Infinity Ward Details 'IWNet', PC Gamers Still Distraught Over Modern Warfare 2

Following the news that Infinity Ward's Modern Warfare 2 for PC would not support dedicated servers, the studio's creative strategist Robert Bowling tried to clarify some issues -- but many PC gamers are still unhappy. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is actually the biggest investment Infinity Ward has ever made into the PC version of our games," Bowling wrote in a Tuesday blog. "It’s also the most feature-rich PC version we’ve ever made." Bowling, known online as "FourZeroTwo," explained in more detail how Infinity Ward's multiplayer backend, "IWNet," is intended to make matchmaking smoother on PC, allow for playlists and private matches, and facilitate cheat- and hack-free games. He confirmed that there will be "no more browsing through a server list for a server with the settings/ping you want among other things," and acknowledged that the news "sent shockwaves through the hardcore PC community." The community manager hoped his explanation would dispel misunderstandings about IWNet's implementation in the PC version of Modern Warfare 2: "IWNnet 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," he argued. But comments in response to his blog indicate that PC gamers are still unsatisfied with the explanation of IWNet. For many commentators, only the option to have dedicated servers will make them happy. "You have got to be kidding me," one response reads. "What you've described above is right out of a console and doesn't prove that the system will be better at all. I like how you try to say this is going to be better for clans, right, sure it is. … This is fail." Another stated, "[With] match-making I'll probably get stuck with a 12-year-old kid that likes to swear every five seconds and go on and on about the one time he killed you." With no dedicated server support for PC, gamers in the PC community will not be able to run Modern Warfare 2 on dedicated servers that they may rent, as they are able to with previous Call of Duty games. Other concerns that PC gamers have expressed on message boards and blogs regarding no dedicated servers include possible lag issues, no mod support, and unsatisfactory match-making. The community of many PC games is structured around the flexibility provided by dedicated server support, extending the life of a given game. PC gamers objecting to Infinity Ward's decision are signing a petition, which listed 108,000 names as of press time. Addressed to Activision-owned Infinity Ward, the online petition's goal is to "Get Infinity Ward to review their decision not to allow fully dedicated servers for their forthcoming game release CoD:MW2. Remember that this Call of Duty was made popular by PC gamers who have supported the series throughout."