Call of Duty: Modern Warfare has officially launched, as as with most major online game launches, it has had its fair share of problems. From the expected server issues to the more unexpected crashing issue that was affecting Xbox One users, players have been very vocal about their troubles.
Infinity Ward has done a great job tackling these problems and releasing fixes in a timely manner, but unfortunately there is one area of the game that is nearly impossible to fix at this point; the game’s maps. While players have generally been enjoying the silky-smooth controls, punchy weapons, and overall slick feeling of the gameplay, there is already an overwhelming number of complaints about the game’s lack of multiplayer maps, as well as their odd design. Check out some of the Twitter reactions so far:
the WORST thing about #ModernWarfare are the maps. too big feels like battlefield and i don’t wanna play battlefield. i wanna play COD dammit.
— Roke (@Roke_Rodriguez) October 25, 2019
The beta maps felt a lot like COD, but the new maps that I tried today feels like battlefield? SUPER open area, forces you to camp/play slow & a billion angles, I had to sit in corners/behind cover and just soak up kills, didnt feel like a call of duty to me.
— Pengu (@Pengu) October 25, 2019
Modern Warfare… man. These maps… these might be the worst maps on CoD so far. I don’t know if it’s because I’m unfamiliar and lack map awareness but I don’t think that would even improve it.
It’s not even a bad game but for each thing I like, I find something I dislike..
— Plathanos 🐝 🇩🇴 (@SavinTheBees) October 25, 2019
The biggest complaint so far is the size of the multiplayer maps, which range from large to absolutely huge, with dozens of buildings, rooftops, hallways, alleys, and more packed into a single multiplayer map. The series has occasionally dipped its toes into huge maps to varying degrees of success, but the multiplayer experience has largely consisted of tight, deliberate battlefields with major landmarks and two or three lanes to connect them.
Modern Warfare, however, throws the traditional map design out the window. Maps are incredibly well-detailed and are some of the best looking maps in the franchise, but concerns about pacing due to their size and complexity are well-deserved. On a personal note, there have been games where I haven’t encountered a single enemy player for a minute or longer, which in a game like Call of Duty is virtually unheard of.
A lot of players are also pointing out that the few maps that were available during the game’s beta were excellent Call of Duty maps, but those are basically the only maps in the game that really give the feeling of a CoD game. Infinity Ward led with their best foot forward, but somehow managed to stumble along the way.
Along with the disappointing map design and very few maps to play in general, the inability to stay in a single lobby and vote on the next map is making the whole ordeal even worse. In my several hours of playing online already, I’ve only played the beta maps about once each, and have even gotten stuck playing several games in a row on Euphrates Bridge because there is no map voting. I really, really hate that map now.
Unfortunately, it’s almost impossible to fix the map design with the game already having launched. There are some interesting areas of each map, and if they could somehow be cut down into tighter experiences, it would improve the entire product. Hopefully the studio takes these complaints to heart when working on future map packs.
You can pick up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC right now.
