Infinity Ward will turn on the minimap in the ongoing Call of Duty: Modern Warfare beta today as players continue to debate its absence from the game.
The lack of a minimap has been perhaps the most contentious design decision Infinity Ward has made with its Modern Warfare soft reboot. Critics say its omission encourages camping, while its supporters say it promotes tactical play.
Currently, you can trigger a minimap via the Personal Radar Killstreak (three kills). This summons an escort drone that enables the radar for the owner and pings nearby enemies. The UAV Killstreak (four kills) summons a UAV recon ship that enables a minimap for all allies and reveals enemy locations.
But there’s no minimap by default. In its place is a Skyrim-style compass set at the top of the screen that shows you the vague direction of enemy fire.
With the closed beta for traditional multiplayer in full swing on PlayStation 4 right now, and the open beta set to kick off on PS4 today, the debate over the lack of a minimap has resurfaced. And in a post on reddit, Infinity Ward said it will turn on the minimap on 14th September, although it’ll work a little differently compared to how it works in other Call of Duty games.
“Okay… let’s talk about minimap,” reads the post.
“We hear you loud and clear. Along with your feedback and the data we’re continuously collecting, we’ll be experimenting internally with a few different options and will keep you updated if we make any changes that you might see during the Beta. This is an ongoing conversation with all of you, so again, thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this topic and we’ll update you again when we have more information to share.”
So, today, on day three of the beta, Infinity Ward will turn on the minimap – but it will not display enemy fire. This could be seen as a compromise. By not displaying enemy fire you won’t see enemies pop up when they shoot, so you still won’t know where your enemies are via the minimap and tactical play will remain important. But you will, presumably, see your teammates and where they died, the layout of the map around you and as a result know for sure if you’re hearing enemy or friendly footsteps.
Elsewhere, Infinity Ward said it’s looking into the current spawn system, which players have flagged as not working particularly well. Also today, Infinity Ward will increase the level cap to 20 (it’s currently 10), and add new maps and modes and playlists. For more, check out our Call of Duty: Modern Warfare beta guide.
