Why Are Activision Such Greedy B*tards?

_Gawd_

Wouldn't it be right to assume that if you buy something every so often, it accumulates over time? Say books for example. You buy one book, then another...then somewhere down the line you have a whole library collected.

So why is it so that every year that goes by Activision take away part of the game to add another? Nothing accumulates, it's used up. Using this approach to the COD franchise does nothing but split and splinter the community that play the game into smaller and smaller factions each and every year. Now, instead of everyone playing MW3 which should be the case...tens of thousands of people are still playing BLOPS, others MW2 and another group, COD4.

Now keeping in mind that BLOPS is from another developer let's just focus on the MW series for now. Some will argue "why is there no COD4 or MW2 maps in MW3"...but I say "Why are ALL the maps from COD4 and MW2 not in MW3?!" So Activision thinks that all this new content just wouldn't sell if that were the case but wouldn't it be reasonable to open these old map lobbies to Elite subscribers that have already signed up to purchase the new content?!

"Oh, but I just want new maps" - Oh yeah? Well look at them! Is there any map in MW3 that stands out? I can't see one! Now think of Crash, Overgrown, Strike, Crossfire, Vacant, Shipment and my personal favourite, Pipeline or what about Favela, Highrise, Rust, Terminal and Scrapyard? What have these in common? They're all great maps. The new shower producing this game now don't have the same talent when it comes to creating maps so as a gamer and a consumer of your product, I'd prefer to play Respawns old maps...does my opinion count for nought?

It's not even a huge job - some COD4 maps were released for MW2 with beefed up graphics. All it took was a bit of minor coding - and everyone was complaining that they were cheapskates but hell, we've seen your new work...and we want the old one's back!

Here's my argument and it's legitimate - COD4 and to a lesser extent MW2 are unplayable. They're hacked to f*ck! There are people with cheating radars in SnD, dogs get called in after 2 kills in W@W, games end after 20 seconds in COD4 and there are people bouncing and flying all over the place. Some people can't even be killed because of God Mode so what is even the point? But it wouldn't be so bad under normal circumstances, yet these old games are still available in the stores! So even if you buy an old COD game today, before you play it, it's already broke! Activision doesn't think it financially worth it to service their old games...Okay, then...put the old maps into the new game then?! Huh? Ha, didn't think so....greedy bastards.

Sorry for the rant.
/rant over.

CLIFFS: Put COD4, MW2 maps into MW3. Put W@W, BLOPS maps into BO2.

minidazzler

The more maps you have the more people that don't have those maps the harder it is to get a game.

That said, the old maps should be released to everyone for free, Robert Bowling even said as much, but Activision have an obligation to make as much money for their share holders as possible. Though, a little good faith wouldn't go astray.

Thomasheen

They're already basically releasing the same game every year. Re-using all the old maps would be beyond a joke even if they are better

minidazzler

Thomasheen wrote: »

They're already basically releasing the same game every year. Re-using all the old maps would be beyond a joke even if they are better

Releasing the popular maps from all the older IW games would be welcomed with open arms by the community if it was done for free. And besides they make massive changes every year while trying to stick to the core concept of gun on gun. If you want them to change the game completely every year then why not just buy a different game?

But having pointstreaks on maps like Shipment would be devastating.

Don't think you can just pin this on Activision, not as though many other Devs are doing this for free...

Magill

Hmmm... why don't people that apparently love the old maps/guns.. you know.. just play the old games ? Seems as if everyone whinges about the maps/guns etc but no1 plays the game they consider best. The amount of people that go on about how CoD4 is the best, or MW2 is the best.. yet they never play them, swear they were 10 year old games(I understand CoD4 is probably hacked to bits at this stage, but even when MW2 or Blackop's was at this stage in their cycle people have done this).

everlast75

141_Oscar_Mike wrote: »

They might aswell scrap Elite. No one is gonna sub that failure again. Its all goin down the pipe imo. Everything.

Their best option is creating a new engine for the next gen console. Forget anything before then.

Couldn't agree more. It actually ages me when I "access" the site. Awful stuff. I couldn't upload clips, so they tell me to run Firefox instead as that might work. Including the new maps at the start in the pack was useless too, as most people didn't get them when they came out, result being I rarely ever get to play the new ones (there are one or two ok ones in there).

To answer Magill's point, why don't people just play the old games if they like them so much. Well, simply because they are hacked to bits and the developers have abandoned them.

It would be the easiest way to progress the franchise if they just simply listened to the feedback from the majority of contributors/fans and fixed the simple problems such as ghost/assassin, last stand etc.

yimrsg

The vast majority of games developers/publishers are about the bottom line. Activision are all about maximising profits just like EA, THQ, etc. Just look at some of the recent trends, makers requiring the use of once off codes for online play to stop second hand sales (THQ do this as do the battlefield series). The only games developer/publisher that is friends to the consumer is Valve; releasing for free, team fortress 2.

During the course of the Halo series with the financial might of Microsoft behind bungie, they released one map for free (and it wasn't very good). Releasing old content happens but it's rarer than hen's teeth when it's given away for free.

Personally I hope that there isn't any old maps brought out in mw3 as the failings in the game's mechanics would negate any enjoyment in them and tarnish their legacy and ruin their memory. The maps the OP listed were great, but could you imagine Bog with an ac-130 above? There are 2 buildings with roofs and it would be carnage.

The best hope is that Activision or Respawn or whoever owns the IP for the good old content takes a leaf out of Hollywood and does a remake. It's already happened with Halo Combat Evolved Anniversary which brought the old back with aplomb. It would cost less than a new game to develop and have huge marketing potential (bring back gamers who moved away from the series) and could increase sales of future releases in the series even further.

Kersmash

They do it because people keep buying it.

krudler

Magill wrote: »

Hmmm... why don't people that apparently love the old maps/guns.. you know.. just play the old games ? Seems as if everyone whinges about the maps/guns etc but no1 plays the game they consider best. The amount of people that go on about how CoD4 is the best, or MW2 is the best.. yet they never play them, swear they were 10 year old games(I understand CoD4 is probably hacked to bits at this stage, but even when MW2 or Blackop's was at this stage in their cycle people have done this).

I still play them

krudler

AdamD wrote: »

Don't think you can just pin this on Activision, not as though many other Devs are doing this for free...

Valve are awesome when it comes to after sales support and free stuff, and look at the loyal following they have, sure they'er a business and obviously want to make money, but not being dicks to customers helps a lot. look how much disdain people have for Capcom at the moment, I couldnt care less about Resi 6 because of their dlc shenanigans recently.

when Blops 2 is showing properly 90% of the COD fanbase will be bitching about it, us included, when Half Life 3 is announced the internet will shut down :pac:

smileyj1987

I have to say i think they really should do a free map pack for Modern Warfare with all the best maps from the cod series . One idea could be you get the free maps for the games you own a loyalty kind of scheme . Hell it wouldn't cost much for them to do and it would get more people switching to Modern Warfare 3 so there would be less hacking because they would really only have to monitor one game over the course of its lifetime .

Headshot

A fool and their money is easily parted

minidazzler

smileyj1987 wrote: »

I have to say i think they really should do a free map pack for Modern Warfare with all the best maps from the cod series . One idea could be you get the free maps for the games you own a loyalty kind of scheme . Hell it wouldn't cost much for them to do and it would get more people switching to Modern Warfare 3 so there would be less hacking because they would really only have to monitor one game over the course of its lifetime .

Allowing n million people download a file which would probably be around 500 mb in size if it was to have 5 good maps would cost them a bundle because they'd have to pay Xbox Live.

They should do it just as a good faith thing, they have come out on top anyway with over 1 billion in sales without DLC and Elite taken into account, so they can afford it and it would endear the community more to them.