A week ago or so, I retweeted this:

3 Most Important Perks For #MW3 #PC We want Our Freedom!!! http://t.co/9sbFVWX.

The tweet requests Dedicated Servers, Mod Tools and a player-editable config file for MW3 and it had first come from @DsiveRush, who created the pic linked in the tweet.

A few days later, Rob Bowling from IW, replied to the tweet. His reply marks the first time he's ever spoken directly to me since BASH 123.

fourzerotwo: @xpsntv @jockyitch Roger. I registered that loud and clear. 

First, I'm pretty sure he doesn't remember who I am and second, mmmhh...perhaps he really does mean what his <140 characters say.

Are Dedicated servers, Config file editing and Mod Tools coming our way for MW3? Well, there have been a few rumors being bandied about on the interwebs recently and I thought I'd come clean on some of the things I have heard about regarding MW3.

1. Dedicated Servers

One fan site (source) has suggested that there will be non-exclusive dedicated servers for MW3 PC players. That source was subsequently banned from the site so the veracity is a bit sketchy, but I can tell you that I have heard that indeed there will be dedicated servers for MW3. Apparently, IW says they learned their lesson with MW2 and IWNet. But will they be non-exclusive? Those same sources cannot confirm or deny exclusivity arrangements.

Update June 2, 2011

According to Kotaku, there are apparently "NO dedicated servers" for MW3:

Source

"We've also learned, unfortunately, that this latest Call of Duty still won't support dedicated servers, instead relying on the hosted servers found in previous iterations of the game. Dedicated servers were removed from the Modern Warfare games starting with Modern Warfare 2. (Modern Warfare 3 appears to be using DemonWare for player authentication, just like with Call of Duty: Black Ops.)"

However, note that what I think they mean is that there are no dedicated server files...that is, you cannot run a dedi-box yourself. The article says it will be like BO's favored hosted dedicated servers.

While the fan site mention in item 1 above indicates "SDK" will be made available, this cannot be confirmed. No one at IW has ever called mod-tools SDK, for example. However, there are two new companies in the MW3 mix...so who knows? As with CoD:BO, I don't really expect mod-tools to come out soon after release or at all - but then there's Rob Bowling's comment?

Additional rumors:

3. Call of Duty Elite

Confirmed: Source

CoD Elite has already been outed of course; in fact, this German website has some pics of CoD Elite's icon here. CoD Elite will be geared towards console players, but will also be available for PC gamers. CoD Elite will provide players a place to match up for tournaments for example, and possibly even provide them with exclusive content down the road. CoD Elite will probably be free initially, but then will switch to a paid-subscription model once it catches on. Some sources have suggested that there are parallels to be had with Crossfire (free-to-play military shooter) but with clan support.

May 31, 2011 Update

Rob Bowling has made this comment on Twitter:

COD ELITE is free, for all players, some paid aspects TBD. Absolutely NO fee to play #MW3 multiplayer. Detailed reveal coming tomorrow AM.

Bowling's comments do not contradict the Wall Street Journal article on CoD Elite. I think everyone understands that Activision is trying to make CoD a tiered service. They've been toying with this idea for a while.The fact that the respected WSJ, a business -- not a gaming -- paper broke the news, is testament to the corporate push this service is getting.

I can almost hear management telling Bowling to downplay the "paid" aspects.

One thing is for sure, a much more comprehensive explanation of this service needs to be presented as soon as possible, given that this news will incense people already on edge in the community. And why on earth should we be hearing this from the WSJ? Why didn't Activision/IW/Ravensoft/Sledgehammer tell us first? Is this Activision leaking the info and gauging consumer appetite for a paid service yet again? They did that a year ago.  They first let someone (like the WSJ) put out the information in a semi-official manner, then Activision backs away from it when there is pushback.

They keep doing this and slowly, slowly there is less pushback due to apathy and grudging acceptance.

CoD Elite may be free at first as we stated when we first heard rumors about it, but make no mistake, it is Activision's direct link into your pocketbook. Creditcard numbers are what it's all about. 

4. CoDXP

Last week we told you about a "CoDCon" event in the fall (source), a CoD convention like Blizzard's BlizzCon. I'm sure by then we'll know a lot about the game...in fact, fans should get a chance to preview it during the convention. As for the first public demo of the game, put some money on Monday the 6th of June...rumors of an LA CoD event are buzzing around. We all expect to see more trailers of MW3 at E3 (held also in LA) at that time, perhaps the Monday event will be something more special.

5. PC Expectations are low -- and will remain so

The "P" word

Early word on the game is that, as in MW2, it is very console friendly. Some will read that as being a "port". I tend to believe my sources on this and I don't think that the PC version of this game will be much more than a console game in PC clothing; yes, a "port", with some additional menu functionality. I would love to be wrong. But, sadly, I don't think I will be. The Modern Warfare franchise stopped being a PC game after CoD4 was released.

Multiple devs spell trouble

This game will have three developers. A shrunken Infinity Ward is buttressed by Sledgehammer Games on the Single Player mode. SP is really what the XBox guys want and I'm sure they will be made happy. SP may sell the game to casual console gamers, but MP is where the hardcore community lives. Raven Software is handling the online component. It's not unusual to have teams working on games these days. DICE and EA LA did it on MoH. KAOS and Digital Extremes did it on Homefront. What spits out of such partnerships though usually is a bit of a mash. I don't expect a cohesive product.

The Kitchen Sink

How will Activision be able to market this game without someone saying this is simply an MW2-expansion pack priced as though it were a brand new game? To do so without being so accused requires that everything AND the kitchen sink be thrown into the game.

Check out the screenshots being show on the Black Monkey's site.

Source

Pay special attention to the middle shot. Look at the crane. Have you ever seen such bad texturing in CoD? OK...maybe CoD2 or prior? What gives? Is this an indication of a pre-alpha screenshot making its way into the marketing pic? I doubt that very much. This might just be a real, undoctored, in-game pic. The low texture might be making up for all the other crap that will have been stuffed into the game (streaming textures after all certainly eat into your allotment). Expect a kitchen-sink filled game.

Is this game going to be simply more of the same? Probably. For me, that would be good news on the SP front -- Modern Warfare's single player is second to none. However, MW3 certainly looks like it's going to be more of the same spamminess online. There is some hope that the prospect of CoD Elite making the game more exclusive (read: better) online. CoD gamers are fanatics and it will not surprise me to hear that they will pay for exclusivity. I think it will probably catch on. I don't plan on being there, but I'm sure it will catch on. 

Stay tuned...more info will surely drop during E3 in LA.