Modern Warfare 3 - PC Exclusive Information & FAQ

From Community Manager, Robert Bowling aka fourzerotwo (402)

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 is coming to PC worldwide on November 8th, 2011 and is currently available for pre-order and soon pre-loading on Steam, so that you can be set to jump online Day 1!



I'm extremely excited about the PC version of Modern Warfare 3 this year, because we’ve been taking your feedback since Modern Warfare 2,and the franchise as a whole, on what you wanted to see in the PC version of Modern Warfare 3 and the team at Infinity Ward and Sledgehammer Games has put aton of emphasis on delivering a PC experience that brings in all the great things we added in Modern Warfare 2:



Lobby System

Matchmaking with a Party

Matchmaking for Public Games

Steam Integration (Friends List, Server Browser,Achievements, Join on Friends)



While combining it with your favorite features from Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare:



Dedicated Servers (Join your favorite or set up your own,without any 3rd party hosting requirements)

In-game Server Browser that allows you to filter by ping, map, gametype, hardcore, voice, password, and more.



In addition, we're supporting PC specific features that give you even more control over your experience like RCON, Custom Game Saving, NoGFX / Audio Card Requirement on DS.exe, Voice Chat, and SSAO.



Beyond that, we know our PC audience has sent in a ton of questions to us via @fourzerotwo, Sledgehammer Games’s QotW, and to the forums and wanted to knock out someof the most asked questions in a quick and easy FAQ so that you can make a fulland informed decision when pre-ordering Modern Warfare 3.



Does the PC version of Modern Warfare 3 support the same Private Match options?



Yes! PC players can fully customize their private / dedicated server games through full control over Class Restrictions, Custom Gamemode creation, access to unique private match modes like One in the Chamber,Gun Game, and Infected, as well as save their custom games for future use.





Will Modern Warfare 3 have Dedicated Servers?



Yes! Modern Warfare 3 supported matchmaking as well as Dedicated Servers, allowing players to find and filter via an in-game server browser or set-up their own Dedicated Server for complete control, without being restricted by any 3rd party hosting requirements. If looking for a Dedicated Server to join, if you choose not to set up your own, you can filter and favorite by Ping, Map, Gametype, Hardcore Variants, Voice, Password, and many other options.



Are Dedicated Servers Ranked or UnRanked?



Only matchmaking to public games are Ranked (meaning, you have to rank up to unlock weapons to rank on the leaderboards), choosing to play on a Dedicated Server is UnRanked. Meaning unlocks are completely controlled by the Server Admin. They can choose to unlock everything or limit class restrictions to whatever they like to fully customize the experience. You do not have to rank up in Public games to have access to weapons in Dedicated Servers, you have complete control over what is unlocked for you in a Unranked Dedicated Server.





Will MW3 on PC have unique graphic options available?



Yes! You have a lot of graphic options, including enablingand disabling of new rendering features such as SSAO, you'll also be able to modify DOF, Shadows, Anti-Aliasing, Texture Resolution and more.



Will Remote Console (RCON) be available to server admins?



Yes! You'll be able to admin your server using RCON. We'll support all things you'd expect, such as Kicking & Banning players, map rotation, private chat to players, reloading the map, and more.



Does Modern Warfare 3 on PC support an in-game Server Browser? Can you also use matchmaking?



Yes! In addition to the public matchmaking system for finding Ranked public games, you can use the in-game server browser to find and favorite unranked Dedicated Servers to join, which can be filtered by a number of options mentioned above.



How is Modern Warfare 3 on PC handling anti-cheat?



Security is a major focus for Modern Warfare 3, especially coming out of Modern Warfare 2. We will be utilizing multiple methods of Anti-cheat and Security methods, including Steam's VAC system, CEG, and our own propriety methods implemented to provide multiple layers of defense in keeping online multiplayer fun, fair, and secure for all players without limiting the control they expect on PC.



Will Modern Warfare 3 on PC support STEAM?



Yes! MW3 is fully integrated with Steamworks, including the Steam Friends List (in addition to the in-game friends list), Steam Server Browser (in addition to the in-game one), Steam Achievements, and the ability to join friends matches.



Will Spec Ops have matchmaking on PC?

Yes! As well as Spec Ops specific leaderboards and a full progressive ranking system.



What is the Maxplayer count for Modern Warfare 3 on PC?



Currently it is 18 players max (in Ground War) but it may increase post launch.



Will Modern Warfare 3 on PC have LAN support?



Yes!



What is the overall design philosophy regarding PC? How is IW/SH providing for the unique needs of PC players?



We value the PC player and have gone to great lengths inproviding a more rich experience for our players. We keep our ear near the ground and try todeliver items most requested. The big feature for MW3 we are supporting is Dedicated Servers, this includes a serverbrowser, voting, RCON, and more. Also we’ve implemented some PC only rendering features including SSAO. Lastly we are embracing the STEAM platform by integrating fully with Steam including friends list, STEAM achievements.



How is the game being optimized for PC hardware?



We do wide testing across all tiers of PC, in our office wehave an old minspec machine that receives just as much care as our top tier PC. We’ve also engaged the hardware manufactures for wider compatibility testing for us to ensure an optimized bug free launch.



Can we set our max FPS?



No. Setting Max FPS is not a user controllable option.



Will 'lean' be in the game?



No. We chose to keep lean out of the game to keep the gameplay experience universal across all platforms. This was a gameplay design decision.



Will there be Modtools for Modern Warfare 3 on PC?



Mod Tools will not be shipped at launch. As always we are continually evaluating features to support post launch and this is one requiring further discussion.





What is the MinimumSpecs for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on PC?



MINIMUM SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS:

OS: Windows® XP / Windows Vista® / Windows® 7

Processor: Intel® Core™ 2 Duo E6600 or AMD Phenom™ X38750 processor or better

Memory: 16 GB free hard drive space / 2GB RAM

Video Card: Shader 3.0 or better 256 MB NVIDIA®GeForce™ 8600GT / ATI® Radeon™ X1950 or better

Sound Card: DirectX® 9.0C or later


SOURCE: Call Of Duty Forums




Note that I am still trying to get answers on whether we will have 32 player servers or not. It seems the admins of the servers have control of if all things are unlocked from the start. If anything new comes up, I will post here.