Activision Defends Call of Duty Elite

[Logan Westbrook]

Activision Defends Call of Duty Elite

Call of Duty Elite has lots of free features, a fact that Activision is eager to share.

The new Elite service for the Call of Duty games is not some scheme to force players to pay extra for the privilege of playing online, at least, not according to Activision. The publisher is defending the service, saying that it only adds to the "out of the box" CoD experience.

Activision released an official FAQ for the service and one of its main points is that if players don't want to use the service, then they can just play Call of Duty like they always have and pretend that Elite doesn't exist. The publisher also released a chart showing which of Elite's features - at least the ones that have been announced so far - will be free when the service launches. Among other things, players will be able to join groups, which come with their own leaderboards and message boards, for free, as well as access a plethora of playing statistics. It looks like access to official tournaments and leagues - which according to the trailer come with actual prizes - will be part of the premium membership, but with the ability to create custom leaderboards for free, unofficial leagues and tournaments would be pretty easy to set up.

You can read the FAQ here [http://oneofswords.com/pdf/CODEliteFAQ.pdf], and look at the chart here [http://www.callofduty.com/elite-beta/elite_features.pdf]. While Activision doesn't enjoy the best reputation among publishers, Elite does look, for all intents and purposes, like a very robust free service with some premium elements. There's still more announcements to come too, and I wouldn't be remotely surprised if we didn't learn more at E3.

Call of Duty Elite launches alongside Modern Warfare 3 on November 8th.

Source: via CVG [http://www.computerandvideogames.com/304966/news/activision-defends-call-of-duty-elite-even-haters-can-play-for-free/?cid=OTC-RSS&attr=CVG-News-RSS]





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[Puzzlenaut]

There is still absolutely no way I'm ever going to download it, just because I disagree with Elite in concept. We bought the game, now give us what we paid for.

There's also the problem of: once this starts, where does it end? Will we end up in a situation where we cannot even play online without paying?

I like Call of Duty as much as the next guy (maybe more than the next guy seeing as we're on the CoD-phobic Escapist), but if I'm dishing out £45 for it, I don't want to be given only half the game.

 

[Andronicus]

Wait, so you don't actually have to buy Modern Warfare 3 to use this?

 

[uguito-93]

ok so they're saying that we have to pay to be able to make groups and have leaderboards? like what you can already do with most pc fps? and then they expect us to believe its NOT a money grabbing scheme? I remain unconvinced.

 

[Jabberwock xeno]

Pfff....

It's everything Bungie has own their site, but it costs money?

No thanks.

EDIT:

I have been told that those features were free, and that the paid ones have yet to be anouncced, so ignore my comment.

 

[tzimize]

Uff...goddamn E-sports...I remember when a game was about the fun...not a bunch of stupid numbers. Focus on the fun dammit!

 

[Neotericity]

It's not our fault that the LegendofKarl video literally gave no inkling as to what would be given freely and what wouldn't be, worst way to introduce CoD Elite in my mind... Honestly, the only thing i got from that is Activision asking for money, terrible-terrible...

 

[Scizophrenic Llama]

Eh, I'm just glad they aren't charging for the multiplayer. I'm sure that is for next year's plan after they see how many people are willing to buy this shit.

 

[TheComedown]

Wait, so the features are free IF you BUY the elite thing? What the fuck? That's not free. It's the same thing with the PS+ all over again.

 

[Sneaky-Pie]

FAQs:Even haters can play for free
Because if there's one thing Modern Warfare online doesn't have enough of, it's haters.

Found an appropriate one. I love me some overt patriotism.

 

[LavaLampBamboo]

I don't really understand this. What exactly does one get out of PAYING for the service, if leaderboards and groups and stuff are all free?

The map packs really. That's all you get from this service, and it probably works out more expensive them if you just bought them a la carte.

ok so they're saying that we have to pay to be able to make groups and have leaderboards? like what you can already do with most pc fps? and then they expect us to believe its NOT a money grabbing scheme? I remain unconvinced.

No, that's the opposite of what they're saying. You CAN make a group and a leaderboard for free, as shown be this;

Among other things, players will be able to join groups, which come with their own leaderboards and message boards, for free, as well as access a plethora of playing statistics.

Seems to make sense to me.

 

[Lacsapix]

I remember this Yahtzee quote...
"Never Stick your D*ck in a pudding, It may still be good pudding and you might spend the whole afternoon explaining it to everyone. But nobody is going to eat it because you STUCK YOUR D*CK IN IT!
Everything on Cod Elite has been done before a million times by other companies and serveces.

 

[viranimus]

Its still irrelevant fluff content that no one should be paying for.

Until I see a CoD game with out of the box at least 200-500 maps that will be updated and added to four times per year or more, One persistent world where thousands of players can engage in combat at the same time with drop in drop out mechanics, Quarterly advancing narrative expanded via multiplayer, The ability to build and enhance weaponry, The ability to build and retain skills, etc and a whole lot more, I will not be deceived into buying into this.

Basically until the developer has done an equivalent amount of work as a typical MMORPG developer has, do not bother with this industry damaging garbage.

 

[uguito-93]

I don't really understand this. What exactly does one get out of PAYING for the service, if leaderboards and groups and stuff are all free?

The map packs really. That's all you get from this service, and it probably works out more expensive them if you just bought them a la carte.

ok so they're saying that we have to pay to be able to make groups and have leaderboards? like what you can already do with most pc fps? and then they expect us to believe its NOT a money grabbing scheme? I remain unconvinced.

No, that's the opposite of what they're saying. You CAN make a group and a leaderboard for free, as shown be this;

Among other things, players will be able to join groups, which come with their own leaderboards and message boards, for free, as well as access a plethora of playing statistics.

Seems to make sense to me.

well it seems that my lack of reading things thoroughly sure came back to bite me.

 

[Lacsapix]

sorry hitted "quote" instead of "edit".

 

[Canadish]

This reminds me of the story about a chef and a frog.

The chef (who wants to cook the frog) placed the frog into a pan of boiling water.
However, harmed by the heat, the frog simply jumped out.

So, to trick the frog, the chef left the water cool at first, which the frog enjoyed. Then, slowly he turned the heat on to the minimal setting. The frog didn't notice.
And then, over time, he cranked up the heat bit by bit. Slowly but surely.
Because of this, the frog never noticed the heat was increasing and was boiled alive.

I'm almost certain this services "premium" features will become more and more vital as time goes on. Modern Warfare 3 probably won't see this problem. But it will be more and more pronounced with each new game.
Calling it now.

 

[LavaLampBamboo]

I don't really understand this. What exactly does one get out of PAYING for the service, if leaderboards and groups and stuff are all free?

The map packs really. That's all you get from this service, and it probably works out more expensive them if you just bought them a la carte.

ok so they're saying that we have to pay to be able to make groups and have leaderboards? like what you can already do with most pc fps? and then they expect us to believe its NOT a money grabbing scheme? I remain unconvinced.

No, that's the opposite of what they're saying. You CAN make a group and a leaderboard for free, as shown be this;

Among other things, players will be able to join groups, which come with their own leaderboards and message boards, for free, as well as access a plethora of playing statistics.

Seems to make sense to me.

well it seems that my lack of reading things thoroughly sure came back to bite me.

We've all been there =)