PALGN: Thank you for speaking to PALGN.
Robert Bowling: No problem.
PALGN: Would you like to introduce yourself and your role at Infinity Ward?
RB: I’m Robert Bowling, Creative Strategist for Modern Warfare 2 here at Infinity Ward.
PALGN: What’s Infinity Ward working on at the moment?
RB: Right now, the team’s main focus is the Stimulus Package DLC and getting that out to the community so they can jump onto the new maps. It’ll be coming out first exclusively on Xbox LIVE for 1200 Microsoft Points on March 30th. After that, we don’t have a set date for when the Stimulus Package will hit PC or PS3, but as soon as we do, we’ll let our community now.
PALGN: How many maps are included in the Stimulus Package?
RB: The Stimulus Package will have five maps total. Three of those will be brand new to the series and two of them are some of the most popular maps from Call of Duty 4 that we’re bring into Modern Warfare 2.
PALGN: What are the new maps we’ll be seeing?
RB: Included in the new maps is Bailout, which is a large American apartment complex with some really great outdoor areas by the pool and parking lot. Bailout has some really cool sightlines for snipers, and there are also some great interiors for CQC and fast-action fighting. Bailout especially has some really great interior flanking routes. So, if you’re being hammered by kill-streaks, just cut in through the apartment complexes. That is a really great way to get around without being exposed.
Next you have Storm, another big map, which is great for team objective games. It’s raining, there a big thunderstorm outside, and a big warehouse that interconnects throughout the majority of that map. Storm will play out to some really unique fire fights, thanks to some great vantage points, walkways, offices and all the machinery down below.
Salvage is one of our snowy maps. It’s the only snowy map in the map pack, set in a junk yard with piled-up cars and debris, so there’s not too many places to hide on the map. It’s all about staying in the fight and being offensive and not really playing too much defence.
Salvage, one of three brand new maps
PALGN: Which two maps are the team bringing back?
RB: The two flashback maps are Crash and Overgrown. Crash is one of our all-time classic maps. It was in the beta for Call of Duty 4. It ended up being one of the most-played maps that we ever had, so we’re bringing that to Modern Warfare 2. It’s an urban map with some really good flanking routes and a downed helicopter in the centre. Crash is really great, regardless of what game type you’re playing on it.
Overgrown is a little different. Its one of our biggest maps. It’s wide open and really great for snipers. There are some really great villages and buildings to fight through, a library and a two-storey house. Then there’s a dry creek book-ended by two bridges on either end, which are both really great for snipers to fire off.
Regardless of what your favourite game type or play style is, there’s really something in this map pack for everyone.
PALGN: So it’ll support all the current game types in Modern Warfare 2?
RB: Yeah, definitely. When the map pack comes out, we’re going to introduce two playlists to the multiplayer. One will be called Stimulus, that’s going to allow you to rotate through every game mode on every new map. The other will be called Stimulus Hardcore, which will allow you to play to Hardcore TDM, Hardcore Search and Destroy and whatnot on the new maps as well.
PALGN: Will the flashback maps play any differently this time?
RB: If you’re playing Overgrown, and you’re a fan of it from Call of Duty 4, be aware that there’s a lot of new stuff you have to watch out for. You can’t go in sniping like you used to, because you have to worry about thermal scopes and things like that. If you’re playing Overgrown, definitely throw on some Cold Blooded.
PALGN: What’s your favourite new map?
RB: Out of the new maps, probably Bailout. The American Apartment complex is probably my favourite, just because I‘m one of those guys who every week wants to play something new. One day, I might be on Search and Destroy exclusively, and another day I’m playing free-for-all every day. On this map, it just works really well regardless of what your play style is.
PALGN: What’s your personal play style? Do you like to play as a sniper, and are you better with a team or as a lone wolf?
RB: I’m definitely a close quarters guy. I am horrible with the sniper rifle. And I’m definitely lone wolf. I mean, I’m one the guys who rolls with the stealth classes. I have my suppressor on, I have my Ninja Pro, I have my Cold Blooded perks, so I’m definitely going silent. While every one else is distracted, I’m not making any noise and getting back behind their flank routes.
PALGN: And you would have hit prestige a few times already?
RB: Yeah. Right now I’m about to hit my third prestige. When we do double XP with the new map pack I hope to get three more prestige’s knocked out.
Nothing better than a shoot-out by the pool.
PALGN: Do you get to play with community very often?
RB: Yeah, typically I’ll jump on as many nights as I can. Many of our community members will invite me to games. We’ll jump on, play one versus one and whatever they want to do. Typically, those community games just become throwing-knife matches. (Laughs)
PALGN: Who's better, the dev team or the community?
RB: (Laughs) Well, as much as we like to think we are the best at our game, I mean, when you have as many people as we do playing our game, there are always going to be better guys in the community.
PALGN: Will we be seeing any more map packs in the future?
RB: We do plan to do at least one more DLC pack, but what it includes and the direction it’ll take, we don’t know yet.
PALGN: Will we be seeing any more Spec Ops?
RB: I don’t know. Right now, we’re just focused on really expanding the multiplayer content, and what we’ll do in the future we don’t know yet.
PALGN: There’s been some debate about the price set for the Stimulus Package. What’s your take on that?
RB: Well, from a standpoint of content, I have no doubt that anyone who buys this map pack and plays a lot of Modern Warfare 2 online is definitely going to get their moneys worth. The mileage you’re going to get out of these maps – these five new locations – is countless. So, you really just have to put a value on what you think that endless amount of gameplay is worth to you.
PALGN: Can we expect to see any more improvements to the multiplayer?
RB: Just before the maps pack hits, we’re doing a patch to the game. It has a bunch of things in it that are going to appeal to everybody. One thing to know for Australian gamers is that we’re going to be updating the matchmaking on the 360 version. What that’ll allow is for many of our international users to connect to more locally hosted games.
PALGN: Will we see a region filter?
RB: It won’t be a region filter, it’ll be all done on the back end. Essentially what the new patch does is the ping searching. It takes ping more into account now, for our international players. They will find more locally hosted games than they did in the past, which I know a lot of our international users, especially our Australian user base, have been sending me requests for quite a bit.
PALGN: When will the patch be released?
RB: It should be out just prior to the DLC. The patch will be available to all Modern Warfare 2 players.
PALGN: Thank you for speaking with PALGN.
RB: Thanks.
You can check out all the new screenshots from the maps in the media panel below.
Thanks to Sophie Paterson at FRANK PR, Activision and Infinity Ward for making the interview possible.
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