Merry Christmas Call of Duty Players: 2 Hours Double XP and a Prestige Token for Your Stocking

From charlieintel.com:

Call of Duty Developers have just announced that Elite PREMIUM subcribers are will be getting an early Christmas present today in the form of 2 Hours Double Xp and 1 Prestige Token!!! This is truely unexpected and a great holiday gesture by the folks at Infinity Ward, Sledgehammer, and Raven. Merry Christmas Guys and thanks for all your hardwork the last 2 years, now stop working and go drink some eggnog!

Mtn Dew Winners Play MW3 at Dallas Stadium on the world's 2nd largest HD TV

Mountain Dew Fans Have a "Mega Fan Experience" from Stellarhead on Vimeo.

From charlieintel.com:

Four lucky fans just got a chance to play MW3 at Cowboys Stadium which is home to the world’s second largest HD screen. This was the grand sweepstakes prize as part of a Modern Warfare 3 Mountain Dew promotion. In 2009, the screen was the world’s largest, with over 20,000 square feet of HD display.
-SOURCE: Kotaku

Call of Duty ELITE “up and running” by December 1 -UPDATE

From charlieintel.com:

-UPDATE: Daniel Suarez just confirmed with G4, that ELITE’s new target launch date is by December 1st. “They kind of have to bear with us while we bring this all back up,” the VP of production said, “but for us it’s literally ‘give us those couple weeks, we’re giving those to you for free’ and come December 1, the goal is that we’ll have everything up and running.’”

-PREVIOUSLY:
Beachhhead Studios has finally shed some light on the reasons for ELITE’s troubled launch and what’s currently being done to fix it. In the interview, several questions are answered that you won’t find in the official Elite F.A.Q.
“It’s going to take at least a couple of weeks to get Elite operational to the standards we want, we are making progress.”
In a exclusive interview to Kotaku, Daniel Suarez, vice president of production at Actvision, explains how one of the most experienced online gaming companies in the world was “blindsided by the demands for their new stat-tracking”, community-building Call of Duty service Elite.
“We had all sorts of issues: A broken registration system; poor scalability of the service; poor experience trying to login to the web or console and confusion in terms of getting 2XP or your Founders Entitlements,” he said. “A lot of this was just core infrastructure issues – mainly tied to specific databases serving up data for the console, web and ultimately mobile (when that’s released).
“For lack of a better term – our databases got hammered with the millions of people trying to use Elite and it couldn’t put up with the demand.”
In regards to why the Elite BETA didn’t prepare them, he said “Due to the fact that we didn’t have a console app on Black Ops, there wasn’t a clear picture of user behavior coming from the console,” Suarez said. “The beta helped us refine the web experience from a feature set, but really didn’t give us all the metrics at scale we needed, specifically the additional load from the console….which was a lot higher than our expectations. This was key contributor to the performance and stability issues consumers have experienced.”
Premium members able to login faster, “We’ve prioritized premium subscribers into the service via a prioritization queue, so if you are a paid member you get into the console or web automatically,” he said. “Free users, due to demand, are put into a queue and allowed in when we have bandwidth or capacity.”
On Tuesday Activision was finally able to turn clan creation on. Within 12 hours they had 22,000 clans created…
-UPDATE SOURCE: VG247
-SOURCE: Kotaku

EA (Battlefield 3) To Follow Activision’s Call Of Duty: Elite

From SFX-360:

EA will eventually launch its own premium subscription based Battlelog service in a move to emulate Activision‘s Call of Duty: Elite, Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter has predicted.

Elite launches on November 8 alongside Modern Warfare 3, while Battlelog is a free service for this October’s Battlefield 3. On a free level, each service offers comparable statistic tracking, friend management and social networking.

However, Pachter believes the success of Elite will convince EA to follow suit.

“We expect the $50/year premium Elite membership plan to be very popular with Call of Duty’s hard core gamers,” wrote Pachter. “At $50/year, Elite membership is a no-brainer for those who plan to purchase all of Modern Warfare 3′s DLC, as the annual spend will presumably decrease by at least $10 (last year’s Call of Duty: Black Ops had four map packs that cost $15 each, for a total spend of $60).

“There were 18 million map packs sold in the first six months this year, comprising three different packs: we believe that 1 million consumers bought all three, 3 million bought two packs, and 9 million bought one apiece. Thus, we expect that at least 1 million will sign up for the premium Elite membership by year end. The Call of Duty network effect may be amplified by premium Elite, such that if a gamer’s friend purchases premium Elite and gets access to premium maps, the gamer may feel compelled to purchase premium Elite in order to compete as early and as often as possible. We expect the network of premium Elite subscribers to grow to critical mass within a few years, with 3 million likely subscribers by year-end 2012 and 5 million by year-end 2013.”

He added: “Although Battlelog and non-premium Elite memberships are free and offer many similar features, we think that many hard core Call of Duty gamers will opt for premium Elite, particularly if the total DLC spend for Battlefield 3 is expected to exceed $50. Ultimately, we expect Electronic Arts to emulate Activision and charge for Battlelog by including map packs with the service for a $50 fee.”

Special Thanks and hat tip to SFX-360 for breaking this story!

What do you think about this move by EA? Do you think they are a little late to the game? 

Modern Warfare 3 Killstreaks

From Call of Duty Community who has people on the ground at XP in Los Angeles:

Just like Modern Warfare and Modern Warfare 2, there will be killstreaks in Modern Warfare 3. A new feature in Modern Warfare 3 is the way killstreaks are categorized. Previously there were killstreaks and deathstreaks. Modern Warfare 3 will have 3 “Strike Packages”. There will be an Assault, Support and Specialist  Strike Package. And then there are the deathstreaks.

• Assault Strike Package – Pointstreaks within this package chain and are designed for more direct damage (Predator, helicopter, etc), just like in Modern Warfare  2. Your streak resets on death.
• Support Strike Package – Pointstreaks within this package do not chain. However, streaks do not reset on death. Streaks are more support oriented (UAV, Counter UAV, SAM turret, etc)
• Specialist Strike Package – Pointstreaks designed for the expert players. Rewards come in the form of additional perks. A player activates additional Perks as they progress in a Pointsreak. These perks last until death.

Assault Strike Package:

• 3 Kills – UAV - Shows enemies on mini-map.
• 4 Kills - Care Package - Airdrop a random killstreak or ammo.
• 5 Kills - I.M.S - The Intelligent Munitions system detects and eliminates enemy combatants.
• 5 Kills - Predator Missile - Remove control missile.
• 5 Kills - Sentry Gun - Airdrop a placeable Sentry Gun.
• 6 Kills - Precision Airstrike - Call in a directional airstrike.
• 7 Kills - Attack Helicopter - Call in a support helicopter.
• 7 Kills - Strafe Run- Strafing Run of 5 Attack Helicopters.
• 9 Kills - Little Bird Guard - Get personal air support from a Little Bird guardian.
• 9 Kills - Reaper - Lase missile targets remotely from the Reaper UAV.
• 10 Kills - Assault Drone - Airdrop an Assault Drone. (Mini tank robot with a “Sentry Gun” attached to it)
• 12 Kills - AC-130 - Be the gunner of an AC-130 Gunship.
• 12 Kills - Pave Low - Calls in a heavily armored assault helicopter (Sikorsky MH-53 Pave Low).
• 15 Kills - Juggernaut - Receive advanced armor via Care Package.
• 17 Kills - Osprey Gunner - Be the gunner of an Osprey delivering several Care Packages.

Support Strike Package:

• 4 Kills - UAV - Shows enemies on mini-map.
• 5 Kills - Counter UAV - Temporarily disable enemy radar.
• 5 Kills - Ballistic Vests - Deploy a bag of Ballistic Vests for your team.
• 5 Kills - Airdrop Trap - Kills enemies with a booby-trapped airdrop crate.
• 8 Kills - SAM Turret - Automated SAM Turret that destroys aerial killstreaks.
• 10 Kills - Recon Drone - Control a Recon Drone targeting enemies for your team.
• 12 Kills - Advanced UAV - Call in a Orbital Recon that shows the direction your enemy is facing.
• 12 Kills - Remote Turret - Sentry you can control.
• 14 Kills - Stealth Bomber - Deploys a B2 Spirit that is invisible to the enemy’s radar. The bomber carpet bombs a specific line, designated by the player and cannot be destroyed.
• 18 Kills - EMP - The electromagnetic pulse (EMP) temporarily disables enemy electronics for 60 seconds. It also stops the enemy from calling in killstreaks, and at the same time drops down any helicopters and aircrafts that are in the air. Using the EMP will remove the opponent’s heads-up display (HUD).
• 18 Kills - Juggernaut Recon - Care Package drop with a Juggernaut suit.
• 18 Kills - Escort Airdrop - Same as the Osprey Gunner, except you don’t control the gunner and it drops 5 Care Packages. (4 regular and 1 hacked).

Specialist Strike Package:

• 2 Kills - Gain an additional perk (pre-assigned)
• 4 Kills - Gain another perk
• 6 Kills - Gain another perk

Deathstreaks:

• 4 Deaths - Juiced - Move faster for a few seconds after spawning.
• 5 Deaths - Revenge - You will see the position of the last enemy that killed you on your mini-map.
• 4 Deaths - Final Stand - Allows the player to crawl around and use their primary weapon when downed. (Unlocked at Sergeant Major I – level 32)
• 4 Deaths - Martyrdom - Drop a live frag grenade upon death. (Unlocked at Colonel I – level 51)
• 6 Deaths - Dead Man’s Hand - Fall into last stand after dying with C4 equipped in your hand. (Unlocked at Brigadier General I – level 57)
• 5 Deaths - Hollow Points - Bullets cause more damage for one kill only. (Unlocked at Commander – level 71)

Special thanks to COD Community--they have the best updates on Multiplayer of anyone reporting at this time. Be sure to visit their site here. 

Modern Warfare 3 is a joke!

From COD Community and special thanks to them for posting this:

When a game / franchise / developer publisher and so on doesn't have any haters, you know something is wrong. When you do have haters, you just laugh at them and applaud them for the effort they put into the hating.

The same can be said about this video by bideovlogger. The video he made is a brilliant one, but instead of bashing Modern Warfare 3, he's just spreading the word about it. I really like what he did with the video.

Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer Mode Pics and Video Leaked Before Call Of Duty XP

Hat tip and good work to SFX-360 for posting this:

A video posted to YouTube (no longer available) by someone who allegedly broke into the upcoming Call of Duty XP event in Los Angeles shows a new game type, maps and information about the eagerly anticipated Modern Warfare 3 game. The 25 second video shows the person navigating the multiplayer menu for the game.The YouTube user that posted the video gained access to the Xbox 360 systems they’re using for the tournament.
The video showed a list of 13 multiplayer maps for the game. The names of the maps are Carbon, Coast, Dome, Exchange, Hardhat, Interchange, Lambeth, Meteora, Mogadishu, Paris, Plaza, Radar and Seatown. It’s possible a few more maps could appear in the retail release. Call of Duty: Black Ops, the last game in the series had 14 maps while Modern Warfare 2 had 16.

The video no longer works and was removed from Youtube by Activision.

Modern Warfare 3 Multiplayer Will Look and Feel More Like COD 4, Less Verticality and Killstreak Reliance

It looks like MW3 is going to have a lot less camping opportunities. Unlike MW2, it's predecessor, MW3 is only going to feature 4-5 hot spots per map. It looks like Sledgehammer is going to make it look more like COD 4, more gun on gun, you're done. So don't look for stackable kill streaks, marshmallows, or tents in the upcoming Call of Duty installment. I am liking what I am hearing and can't wait to get my hands on the game. BTW--COD Elite Beta starts today. Look in your email box for an invite! Thanks to Kotaku for breaking the story, here is a preview and a link to the article on MW3 on Kataku's website:

Stephen Totilo —"A reduction of the number of so-called hotspots on the multiplayer maps of Modern Warfare 3 will alter and accelerate the flow of action in this fall's installment of the Call of Duty franchise juggernaut, one of the game's creators told Kotaku this week in New York City.
The makers of Modern Warfare 3's multiplayer mode are creating maps that include no more than five hotspots—places from which enemy players may be hiding or shooting—for a gamer to worry about at any one time.
"It simplifies it so that the less skilled player has less to think about," Robert Bowling, creative strategist at Modern Warfare development studio Infinity Ward told me yesterday. "What happens when you have more is that the professional guys are using that spot that is either difficult to get to. … There's fewer places to hide, which discourages the more camper mentality that seemed to emerge in the map design of Modern Warfare 2."

Call of Duty XP: Event Map

Call of Duty XP Event Map Revealed

Event takes place September 2nd & 3rd in Los Angeles

Here are just some of the highlights:

$1 million Call of Duty Operation

It's time to compete for a chance to play on the world's biggest stage at Call of DutyXP and walk away with your share of one million dollars in cash and prizes. This thrilling tournament will be a 32-team, single-elimination bracket competition with 4 players per team. Fans around the world will have various opportunities to qualify prior to the event by showcasing their skills in Call of Duty^®: Black Ops multiplayer…and there will be additional ways to qualify on site at Call of Duty^® XP.

Compete for Fun and Prizes

Fans of all skill levels will have a blast competing for prizes in a variety of free-for-all, Zombies, Spec Ops, and team-based multiplayer competitions. Who will win the most consecutive free-for-all matches? Who can survive the longest in Zombies? Who will qualify on site for a seat in the million-dollar tournament? It could be you!

Run the Pit

Gear up and clock your best time in the Pit, for real. This iconic moment from Modern Warfare^® 2 comes to life as you run and shoot to win prizes and bragging rights.

Live Multiplayer Experience

How well do you know Scrapyard? Find out as you throw down in an all-out paintball battle in our life-size recreation of this iconic map from Modern Warfare^® 2.

Burger Town

Working out your trigger finger really works up an appetite. So grab burgers and fries at Burger Town. It's time to eat like a soldier, sort of.

Call of Duty® Armory

You've seen them in game. Now it's time to see the wide arsenal first hand. The immortal weaponry of Call of Duty^® will be on display at our one-of-a-kind armory along with a unique look at the history of our franchise.

IG Extended Coverage: World Exclusive Call of Duty XP Interview with Eric Hirshberg of Activision

Inside Gaming sat down with CEO of Activision Publishing Eric Hirshberg to grab this exclusive interview. He talks about his life as a gamer, his vision for the publisher's future and, of course, their new fan-focused event called Call of Duty XP. Watch to get all the details... including the million dollar COD tourney!

Call of Duty XP Event to Be held in Los Angeles

Attention COD warriors. Just announced.

From Activision's website on the event:

Immerse yourself in the game you love at the first ever Call of Duty^® XP, the ultimate Call of Duty^® experience. From our million-dollar tournament, the chance to play Modern Warfare^® 3 two months early, the ultimate paintball firefight on a life-size re-creation of Scrapyard, the spectacle of running the Pit, and the reveal of the innovative features of Call of Duty^®: Elite, this epic event brings Call of Duty^® to life. Anyone that can’t be there but wants to connect to the action can link up through our numerous broadcast outlets. Your Call of Duty experience is about to get real.

Tickets go on sale for this event July 19th and are $150/ea. I believe there are 6,000 for sale. Also, all money from the ticket sales will go to the Call of Duty Endowment fund which helps veterans acclimate to the workforce when they come home.