Thursday Night Fight . . . COD 4

[ElGuapo]

Alright, me brothers. Are you worn out already? Were you planning on watching TV Thursday? Were you planning on not playing your 360 on Thursday?

Well, I have an alternate idea. Come spank me (with bullets) on Thursday night, starting around 8 PM EST. I'll be asking lots of questions since I'll be a complete noob and you can ignore them and take my head off from range.

Pew pew!

Who's in?

Edit: In the unlikely event I'm on on your friends list, I'm ELGUAPODC.

[UncleSmoothie]

1st Lieutenant Smoothie reporting in.

[Major Icehole]

If you guys are still on at 11:30 I'm in.
I will be on tonight as well. Trying to keep Harkonis' sneaky self from sniping me.

[skyride]

Should be easy for you to get people, there are so many playing. The catch is, if you go over 6 people then the only modes you can play is ground war (Team DM and Domination mode only) which is way too chaotic and not noob friendly. Most of us dislike ground war because it is difficult to work together in this mode (you also miss out on fun modes like Hardcore, Search & Destroy etc). The alternative when you go over 6 is to play against each other. This can be really fun with the downside being you don't earn xp (which is bad for noobs and freaks like Harkonis who intend to get multiple prestige ranks).

I'm thinking that I will be alternating between COD4 and Assassin's Creed. Depends how good AC is.

[UncleSmoothie]

Skyride has some good points, although I think they're plenty of fun to be had in Ground War, especially on the bigger maps.

It's true, though, that the most fun I've had with this game in multiplayer is team hardcore in private matches, although it's very unfriendly to noobs due to the lack of HUD and relative fragility of your player.

[forgeforsaken]

I'm not sure why you think Domination is difficult to work together, really this is the mode for teamplay with smaller teams taking on each capture point.

Headquarters is one of the better modes IMO and I didn't see you mention that one. Definitely better than Search and Destroy.

Can't you earn points super fast in Groundwar too?

[UncleSmoothie]

Also: Young forum member emeritus Demon G Sides has been around for CoD lately; I'm willing to bet that we can get him away from his Teletubbies long enough for a game or two of CoD Thursday night.

[Guido Jones]

Since Thursday is the last episode of The Office for a while, I think I'd rather do that. Maybe next week when everything will be in re-run.

[krokodile]

Also: Young forum member emeritus Demon G Sides has been around for CoD lately; I'm willing to bet that we can get him away from his Teletubbies long enough for a game or two of CoD Thursday night.

Ouch. He couldn't be THAT young, could he?

[UncleSmoothie]

Take it from me, I'm his dad.

I think.

[skyride]

I'm not sure why you think Domination is difficult to work together, really this is the mode for teamplay with smaller teams taking on each capture point.

Headquarters is one of the better modes IMO and I didn't see you mention that one. Definitely better than Search and Destroy.

Can't you earn points super fast in Groundwar too?

Might be just personal preference. I dislike zerg rush gameplay which is what you need to do to win HQ. Rush, die, repeat. It will destroy your kill/death ratio as well. I also find it easier to communicate in smaller teams. Too much chatter with so many people.

Also forum players from here have varying skill levels, it sucks to be repeatedly pwned in those modes by dedicated clans.

[Jarrodhk]

I'm in Guapo. Not terribly enthusiastic about hardcore mode myself.

[tromik]

I'm in, but I hate ground war. I also don't like playing in private matches because I want XP dammit! If we get too many, which is very likely to happen, I'll splinter off and play ranked. I know there are a few other guys who don't like ground war or private matches, so I can play with them.

[Moore]

I donut haev a 360.

:(

[tromik]

I donut haev a 360.

:(
I love the 360, but this is bullshit. How can they fuck over a consumer so badly and get away with it? Christ almighty.

[krokodile]

Demand more than just one free game.

[Soldats]

Headquarters mode is actually my favourite mode. It's Zerg-mode until a team captures the HQ; then it turns awesome for the few minutes (seconds?) that the defending team can hold onto their HQ.

Also, you haven't lived until you've played Hardcore + Search & Destroy. Preferably with about 4-8 people per team.

[Lizard_King]

I'm down for whatever, but xp is still crucial. I can't imagine playing without it. Of course, there is the small matter of the Office, but after that...

[Juste]

I might be in, depending on the time difference. I'll play any mode, haven't tried anything but team deathmatch so far.

Edit: Gamertag is Juste 667. How do i put that in my profile? Anybody care to enlighten??

[Brakara]

Just put it in your location tag, my fellow countryman.

[Xaroc]

Don't you people have DVRs? I actually almost exclusively play team DM and Domination. I played the one bomb mode a few rounds and it was both boring and gave me little xp so not a recipe for me playing it again. I will join if we are doing team dm and domination or will host a group for spillover (playing team dm and domination) if need be.

[Ryan Markel]

We played a lot of Hardcore Team DM last night. I don't think I care for it *as much* as the standard gametypes, but it was all right.

I would like to play more objective-based games, though.

[ElGuapo]

Oh, whatever mode we play tonight, I WILL be XP point whoring. I don't know what that means because I don't have the game yet, but it sounds good. I want unlocks!

I'm assuming it's similar to RB6:V experience, but more fun.

[Lizard_King]

We played a lot of Hardcore Team DM last night. I don't think I care for it *as much* as the standard gametypes, but it was all right.

I would like to play more objective-based games, though.
I liked the difference in the play style, but I definitely agree with you on the latter point. Domination has been fun even when I got clobbered so long as people were working together.

[skyride]

The XP system is really good but it's kind of sad to see that people are so reluctant to play non-xp modes. All these years we have been playing this kind of game for the sole reason of killing people and winning scenarios but now people need more motivation? I blame fuckin' MMRPGs! I guess it would be a non issue if private matches gave xp like in Vegas. It may change once everyone is 55 which won't take that long in COD4.

[forgeforsaken]

I just want to unlock all the perks/guns. After that I don't care, and definitely not going for prestige.

[ElGuapo]

Tonight is gonna rock. Sorry Moore. :( As a condolence, I'll sip a glass of Knob Creek in your honor.

[tromik]

I just want to unlock all the perks/guns. After that I don't care, and definitely not going for prestige.
How will you put up with us laughing at you, though? LOL at forge!

[UncleSmoothie]

It may change once everyone is 55 which won't take that long in COD4.

That is one thing that irks me a bit; I wish that the XP progression was just a little more drawn out.

[tromik]

That is one thing that irks me a bit; I wish that the XP progression was just a little more drawn out.
I don't. If it was too slow it wouldn't be as addictive. I do wish that there were huge amounts of additional challenges at each prestige level.

But I do wonder if they've basically already killed their game here. Once everyone hits 55 prestige 10 it basically just becomes every other shooter. Still fun, but it doesn't have that addictive edge.

Can you imagine buying this game next August and trying the mp for the first time? Apparently the game doesn't use trueskill or it's own ranks to make matches, so you'd end up in a game with all 55s. That'd be fun.

[Dave V]

Sergeant IronFriar should be there. How are these games set up, by the way ? Are they going to be private matches ?

[UncleSmoothie]

Can you imagine buying this game next August and trying the mp for the first time? Apparently the game doesn't use trueskill or it's own ranks to make matches, so you'd end up in a game with all 55s. That'd be fun.

Yup. Like I keep saying, Halo has every other game on the market beat when it comes to extra-game stuff - the online stat tracking, the party system, the match-making system, all of it. Whether or not you like Halo as a game, you have to admire all of the bells and whistles around the game.

[ElGuapo]

Yes, they will be private, friends only. So either invite people on your friends list or send a quick msg requesting an invite. We'll see about ranked vs. unranked depending on how many people show up. I don't even care who hosts as long as the gaming gets on!

[Brakara]

Can you imagine buying this game next August and trying the mp for the first time? Apparently the game doesn't use trueskill or it's own ranks to make matches, so you'd end up in a game with all 55s. That'd be fun.

The 360 version uses TrueSkill, so the matchmaking is not using the xp level in this regard.

[tromik]

The 360 version uses TrueSkill, so the matchmaking is not using the xp level in this regard.
It does use TrueSkill? Why does it seem so broken then?

[Major Icehole]

Yes, they will be private, friends only. So either invite people on your friends list or send a quick msg requesting an invite. We'll see about ranked vs. unranked depending on how many people show up. I don't even care who hosts as long as the gaming gets on!\

The problem with private games is no xp whoring. It's best to make a party of 6 and then let randoms come in. The last few nights most of the randoms have been pretty chill playing hardcore. I wish you could match-up with specific parties.

[BlueJackalope]

I should probably go to the gym and watch Arizona spoil the dreams of every Oregon fan (I keed, I keed, they'll wait until the Oregon State game to blow it) buuut, if I'm on I'm on.

[UncleSmoothie]

Let's try to keep team-kills of yours truly in the single digits tonight, shall we gentlemen?

[Harkonis]

The 360 version uses TrueSkill, so the matchmaking is not using the xp level in this regard.

This is not true. There is no Trueskill in COD4. There is the ranking that is based on your XP and that's it. Is has nothing to do with skill, only how many hours you put in. Trueskill only goes up to 50 which is another indicator that it isn't in the game.

This is my single biggest disapointment with the game as skill balanced matches are quite fun. This is also another reason I prefer hardcore over normal modes since once someone becomes acclimated to the hardcore interface (or lack thereof) it's much easier for a lesser skilled player to kill a more skilled player since it takes so few shots. This helps even the field a bit. In normal mode where I can afford to eat a bullet or two in a standoff, the noob has no chance at all as I put all of my rounds into them and they randomly nick me with one while spraying.

Hardcore is actually easy mode imo once you ignore the lack of radar and location indicators. I made level 20 from 1 last night in just about 4 hours strictly in Hardcore Team Deathmatch and Search and Destroy.

Of course I'm also partial to hardcore because it's much much closer to R6 that way.

I'll still play normal mode with you guys though, so don't ignore inviting me ;)

[Lizard_King]

Maybe we can have a fallback Qt3 war on for when El Guapo realizes the game sucks with no xp in private? I dunno.

I liked hardcore for the reasons you listed above, although being lapped by you xp wise in a single evening is particularly degrading. As for the skill matchup...well, occasionally I felt guys really get the upper hand on me, but I think a big part of that is the absence of a kill cam in hardcore. A good sniper who knows the map well has a real shot at a ridiculous streak of kills. Anyhow, my point is really that I rarely felt like I got completely played like I do in some other FPSes when I come across a player who obviously has no business in that group. The closest analog is team fortress (in a totally different way): You still get pwned every now and then, but at least you bring something to the table if your team is working together. Right guys? RIGHT!??!?!?!

[UncleSmoothie]

You guys who are saying that the game sucks with no XP are nuts. I'm perfectly happy to play private games tonight and just have a good time talking trash to Harkonis with whoever wants to do that.

[BlueJackalope]

Let's try to keep team-kills of yours truly in the single digits tonight, shall we gentlemen?

I can't promise anything.

I would like to see the gamefilm from when I was accused of murdering...Tomik maybe, for his sweet sniping spot.

[Harkonis]

I thought you did very well last night Lizard. I got some really lucky streaks which is something that can happen easily in HC mode. That's why I out levelled you so quickly. Getting 800-1k xp for one match tends to make the early levels fast. Also remember I have about 30 hours playtime so far so don't feel bad as you catch up, you'll be better than me in no time.

[BlueJackalope]

I thought you did very well last night Lizard. I got some really lucky streaks which is something that can happen easily in HC mode. That's why I out levelled you so quickly. Getting 800-1k xp for one match tends to make the early levels fast. Also remember I have about 30 hours playtime so far so don't feel bad as you catch up, you'll be better than me in no time.

I seem to recall LK pretty much owning all of us the first game he played and he was thrown onto the other team.

[Harkonis]

You guys who are saying that the game sucks with no XP are nuts. I'm perfectly happy to play private games tonight and just have a good time talking trash to Harkonis with whoever wants to do that.

The most fun I've had so far was in the private match we had playing HC mode as well.

I have no problem playing private matchs, though for obvious reasons I'd prefer it while I'm near the top end of the ranks instead of right after a reset ;)

Biggest problem I had with private matches was when we discovered that anyone on anyone's friends list can join them and you can't ban people. We had one guy join who had a very immature H3 clan he belonged to and shortly after the whole clan popped in to talk shit, kick our asses and then whine like babies when we caught up. Was quite annoying having to mute people in a private match.

[Ryan Markel]

Wait - hold on.

There's no XP of any kind in private matches? How stupid are these people? I want to play a game of only my friends and still be able to level and make challenges.

[Harkonis]

I seem to recall LK pretty much owning all of us the first game he played and he was thrown onto the other team.

That's very true. When he went on that rampage with his LMG and lead the other team to victory against us, I knew we had to back out and get him properly invited to our party and therefore, our team ;)

Was interesting to note that a full 2/3rds of our team for most of the night was military with 1 army, 1 navy and 2 usmc representing.

[Ryan Markel]

On reflection, I actually like Hardcore a whole lot - mainly because it's closer to R6 and it captures that feel really well.

The thing I wish they could do is to make the teams stand out from one another better - it's sometimes quite hard to tell who is on your team and who's not.

[Harkonis]

Once you've played for awhile you'll recognize the four factions on site pretty well. Then it's just a matter of checking which side you're on at the start of a match to avoid most friendly fire incidents.

The easiest to distinguish are the USMC and Op For. I have more trouble with quick optical recognition of SAS vs Spetz

[UncleSmoothie]

It'll be easier to tell the teams apart in the expansion pack, what with all of the USMC vs. The Wiggles scenarios.

[Lizard_King]

You guys who are saying that the game sucks with no XP are nuts. I'm perfectly happy to play private games tonight and just have a good time talking trash to Harkonis with whoever wants to do that.
Well, I never! Spoken like a man with too much xp on his hands. Anyhow, yeah, I know the game doesn't suck like that. I'm just saying if I were brand new to the game like a certain Guapo, I would be getting like half the experience without the XP. So to speak.
That's very true. When he went on that rampage with his LMG and lead the other team to victory against us, I knew we had to back out and get him properly invited to our party and therefore, our team ;)
Ok, now I know you guys are taunting me. The 203 team kills are a-coming tonight.

But now that you mention that round, it was interesting how that streak played out, and I guess it reinforces the element of chance that makes the game so much fun. I won't call it luck, because there's definitely skill that ties into it (I cite Major Icehole under the water tank as an example) in a huge way most of the time, but every now and then an endless stream of unfortunate, dismal deaths gets broken up with a murderous rampage on your own, or even a single unexpectedly awesome kill that makes your day. And the fact that the rest of your team really gets to appreciate those moments, what with the huge relevance of UAV's on hardcore (for instance), makes the experience altogether speshul.

Also, if my performance last night looked anything but comical in any of your eyes, that is proof positive of the superhero aggrandizing effect that those occasional rashes of brilliance have. I've played Halo for twice as long with people worse or equal to me in skill and it's only on a look at the stats that the match appears remotely defensible. Here, I don't even care that much about the stats so long as it was a round where I didn't commit any major foo passies. I'm still sorry about that blindly launched airstrike that only killed Icehole.

Anyhow, I had a great time, and if you'd asked me a month ago, I never would have thought anything could have dislodge TF2 from my live account. Goddamn it, now it takes all of my self control to keep from going back on it instead of playing AC some like I meant to. You know, that was my plan last night as well.

[tromik]

You guys who are saying that the game sucks with no XP are nuts. I'm perfectly happy to play private games tonight and just have a good time talking trash to Harkonis with whoever wants to do that.
Playing a private hardcore game with Harkonis is bullshit. He runs straight for the highest spot in the map, camps it, gets seven quick kills, calls in an airstrike, gets the choppers, gets another air strike, another chopper, and then gets more and more kills from his cheap-ass camped location.

...of course when he's on your team it's great. But when he's not it's enough to make people leave the fucking game.

There is literally a list of people who have left a match (or the game altogether), partly thanks to Hark.

I'm not really a big fan of hardcore, but that's because I play CoD like Halo most of the time. In regular games my K/D ration is usually 1:1, in hardcore it's more like 1:4.

[tromik]

The most fun I've had so far was in the private match we had playing HC mode as well.
Your "fun" is FUZZ's probable heart attack. You are killing your friends.

[tromik]

In all honesty, if we're playing private hardcore with noobs, it's not gonna go well for them. They're going to be stuck using the pre-made classes, while Hark uses the M14 and the Barret to mow them down from a spot he's selected based on 70 hours of play time.

I think we should play regular TDM, let everyone get to level 4 at least, maybe get their 15 kills with theirt weapon of choice to get an RDS, and then maybe play some private hardcore.

[forgeforsaken]

Yeah I'm not a fan of people pulling bullshit tactics when playing private matches with friends.

Oh, and new players should definitely be playing ranked games to at least level 4 first to get create a class.
Even if it means playing Groundwar, which I personally kind of like.

[UncleSmoothie]

Your "fun" is FUZZ's probable heart attack. You are killing your friends.

Do we have to do this EVERY Christmas? God, I don't even know why I come anymore.

[Major Icehole]

Playing a private hardcore game with Harkonis is bullshit. He runs straight for the highest spot in the map, camps it.

So you know his MO. Just beat him to the punch. If you kill him before he camps the spot, he may stop using that spot. Worked for me last night, though now I'm prolly a marked man. ;-)

I agree about the NFG's. You need at least a few levels to have success as the default load outs suck. Iron sights are a severe disadvantage IMO.

[skyride]

I prefer helo disabled in HC. Heck, I would disable all the gamey aspects, afterall isn't HC supposed to be the "realistic" mode? It's true those perks are fun to use but the momentum shift to the winning side is too great and it's very difficult for the other side to recover. You end up shooting at the helo, giving the other team more easy kills, and they can have another radar/air strike/helo ready by the time you kill the 1st helo.

[tromik]

So you know his MO. Just beat him to the punch. If you kill him before he camps the spot, he may stop using that spot. Worked for me last night, though now I'm prolly a marked man. ;-)

I agree about the NFG's. You need at least a few levels to have success as the default load outs suck. Iron sights are a severe disadvantage IMO.
Look, just because you used the same tactic last night during that S&D hardcore game...

The problem is once you're in that exact spot, it's almost impossible to kill you from the ground. Keep in mind that there's no kill cam in hardcore either. Half the time I didn't even know where the bullets where coming from.

[tromik]

I prefer helo disabled in HC. Heck, I would disable all the gamey aspects, afterall isn't HC supposed to be the "realistic" mode? It's true those perks are fun to use but the momentum shift to the winning side is too great and it's very difficult for the other side to recover. You end up shooting at the helo, giving the other team more easy kills, and they can have another radar/air strike/helo ready by the time you kill the 1st helo.
Couldn't agree more. I think Harkonis "forgets" to turn it off.

[forgeforsaken]

Yeah I was actively bitching the other night that if we are playing private Hardcore matches to turn off the damn Helicopter.

[Harkonis]

In all honesty, if we're playing private hardcore with noobs, it's not gonna go well for them. They're going to be stuck using the pre-made classes, while Hark uses the M14 and the Barret to mow them down from a spot he's selected based on 70 hours of play time.

I think we should play regular TDM, let everyone get to level 4 at least, maybe get their 15 kills with theirt weapon of choice to get an RDS, and then maybe play some private hardcore.

I restarted at level 1, I don't have an m14 and a Barrett.

Also I don't really understand the concept of 'bullshit tactics'

High ground is key in any military confrontation. On top of that, the devs have made sure that every high point on every map has multiple angles of attack. Most of them also are big enough that if you don't want to expose yourself to a known sniper location, you can play completely on the other part of the map and never be a viable target.

I do concur that anyone that hasn't unlocked at least the create-a-class perk isn't going to have much fun in a private match. I'll also acknowledge that non-hardcore is probably best for a new player to learn since it teachers the radar and ammo and the like. I'll even agree with Skystride that airstrikes and helis might be a bit unbalanced in our private matches. I do however wish I could enable UAV without enabling the other two bonuses.

Furthermore I really don't understand the whole concept of quitting playing a game because someone's better than you. THAT is a bullshit tactic. The only reason I got so good at the games that I play is because I got my ass kicked repeatedly and decided I wasn't going to let it happen again. When I got R6, I hadn't played on a controller before and was pretty awful at the game. Papa Smurff and JarrodHK kicked the living shit out of me for the first couple months and I had had enough. I spent many long hours figuring out how to get better and what it was going to take and it paid off.

The better the quality of your opponents the better the learning opportunity for yourself. Even if you're getting gunned down repeatedly it's teaching you how to not let that happen.

I suppose some people don't want to put that much effort into getting better and would rather relax and play and that's just fine also. If that's the case, then simply say you'd prefer a more laid back evening and don't want to play the extreme modes. It shows far more tact than screaming 'that's bullshit' dropping the game, then inviting everyone that you can away from the game you were in. That sort of attitude is just plain rude and hurts feelings.

I don't play to be the best, I play to have fun and get better. I often am not at the top of the leaderboard and am occasionally am in complete last place. I still have fun, I don't leave the game and I try to help the team even when I'm frustrated.

sorry to rant, but the constant negativity that has been popping up in the game the last week has finally hit my last nerve. Everyone has their own preferences for game modes and there's more than enough people right now that we can compromise and rotate game modes or have separate parties for each mode. There's no need for the bullshit drama that's been rearing it's head.

BTW, Trom, please note this isn't directed at you at all, it's just your post that made me realize I wanted to air this. I'm surprised you had any issues at all playing with me since you're one of the people that often knocks me off the leader spot on the match list.

[Guido Jones]

Some people just want to play and have fun, not to have a learning experience. Having a K/D ratio of 1:20 isn't fun for a lot of people.

People with different skill levels and play styles do not always play well together. The resolution to this is: don't play together.

[tromik]

BTW, Trom, please note this isn't directed at you at all, it's just your post that made me realize I wanted to air this. I'm surprised you had any issues at all playing with me since you're one of the people that often knocks me off the leader spot on the match list.
I was just giving you a hard time here. I really don't get mad or bitchy durng the game, and I don't scream obsenities at you. I don't leave the game because of you. It is frustrating as hell when you play that way, but that's because beween our two playstyles, you usually end up with the better ratio, even if I end up with more kills.

Also, true, last night you didn't have the M14, but you did have it the evening before and I believe that was why that unnamed individual left the game. That match was insane, and I don't really blame him for leaving. I don't think it was that he was pissed off, so much as he just wasn't having any fun. You can't blame him for that.

I think you should post this on the other forums you frequent, btw.

There, we're all friends now, eh? All in the markets together. Old differences forgotten, and no need at all to mention the war.

Edit: Completely agree about the UAV in hardcore. I really wish you could leave it on even though helicopters and airstrikes are off.

[Xaroc]

I am totally not down for private matches much less hardcore. I want to play with people I know against people I don't know. Just the limited amount of coordination we can use will help tremendously vs. the people trying to play domination like it is deathmatch. If we work at least somewhat together people can be pretty effective, get new stuff from leveling, and have fun at the same time.

[tromik]

That's really the thing about this game. Because of the UAVs, airstrikes, helicopters and known fortified locations, when you're winning it's great fun. When you're losing it's just a long string of expletives that ends with you throwing your controller and breaking the game disc.

[UncleSmoothie]

I'm glad we had this talk.

[forgeforsaken]

Also I don't really understand the concept of 'bullshit tactics'

Spawn Camping is something that I would call a bullshit tactic, and though it hasn't happened to me in CoD in a private match, it's definitely happened in some other games. All I know is at some point I thought, you got to be kidding me I'm playing in a private match and getting spawn camped, this is ridiculous.

[tromik]

Spawn Camping is something that I would call a bullshit tactic, and though it hasn't happened to me in CoD in a private match, it's definitely happened in some other games. All I know is at some point I thought, you got to be kidding me I'm playing in a private match and getting spawn camped, this is ridiculous.
The spawning in CoD4 is completely broken. It seems even worse in hardcore. A lot of the time, I spawn and am killed instantly by a group that has overrun the spawn position. When that happens, the spawn point is supposed to shift, but it takes forever, and the other team gets a huge lead.

[Major Icehole]

Look, just because you used the same tactic last night during that S&D hardcore game...

The problem is once you're in that exact spot, it's almost impossible to kill you from the ground. Keep in mind that there's no kill cam in hardcore either. Half the time I didn't even know where the bullets where coming from.

I wasn't trying to be a dick.
I've never been accused of massive kill streaks. My best is 8. My overall kill/death ratio is .92.

I think maybe our play styles are different though. I try to be stealthy and get the drop on people as much as possible. Though I don't like sniper rifles. I haven't found any spots in this game where I'm unkillable. I got a nice streak behind the water tank, yes. But I was blind on my left side. And when I was killing you and Harkonis it was because you both went to the exact same spots three rounds in a row and I got the drop on you both. The next round someone backstabbed me which happens a lot BTW.

I agree about choppers in private matches, they suck.

[Harkonis]

The spawning in CoD4 is completely broken. It seems even worse in hardcore. A lot of the time, I spawn and am killed instantly by a group that has overrun the spawn position. When that happens, the spawn point is supposed to shift, but it takes forever, and the other team gets a huge lead.

I agree that the spawn system sometimes appear to not update in COD4. I try not to abuse the mechanic in that game, and thankfully am not often tempted since all of my perches don't have clear LOS to a spawn location.

In R6 however, I don't really think there is a spawn camping problem. I know a lot of people constantly bitch about spawn camping there, but you are completely immune for 5 seconds which is enough time to either get cover, or kill the bastard who's trying to camp you. Sadly in COD4 you have zero immunity and can actually be dead before you have control of the corpse.

When playing in private hardcore matches, we could leave UAV on and just have a gentleman's agreement to not call air support of any other kind in.

[Harkonis]

Couldn't agree more. I think Harkonis "forgets" to turn it off.

We have a lot of control on a lot of options in private matches, I can turn off air support, all perks, modify health and healing, change respawns.

Another aside is that I found that the official hardcore matches use the wave spawning we talked about earlier set to a 20 second wave.

[ElGuapo]

Tonight, I would prefer a laidback gaming session sitting around shooting the shit and having fun while also point whoring. Is that possible in this game? :)

[UncleSmoothie]

Tonight, I would prefer a laidback gaming session sitting around shooting the shit and having fun while also point whoring. Is that possible in this game? :)

Fuck, I guess not. We might have to do a private match and have Thunderdome: everybody one at a time against Harkonis, knives only.

THUNDERDOME! THUNDERDOME! THUNDERDOME!

[Harkonis]

Yep, pick 5 people to play with you and just do Team Deathmatch to learn the ropes. Stay away from the objective gametypes until you feel comfortable with your gameplay, you'll get more frustrated otherwise.

edit: I will add though, that there isn't much 'laid back' about this game, it's one giant tension filled death fest for all!

[forgeforsaken]

Who runs Barter Town?

[Ryan Markel]

Tonight, I would prefer a laidback gaming session sitting around shooting the shit and having fun while also point whoring. Is that possible in this game? :)

We'll talk.

[Major Icehole]

I thought we had laid back last night. Really was a hell of a lot of fun.

[Lizard_King]

Did I mention I had a great time? I only quit because it was ridiculously late at that point.

[BlueJackalope]

I thought we had laid back last night. Really was a hell of a lot of fun.

I had a lot of fun, but I pretty much do the snoopy dance every time I get a kill (team kills get a more somber version of the snoopy dance) and expect to be slaughtered like a hog 90% of the time anyway.

Group Hug.

[Major Icehole]

I had a lot of fun, but I pretty much do the snoopy dance every time I get a kill (team kills get a more somber version of the snoopy dance) and expect to be slaughtered like a hog 90% of the time anyway.

Group Hug.

I lol'd Thanks for the hug

[ElGuapo]

Something came up. Have to skip tonight. Carry on without me soldiers!

[tromik]

"Something came up."

Hehehe...

I'm almost home guys, just another hour an I can join.

[Uncle Larry]

Something came up. Have to skip tonight. Carry on without me soldiers!

They really need to make those controllers waterproof.

[UncleSmoothie]

That shit was outstanding. Holding down the blue building in crash with Jarrod and the Domination wins on Overgrown were my highlights.

[forgeforsaken]

First time on Overgrown was like my worst match ever though! Second time on Overgrown was awesome though. I do much better on A defense instead of C, I need to to stick with A in the future.

[Moore]

Demand more than just one free game.
I can have as many games as I want so long as they are forza 2.

[krokodile]

Get like 8 copies then.

Also, sue.

[tromik]

Good fun tonight. That last round of domination (Jarrod's party) was insane.

[Lizard_King]

I am, once again, shell shocked after too much CoD tonight. I really like starting on the other team and then transitioning back to the qt3 regulars and their associates, as the difference in how much I enjoy myself is pretty significant. But you have to be on the receiving end to appreciate it.

[Jarrodhk]

We seem to hear that kind of comment a lot.

[Major Icehole]

Fun times last night, though sadly I wasn't much help to anyone. Was not my night that's for sure. Connection problems, and then that racist guy who owned us really threw me off my game. No excuses though, Last night I was suckin'.

[Skipper]

Fun times last night, though sadly I wasn't much help to anyone. Was not my night that's for sure. Connection problems, and then that racist guy who owned us really threw me off my game. No excuses though, Last night I was suckin'.

Which one of you was the racist guy? And by the way this entire thread is still making me want another copy of CoD4 for xbox instead of PC. Damnit that was a bad call on my part.

[UncleSmoothie]

Do it, Skipper.

[skyride]

Fun times last night, though sadly I wasn't much help to anyone. Was not my night that's for sure. Connection problems, and then that racist guy who owned us really threw me off my game. No excuses though, Last night I was suckin'.

Stabbed the fucker once, it was very satisfying. I found a nice spot where they kept walking over me. That's why I had a bunch of knife kills.

Which one of you was the racist guy? No one from the boards. I hope everyone reported him.

[Lizard_King]

His name was Darth Phire, IIRC. But I could be confusing him for someone that was just annoying. And I don't think it was one of "us"...remember half the game is strangers.

Anyone confirm that?

[UncleSmoothie]

I bailed before this guy showed up, so I'm only going off of what I read above, but if this guy was being racist and abusive, don't just submit a bad review, file a complaint. MS seems to be pretty good with the banhammer for people that get complaints.

[Major Icehole]

I can't remember exactly, though I'm sure he's still on my list of people I played with last night. There were 3 or 4 guys with the same clan tag. He was a real asshat though. Racist and abusive. And he also killed the shit out of us. It sucked.

[BlueJackalope]

I am, once again, shell shocked after too much CoD tonight. I really like starting on the other team and then transitioning back to the qt3 regulars and their associates, as the difference in how much I enjoy myself is pretty significant. But you have to be on the receiving end to appreciate it.

I dropped in towards the end of one game and was placed on the other team. We had no points and there were like three qt3 choppers eating us alive. I was going to call y'all cheap but I nailed Hark from the bus and dinged. Snoopy time.

Speaking of racist, killed a guy a few days back and his tag came up KoonKiller" (or hunter), really? Does MS scan for this shit or do they rely on the community?

[Xaroc]

I dropped in towards the end of one game and was placed on the other team. We had no points and there were like three qt3 choppers eating us alive. I was going to call y'all cheap but I nailed Hark from the bus and dinged. Snoopy time.

Speaking of racist, killed a guy a few days back and his tag came up KoonKiller" (or hunter), really? Does MS scan for this shit or do they rely on the community?

I am sure they filter for some stuff (I couldn't put god in my tagline for some reason) but they do rely on the community. Report these assholes. We filed complaints about people with swastikas on their mechs in Chromehounds. I am assuming if they get enough complaints they do something. I have heard of people losing voice privileges etc.

[BlueJackalope]

I am sure they filter for some stuff (I couldn't put god in my tagline for some reason) but they do rely on the community. Report these assholes. We filed complaints about people with swastikas on their mechs in Chromehounds. I am assuming if they get enough complaints they do something. I have heard of people losing voice privileges etc.

Yeah, I can do without the racist crap, I do alway chuckle at the "R3Z1N Ninja 420" chaps though, especially when the first thing they do when they get on mike is announce that they are really really high.

[UncleSmoothie]

Yeah, I can do without the racist crap, I do alway chuckle at the "R3Z1N Ninja 420" chaps though, especially when the first thing they do when they get on mike is announce that they are really really high.

I find those dudes to be a bottomless vessel of hilarity.

[Funkula]

Thank you for making those of us who bought the PC version feel better. As retarded as people are on PC, XBL is infallibly ten times worse.

[krokodile]

Thank you for making those of us who bought the PC version feel better. As retarded as people are on PC, XBL is infallibly ten times worse.

We still have the better server system.

And continuous friends lists.

Also; high people are funny. Specially when they actually are, and they play funny, like shooting the ground, or standing in one spot just looking around.

[Funkula]

Oh, I'm not saying there aren't pros and cons. Just helping me remember that while not getting to play with you guys is a massive con, not having to play with those gibbering tardpiles is a (less massive) pro.

I think I've heard about 2 or 3 voice messages in the PC version, total. This is good, because for me voice chat is a huge negative when I'm playing with strangers.

[Major Icehole]

My experiance has been mostly positive with live. Most people playing games are relatively respectful. Some are downright fun to play with. Several people on my friends list I've met randomly. Unfortunately, as in real life, the assholes really stand out and are easier to remember. I do use the feedback and complaint system when necessary. I even try to leave positive feedback as much as possible. That way live is likely (in theory) to match me with players I like more often.

And please, lets not gang up on the stoners. I'm live in Denver after all ;-)

[BlueJackalope]

Thank you for making those of us who bought the PC version feel better. As retarded as people are on PC, XBL is infallibly ten times worse.

That's probably just a function of PC's declining user-base. I played plenty of Battlefield(s) back in the day and heard/saw evil shit every day.

XBL is, on average, less mature then PC but at least there is a big brother that limits some of the more outrageously racist tags/clannames ect. Hell you can even report the vile shit talking.

On PC Who are you going to report "HitlerulzJewStomperz" and his white power clan to?

[skyride]

It's not that bad. You mostly only hear them in the lobby and not during the game. Most of the team members are from here anyway. Thankfully you can mute them pretty quick.

And it's as bad on PC as well from my experience in QW:ET and from what I hear about TF2.

[Harkonis]

Oh, I'm not saying there aren't pros and cons. Just helping me remember that while not getting to play with you guys is a massive con, not having to play with those gibbering tardpiles is a (less massive) pro.

I think I've heard about 2 or 3 voice messages in the PC version, total. This is good, because for me voice chat is a huge negative when I'm playing with strangers.

Interestingly enough, the worst online voice chat I've ever had was in TF2 on the PC.

[BlueJackalope]

And please, lets not gang up on the stoners. I'm live in Denver after all ;-)

For the record I don't regard the stoners as anything other than amusing.

[forgeforsaken]

Live and PC online communities are equally as bad with perhaps the PC being worse. All the racist/homophobic crap was in Quake and UT years ago, it was just all text chat then. And the voice stuff is bad, but if you've ever played Counter-strike on the PC you know how much worse that can be with the idiots spraypainting Goatse everywhere.

[Major Icehole]

For the record I don't regard the stoners as anything other than amusing.

I uh, um, uh... Oh look, a flower.

[BlueJackalope]

I uh, um, uh... Oh look, a flower.

Just lean against the car...before I check your pockets you don't have anything in there that you want to tell me about do you?

Why were you running? Have you ever been arrested before?

Don't look Officer Scraps in the eye sir, German Shepards hate that. He'll let go of your crotch as soon as you stop eyeballing him.

[UncleSmoothie]

Sarge, I think Officer Scraps is.. aroused.

[Skipper]

Okay Funkula you are now officially odd man out. After trading in a couple of titles I felt okay lining Infinity Ward's golden pockets yet again with more cash. I'm now COD4 Xbox enabled. *Insert Achievement pic*

I also bought Assassin's Creed, which I played the shit out of tonight after raid time. If you guys have a game tomorrow night (Saturday) I'd love to join. I'm starting over at zero again though so I may be on earlier to gain some ranks. Do we have enough for a full QT3 game?

[Harkonis]

Do we have enough for a full QT3 game?

Almost every night we are full party.

[Lizard_King]

Almost every night we are full party.
...in your mouth. HAHAHAHAHAHA...but really, what was that last match? I've never been on the receiving end of such lopsided ass whupping.

Earlier when I somehow got split off the group, I spent a round with a team composed entirely of five star generals on their 2nd or 3d run through. Predictably enough, it was a nightmare when paired with people that didn't work together at all, but it still went better than that ship. Once the choppers showed up, I lost all hope.

[UncleSmoothie]

When we're playing well, we are nigh unbeatable.

[Rock8man]

I joined Xaroc and his friend BigRob last night. 3 of my regular Halo Friday buddies joined up too. It was a blast. Xaroc is actually a very good leader. He keeps talking even in Call of Duty 4. One of the strange things we've noticed in CoD4 vs Halo3 is that in Halo 3 (and Rainbow Six) we're always saying things to each other to keep ourselves updated on the situation, where as in CoD4, we tend to shut up for some reason. I think it's because the environment and action are so hectic, and you hear the people within the game saying things like "Tango Down", "Reloading", "UAV airborne", "Friendly airstrike incoming", "Enemy is trying to take Bravo", etc. Nearly all the useful information we used to say to each other is now said to us by the characters in the game, so we tend to not talk as much.

After Xaroc left, we were so quiet the next few games, I finally had to tell Zednor (my buddy) who was the leader of the party that he had to start piping up and direct us like Xaroc had been doing. :)

[Major Icehole]

Anyone know if fuzz actually destroyed his disc last night?
Sorry I jumped out so abruptly, after getting my ass handed to me so bad in the last game I couldn't handle all the trash talk from that last group. Lesson of last night is I shouldn't be allowed to play after 2am. My kill/death ratio took a major beating. I'm now -90 on my totals. Maybe if I play some during the day I can take advantage of a noob or two. I know, I'm a stat whore.

[Xaroc]

I joined Xaroc and his friend BigRob last night. 3 of my regular Halo Friday buddies joined up too. It was a blast. Xaroc is actually a very good leader. He keeps talking even in Call of Duty 4. One of the strange things we've noticed in CoD4 vs Halo3 is that in Halo 3 (and Rainbow Six) we're always saying things to each other to keep ourselves updated on the situation, where as in CoD4, we tend to shut up for some reason. I think it's because the environment and action are so hectic, and you hear the people within the game saying things like "Tango Down", "Reloading", "UAV airborne", "Friendly airstrike incoming", "Enemy is trying to take Bravo", etc. Nearly all the useful information we used to say to each other is now said to us by the characters in the game, so we tend to not talk as much.

After Xaroc left, we were so quiet the next few games, I finally had to tell Zednor (my buddy) who was the leader of the party that he had to start piping up and direct us like Xaroc had been doing. :)

Great games. Everyone played well and pitched in and had fun. On domination we went on a serious roll there for a while. The talk helps, I want to hear what people are doing, if the enemy is trying to flank us etc. We added Guido and went to those bigger games and still did quite well. We went head up against those clan guys and beat them a few times and had some close calls both ways. I think we only really got stomped on bog domination but man I hate that map. Anyway good stuff all around. I look forward to more.

[UncleSmoothie]

rANdom!

[Jarrodhk]

Random!

[Harkonis]

RANDOM!

[tromik]

Random?

[UncleSmoothie]

Some of the best games we've ever played tonight, guys. Great teamwork.

[fuzzyslug]

Some of the best games we've ever played tonight, guys. Great teamwork.

I came in a little bit late and as the rookie of the bunch but I had a blast. Even when it was down to four of us we did a good job of controlling the domination maps. Good stuff.

[Harkonis]

That was the first day since release that I didn't play any COD4 at all. Tonight will be the second with Rock Band out. I'm sick as a dog with a fever and lots of nasal drainage... good times. :(

[UncleSmoothie]

And I'm headed out to visit my girlfriend's family for the holiday for the next few days, so I'm going to be out of the picture for a while. Soldier on without me, lads.

[fuzzyslug]

I too will be taking a break until the late weekend. Family + Rock Band is my excuse.

[forgeforsaken]

Good games, some real close ones and some nice come from behind victories as well as a few total dominations. I'm amazed at the number of people that play domination and don't use smoke grenades, those things are invaluable if you go on offense imo.

[Jarrodhk]

Well I was planning on playing some over the break... but since no one else appears to be playing I guess I'll mess around with Assassin's Creed and Mass Effect.

Reluctantly of course.

[Xaroc]

I will definitely be playing, probably mostly at night with Mass Effect to play during the day.

[Major Icehole]

I'll be on this weekend some. I"m holding off on ME and AC until christmas.

[ElGuapo]

Ok, getting this during the week and will be online next week for playing. Serious this time!

[Lizard_King]

Don't drop me off the roster just yet. I'll be offline for the thanksgiving weekend but I promise to make the rest of you look good in comparison some more next week. I can't imagine playing this week, though.

[Harkonis]

Ok, getting this during the week and will be online next week for playing. Serious this time!

heh, like we believe you ;)

[Union Carbide]

I'll be down for some 360 CoD4 games this weekend, if I can tear myself away from TF2.

[Lizard_King]

Last night...it was a good night. We even redeemed ourselves on the tanker level, although I still have to go with that level being a stinker. I finally got my precious acog. Now I guess I have to switch guns and start using something else.

This far into the game, you'd think I'd have figured out the auto aim. I must have the sensitivity cranked too high or too stupid, as bringing up the sights rarely gets me accurate shots without a lot of luck.

[tromik]

Last night...it was a good night. We even redeemed ourselves on the tanker level, although I still have to go with that level being a stinker. I finally got my precious acog. Now I guess I have to switch guns and start using something else.

This far into the game, you'd think I'd have figured out the auto aim. I must have the sensitivity cranked too high or too stupid, as bringing up the sights rarely gets me accurate shots without a lot of luck.

Yea, I don't like that level for Domination either. It basically comes down to fighting in a really area and grenade spamming the corners.

[Xaroc]

Tanker level? Is that Countdown? Because I like that map for Domination but hate it for TDM.

[tromik]

Tanker level? Is that Countdown? Because I like that map for Domination but hate it for TDM.
No, the ship.

[forgeforsaken]

The only level I don't really like is the containers level, shipyard or whatever it's called. Played that on HQ once and my character was spawning next to the opposing team and dieing. It was pretty awful.

[Guido Jones]

that level is great on dominiation if you can can take and control B. If you can't, it sucks hardcore.

[Lizard_King]

I think one of my favorites so far is the one with the arab courtyard in domination. A and C go back and forth, but B is a war unto itself.

[Guido Jones]

If it's the one I'm thinking of, if you can control the second floor next to it, it's pretty easy to control B.

[tromik]

If it's the one I'm thinking of, if you can control the second floor next to it, it's pretty easy to control B.
I don't know if you're thinking of the same one. The one he's talking about is a square courtyard with a narrow path around it. There is a second story to the courtyard, and there are four entrances.

[Xaroc]

The only level I don't really like is the containers level, shipyard or whatever it's called. Played that on HQ once and my character was spawning next to the opposing team and dieing. It was pretty awful.

I love that map. I call it my time to level up a new weapon map. Break out that not often used shotgun, SMG, or LMG and get marksman I. I tend to go slight of hand for fast reload for shotguns and martyrdom and fire from the hip a lot on that map. Yeah, I know steady aim and all but you are shooting people from 10 feet away, you don't need it, plus martyrdom is probably 20+ guaranteed kills on that level.

[Guido Jones]

I don't know if you're thinking of the same one. The one he's talking about is a square courtyard with a narrow path around it. There is a second story to the courtyard, and there are four entrances.

Ah yeah - showdown. I was talking about Strike. Same goes though, if you can can control the highground in the second floor you control B.

[Moore]

I HAVE THE BOX AGAIN.

I will be up late Friday. and Thursday. And maybe tonight. And maybe Saturday.


Ok, getting this during the week and will be online next week for playing. Serious this time!


You dont have it?

Hello levelup buddy!

[Jarrodhk]

Awesome news Moore! Looking forward to getting some games on soon.

[Major Icehole]

I HAVE THE BOX AGAIN.

I will be up late Friday. and Thursday. And maybe tonight. And maybe Saturday.


Awesome, saw you on last night and was wondering about that. See you this weekend.

[Moore]

Whats extra fun is-

I'm a bit gimpy, someone dropped a fridge on my wrist about an hour after I hooked the box up.

The grindy wrist noises and numb fingers will fade after a good 8 hours of play, I'm sure.

[Ryan Markel]

Tonight will be AWESOME.

[Moore]

I'm going to try and hope on by midnight EST and get in a couple hours. I havent time for a lot of play.. gotta be up and checking out houses by 9am..

[Harkonis]

I'm going to try and hope on by midnight EST and get in a couple hours. I havent time for a lot of play.. gotta be up and checking out houses by 9am..

I'll be on tomorrow night and expect plenty of company in the game ;)

[rjcc]

I'm hopping on in a few, I'll be up for some matches -- hit me up.

[Moore]

I'll be late, and drunk.

[Ryan Markel]

I had family over last night and my brother ended up sleeping in the living room, so it was a no-go.

I have plans to be playing tonight, though - unless the fatigue of the holiday catches up with me.

[Papageno]

Anyone playing nice friendly games of CoD4 on the PC, by any chance? Alas, that's the version I've got.