I
recently broke news on a PC community member’s podcast that Modern
Warfare 2 would be introducing a completely new backend infastructure
called IWNET that would allow matchmaking for multiplayer games on PC.
The news, by default, means no more browsing through a Server List for
a server with the settings / ping you want among other things, and sent
shockwaves through the hardcore PC community, leading to many more
questions than answers as to ‘HOW’ this would work, and if it would
really be better for the PC community as a whole.
Questions, assumptions, and speculation I intend to dispel.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is actually the biggest investment
Infinity Ward has ever made into the PC version of our games. It’s also
the most feature-rich PC version we’ve ever made. IWNET takes the
benefits of dedicated servers and allows them to be utilized and
accessed by every player, out of the box, while removing the barrier to
entry for players unaware of how to maintain a server on their own.
How does it do this?
Matchmaking & Smoother Gameplay: When you want
to player a multiplayer game on PC, in the past. You’d have to scroll
through a Server Browser which listed every available server which was
hosted by individual server admins. Each had their own private rules,
mods, or ways of playing the game. Most players would also use the
server browser to find just the best quality game (based on PING). With
IWNET matchmaking, it takes all that into account for you. All you have
to do is select the playlist (pre-set gametypes with custom rules) that
fits the style of play you are in the mood for. When you do, it will
automatically find you a game with the best performance, ping, and
preferences based on your location and individual connection as well as
matching you with players of your same SKILL. So you’re
always guaranteed the best game performance for where you are and what
connection you’re playing on as well as an equal game with other
players of your same skill level, not rank, but skill level. It doesn’t
mean you’ll just be thrown into a random game! It will put you in the
game that will give you the smoothest gameplay possible without you
having to manually find a server with the best ping.
Playlists and Private Matches: As I described
above, Playlists are pre-set game modes and gametypes for public games.
If you just want to jump into a public game of Search and Destroy or
Hardcore Search and Destroy and you don’t care about fully customizing
it, then you can utilize playlists to do that quickly for you. However,
say you’re in a clan and you want to play a Clan match with another
team, or you want to practice for an upcoming tournament that has
specific rules in a private game. Then you can start a Private Match
(which is essentially like running your own private server) where you
have complete control over the rules, who can join, boot players you
don’t want, and essentially control the entire game or tweak it to your
liking. Once the rules are set, you can invite the other team in or
just start it up with your clan to practice with the custom rules
before the match. This now allows you to play custom games out of the
box without the need to install mods, find a modded server with the
rules you like, or worry about not being in control of the match.
Party System and Friendslist: Modern Warfare 2 on
PC also makes it much easier if you want to party up with your friends,
or again, with your clan for a match. You can utilize the friendslist
to see when your friends are online, and invite them to your Party. A
Party allows you to move from game to game as a group. It’s great for
clan matches, because you can party of with your clan and move from
public game to public game together. Or if you’re doing a scrim, party
up and invite the other clan (who is in a party) and they’ll all join
at once. Set up a private match together and play. It makes setting up
scrims or games with friends easier and hassle free.
Cheat / Hack Free Games: The biggest benefit of
using IWnet by far is the fact that you don’t have to worry about
joining a server full of aim-bots, wallhacks, or cheaters. Or relying
on the server admin of the server to constantly be monitoring, banning,
and policing it. Modern Warfare 2 on PC allows us to control the
quality of the game much more than ever before as well as utilizing the
VAC (Valve-Anti-Cheat) system to keep games clean of hackers and
cheaters.
All in all, IWNET adds a load of new features that the PC version of
our games have never had before and allows us an infrastructure to
continue to update and improve on the game post-launch.
