Call of Duty:Modern Warfare 3

[Harkonis]

interesting.  Pretty much every gamestop out here does midnight releases for big titles.  I have 4 that I can choose from that all have me in an out without minutes. 

I definitely wouldn't go if it meant waiting in a line for hours.  I hate lines.  We just chill inside the store for a bit while they wait and make sure everyone has already paid.  Then when midnight hits it's a quick receipt check and hand the game.  100+ people will get the game and be out the door by quarter after with the way they do it here.

[Roman]

That was my first and only release.
The EBgames is about 5mins away by car.

I got there about 11:20ish to be safe. There were already about 60-80 people ahead of me.
They started letting people in 2-3 at a time - you can imagine the waiting...... I was angry but then realized that they only have 1 POS terminal   so you do the maths.

Lame- and not prepared.

I should also point out that I was amazed by the absolute dredges of society that lined up - all 20 somethings with hoodies and chain smoking. Spitting /swearing etc. Made me proud to be who I am and who I was at their age.

[Teggy]

I did it for MW2 and it was very quick. However, release day delivery is easier, and it's not worth as much to do a midnight release if I'm not taking the day off. Hark will already have prestiged by the time we get the game anyway.

[PeteRock]

Best Buy only opens certain area stores for midnight releases.  And I've found their efficiency upon opening to be of questionable effectiveness.  Hundreds were lined up outside the one I went to for MW2, but fortunately I had gotten in line 2 1/2 hours early and was around 20th in line.  I was out by 12:02am.  Still, for me there's little point to go through the trouble.  I won't even have time to load up the game until late Tuesday night after our night out with friends.  I have an hour break between o-chem lecture and lab that is too short to come home for lunch, but it should be enough for me to pick up my copy so that I don't have to worry about traffic after 5 when I get out of lab.

I did it for MW2 and it was very quick. However, release day delivery is easier, and it's not worth as much to do a midnight release if I'm not taking the day off. Hark will already have prestiged six times by the time we get the game anyway.

Fixed that for you, especially since he's been playing non-stop since last week.   

[Harkonis]

That was my first and only release.
The EBgames is about 5mins away by car.

I got there about 11:20ish to be safe. There were already about 60-80 people ahead of me.
They started letting people in 2-3 at a time - you can imagine the waiting...... I was angry but then realized that they only have 1 POS terminal   so you do the maths.

Lame- and not prepared.

I should also point out that I was amazed by the absolute dredges of society that lined up - all 20 somethings with hoodies and chain smoking. Spitting /swearing etc. Made me proud to be who I am and who I was at their age.

yeah, that's a lot different than how they do it here.  Here the number of machines is irrelevant because they take care of the actual transactions from 10-12.  Then at 12 they are just making sure you have a marked receipt, then handing the game and out you go.

If I had to have it at midnight and didn't have to rely on tradeins, I would go to Walmart.  Getting games at Walmart at midnight release is easy as can be

[leo8877]

Well I'm keeping BF3, but I'm officially in for MW3 as well.  Hopefully I get to at least 2012 before I sell this back to Amazon.  Something I haven't been able to do for the last couple releases.

Also, what's up with the free COD Elite site?  I can't get it to show me anything, are they getting hammered?

[Harkonis]

Stats are now live and is retroactively showing how much I sucked the last couple days.  

Possibly still being processed, but this vid shows off two of the Assault Strike Package killstreaks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6CIGbKHkRKs

Elite isn't live yet, neither the website nor the free app work.  Why they flipped the switch to turn them on when they don't work I'll never understand, that's just asking for people to get pissed.

[Harkonis]

Oh, and the uploaded videos are finally rendering at 720p so you can actually see what's going on.  yay!  Make sure to choose the res when you watch them though, it might default to lower.

[ATB]

Did midnight release for mw2 at Gamestop. Was smooth as silk.

[ras752000]

So hark/roman:  have you guys found anything yet that you consider worthy of spending a prestige token on?
I was considering getting the stinger out of the gate, just to always have a solid anti-air class ready.  Any suggestions?

[Roman]

for me nothing right now. 5 classes to start is more than enough micro management for me
The double XP on gun - could be an option. But Hark was smart enough to talk me out of it early in the game because you don't have that many weapons to chose from and once your done - your done.
The double XP in for 2hrs might be useful - but only later in the game. I am already at lvl 42 and I have a KD of .67 or something - so you can see that I suck but was able to level up quite nicely.

There are other unlockables but they are at the later levels and prestiges.

FWIW you get the SMAW (sp?) anti air and ground at the starting levels.

[Harkonis]

Don't get the double xp for gun, dont' get the double xp.  These are limited availability tokens, don't spend them on something temporary.

It's silly to spend them on something that goes away when you prestige.  If you really want double xp, buy some mtn dew or doritos.

You have 5 custom classes to spend them on that stay forever.  You have 3 title/emblem packages that stay forever.  One opens at level 1, one at prestige 5, one at prestige 10.

Other than that you can spend them on unlocks to make future prestiges easier, but you can only do that after you prestige once.  In addition TECHNICALLY these are also 'wasted' if/when you hit prestige 10, however they make it easier to get there by a much larger factor than 2 hours of double xp and a lot of us won't ever get to prestige 10 anyway. 

It's like getting one wish from a genie and saying you want an awesome one night stand instead of perfect happiness for 50 years.  WTF would you pick the first one? 

[leo8877]

Hey so I haven't been paying attention to the MP since I planned on skipping, but did Romy say it was more noob friendly and you can bank kills that stack instead of having to get 3 x in a row?  Because I NEVER got a 3 kill streak and it was not fun for me.

[PeteRock]

You have 5 custom classes to spend them on that stay forever.

Are these custom class slots that remain forever, or do you get to keep the classes you created in those slots?  For example, if you create an Assault class with the SCAR, frag grenades, bouncing betties, and EMP grenades, would that same class be available to you, or just the slot in which you created the class?

You have 3 title/emblem packages that stay forever.  One opens at level 1, one at prestige 5, one at prestige 10.

Are these like the four-character clan tags you can unlock in Black Ops, or something different?

Other than that you can spend them on unlocks to make future prestiges easier, but you can only do that after you prestige once.  In addition TECHNICALLY these are also 'wasted' if/when you hit prestige 10, however they make it easier to get there by a much larger factor than 2 hours of double xp and a lot of us won't ever get to prestige 10 anyway.

I thought double xp was meant to make prestiging easier.  What other unlocks are meant to do so?  I didn't know there were other options outside of xp to help the process.

It's like getting one wish from a genie and saying you want an awesome one night stand instead of perfect happiness for 50 years.  WTF would you pick the first one? 

If you don't find anything else you want to use the tokens on, is double xp still a waste, or are there always better options that do more than limited double xp?

[Harkonis]

There is always a better option other than double xp.

Custom slots are the slots themselves, not what goes in them.  You can have up to 10 total and you start with 5.  (that means 5 prestige tokens can be spent on custom slots)  People who say that 5 is more than enough aren't the kind of people who like to have a kit for every situation and are typically the kind of people content with losing.     Keep in mind that now you can put your killstreak choices in the custom class kits, which means even if you always use the same weapon, you could have 10 kits with various killstreak options for that one weapon setup. 

The titles and emblems are the cosmetic gamertag embelishments and placards.  Very optional, but a neat little 'ooh shiny'.  Tokens are also the only way to unlock these three things and they are permanent.  3 tokens for these.

That leaves double xp and double weapon xp which I've already explained why it's a horrible idea to spend your tokens on these, but I know some of you are stubborn and/or slow and will do it anyway 

You can also spend a token at prestige 10 to erase all your stats and start over at level 1 with no prestige.   

Other than that it's 1 token per piece of gear/weapon/equipment/perk to keep something unlocked when you flip.  Keep in mind that if you want to have 'everything' permanent when/if you finally hit 10, you have to keep at least 8 tokens for the custom slots and titles.  The most tokens you can ever get is 14 (1 for each previous COD, 1 for each prestige in MW3).  This means you can permanently unlock up to 6 things to help your prestiging go faster.

As I've pointed out in every previous COD, you can actually prestige much faster if you generally stick with one loadout/weapon style and get comfortable with it instead of chasing challenges.  Sure challenges give extra xp, but you suffer a dip in xp every time you switch how you are playing as you re-adapt and for those of you who aren't as good at the game that can be a huge dip AND extremely frustrating.  I tested doing challenges and getting the challenges for all attachments and weapons versus doing only a few, versus sticking with one weapon and attachment for the entire prestige and the latter was several hours faster overall.  This is because you get more xp per match when performing consistiently and comfortable with what you are using.  Also the higher challenges for a weapon still give good xp bonuses when you hit them.

I would suggest on your first playthrough you try every weapon and item and equipment at least a bit to see if you like it.  When you find something you like, figure out when it unlocks and if that is close enough to not warrant a token.  For example if you end up liking a weapon/perk that unlocks at level 11, it might just be better to go from 1-11 without it than to spend a token.  However if you like something that you don't get until level 40, it's probably worth it to spend a token on it. 


When I flip the first time, I will have 5 tokens available and will likely use those for weapon/perk unlocks.  Then each time I flip after that I will unlock a custom class until I have all 10.  Then the title/emblem packages.  This will leave me with 1 token in case I ever go crazy enough to reset everything.

sorry for wall of text, just trying to make sure people understand why you don't waste a token you can never get again and takes 30-60 hours to earn on 2 hours of double xp.  Especially when you can buy codes to do the same thing.  If you did spend all your tokens on double xp, you would certainly level faster, but the net result is that you end up missing a bunch of stuff you can never get AND you end up saving roughly 28 hours total which for me means 1 extra prestige than I would have had otherwise.  Which isn't that big of a deal.

[wonderpug]

Hey so I haven't been paying attention to the MP since I planned on skipping, but did Romy say it was more noob friendly and you can bank kills that stack instead of having to get 3 x in a row?  Because I NEVER got a 3 kill streak and it was not fun for me.

The support kill streak package lets you continue accruing even when you die!  The minimum points are a bit higher than the traditional package to balance things out (e.g., you get a UAV at 4 instead of 3).

The hardline perk also has a neat new pro addition, making it so two assists counts as a kill for killstreak purposes.

[leo8877]

Hey so I haven't been paying attention to the MP since I planned on skipping, but did Romy say it was more noob friendly and you can bank kills that stack instead of having to get 3 x in a row?  Because I NEVER got a 3 kill streak and it was not fun for me.

The support kill streak package lets you continue accruing even when you die!  The minimum points are a bit higher than the traditional package to balance things out (e.g., you get a UAV at 4 instead of 3).

The hardline perk also has a neat new pro addition, making it so two assists counts as a kill for killstreak purposes.

Nice that means I might actually be able to call stuff in.  I think I got 1 kill streak in MW2/BO and it was no fun.

[jztemple2]

sorry for wall of text,

Don't be sorry. I think I'm going to do some cut and pasting and put all these good words into a document called "Hark Explains What The Hell All These Damn Things Mean".

Looks like I won't be going to a midnight release after all. I'm on some new meds for a foot problem and the doctor warned me of "irritability, dizziness and mood swings". Can't let my wife miss that

[PeteRock]

Custom slots are the slots themselves, not what goes in them.  You can have up to 10 total and you start with 5.  (that means 5 prestige tokens can be spent on custom slots)

I assumed as much, but it couldn't hurt to ask.

People who say that 5 is more than enough aren't the kind of people who like to have a kit for every situation and are typically the kind of people content with losing.   

Unnecessary.  And not always true.  I do far better with certain weapon/perk combinations regardless of scenario.  And from what I've read MW3 does a better job than past iterations at allowing people who prefer certain perks and weapons to upgrade as they see fit to make them better within their playstyle rather than being forced to adjust to other weapons or "ideal" kits that are situation-specific. 

Keep in mind that now you can put your killstreak choices in the custom class kits, which means even if you always use the same weapon, you could have 10 kits with various killstreak options for that one weapon setup.

Seems like a waste of tokens when killstreaks can be adjusted when needed without requiring multiple custom class slots. 

The titles and emblems are the cosmetic gamertag embelishments and placards.  Very optional, but a neat little 'ooh shiny'.  Tokens are also the only way to unlock these three things and they are permanent.  3 tokens for these.

I'm pretty sure there goes three tokens right off the bat for me.  I'm a sucker for "ooh shiny." 

Other than that it's 1 token per piece of gear/weapon/equipment/perk to keep something unlocked when you flip.  Keep in mind that if you want to have 'everything' permanent when/if you finally hit 10, you have to keep at least 8 tokens for the custom slots and titles.  The most tokens you can ever get is 14 (1 for each previous COD, 1 for each prestige in MW3).  This means you can permanently unlock up to 6 things to help your prestiging go faster.

This would have been nice for me in Black Ops as I would have held on to the Commando until my dying day.  Unfortunately the perceived stress associated with making the "right" decision may keep me from spending tokens and I'll instead wind up hording them.  Outside of the cosmetic stuff I can't seem to live without.

As I've pointed out in every previous COD, you can actually prestige much faster if you generally stick with one loadout/weapon style and get comfortable with it instead of chasing challenges.  Sure challenges give extra xp, but you suffer a dip in xp every time you switch how you are playing as you re-adapt and for those of you who aren't as good at the game that can be a huge dip AND extremely frustrating.  I tested doing challenges and getting the challenges for all attachments and weapons versus doing only a few, versus sticking with one weapon and attachment for the entire prestige and the latter was several hours faster overall.  This is because you get more xp per match when performing consistiently and comfortable with what you are using.  Also the higher challenges for a weapon still give good xp bonuses when you hit them.

I've since moved on to this philosophy as well.  I am far more effective at using what I like rather than farming XP by struggling through other weapon challenges.

I would suggest on your first playthrough you try every weapon and item and equipment at least a bit to see if you like it.  When you find something you like, figure out when it unlocks and if that is close enough to not warrant a token.  For example if you end up liking a weapon/perk that unlocks at level 11, it might just be better to go from 1-11 without it than to spend a token.  However if you like something that you don't get until level 40, it's probably worth it to spend a token on it.

I like this advice and will probably follow it.  That way I can plan for my future prestige choices. 

sorry for wall of text, just trying to make sure people understand why you don't waste a token you can never get again and takes 30-60 hours to earn on 2 hours of double xp.  Especially when you can buy codes to do the same thing.  If you did spend all your tokens on double xp, you would certainly level faster, but the net result is that you end up missing a bunch of stuff you can never get AND you end up saving roughly 28 hours total which for me means 1 extra prestige than I would have had otherwise.  Which isn't that big of a deal.

Clarifications appreciated.  It helps to have a better understanding of how things work going in rather than making a costly mistake and learning the hard way after the fact.  If there are only so many tokens you can earn, I'd hate to waste a few only to find out later it was a truly bad decision.

[Harkonis]

Pete, you countered your own argument in one of your replies...

You can't change killstreaks on the fly in a game.  You can however have different killstreak setups in each custom class.  So the only way to adjust your killstreaks during a game is to have more custom slots.

Also (and trying not to sound elitest or like a dick here) but I do think I know more about how to be successful in COD and if you refuse to ever change things up based on the situation, you will not do as well.  I typically stick to one setup or one preferred weapon and use the same kit a LOT.  However I still find having all 10 slots invaluable because there are always times when you default kit simply won't cut it.

There are times when it's longer range and you need a scope, there are times when silencers are key, there are times when a scope would be wasted because it's mostly close quarters.  All three of those are just on one weapon.  There are maps where a sniper rifle is really useful, there are maps where a shotgun is the best choice.  There are maps that you want bouncing betties.  There are maps you want frags.  There are times you need an emp grenade or a sam turret.  There are times that an emp or sam turret are wasting a slot. 

Being able to adapt to what the enemy is doing on the fly is key.  If the enemy is using a ton of deployables, having a kit with EMP grenades and an EMP killstreak along with Sitrep would make it easy.  Enemy not using UAV's much?  Why waste a slot on Assassin when you could lay the hate down on them with Hardline? Lots of explosives and flashes?  Take Blast Shield.

Not adapting will cause you to not succeed in a competitive game.

Keep in mind also that now that we have killstreaks on custom slots, weapon proficiencies in custom slots, in addition to the old stuff that changes you really could have 10 kits all with the same weapons in different configurations and combos. 

[jztemple2]

In Black Ops I have several loadouts, with one for Nuketown/Firing Range, one for Hanoi, and a couple of others for the rest. I normally carry a China Lake noob tube, but one loadout has the SAM in case the team is being hounded by aircraft. I use one slot for experimental loads. And one has the M60, when I'm tired and just want to lay down a lot of bullets . 

In one way I'm afraid I'm just like Pete. I hate spending a token/bonus/whatever because I might be wasting it.

[denoginizer]

I am on vacation this week so I am temped by the midnight release. I guess it depends on how much I will play tonight before my 40 year old ass can't stay awake anymore.

[wonderpug]

I hate spending a token/bonus/whatever because I might be wasting it.

Ways to waste them:

• Using them on double XP - two hours?  Aside from it being a piddly duration you can get via Mountain Dew MTN DW, how do you even know if you're going to have a quality two hours?  What if you have 2 hours of shitty rounds and you're doubling your XP on 2 hours of shit XP?
  
• Using them on low-level unlocks
• Using them on things you don't want

The first two are easy to avoid.  For the third, you can base off of forum recommendations, wait till you unlock the thing the first time yourself, or grab weapons off of the ground to try them that way.

You can always just default to unlocking new custom class slots, since that's all you ever got in the old games anyhow, and you can get them a lot quicker this time.

[Harkonis]

You can't unlock any items until you prestige the first time anyway, so you have a chance to try everything before you spend a token on them.

[PeteRock]

Pete, you countered your own argument in one of your replies...

You can't change killstreaks on the fly in a game.  You can however have different killstreak setups in each custom class.  So the only way to adjust your killstreaks during a game is to have more custom slots.

I meant the usual ability to change killstreaks between matches.  I've never seen any need to do so in-match.

Also (and trying not to sound elitest or like a dick here) but I do think I know more about how to be successful in COD and if you refuse to ever change things up based on the situation, you will not do as well.  I typically stick to one setup or one preferred weapon and use the same kit a LOT.  However I still find having all 10 slots invaluable because there are always times when you default kit simply won't cut it.

As I predominantly depend on the assault rifle class, it is usually fairly adaptable to a number of situations.

There are times when it's longer range and you need a scope, there are times when silencers are key, there are times when a scope would be wasted because it's mostly close quarters.  All three of those are just on one weapon.  There are maps where a sniper rifle is really useful, there are maps where a shotgun is the best choice.

In my case any scopes that provide too much zoom are useless for me because I struggle to aim efficiently.  I mostly stick with the reflex, red dot, or holographic site as they are usable in numerous situations.  In terms of when a sniper rifle or shotgun would be useful, I'm shite with either, so it's a moot point.

There are maps that you want bouncing betties.  There are maps you want frags.  There are times you need an emp grenade or a sam turret.  There are times that an emp or sam turret are wasting a slot.

This I can see.  But, I typically adjust classes between matches to modify things as necessary.  Still, I can see the value of having default kits selectable from the pause menu so after a death I can choose a more appropriate kit rather than waiting for the match to end. 

Being able to adapt to what the enemy is doing on the fly is key.  If the enemy is using a ton of deployables, having a kit with EMP grenades and an EMP killstreak along with Sitrep would make it easy.  Enemy not using UAV's much?  Why waste a slot on Assassin when you could lay the hate down on them with Hardline? Lots of explosives and flashes?  Take Blast Shield.

This makes sense.  However, whenever I am forced to give up something I depend on to accommodate for EMP grenades, different perks, or a change in secondary weapon, I struggle more than sticking with what works.

Not adapting will cause you to not succeed in a competitive game.

What I may not adapt for in equipment I adapt for in play style.  Sure, it's a limited perspective, but I am a limited player.  There will probably not come a day when I am as versed with the many perks, pieces of equipment, and weapon attachments available to improve situational preparedness.  But I'm okay with that. 

Keep in mind also that now that we have killstreaks on custom slots, weapon proficiencies in custom slots, in addition to the old stuff that changes you really could have 10 kits all with the same weapons in different configurations and combos. 

I ultimately don't disagree with you.  Your points are helpful and add a great deal of insight I just don't have into the usefulness of having multiple slots for custom kits.  It's just a bit overwhelming for me and part of my problem is depending on what I like rather than what may be best.  The time you've taken to elaborate is truly helpful and may help me to improve my playstyle, as I depend more on what I like or excel with rather than what may be better for the situation.

Still, you'll never see me with a sniper rifle or LMG.  I feel like a bumbling idiot when I can't earn a single kill with either.

[wonderpug]

Pete, you countered your own argument in one of your replies...

You can't change killstreaks on the fly in a game.  You can however have different killstreak setups in each custom class.  So the only way to adjust your killstreaks during a game is to have more custom slots.

I meant the usual ability to change killstreaks between matches.  I've never seen any need to do so in-match.

• You start with UAVs equipped but your teammates constantly have them up, or the enemy team happens to be mostly Assassin-equipped
• Nobody on your team has counter-UAVs equipped and it would be really handy to be able to bring them into play
• Turns out you do/don't need that SAM turret you did/didn't equip
• You're playing like shit and you wish you brought the support package instead of the assault package
• and more!

[jztemple2]

If we had twenty minute long rounds, swapping loadouts would be really even more valuable.

[Harkonis]

If we had twenty minute long rounds, swapping loadouts would be really even more valuable.

If we had 20 minute rounds half the people would quit after 5 when they got bored and the other half would be stacking 50 helicopters in the air.

[metallicorphan]

even though the game was officially released some 8 hrs ago here,the reviews have just started to appear

Telegraph-5/5

Destructoid-9.5

GameInformer-9

Giantbomb-4/5

Eurogamer-8(no shit)

CVG-90

IGN(UK)-9.0

OXM-9.5


GameTrailers-9.3

1Up-  A- (minus)

Edge Magazine-9

[IkeVandergraaf]

HEY GUYS!

So, I haven't read this entire thread.  Or really followed any MW3 news at all.  But my preorder is coming in this morning and, as I do every year around this time, I've resolved that THIS YEAR I'm going to really put in the time and attention to get good at this game.  Fortuitous unemployment should help.

So, what do I need to know?  Is there anything I should read this morning while I wait for my preorder to arrive?  And what's all this about tokens anyway?

Thanks!

Your humble and obd't servant,
Ike

[wonderpug]

Kill streaks are totally different than the last games, don't spend any tokens you get on double XP, you're supposed to think the Assassin perk is bullshit, anything that kills you is bullshit and unbalanced, @#$% lag.

[ATB]

Ike- hark has a few good write ups just a feew posts ago..check em out.

[Harkonis]

This is the kind of thing that makes me want to strangle someone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u66RAvdiEBU

[Chaz]

This is the kind of thing that makes me want to strangle someone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u66RAvdiEBU

Oh boy, I can't wait. 

[Isgrimnur]

Thank you for validating my decision.

[PeteRock]

This is the kind of thing that makes me want to strangle someone

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u66RAvdiEBU

I have to agree.  While preview videos had developers talking about quick-scoping as a "hardcore gamer's" tool of choice, as if it relies on a great deal of skill, that video is just ridiculous.  Even if I could learn to do that, I have no interest in doing so.  That's now online virtual warfare, it's merely a recipe for frustration.  

Yet for me that's nowhere near enough to be a game-killer due to all of the fun I have with the COD series.  Sure, almost every game has its faults, but I can look past quick-scoping to enjoy everything else the game offers.  Class is going to suck today, especially since it's my longest day.  

[pr0ner]

Thank you for validating my decision.

So one 30 second quick scoping video "validates" your decision?

 

[Harkonis]

Thank you for validating my decision.

it's not like that's all anyone does Had, you just want to validate yourself.  Hark sadface Had won't play anymore.

[Harkonis]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxTYMe74v9U

Here's me joining up with Romy, but getting put on the other team.  My team was down and there was a TON of crap in the air.  I shot it all down, got a crate out of it, and in that crate was the juggernaut armor.  So I used it...

I'll keep my channel updating with videos.  I also went elite so I'll have bigger better ones too.

edit:  there, started the playlist   Hark's MW3 Playlist

[Isgrimnur]

Being on the receiving end of crap like that makes me want to throw my controller through the wall.  If I play, it will happen, and I'm tired of getting angry due to the design choices that the company makes.  That's a failing on my part, but it's one I can avoid by not smashing myself in the head with it.

I'm also three games in for the month of October for Rage, Batman, and Battlefield.  I don't have the money to pick up all the games that I want to play.  I'm sure if Battlefield 3 had come out 3 months ago, I'd be right there on MW3, despite my issues, but I can't afford it.  And if I have to go sour grapes on this one to make myself feel better about it, then so be it.