Archive for the ‘community’ Category
Tuesday, May 26th, 2009
With Modern Warfare 2 news officially going from a trickle to a steady stream of content and info, I want to make it clear how to stay up to speed with all the latest news.
The internet is your friend & no matter if you’re looking for up to the minute details on what’s happening behind closed doors at Infinity Ward studios, or looking for the latest video asset for Modern Warfare 2. I’ll keep you connected with every aspect of Modern Warfare 2’s development via my social media geek prowess.
The internet’s a big place, but here are the key places to look for your MW2 news fix.
Choose your poison:
Official Modern Warfare 2 + Infinity Ward Forums
Join the Infinity Ward forums to join in on MW2 discussions with fellow community members, sign-up and get details on upcoming Community Events, and earn badges for both in-game achievements and forum based participation.
Official Infinity Ward YouTube Channel
Subscribe to get the latest videos, official trailers, perk videos, and dev diaries. Help shape future trailers and video content we create by sending us suggestions and ideas on what you’d like to see us make.
Modern Warfare 2 Facebook Page
Become a fan of Modern Warfare 2 on Facebook to connect with fellow MW2 fans and discuss the latest MW2 news shared on Facebook.
Follow Modern Warfare 2 Updates on Twitter
Get up to the minute details on what we’re doing behind closed doors at Infinity Ward studios as well as official updates on Modern Warfare 2. From designing the collectors edition, to a breakdown of what’s happening behind the scenes at E3. Twitter is an information junkies fix.
As many of you know, once your on Twitter you can also participate in the MW2 Live Twitter Feed. Tweet your opinion to the latest questions, vote on other users ideas, and track answers on the leaderboard. Current Question: What kind of videos do you want to see on http://www.youtube.com/infinityward?
Connect into one or all of those, and you’re guaranteed not to miss a single Modern Warfare 2 detail. The Infinity Ward & Modern Warfare 2 community expands much further than just our forums & this blog!
Tags: #MW2, community relations, feedback, infinity ward, Modern Warfare 2, social media
Posted in Modern Warfare 2, community, infinity ward, internetz | Comments
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009
www.ModernWarfare2.com is LIVE with the first teaser for MW2.
Post and track trailer discussion at http://twitter.infinityward.com
or
Discuss the teaser at http://www.infinityward.com/forum/
Tags: gdc, infinity ward, Modern Warfare 2, teaser
Posted in GDC 09, Modern Warfare 2, community, infinity ward, twitter, video games | Comments
Thursday, March 12th, 2009
Plain and simple. The guys from Tango Down Gaming are the shit and they’re not messing around when it comes to making requests for what they’d like to see in Modern Warfare 2. I just met up with Stang98k and Unwashedmass - two old friends and just a few of the members from the Call of Duty clan TangoDownGaming who are made up solely of players over the age of 25.
The guys stopped by the Infinity Ward studios today to say hey and drop off the impressive gift you see above. See what I mean about not kidding around?! Why you ask? Well, the included encoded note says they merely want to show their appreciation. Their true motives? I think it’s bribery to attemp to coax us into adding some sort of Capture the Flag gametype back into the game. I have to say, I AM quite susceptible to both flattery AND bribery!
In all seriousness though, we REALLY appreciate this guys. The mere fact you guys are so devoted to our games is enough, but when you go above and beyond like this it’s seriously humbling and I can’t tell you how much we appreciate it. This is awesome, and I am already proudly displaying it in my office.
The guys told me they’re going to be looking for more members, so if you’re a hardcore mature COD player looking for some fellow guys to party up with and play some games without the general annoyance that come with pub matches online, then hit up http://www.tangodowngaming.com
Tags: tango down gaming
Posted in call of duty 4 modern warfare, community, infinity ward | Comments
Tuesday, February 17th, 2009
I’ve been advocating the power of Twitter pretty hardcore recently, especially the value in using it as a conversation tool and more importantly tracking those conversations and using the feedback contained within. That philosphy gave birth to http://twitter.infinityward.com . A Twitter web-app for tracking conversations and feedback for Modern Warfare 2 we’ve been developing behind the scenes.
The #MW2 app went live earlier today Yesterday, and within an hour has officially become the #1 most talked about topic on Twitter (just behind American Idol). I was blown away with the response to our first question, “Name one thing you’d like to see in Modern Warfare 2″ .
However, the ability to see real-time feedback and conversations about Modern Warfare 2 feeding through the app is only the beginning. The best part is the ability to vote on suggestions and rise in the ranks on the Leaderboards. Allowing us to quickly check the top rated suggestions, and reach out to the users with the best suggestions to hopefully include them in future events, beta tests, or community days.
How can you participate?
First and foremost, you can follow me on Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/fourzerotwo) and keep an eye out for the next question. It will also be visible at all times at http://twitter.infinityward.com under CURRENT QUESTION.
When a question is asked, all you have to do is tweet your answer / suggestion along with #MW2 .
What is #MW2?
#MW2 is the official Hashtag for Modern Warfare 2. Which means, anytime I,or anyone else, is talking about Modern Warfare 2 on Twitter, we’ll mark it with #MW2 so it can be tracked and included on the http://twitter.infinityward.com live feed as well as searched for on Twitter.
#MW2 Leaderboards
Once you’ve thrown your suggestion or comment about Modern Warfare 2 into the Live Feed, you can track and vote on other peoples suggestions, and track the top users on the #MW2 Leaderboard. It’s a great way to get recognized in the community and I’ll be using it to identify community members to reach out to in Call of Duty / Infinity Ward future events and projects.
Feedback on the App
This is a fairly unique social media experiment in terms of using it to solicit feedback for game design. So any comments, suggestions, or feedback on how to make the #MW2 app even better is always appreciated. I’m always looking for new ways to reach out to our players and strike up a conversation. Feel free to drop me a line at robert.bowling@fourzerotwo.com with any inquiries about the web app, or how you can help.
Tags: #MW2, app, call of duty, infinity ward, Modern Warfare 2, twitter
Posted in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, IW4, Modern Warfare 2, community, infinity ward, internetz, twitter | Comments
Thursday, January 8th, 2009
If you’re not already addictively twittering, then I’m sure you’ve at least heard about it by now. As it’s hard to miss my personal account @fourzerotwo which is syndicated on the left-side of this blog. Twitter is a micro-blogging (140 character limit to be exact) service, which allows you to make quick and easy updates regarding “What you’re doing”, wherever you are. With the help of web and mobile apps like Twitteriffic on iPhone or TwitPic online, you can also attach photos and GPS coordinates to your updates.
Simple concept that seems to be oddly polarizing for people. Either you totally get it or you are completely boggled by it’s usefulness. I for one, LOVE IT. It was literally my life-line for the 3-something weeks I was on vacation with no access to a computer.
I kept tabs on the Gaza Strip Conflict via CNN’s Breaking News twitter @CNNbrk , stayed in tune with some of my favorite bands as they went through the recording studio, via Bad Religion guitarist and Epitaph Records head-honcho Brett Gurewitz twitter @OblivionPact (which led to the official Epitaph twitter being made @EpitaphRecs), and kept up on Gaming specific news among many site’s Twitter feeds, including @Kotaku.
In short, Twitter has personalized, summerized, and made the internet intimate again. Providing me 140 character bursts of information every minute, straight to my phone / email / other device of my choosing albeit the fact it also helped to further destroy my already limited attention span - but honestly, who needs one of those in this day and age.
While I’ve obviously been using Twitter personally for quite sometime, I’ve finally launched an Official Infinity Ward Twitter @Infinity_Ward this past week. Which I plan to update strictly with PR friendly updates, studio news, job postings, and some free DLC codes every now and again.
(Download a custom Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare twitter background here)
Essentially, if you’re not on Twitter yet, you should be. As it’s quickly becoming THE place to source exclusive and raw news regarding just about anything, as well as giving a voyeurtastic look into the personal lives of just about anyone you could imagine, from @MCHammer to more gaming note-worthy @djaffe .
The big reason I mention it though, is because Twitter (specifically @fourzerotwo and @Infinity_Ward) are going to play a key role in getting quick and raw updates regarding the development of our future games. As I can easily update them with info, news, and even photos from anywhere I am at anytime. While @Infinity_Ward will be focused on top-level news, @fourzerotwo will be chockfull of a more personal look and more in-depth details throughout development of our future games.
So try it out, go to Twitter.com, sign-up, and start tweeting. You’d be surprised by the people who are interested in listening or the amount of people you’d be interested in following. To get you started, here are just a few of the people I find interesting to follow:
CNN Breaking News - @cnnbrk
Brett Guerwitz of Bad Religion / Epitaph Records - @OblivionPact
Felicia Day of The Guild / Dr. Horrible - @Feliciaday
Amazon Game Deal of the Day - @amazongames
Valve Software - @valvesoftware
Naughty Dog for Uncharted 2 updates - @naughty_dog
Jeff Gerstmann of Giant Bomb - @jeffgerstmann
Kotaku - @kotaku
Just to name a few of the 107 I actively follow.
Update: Sam “QforQ” Houston posted a comprehensive list of all the video game companies and people on Twitter for you to follow. Pretty handy resource for those new to twitter. Check it out here.
Tags: blogging, infinity ward, twitter, updates
Posted in IW4, blog, call of duty 4 modern warfare, community, infinity ward, internetz, twitter, video games | Comments
Wednesday, January 7th, 2009
We decided to pull some numbers on Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare this past week, which Slothy (one of our coders) so graciously put into a perspective we can all relate to.
As of Jan. 3rd we hit 10,006,606 unique users who have ever played Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare on Xbox 360 and have connected to Xbox Live at least once after playing.
That number got us curious as to how many of those 10 Million+users finished the F.N.G. mission, or beat Airplane on Veteran (among other things). Well, it turns out:
71.1%, or 7,111,508 people have completed F.N.G.
That’s more than the entire population of Hong Kong (which is 7 Million).
68.8%, or 6,886,509 people have completed Cargo Ship.
This is the same number of adults in the US who were morbidly obese in 2005.
46.5%, or 5,654,643 people have beaten the game on any difficulty.
This is more than the current population of Finland!
2.8%, or 283,632 people have completed Airplane on Veteran difficulty.
The population of Stockton, CA is 280,000.
So if you’ve beat Airplane on Veteran difficulty, then congratulations. You’re in a very elite club. Considering less than 3% of players have been able to do it.
Now keep in mind, these are only players on Xbox 360 (who have also connected to Xbox Live at least once). So there are more than this playing Call of Duty 4, we just can’t track them. For PS3, we pulled MP-numbers only, and it looks like theres approximately 4,381,276 unique users playing PSN (not including SP-only players).
Tags: call of duty 4, cod4, fun statistics, infinity ward, modern warfare, stats, xbox live
Posted in call of duty 4 modern warfare, community, xbox 360, xbox live | Comments
Monday, November 17th, 2008
The MTV Game Awards is this weekend in Berlin, Germany and we’ve been invited to attend thanks to our nominaton for the “Let’s Play Together Award” for Best Multiplayer Game. Regretfully, we won’t be able to make it out to Berlin for the live show, but we’ll be recording a little video tomorrow morning to show our appreciation and thanks to all of our German players who voted and supported the game in the awards, just in case. So if you’re part of our German game community, be sure to check the show this weekend, more info here www.mtvgameawards.de.
My Fallout 3 character. (Feral Mask + Chinese Spy Uniform)
Over 60 hours of gameplay later, and I’ve finally finished Fallout 3 this weekend; Holy hell was that an amazing game. You can definitely beat it in half that time, but I savored the gameplay, and completed every main and side quest before beating the main story line - as well as maxing out my character at the level 20 cap. I love the amount of detail and thought that went into every aspect of this game. Bethesda did a great job of really immersing you in their world and I’m kind of depressed it’s over. I still need to find a few bobbleheads and do a few random achievements, but for the most part it’s over, and I’m gonna miss it.
Although, thankfully I can get back to living a productive life now that it’s over, not to mention focus on finishing up Gears of War 2 (on the last level) and Mirrors Edge (on Chapter 6).
Hopefully I can finish them both up before Friday, because my entire weekend is being spent in Vegas. I’ll be flying in to attend the first ever LIVE tournament for Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare at the MLG’s National Championships. There will be over $340,000 in cash prizing up for grabs overall this weekend - which will promptly be blown on hookers and blow immediately following the event. So be sure to drop me a line if you’re in Vegas or competing in the tournament. I’ll be held up at the Hard Rock where the event is taking place, so stop by and say hey. We can get together and gamble our life savings away in a horrible drunken rage.
Tags: call of duty 4, cod4, fallout 3, MLG, mtv games awards, tournament, vegas
Posted in awards, call of duty 4 modern warfare, community, event, infinity ward, life, pro gamers, video games | Comments
Tuesday, November 11th, 2008
Treyarch’s Call of Duty: World At War hit today, so if you haven’t already picked it up, GO GET IT NOW! If I haven’t stressed it enough, Zombies are awesome. What’s even better than run of the mill everyday zombies? Nazi Zombies!
I’m going to spend most of today powering through the 4-player co-op single player in order to unlock the Nazi Zombie mode at the end. So who’s with me?
I wasn’t kidding when I said this is one of the most awesome things about World At War.
If you’re not familiar with what the hell I’m talking about - Nazi Zombies is a bonus mode after you beat the single player campaign. Essentially, it’s you (and 3 other co-op buddies) defending an abandoned house. Every window / door is boarded up at the start and there are weapons lining the walls around the house.
Each weapon costs money, once you own a weapon, you can go to it’s place on the wall to replenish ammo (for a cost). To get the money to buy the weapons / ammo, just kill zombies. Bonus points for headshots! Every once in a while a zombie will drop a power-up (Instant Kill, Double Points, etc.) and even one that allows you to explode all zombies on screen at once (save that till you need it) which lasts for a set duration.
The zombies will come in waves, so you have to work as a team to cover all the windows and doors, and most importantly work on rebuilding the barricades the zombies tear down in their attempt to get in. Once you hit wave 10 and over, fuck the windows, just find a secure location to defend from because your ass is going to be swarming with the nazi undead. It’s awesome.
Once you get $1000 though you can unlock more portions of the house which gives you access to even more weapons. Move a couch to access the upstairs, knock open a door to get to the basement, etc. Once you’re in the basement, you’ll have access to a random weapon box. Essentially everytime you open the box you’re entering a lottery for a random weapon. Could be a shitty pistol, or a bad ass flamethrower (which is only available in the box, not on the wall) as well as a few “special” weapons that you’ll definitely want to shoot for.
It’s all about working together to cover and secure the windows, going for headshots, reviving your teammates when they go down into last stand, and calling out zombie positions so you can defend a certain area of the house. The highest we got in-house before it went retail was about Lvl 20, so that’s what I’m aiming for.
So if you’re down for some co-op zombie action in World At War then hit me up, send me a message and I’ll try to add you to my friends list.
Tags: call of duty, co-op, nazi zombies, world at war
Posted in Call of Duty: World At War, community, video games, xbox 360, xbox live, zombies | Comments
Friday, November 7th, 2008
Friday went by pretty quick today. It kicked off with our standard weekly Leads meeting, where all dept. leads sit down and talk about what’s happening in their individual deprtments; but once that was wrapped, I headed to the lobby to meet up with this years World Series MVP and Phillies pitcher, Cole Hamels. Seen above (on the right) with one of our resident baseball fanboys and animators, Chance Glasco (left).
For being the most highly sought after player in league right now, after securing the MVP award at the World Series recently, he’s an extremely down to earth guy and a most importantly a huge gamer as attested to by his wife who confirmed he’ll disappear for days only to reappear fully bearded from a week of uninterrupted gaming. A life style I can relate to.
Although, from talking to Cole, it seems those game-a-thons are few and far between, especially when preparing for the World Series. He said gaming during the season is typically reserved for the early hours of the morning after games, when him and fellow team mates jump on. So if you’re playing between 11pm - 2:30 am and hear an abnormal amount of baseball talk, then you know why.
We gave him a tour around the studio while he was here, and it was especially interesting when we were showing off some of our Motion Capture. Cole started talking about how he’s done it before, but not for a game. He uses Motion Capture to record and analyze his pitching form, so that they can determine how to further improve his pitching and prevent injuries.
It was a good visit. It’s always nice to meet fans of the game, especially if were fans of theirs. Cole admitted he’s not alone in his COD4 addiction, saying he typically parties up after games with fellow team mates like Adam Eaton or teams they’re facing that day like the legendary Ken Griffey Jr.
Just goes to show, you never know who you’re going up against when you log on.
Tags: call of duty, cod4, cole hamels, infinity ward, modern warfare, mvp, world series
Posted in call of duty 4 modern warfare, community, infinity ward, life, los angeles | Comments
Wednesday, November 5th, 2008
Call of Duty 4 will be making it’s First Live Circuit Appearance at the 2008 National Championships in Las Vegas in two weeks (November 21st - 23rd) at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. Several of us here at Infinity Ward, including myself, will be flying over to Vegas to celebrate and support our community members competing in the event.
Check out what MLG had to say about the event:
Call of Duty 4, MLG’s first Online Pro Circuit title, will be featured as a live competition at the November 21-23 MLG 2008 National Championships. Throughout the 2008 Season, Call of Duty 4 teams battled it out through the course of three Online Pro Circuit Competitions. Come Vegas though, the teams will meet face-to-face for the first time this season as they do battle for some serious cash and the title of 2008 National Champion.
The Top 8 Call of Duty 4 teams will compete in a double-elimination bracket in Vegas. Six teams have automatically qualified for the National Championships by finishing in the Top 2 in any of the three Online Pro Circuit Competitions. The other two teams have been determined by cumulative ranking points. These teams will play using a closed-circuit internet connection, ensuring the highest match quality possible.
MLG will be providing editorial coverage of the Call of Duty 4 National Championships all weekend long, so be sure to tune in and see who will win the first Call of Duty 4 National Championship. Be sure to check out the prizes, rules, and schedule below, and remember that Vegas is open to all spectators. Best of all, spectatorship is completely free, so don’t miss out on the most intense Call of Duty 4 action of the year!
I’ve booked a suite at the Hard Rock (where the event is taking place) so I don’t miss a single part of the action. If you are competing or going to be in Vegas during the event, be sure to drop me a line and let’s meet up. Especially if you’re competing and I don’t know about it, because we need to hook you up with some IW / COD4 swag to represent at the event. Good luck to all of our teams competing for some cold hard cash.
Tags: call of duty 4, championships, gaming, hard rock, MLG, modern warfare, national, professional, vegas
Posted in call of duty 4 modern warfare, community, event, infinity ward | Comments
