The MW3 beta is out, and players are flocking to experience Sledgehammer Games’ latest installment in the rebooted Modern Warfare series. However, not all feedback has been positive, with some users expressing their disappointment with the game’s graphical fidelity.
A Reddit thread from Oct. 15 comparing Modern Warfare 1’s Rust map to the MW3 version has drawn many players to voice their opinions on the matter.
When compared, the two versions show that Modern Warfare had much warmer, vibrant colors that highlighted Rust’s desert and sunny vibes. The Modern Warfare 3 counterpart is grey, almost as if a cloud of dense fog had descended on the map. This is the reality of MW3’s design philosophy, which has opted for a much more gritty and greyscale aesthetic than previous entries in the series. A good side of this design is heightened player visibility, as there are not as many dark shadows for cunning players to hide in.
The community’s reactions were less than favorable. A replying user who has amassed a lot of support even thought this was a bug, or at least hoped it was. “Yeah this is effectively what happens to me when HDR is turned on since my monitor doesn’t support it. Like 1:1 this is what it would look like. I really hope that it’s a bug and not intended, but doubtful,” they said. MW3’s lighting system also gives a plasticky feeling to most surfaces, though it isn’t without its advantages.
“The weird thing is, their system for increasing visibility at range works wonders, since the weird hazy grey filter seems to apply less and less to players the further away they are from you. At longer ranges it almost looks comical how you can have a pitch black player sat in a dark room and they stick out like a sore thumb because they’re black and the room is grey,” pointed out one user, showcasing that, while the colors are somewhat muted, they do provide gameplay advantages.
The first rebooted Modern Warfare entry had many skins that could utilize the game’s lighting system for a gameplay advantage. Most recently, a collaboration with The Boys TV show saw the addition of the Black Noir operator, which has caused a lot of outrage among the community due to its dark and nigh invisible nature. It seems that the community’s constant outcries for more color-correct operator skins have resulted in Sledgehammer’s decision to tone down some parts of the game’s graphics.
It appears that the community remains split, as is the case with most Call of Duty games, and Sledgehammer Games may take player feedback into consideration. However, with how close the game is to its official launch, it’s doubtful any meaningful changes will be made to the graphics and lighting.
The Modern Warfare 3 beta ends at noon on Monday, Oct. 16 CT.
