Changes Announced For Modern Warfare 2 Beta, Minimap Remains Unchanged

Infinity Ward has announced all the changes it will make to the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 beta next weekend. In addition to the new game modes and maps, Infinity Ward will also adjust the rate at which players earn perks throughout the match.

After Modern Warfare 2’s first weekend beta, Infinity Ward released a blog Detail some of the changes it will make next weekend and move on. It also addresses some concerns from fans about elements that Infinity Ward has tweaked in this year’s Call of Duty compared to the previous installment, such as no longer showing red dots on the minimap when enemies fire. Infinity Ward wrote that this tweak should reduce the consequences of firing while encouraging players to follow the gunshots rather than staring at their minimap. Some beta participants complained about the new minimap, arguing that the change made the use of silencers pointless.

Infinity Ward also says that it has made some tweaks and bug fixes to the muzzle flash and smoke to make it easier to see after the firefight begins. It also said it would try different methods to make it easier to distinguish enemies from friends, though no details were shared.

As for the perks, they’ll continue to roll out over the course of the game, rather than all being activated at the start like previous Call of Duty games. Infinity Ward will adjust how quickly players unlock perks in an attempt to find the best location. This blog post acknowledges complaints that Dead Silence is a field upgrade rather than a perk, but says it’s important for games to limit Dead Silence’s use. Dead Silence, which lets you move without making noise, has been a perk in previous Call of Duty games, but is now a live upgrade. This means that players no longer make noises, but only when the field upgrade is active.

Infinity Ward also says that it has fixed various bugs and made many improvements, including in Gunsmith and the loadout menu. It also said that the community appears to be positive about removing swipe to cancel, and is currently working on how to handle a bug that allowed players to swipe to cancel, although it has since been removed.

Preloading of the Modern Warfare 2 beta is live on Xbox and PC. Xbox and PC players who pre-ordered the game can start playing the beta on September 22, and the beta will be available to everyone on September 24.