Starting to get into regular weekly gaming again, Monday and Tuesday nights if I can. Mondays are Dead Men Walking clan CoD4 nights - a group of old friends who get together for some laid back Call of Duty 4.

Above: Here we see Brave Sir Dewey hiding in the long grass from the nasty airstike. I found him quite by accident. Tuesday night fun on the [RIP] server!

Tonight dMw_Dewey and myself ventured onto the RIP clan CoD4 Domination server for some frantic fun. This is a lot more of a crowded and maniacal affair, with lots of very competitive young players. To be honest I struggle to keep pace!

Useful links and addresses

My primary Call of Duty 4 playgrounds:-

Dead Men Walking dMw|Teamplay Public HC: 77.108.129.47:28960

Rusty in Places [RIP] HC Domination: 217.146.93.69:28960

=CeltS= Soldiers (Team deathmatch): 91.192.210.47:2304

My STEAM name is:  [BIG] Ranger

My CoD4 profile name is: BIG_Ranger

...And that's just on Xbox 360!

If there's one thing my 24 hour game marathon taught me it's that there is a huge amount of people playing CoD4 all around the world on upwards of 4 thousand servers throughout the day. OK, they may not all be full, but the core game format servers - Team Deathmatch - seems to have no problem with filling servers, and there's always new players joining a game to replace those that leave.

Eurogamer article: Call of Duty 4 has 13 million players...

This news comes just as Infinity Ward start to crank up the CoD4:2 marketing. The sequal to CoD4 is due out on the 10th November.

I find the comparison - in numbers online at least - between WoW and CoD4 interesting as I have long wondered if any company would develop the battlefield shooter as far as a massive multiplayer online game. One can imagine a vast world battlefield with different temperate zones and a persistent character career and evolving strategic conflict. Think of BF2 but with each battle affecting the progress - or retreat - of a faction in a particular zone.

It has long been my wish to have a career based online game like BF2 complimented with the superb graphics and detail of CoD4...Maybe that is what BF3 may be (if it ever sees the light of day). But the thought of a new WoW (World of Warfare that is) is an intriguing thought to say the least.

Well, good start to my 24 hour gaming marathon. Finished the morning session - started at 8am - and now am taking a lunch break to get some more supplies from Aldi (I went a bit mad this morning and have finished off half my days supplies of cider already).

Left: First kill of the day - er, me unfortunately! (Click on image to enlarge)

Gaming is going well, but have had to mainly play on foreign servers this morning while the Brits wake up! Good news now is, though, that my favorite Call of Duty 4 server is starting to hot up:

[RIP] HC Domination - 217.146.93.69:28930

You can follow my marthon gaming day on Twitter at: http://twitter.com/Milgeek

You can also check out my Flickr album for the day at: Milgeek's 24 hour Gaming Day

Finally, you can message me on Yahoo or MSN if you would like to give me some encouragement or just say hello:

Yahoo: beaty1961
MSN: beaty1961@yahoo.co.uk

Right - best put some pants on if I'm going to Aldi! :)

It's been a good week for me computer game wise. With the wife very busy marking end of term school work I have had every evening to myself. The result of this intensive CoD4 stint is...

This included one very bleary into the early hours session last night (I mean early this morning).

However, while I think I am actually getting to grips with how to play this game I still have my problems with it's style and some of it's little idiosyncrasies. For example, after having worked hard to rank up and win new 'better' weaponry, I was rewarded with the much vaunted MP44. This is a bit of a legacy from earlier Call of Duty games (a sort of 'in joke' to followers of the series) and doesn't really fit modern warfare as a distinctly World War II vintage weapon.

But...Check out the weapon attributes between the 'prized' MP44 and the much lowlier AK47...

What's the advantage of the MP44? I would have at least thought it would have had some sort of improvement in performance somewhere to justify the extra work needed to aquire it. But there you go.

Above: This is a screenshot I actually took when I very first played the demo release of CoD4. At this point - with limited gameplay on which to base a balanced opinion of the game - I was simply blown away by the stunning visual quality.

It might seem a little late to be writing a review of a game that has been around for well over a year now, but with the absence of any interesting new releases of battlefield shooters many gamers like myself are dusting off the older titles. In fact I did dabble with CoD4 when it was first released, but very quickly dismissed it as a substitute for Battlefield 2, which I was then still engrossed in.

However, having finally tired of BF2 and with real alternatives still 'in development', a friend of mine suggested I give Call of Duty 4 another chance. He had himself rekindled an interest in this game due to some hard core modifications to the basic game play made by a clan we have been involved in - on and off - for some time, Dead Men Walking.

So, I recently re-installed Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare in order to join him and the other members of =[DmW]= to see if this game could really get me back into multiplayer computer gaming.

Return to Call of Duty
When I initially tried out CoD4 I was under no illusions about what kind of game play it pandered to. I had previously headed up the Call of Duty 2 wing of the RIP clan, and so was familiar with the frenetic 'run and gun' style of this arcade shooter. Despite any pretensions at 'historic accuracy' there was little attempt at any level of unit organization - unlike Battlefield 2 - and game play could degenerate into an anarchic death match more reminiscent of Quake or Unreal Tournament if the mix of players wasn't right.

Additionally, the scale and design of the maps further encouraged what I considered rather negative tactics - 'nade spamming, for example, could be annoying and camping was elevated to a near art form by the vicious placement of nooks and crannies in the confined avenues of the maps. But still, on the positive side, the maps were also beautifully conceived, and the weapons sufficiently individual in their characteristics to make playing with friends an enjoyable experience.

So, aware of the deficiencies in the format, I returned to the CoD series a couple of weeks ago, hoping that good natured and well known fair play attitude of =[DmW]= would curb any of the negative aspects of the game and bring out its good side. But before I even attempted to rejoin the very competitive arena of clan gaming I thought I had better get some multiplayer practice in with a few sessions online...

CoD4 - the online multiplayer experience
Any player of experience cringes at the mention of 'public' (or 'pub') game servers. The term has connotations of free-for-all and shambolic behaviour (and negative play) that have all the decorum of a Cowboy movie's bar brawl! Generally the wise player has a tenancy to avoid these game servers, preferring - usually on recommendation - the safe gaming havens of clan servers where there is at least some vestiges of policing and play policies.

While running the CoD2 wing of RIP clan we instigated a not smack-talk policy with zero tollerance for the use of words like 'noob' and cheat calling. While we initially had a lot of moaning about that and lost some visitors to our server we soon built up our population with like-minded players who did appreciate the friendly gaming atmosphere of our 'moderated' server.

Having said that, if you want to get your play (i.e. your reactions) up to speed then joining public servers is the computer game equivalent of throwing a child into the sea to teach them to swim! The polishing of technique can come later, all that matters at first is that you lean how best to survive.

Above: CoD4 isn't all Deathmatch - there are actually two other multiplayer formats, Domination and Search & Destroy. Domination is perhaps the most satisfying as it does demand at least some co-operation among team mates. Domination is a variation of the popular 'capture the flag' game format, where you must occupy the flag area in order to capture that location. I found this the most acceptable CoD4 gameplay.

It was immediately obvious from these excursions that random death was your closest companion. Call of Duty 4 had managed to come up with devious new ways to execute your player character in more nonsensical fashions than its predecessor did, for now there is air power. At first, you almost find the many varied ways of 'random death from above' over-whelming - what with the 'nading (yes that's still there), camping, and sniping being joined with the new horrors of air strikes and helicopter gunship attacks!

In truth, the gamers first impression of this Call of Duty 4 is that it is one long session of die, respawn, die, respawn and so on - with little logical pattern to the sequence other than the seeming pradictable unpredictability of the certainty of your demise!

Come off it - what are the POSITIVE things?
OK, enough of the negative, if everything about this game was that bad nobody would be playing it - but thousands do, so what's the attraction? Call of Duty 4, for the most part and for the majority of people, is no-brainer fun. There are no long stints with a manual, and you don't have any complicated vehicles to get to grips with - it's just run, gun and try not to die too much...

Well, there's a bit more to it than that. The maps are simply beautiful, and ingenious in their design. The level of detail is quite stunning, and add to this the excellently rendered sound and special effects and the whole modern battlefield experience comes to life quite spectacularly. The immersion factor is high as bullets whiz past you and the ground shakes during air strikes and you feel the percussion of that nearby grenade explosion.

Above: This screenshots shows aspects of CoD4 which are both positive and negative about the map design. From this you can see some of the wonderful detail that is typical of the Call of Duty 4 maps - it is simply visually stunning at times. Unfortunately, this same degree of architectural detail - with open buildings, windows, multiple floors, walls, street clutter and debris - make the maps a campers heaven! This screenshot shows me in a very good position 'fishing' for victims - each red circle shows a likely location where targets are most likely to show themselves.

Add to this the amazing attention to detail when it comes to that all important part of an FPS - the armoury. A large variety of weaponry is on offer, and the 'perk' system and rankings through experience points ensures you are always reaching for that slightly better gun. Moreover, CoD4 has introduced a very interesting system of upgrades - the 'perks' are actually a large variety of attribute improvements which raise your potential and give you the edge during the game.

Take the 'Deep Impact' perk - this allows you to fire through masonry, taking out enemy that are attempting to hide behind a convenient wall, or there is the 'Iron Lung' perk which allows a sniper to hold their breath a little longer so as to steady their aim. As well as these persistent perks - maintained in your personal profile - you can also win in game special prizes, like radar, air strikes or helicopter gunship missions!

The bottom line - arcade or simulation?
I could go on and on outlining the pros and cons of this game but other reviews have already done that. Instead I will cut to the chase and explain why I think Call of Duty 4 is something of a blind alley for players like myself who are looking for authenticity in their online battlefield experience.

It's ironic that game which attempts - and succeeds in so many areas - to make a 'realistic' battlefield environment fails overall to encapsulate the flow and tactical aspect of urban warfare because a few crucial elements are completely unrealistic.

Here is a run-down of the features of the game that are a cause for concern:-

1. Grenade spamming
2. Close air support (air strikes)
3. Helicopter gun support

Unfortunately two of the aspects are central aspects and integral to the overall game design - air support.

Above: When the air strikes start you really do not want to get caught out in the open! Unfortunately, in a game which is all about fire and maneuver this is more easily said than done. The trick is to try and work your way towards the enemy through buildings or down narrow alleys. Firing at helicopters - as seen above - only tends to annoy them and attract their fire!

But what's wrong with close air support - its an authentic part of modern warfare, isn't it?

Well, as can be seen in real life, friendly fire from air support can be devastating and is completely intolerable. NO modern army would condone the use of indiscriminate air support when friendly troops on the ground are so close in proximity to the enemy - and most definitely not at the saturating levels that can take place in Call of Duty 4.

At times the sheer persistence of airstikes completely breaks down the flow of the game - and worse, the airstrike scenario in CoD4 is self-perpetuating. The more successful a side is with their bombardments the more bombardments they are rewarded! Eventually it seems that the airstikes are almost continuous - because they are (when called) instantaneous.

For example: If an air strike gains you three kills you are instantly rewarded with a helicopter strike! And on and on it goes - success breeds success and a winning side on a roll can turn a battle into a massacre with near constant air strikes battering the oppositions spawn area.

My second first impressions!
As I said this isn't really my first impressions, this is actually my second visit to CoD4: Modern Warfare and to be honest I haven't changed my mind about the basic vanilla game. Its a frag fest of mega proportions more suited for the spotty youth who wants to stroke their ego more than a unit based battlefield FPS for the decerning virtual soldier.

It's all a very great pity, as the graphics and environments are absolutely superb (I even enjoyed the short single player side of the game). Infinity Ward have certainly given the tactical FPS player a glimpse into how larger battlefield games might look in the future - any BF2 veterans must be green with envy at the level of detail and wish that the classic 'Karkand' map could be re-done a la CoD4!

Above: Get used to this sort of Killcam screen, CoD4 maps are very sniper friendly!

But this pocket battlefield arena just isn't up to providing the neccessary range for units to roam in any real tactical sense. At least in BF2 you felt that if there was an area of the battlefield that was swamped with smacktards you could simply find another area where you could get on with your tactical mission.

In CoD4 there is just no place to hide from the interminable negative play, it will simply hunt you down

I have yet to play a modded version of the multiplayer CoD4 in a clan environment, and this will be my next stop, and I hope that this might be a more positive experience that the basic - very flawed - out of the box game.