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

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.

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! :)

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.

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.

In other words, a free day pass!

Today is one of those days, and I thought I would create a kind of running blog post for the day outlining the schedule of events. However, I should start by saying this lovely day actually began yesterday when I started planning for it and purchasing my 'supplies'.

I decided that I was not only having a day off from the missus, and work but also from a very tedious diet - so a trip round Tescos netted me a shopping basket full of goodies to keep me going while playing computer games or watching war documentaries and movies through the day. Here's a run-down of my top 5 goodies:

> Packet of old fashioned chocolate limes!
> Packet of Leerdamer (Lite) and accompanying Digestive buscuits
> Cheesy Quavers
> Big box of seedless grapes
> Several bottles of Lucasade Sport (orange) & Bulmers Cider

MILGEEK'S DAY OFF SCHEDULE BLOG:

8.30am - Not too early but not too late to rise, it's breakfast time and a quick shuffle through the SKY Digital schedule to ear-mark those documentaries and movies I may want to watch later...

Breakfast note: I've been on a bit of a mission to find the cheapest but tastiest Muesli cereal - the winner so far is ALDI SWISS STYLE Muesli which tastes just like Alpin but is a fraction of the price at just 99p for a very generous box full! (I did try the rediculously cheap Tesco's value Muesli - just 44p - but it tastes like it was recently swept up off a stable floor!)

9.00am - Surfs up! Time to check out my favourites web sites and have a good rant on a few forums before doing my regular blog chores. Among many other things, I spotted a new airsoft AK on Airsoft-News.eu and a wonderful article on Boing Boing on a 'Puma' Segway car!

Above: Airsoft manufactureres must be the least imaginative people I know - here's a new AK47 from CYMA (yawn!). The only thing that makes this CM.046 stand out is that it is a 'cheapsot' AEG with a blow back system. This is available from those lovely folks RSOV.com of Hong Kong.

9.30am - FIRST GAME OF THE DAY - bit of a Call of Duty 4 warm up!

I put some pants on (another good point about being in the house alone) as I don't like to play multi-player games nude. I somehow feel vulnerable!

I am starting afresh with CoD4 so am a lowly Gunnery Sergeant...

10.30am - KHAZI BREAK!

Stopping for some messaging, supplies and a Khazi break - first game was a good one (but I'm still crap). Got some good hints about my Class perks from Dewey!

Click on image to enlarge10.45am -There's something satisfying about being alone in the house and being able to leave the bathroom door open when you go for a clear-out. It's primeval - like being back in the woods...

Anyway, supplies got - cheese and buscuits and cider - and now back to CoD4 (I wish I had a fridge in my attic). I am going on quite a good server I have found...

=[CeltS]=TDM HC     Team Deathmatch

It's a bit manic, and expect random death on a regular basis. Here is a 'oh s**t!' moment of mine...

Click on piture to enlargeOff we go again - and I am trying out the tips Dewey gave me about the 'Stopping Power' and 'Deep Impact' perks...

12 Noon - LUNCH!

Well, this morning games were very hectic, the servers are starting to get fuller as lunchtime approaches (and that means even more random death from above). The problem with my holiday is that it co-incides with the schools Easter break - so there are hoards of spotty 11 year olds with lightning reflexes online!!! (Bad news for an old codger like me!)

I've really taken to the Gunner class - and this upgrade to the M60 should be interesting. The tip to change my perks to Stopping Power and Deep Impact seemed to work OK - as long as you spot the enemy before they spot you!

I really think I could do with a 'Randomly thrown grenade umbrella' perk! The Killcam highlighted a *lot* of very speculative lobbing of nades over roof-tops or long range shots over several fences and walls hoping to catch out the advancing enemy, particularly at the 'rush' at the start of a game.

SO....Lunchtime - and an individually packed Chinese curry and rice - with more cider, although I may have to venture out soon for more booze at this rate!

 3.30pm - Mid-afternoon khazi and supplies break

...And time to stretch my legs and shake off the 'numb-bum' syndrome!

Click on picture to enlargeThis is about as good as it gets for me I'm afraid - the majority of my scores are just holding even (with the occasional howler).

The one thing I notice about a long session of CoD4 is that after a while I found myself daydreaming *while* playing, something that never happened with BF2. Some of the CoD4 games can be so repetitive that you find yourself inadvertently 'going through the motions' and you have to shake yourself awake again.

The lack of any real teamwork, plus the near absence of tactics and the horrendous random death from above means you can fall into the 'run and gun' rut. So I started to play a couple of games, then stop for some munchies and a drink before continuing.

Not that CoD4 cannot be a lot of fun - but so far I have found that for every fun game you have to play another of frustration and random death.

I can't help thinking that a 'no airpower' mod would do this game a whole lot of good!

:)

....Anyway, off to the kitchen - I have a nice cold Wychwood Green Goblin Oak Aged Cider to open! The bad news is that I've eaten all my chocolate limes!

6.00pm - End game!

Well, that's about it for me today - I can't seem to do a whole day and a whole evening of gaming any more (probably because of the cider)...

I'll be doing a little report about my opinions on Call of Duty 4 tomorrow - but overall I can say I've had a fun day. I know which maps I like now - and I've even started to find my way round them a bit better (and know some of the sweet spots).

Click on picture to enlargeIn case you can't quite read the above scoreboard - I ended up with 300 points, and 30 kills to 22 deaths. Not bad for me and I even managed to drop a nice air bombardment!

A satisfying way to end the day - especially with all my supplies gone, except half a glass of cider.

I may be tempted to do another of these next week - IF I can come up with an excuse to get the missus out of the house!

I was hugely impressed with the premise behind the sci-fi computer game S.T.A.L.K.E.R.: Clear Sky - it was a wonderfully written and ambitious environment - beautifully designed - but, unfortunately, the coding was a little too stodgy to out-do it's nearest gaming rival (Fallout 3).

Despite it's problems, however, S.T.A.L.K.E.R was a bit of a cult success, particularly among airsofters who craved it's Russian theme. So much so, in fact, that it kicked off a niche re-enactment fad at websites like 'Red Alliance' for players to post up their own S.T.A.L.K.E.R. loadout creations! Some airsoft fields even ran S.T.A.L.K.E.R. themed games.

Above: Fantastic S.T.A.L.K.E.R. bandit pose by M.I.A. of the Red Alliance community

The attraction isn't hard to fathom, as the heavy mix of grungy post-apocalyptic science-fiction and appreciation of equally grungy post-Soviet Russian military gear melds together to create a unique and appealing look for airsofters (and is a lot less poncy than American based airsoft sci-fi themes like Colonial Marines or Stargate).

Well, quite by chance - while visiting gaming website GameSpy.com - I came across a very nifty little article about Russian airsofters who have gotten together to re-enact a huge S.T.A.L.K.E.R. game in Sengileyevskoe in the southern Stavropol.

Above: S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in real life (Source: Gamespy.com)

This is a loadout that a team-mate - Legs - and I have been toying with for a while - to the point where I had started collection some of the gear. This article might just be the incentive that I needed to complete the kit impression. In any case, it's a wonderful idea for a themed game.

Useful links:

> Gamespy.com - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. in real life article
> Reuters.com - Fighting "mutants" in a live-action game
> Red Alliance topic (registration required) - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Impressions and *Locations*

> S.T.A.L.K.E.R. official computer game website

> Milgeek - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky game review
> Milgeek - S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Clear Sky versus Fallout 3

I'm still waiting for the next military first person shooter sensation to arrive, which mean filling in with whatever shooter is available until it does!

Left 4 Dead (Valve) is a from the guys who brought you Counter Strike and Half-Life, and that about tells you it all (if you are familiar with these games) as it is a horror meets small team co-operative shooter.

"Set in the immediate aftermath of the zombie apocalypse, L4D offers four expansive "movie campaigns" that challenge you and your fellow survivors to battle thousands of swarming zombies as you travel across the rooftops of an abandoned metropolis, through rural ghost towns and pitch-black forests. In addition to the movie campaigns, Left 4 Dead features a Versus mode that allows you to play as the Boss Zombies." (Valve)

Some of the guys and I have gotten very much into it as it at least does promote teamwork - if you are at all serious about defeating the game at the higher levels.

I suspect the longevity of this game will not be something of it's plus points, but it is yet another game that will help me bridge the gap between a proper military FPS like Battlefield 2 and the forthcoming Operation Flashpoint 2...

At least there is *a* soldier in it!

-> My STEAM ID is: Milgeek

Link to the Left 4 Dead (L4D) official website: www.l4d.com

Well, all good things must come to an end but at least Fallout 3 went out with a bang and not a wimper. Unlike many games I have played in the past I wasn't left feeling I had been short changed with a horrendously short game length, the good people at Bethesda Studios did themselves proud with this game.

In fact, I would go as far as to say that when the finale played out I genuinely felt like giving the game a round of applause.

In summarizing my Fallout 3 experience I would have to say that I really did find myself immersed in the world that Bethesda created, I didn't find it shallow or hokey. It was like being involved in a TV series (maybe in the future this is how we will 'play' TV series, becoming an active virtual cast member in a show?), as you completed a quest and the storyline unfolded you were driven forward wanting to know what happens next.

I really enjoyed many of the characters in the game, and although the character animation was a little wooden at times (though on a par with many American TV series LOL) I did develop empathy with many I met along the way - and a definite dislike for some of the 'baddies'. There was a genuine sense of achievement when I successfully completed some of the quests, particularly when I helped certain characters out. Obviously my character was a goodie two shoes, so I derived a lot of satisfaction out of simply gaining Karma, but I suspect that if you went down the bad guy path you would have gotten just as much evil pleasure out of some of the more nasty options you could have opted for.

As I alluded, I wasn't left feeling I wanted more - the finale came at just the right time (but then I did break off from the main quest to do a fair amount of exploration).

I won't go completely over the top and say that Fallout 3 is the *best* single player game I have ever played, but it was very, very close (this and Bioshock are well up there in my hall of fame). As good as it was, it wasn't exactly ground breaking - in the way, say, that 'Carrier Command' or 'Knightlore' were - but it was a damn good story.

And that's all I want to say really - bloody well done Bethesda Studios!

Above: The expression on Fawke's face says it all - yes, that is a talking tree. This is just one of the wackier moments in Fallout 3 (click to enlarge).

But as well as places there have been 'people' who have made this journey so extraordinary. Fawkes, my loyal companion has been a very enjoyable bit of game programming and without 'him' I could not have gotten through a few of the trickier quests. It's rather amazing that at this stage I still have anything new to write about, but Fawkes is a case in point where the tempo of the narrative design has been perfectly pitched. Not only has this NPC been a terrific boon in combat, but I soon discovered that his ability to be my own personal 'mule' meant I could bring home a lot more goodies and so afford the many new bits and bobs or repairs that you need later in the game.

By this stage I have also fully furnished my house in Megatron, another of the unofficial side-quests that you can amuse yourself with. And further, I *still* have a few loose ends by way of unfinished quests or unused quest items that I feel I need to tie up before the grand finale. So the impetus to keep going is still there, I certainly feel in no hurry to compete the main quest just to get the game over and done with.

Are there things I feel I have left undone or not done properly in the game - yes, but that has been just one of the side-effects of the free-roaming style of Fallout 3. You might actually *never* feel you did everything there was to do (without resorting to 'cheats', walkthroughs or playing the game from start to finish two or three times). And that's a good thing.

Above: The legendary alien crash site. Find this secret location and you gain the uber-powerful alien ray gun as a reward (click to enlarge).