Imagine, if you will, a massive airplane hangar. Now imagine that hangar is filled end-to-end with people playing Call of Duty multiplayer. Picture those people as universally male, young, and not too keen on deodorant use, and you will begin to understand what I experienced at Call of Duty XP. Combine the literally hundred yards of nonstop multiplayer matches with a bunch of outdoor activities somewhat loosely related to Call of Duty, like ziplining and paintballing, and you've got yourself a recipe for… fun? Fine, I'll say it: CoD XP wasn't my bag, baby. But I did find something that was at the event -- the new Strike Package system in the Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer. And whether you're a CoD hater or lover, it just might be your bag, too.
I got a chance to play plenty of multiplayer at Call of Duty XP, across the spectrum of what the franchise has to offer. While Black Ops, MW2 and even the original MW were all available for match play, I focused mostly on the forthcoming Modern Warfare 3, which is ironic, because I found it to be more or less the same as the old stuff. Sure, there are some new maps, but because of the way multiplayer maps are designed for the MW series in general, these play in largely the same way from game to game.
Discussing multiplayer in Call of Duty: Black Ops, Treyarch multiplayer design director David Vonderhaar described the design philosophy thusly: "Because of killstreaks, maps can't be too big, or you'll never find enough people to get your streak. But they can't be too small, or people will spawn camp and it'll just be chaos." And that general ethos means that all multiplayer maps, in any CoD title, are going to share certain core elements in terms of size and layout.
So it's not surprising that multiplayer maps in MW3 feel very similar to those in previous iterations of the series. What is surprising are the changes Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games have made to the franchise's trademark killstreak system. First and foremost, killstreak rewards are no longer earned solely by racking up kills. In Modern Warfare 3, it's a points-based system, and you'll unlock killstreaks by accomplishing objectives and getting assists in addition to peeling caps back. And killstreak rewards are now bundled in what the devs are calling Strike Packages.
Sure, the traditional tiered killstreak regime you're familiar with is still in place, only now it's found in the Assault Strike Package. If you like your Call of Duty just the way it is, the Assault Strike Package -- filled with air strikes and gun ships galore -- has your name written all over it. For those of you looking for a change of pace and new gameplay options, the two other Strike Packages, Support and Specialist, are welcome additions.
The Support package of killstreak rewards is designed for those who focus on helping their team accomplish objectives and win a match. It's filled with killstreaks that benefit your entire squad, like reconnaissance and armor boost, rather than things that give you kills directly. And if you're slowly working your way up the Support package killstreak ladder and saving your points for a major reward, you don't have to be anxious about getting killed, because Support killstreak points don't reset upon death. For those of you that have died countless inglorious deaths securing and defending objectives while your other teammates get all the killstreak and leaderboard glory in a game of Domination, the Support package is your dream come true.
Specialist, on the other hand, is a whole new digital ballgame. You won't find any killstreak rewards in the Specialist package, instead you'll find perks. Earn enough points, and you'll unlock various perks for your character, with the ultimate being an eight kill streak that gives you every single perk in the game, transforming you into a bona fide killing apparatus. The devs refer to Specialist as the most difficult challenge ever in the CoD franchise, and after taking it for a test drive at CoD XP, we know why. Non-CoD experts need not apply.
So how do these new Strike Packages feel in MW3? Playing with a bunch of dudes you've never met, most of whom paid $150 to get into the venue in the first place, is an excellent crucible for testing out what works and what doesn't in terms of team play, and the new killstreak systems, at least from the talks I had with some players during and after the game, offer gamers with different play styles a chance to excel at MW3. During one match, the guy sitting next to me -- a clan player with his unintelligible callsign scrawled on the back of his shirt -- commented that the multiplayer felt more "all inclusive" with the changes (although he implied that he didn't necessarily approve of this new inclusiveness).
Overall, the new Strike Package system didn't seem like it pleased the hell out of the fan faithful at the event, but in the long run, it is likely to be seen as an iterative step forward for the franchise. Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer games deserve credit for offering traditional run 'n' gunners, neglected team players, and experts the option to play the way they prefer in the Modern Warfare 3 multiplayer and be rewarded for it. And who knows, the new Strike Packages just might be enough to convert a few of you CoD haters out there.
Years ago, Eric Neigher went into law school, and started writing about games on the side. These days, he splits his time between pwning noobs on the Internet and pwning noobs in the justice system. A regular GameSpy contributor, his column, Objection!, was the 2010 recipient of the Neigher award for his own works.
Spy Guy says: The Support Strike Package is a very welcome addition to this Spy Guy. It's about time I got a little something extra for battling waves of enemies to take an objective. What's your take on the big change in Modern Warfare 3?
