I have been a big fan of the Call of Duty series ever since I played the first game years ago. I remember fondly being engrossed by the action of the game and how much fun I had in the multiplay element. The prison camp map was a true classic and I delighted in the clang that sounded when I scored a headshot on an enemy.
Since then, I have been a eager participant in the games and from the time of Modern Warfare onward, I eagerly look forward to the next installment to arrive. It has become a tradition of sorts for me to hear about the game, get a first look at E3, then ride the wave of trailers, rumors, news, and such up until launch day.
I usually make a multiplay match the first thing I play in the game, and then power through the story mode before immersing myself in the multiplay as I try to find the best combination of weapons and perks to best suit my run and gun style of play.
However with the release of Call of Duty: Ghosts, I have found more than my share of frustrations that have not gone away. While I enjoyed the story mode of the game much better than I did with the one in Black Ops 2, I have to say that the multiplay just is not working for me.
I am playing the game on PC and as such it just seems very out of balance even for the series. I know that COD gamers often gripe about the game and in the heat of battle emotions and complaints run high. That being said this is the first COD game where I am playing the multiplay out of a sense of obligation rather than compulsion.
Here are a few of my issues with the game and what I think could and should be done about it.
For starters the play balance in the game is badly in need of a fix. I cannot tell you how many times I get the drop on a player and start to unload into them point blank. While this is happening, some players shrug off the attack and kill me in one shot or stab all the while being shot.
If the physics in the game are enhanced as they say, then the impact only should knock a player back making them unable to rush and stab. If you hit someone with a shotgun in game they can be blown back, so why is this not more common?
While I appreciate Hardcore mode of the one shot dead approach, it does not always allow for the best gameplay experience.
End camping season. So many people take advantage of the larger maps in the game to camp out and take out people from a hidden location. The same people are the first to complain when a user has to resort to a grenade or a launcher to try to even the score yet they destroy the enjoyment of the game with what many see as a cowardly tactic.
Why not introduce a feature where a player can only stay stationary for 30-60 seconds at a time before they have to move a certain distance. This restriction would be lifted when an aircraft is attacking but would otherwise require players to be more mobile in their gameplay.
Increase the player levels. The maps in the game are gigantic and when you only have 10 people in a game you can walk around a lot looking for someone to fight. This makes you a prime target for campers and really brings down the experience when you have to spend huge chunks of the game looking for enemies.
Improve the graphical textures. I know the game has increased graphics from previous games and that you can adjust your settings but even with a high-end video card some of the maps do not look very modern as do some of the character models. I know this is more stylistic than gameplay related but it is an issue for me at times and other gamers I have spoken with.
Once and for all, crack down on the hackers and cheats and ban them. This is paid lip service all the time but year after year, game after game, multiplay is being ruined by the legions of people with their hacks, bots, and exploits. Ghosts seems to have more than the usual amounts and it has reached annoying and epic levels for me and other gamers. Nothing will make me want to leave a game and not return more than a gameplay experience that is not fair and friendly. I have seen countless players fire through walls, emerge from outside the map, take numerous hits and grenades and keep coming even when their fellow players are dropping around them. It is time that this is fixed once and for all.
Many people say to me that it will never be fixed on PC as they care more about the console marketplace and as such they will get the attention and fixes over the PC users. I say what is done for one should be done for all.
Cross platform gaming. I know it is a huge undertaking but with the arrival of the Xbox One and Playstation 4 the time is right to look to allow users from all formats to play against one another. Imagine the Clan Wars between owners of various consoles as they slug it out.
While I know there are no perfect solutions in a game as large and popular as this, however most gamers will tell you that fixes are badly needed and that something should be done sooner rather than later. Let us not forget that despite the massive numbers of people currently playing the game, many more will find a copy under the tree on Christmas and this will only increase the amount of users online.
