While Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 has received criticism for its lack of a traditional multiplayer mini-map and the audio engineering of enemy footsteps, visibility is one gameplay factor in particular that many fans have collectively identified as in need of improvement. Across the beta, many have noted that the current state of player visibility is extremely confusing, for a variety of reasons.
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The Basics of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The upcoming Modern Warfare 2 title is the successor to the wildly successful Modern Warfare which released in 2019, being the second installment of an ambitious reboot of the classic and original MW trilogy. While boasting an ambitious campaign featuring many returning fan-favorite characters such as Soap MacTavish and Captain Price, a lot of the attention on the game is understandably centered toward its popular multiplayer modes.
Modern Warfare 2 is set to boast a return to the beloved Spec Ops mode of the original title, as well as of course featuring its own comprehensive PvP multiplayer mode that has seen the franchise become so successful. In addition to this, MW2 will boldly launch alongside Warzone 2, a sequel to the original 2020 CoD battle royale that will be aiming to build upon the massive success of its predecessor.
As perviously mentioned, a majority of Modern Warfare 2’s discourse is currently centered around the title’s multiplayer mode, largely thanks to the recent beta weekends for the game that have allowed fans to get hands-on and familiar with how the game feels and offer their own feedback to Infinity Ward. Of all the posed criticisms, it appears that an improvement to player visibility is one that Infinity Ward will absolutely have to address before the game’s October launch.
The Player Visibility of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2
The issue of player visibility has become a growing concern among the Call of Duty community for some time. As titles under the franchise name improve in graphical fidelity and the complexity of their environments, player models can become harder to distinguish and can seriously impact the core competitive gameplay of CoD multiplayer. While this was seen with certain skins and maps in Call of Duty: Vanguard and Warzone, it appears it has sadly translated over to the current state of Modern Warfare 2.
Prior to recent beta patches, players pointed toward the intense amount of muzzle flash and smoke when firing a weapon as being one of the key contributors to poor enemy visibility, as well as the disorienting blurring and new particle effects that impact a player when being fired upon. In addition to this, the lack of red nameplates above enemies at close distances only exacerbated the issue, leading to many reported instances of players mistakenly shooting at teammates or letting enemies run by unscathed.
While recent patches have somewhat mitigated the issue via things like reducing the amount of muzzle smoke when firing, player visibility still remains a persistent and contentious issue among the community. It is likely that Infinity Ward will further explore and address the issue of player visibility in the lead-up to Modern Warfare 2’s launch, but as of right now it is clear to see why fans have been so vocal in their discussion of the issue.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 launches on October 28 on PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
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