it MW2 patches or future endeavors? Just curious if dedicated servers are on the radar anymore.
02:13 Mackey-IW
Our goal is to provide the best experience for our users, so nothing is ever "off the table". We are always evaluating our options.
02:17 Freeman06
Hello, are you considering ever patching in mod tools for the pc to make custom maps and such?
02:17 Mackey-IW
Right now we're focused on launching our game.
02:19 JunkyNL
I like many others, have friends from all over the world and like to play games against each other. So with this new system we wont be able to play lag free against each other? And is there still a (Offline) LAN function?(there is no internet at that location) (the 402 site doesn't answers this question)
02:19 Vince-IW
You can party up with your friends and you will be placed in a game that works well for everyone.
02:19 gdogg
On the PC version is there going to be Hardcore Free for all?
02:20 Mackey-IW
Currently there are hardcore TDM and SD playlists, however as you witnessed with CoD4:MW, the playlists may change from time to time.
02:20 GunnZero
i play on all gaming machines, if it allows me to game, im on it. But will PC have Mod tools?
02:20 Vince-IW
We haven't made any decisions regarding this yet.
02:21 folf
Could the migration of hosting make my isp�s service agreement void since I am not supposed to host servers?
02:21 Vince-IW
No, this is not a permanent server that you are hosting.
02:21 Futurefighter
How do you plan to appeal to professional pc gaming leagues like CAL and CEVO with IW.net?
02:21 Vince-IW
I guess we'll have to talk to them and see what they would need. We would love to work something out.
02:22 Themouse
Hi,and sorry if it got asked ,or answered in the first 10mins, I had trouble connecting, I only actually want to know 1 thing, will you re-introduce dedicated server support, a yes or no will do? So I can enjoy the rest of the chat, or go off and do something more useful
02:22 thajuggaloz
Is there a possiblity IW will release Dedicated Servers in a future patch? I am in a large international COD clan and IWnet/9vs9 will be impossible for us as a group to play together.
02:22 Vince-IW
We can't predict the future... yet.
02:22 Mackey-IW: To sportfan91
We are currently focused on launching the game.
02:23 h4msandwich
Has IWnet been tested in European settings? My clan plays european leagues and we got ppl from Eastern europe, UK and Sweden meeting in the same match. How is this going to play out considering siginificant
differences in Bandwith and connection qualities between players. Will host player always have the ping advantage. Can a match be hosted by 'third' person, not taking part in the match?
02:23 Mackey-IW
Players do not control who hosts.
02:25 DudezTY
Since we can not kick people in ranked matches, how will we stop hackers who get past VAC?
02:25 Mackey-IW
Our goal is to ban hackers from the game.
02:25 GeneralClean
So how can you justify 9 vs 9 at the most on PC when we had 32 vs 32 in COD4?
02:26 Mackey-IW
The CoD4 maps were not balanced for 32vs32. In MW2 the entire experience is carefully balanced for a smaller range of players.
02:26 frzg
Was the decision to create IWNet for PC a profit based decision or a 'genuine improvement of the game'?
02:26 Vince-IW
To improve the game, it actually cost us money to develop it so the there isn't a profit motive.
02:26 krm2014
Will the IWNET multiplayer system compensate for the undoubtly low ping that the host computer will have for the other players, or will the host have an advantage over the other players? Also, going back to clans...Is there a way to have more than 18 people in a server, because my clan has at least 100 members and we like to get 20-30 on our servers at the same time.
02:26 Mackey-IW
Games cap out at 9v9. The software has great latency tolerance. See above!
02:27 Torinir
How does IWNet plan to address serious griefing, such as intentional teamkilling, voice/chat spamming, and other unwanted behaviours in public matchmade games? This includes organized griefing from groups like myg0t.
02:27 Sno-dog
Is there a final decision placed on any modtools that you may or may not come up with later on? Not necessarily for Multiplayer, but possibly Singleplayer or Spec Ops? Also, im sure the SP will be an awsome spectical. Sadly, im worried about the Multiplayer, how do you guys feel the multiplayer will play out?
02:27 Vince-IW
Multiplayer is incredible, you should not be worried!
02:27 Stormbringer
I can see how IW.net would be good for the individual; however, would you not agree that for clans with wide geographic dispersion this could cause severe problems in terms of ping?
02:27 Vince-IW
We have not found this to be a problem.
02:34 zach426
What was your guy's logic behind removing the lean feature for PC, a feature that was a mainstay from all of your previous call of duty titles?
02:34 Mackey-IW
The game is not balanced for lean.
02:36 maniac1969
Vince, there are 178,000 voices that say you need dedicated servers for the PC. COD4 is the bigest online game in history! Why in the world would you take away dedicated servers and change the whole MP experience for us? And Mackey, the PC version with dedicated servers is already the best experience the way it is!
02:36 Vince-IW
All I can say is that we changed it to make it a better and easier experience. Also, not all of the names on that list are legit.
02:37 kaRMa
Please give me a direct answer. On the PC version. Are all games hosted by players, and is there a 5 second delay when host migration is in effect?
02:37 Vince-IW
yes.
02:37 TRU-Jennifer
What are the current steps being taken in regard to active blocking measures that some major ISPs have taken regarding Peer 2 Peer connections, such as what Comcast does?
02:37 Mackey-IW
Only players capable of hosting will be host.
02:40 JunkyNL
You say the Multiplayer is going to be incredible and I want to try this new IW.net system to see, but if it doesn�t exceeds my expectation I lost 60 dollars cause it cannot trade PC games. Unless IW is going to offer a money back guarantied
02:40 Mackey-IW
When one of your friends buys it, you can ask him if it's good, and then make an educated decision.
02:40 Ryan-IW
We understand your concern for the PC version as it is a very important topic. We keep our loyalties to making good games. Fun games that people can play worldwide and on multiple platforms. We feel that most or all of your questions will be answered on November 10. We had a blast developing this game for the last two years.
02:40 Freeman06
Is IW.net going to be available for midnight release, even tho if you orderd on steam it comes out 2 days later?
02:40 Vince-IW
yes.
02:41 N2DEEP
I run lan parties for PC, how will you be able to lan without internet access and no dedicated servers as you could with cod4?
02:41 Mackey-IW
We can play at work on our lan by doing private match and there is no lag.
02:41 JD8
Several members of my clan are in other countries, If your new system doesn't consider them a good match to play with us they may feel like an outsider in our clan community. How are we supposed to keep our clan base if we don't get to choose who is a good match?
02:41 Vince-IW
Party up!
02:42 GeneralClean
Have you tested IW.net with connecting with overseas players? And if so what were the results?
02:42 Vince-IW
Yes, seemed good.
02:42 ulukai
I'm in a lan party association our last lan had 400 players, can we play lan with the pc version and is the game made for lan party competition and last question could you explain why there is no collector version on pc ?
02:43 Moriarte
Will there be a multiplayer PC demo shortly after release? The PC community is largely skeptical at best right now and with no ability to trade-in or rent, this is a real gamble for our wallets.
02:43 Vince-IW
No plans for a demo currently. We are still working on finishing the PC game right now (yes, I know... we need to get done!)
02:43 Mackey-IW
As long as you can connect to steam you can play the game fine.
02:43 ETPC
How come MW2 is delayed on Steam and when does the pre-load start (16gb is a bit big :P)? Also, will there be a DX10/10.1/11 renderer/option?
02:43 Vince-IW
We hate the delay as well, it is not up to IW.
02:44 Apex
Will there be a way to provide genuine feedback regarding IW.Net after the game is released? Seeing as the PC subforum at your site isn't very effective.
02:44 ViperVenom
What was the inspiration behind the AC-130, Throwing knives, 3rd person and such? Did looking at some of the Cod4 Mods influence any of these?
02:44 Mackey-IW
We wil be watching and listening of course.
02:44 Ryan-IW
The inspiration behind so many inclusions to MW2's MP was basically the fun factor. We'll look at something we did in the past and say "Wouldn't it be fun if we *insert blank here*". With MW2 we had the chance to do a lot of just that. We implemented things that at first were very experimental and unbalanced, but through time and hours and weeks of testing and balancing, we came out with something amazing.
02:45 gdogg
Are you aware of the petition to for dedicated servers and mods, have you taken this into acount?
02:45 Vince-IW
yes.
02:47 will0812
Do you honestly think you have improved the PC version with IW.Net, you cannot claim the gameplay is smoother, as dedicated servers are much more efficient.?
02:47 Mackey-IW
Yes, we believe MW2 is better than CoD4:MW. The reason iw.net exists is to improve the gameplay for our users.
02:47 TrastX
You guys have made it easier for PC players to hope in a random game, but you made it harder for Clans to stay together and play in a community fashion like were used to. How will we be able to play with the same people on a regular basis without having 100s of people on our friends list, is there ever a way to join the same match rooms?
02:47 Vince-IW
Yes, you can party up with people and play with them.
