User blog:Razgriez/What I want to not see return, or changed, in MW3

Ah... it's that time of year again... the time where the next Call of Duty game has been announced, and the fans start posting their list of things they want to see in the next game. Even our wonderful wiki can not escape the deluge of blogs with Gun, Perk, and Kill streak wish lists.

Some of these list are rather interesting, of note for me, the Gun and Kill streak list. Others, are utter crap, and consist of horrible ideas designed by someone who thinks the game should be tailored made to only their enjoyment, and no one elses.

But what we don't see really any time, is a Wishlist of items dedicated to things someone DOES NOT want to see in the game, notably, things from the older games.

Oh sure, there's the occasional mention about "Don't bring back Juggernaught/Commando/High powered gun/etc etc", but these are just asides included in the blog and in comments.

This here, is a dedicated list of things that I feel personally, shouldn't be brought back in MW3 from previous games. Now granted, this is not an out right "This can not be brought back ever again" except in the most extreme cases. Some of this list, I wouldn't mind seeing again, if it received some key changes to improve it's purpose in the game. As a matter of fact, I'll be bringing up some ideas in this blog, on what I feel can be changed into a better idea. In other words. some of the items in this list, should be brought back, but in a better way, not as it currently stands.

Finally, a couple of quick notes So... Here we go now, Eyes and Ear protection on, safety's off, Razgriez's Firing Line is now live and shooting.
 * This list is not a "NERF!" Debate list. Things that I feel should be changed by reducing their effect in game, by either reducing, or improving their stats or features, are purely honest opinions, not nerd rage fueled frothing. In these cases, I will bring up honest criticism of what I feel is wrong, and how the idea can be changed for the better so as not to annoy the majority of the player base.
 * This is not a "Don't have this bug/glitch" list: this is obvious. No one, but the exploiters, want to deal with any glitch or bug in game.

In other words, while perks such as these, require elements of pure luck to earn Pro versions that are hardly worth the effort, players will always gravitate towards the easier, and more effective perks, like Ghost, Hardline, Hardened, Sleight of hand, and Hacker Pro.
 * 1) Avoid the harder to achieve challenges of Perk Pro Upgrade requirements: The changes that Treyarch made to the perk system in Black ops, overall, was for the better. That said While the challenge changes to earn the Pro version of a perk was a nice change to the system, and felt more rewarding (if partly due to their being more challenges, and thus, more XP rewards), some of these really feel a bit too restricting to their earning, and turns me away from them. This instead, leads me to get the more easier to achieve pro perks, which in many cases, are more useful in an overall perspective. In MW2, this included perks like SitRep, which, while useful, required a challenge that was not equal to the reward. Light Weight pro is another example, granted a pro feature that would fit better with Steady Aim (And which was done so, in Black Ops). In Black Ops, there's at least one in Every Tier. Lightweight Pro's "no falling damage" hardly is worth the game of chance of trying to avoid death by a determined and skilled player, and doing the extra effort of objective game modes. I can achieve the same or similar effect, by planning my route and strategy carefully with my Parkour Antics. Flak Jacket and Ninja, I see no reason to jump through the extra hoop of doing bomb objective games and Arm/disarm the bomb 10 times or back stabbing X number of players and hoping the enemy is using Frag grenades, to get boosts that only affect very narrow situational uses. Scout is a bit on the high side of kills, for very specific task. Steady Aim's "Knife 2 people in 5 seconds" is a matter of luck /enemy player IQ levels. Dare I add even, Second Chance Pro's "1 headshot while downed" requirement, is an excercise in luck and bullet spraying, rather than skill.

That's my list for right now.
 * 1) This is Modern Warfare, not American Antique Gun show: This is going to sound a bit hypocritical, I know. Readers of some of my blogs from over a year ago, will recall that I wrote a blog piece, filled with satire and sarcasm, in defense of the Model 1887's, including Blinged 87's for Akimbo and FMJ. In truth, it was less a defense of an unrealistic weapon set up, and more of a lampooning of those in the Nerfing crowd, whose only argument was that a shotgun should not be able to kill from so far of a distance, because it was "Unrealistic". (I.E. it was in satire of the crowd that demands for more and more realism in videogames, until that realism becomes inconvient.) It was also done in defense of it, since my opinion of the weapon, was that it was a High level reward to have superior weaponry (An argument I'll flesh out further in another point) That said, there was one point I do have to agree with. What is with the vintage weapons, if this is supposed to be "Modern Warfare" then why do we have these random old weapons? I could understand the StG 44 being in CoD4: MW: as a tribute to the WW2 games they've done. It's in the similar vein of BF: Bad Company 2 having the M1 Garand, and M1A1 Thompson SMG. It's tribute to past games the developers made. I can understand terrorist using Soviet "Hand me down" weapons. I can understand criminal gangs and cartels having a variety of civilian, and black market firearms. But some weapons just shouldn't be in a game, especially a game set in the near future when several new systems are going to be in use. I blame this partially on IW's use of trying to make MW2 be two things at once: a Military FPS shooter, and a Cinematic Action game akin to a movie. It tried so hard to be the movie, it just put random, unexplainable weapon choices in, instead of more realistic, modern weaponry. Black Ops could get away with it, because it was focusing more on being a cinematic, story based single player, where you could understand each side having unique, and unusual weaponry. It was set in a day and age, where both sides of the Cold War routinely worked on unusual, and on occasion, mutual destructive and dangerous weapons. MW3 should stick to the title, and use cool, modern/semi-futuristic weapons.
 * 2) The Damage perks are Dead, Long live The Loadout modifications: This is an idea that has been floated by myself, and others around the blogs since right after Black Ops came out. Since the removal of Juggernaught, Stopping power, and by extension: Sonic Boom/ and Danger close, with only Flak Jacket, Hardened and if you want to argue the Revival ability of the Pro version: Second Chance, which still exist (and for good reasons too). That said, I think it's maybe time to expand upon load out customization, by enabling players to also unlock, and select enhancements to key aspects of their loadouts. The reason for this idea, is quite simple... it would remove some of the "Mystical powers" aspect that makes some of the perks, rather goofy. Why is it that if an enemy is shooting an M16 with the Hardened Perk, is presumed to have Armor Piercing/Penetrator rounds, yet when I pick up the gun from their corpse, without the Hardened perk, the ammo magically reverts to standard 5.56 NATO rounds? The idea that's been floating around, is for a new selection of modifications to weapons and gear, that would act in a give and take sort of way. And we've seen the idea alread implemented, with FMJ from MW2. The idea here, is similar. Instead of Stopping power and Hardened for perks, instead, incorporate this in the ammo. Hollow Point rounds would trade range, penetration and damage vs. vehicles, for improved damage vs personel. Armor Piercing/Penetrator rounds, would trade some damage for better cover piercing and vehicle damage. The same could be applied to Launcher weapons. Fragmentation type upgrades, could affect a wide area, and be deadly against clumped groups of players in the open, while Shaped Charge/HEAT rounds could be used as anti-camper/vehicle weapons, trading blast radius for cover/armor penetration and higher focused damage.
 * 3) No more low level, power weapons, no more high level weak guns: If the weapon is powerful, it should be a reward for higher level players. If it's weaker, it should be a lower level weapon.
 * 4) Killstreak rewards, should match the difficulty of the streak. An issue I do have with Black Ops, is how some Kill streaks don't fit the requirements, especially given the changes to the system. RC-XD is almost a free kill, just like MW2's Predator Strike, but is only 3 Kill streak. Mortar Strike, requires 6 kills, and bit of luck in hoping to land one of 6 shots on someone in small blast radius. RC-XD' (or guided missile strikes) should be higher kill streak, while Strike Kill streaks like Mortar Strike, should match the power and precision of things like the Airstrike kill streaks Napalm and Carpet Bomber. (Larger Blast Radius, almost guranteed kill for anyone in the strike path)