Battlefield 3 needs to steal Modern Warfare 3's servers
Modern Warfare 3 will allow anyone to download the software to host a server, and you can run one on any machine with a beefy connection. Battlefield 3, on the other hand, will force players to rent servers from approved providers. You won't be able to host your servers, but you can pay others to do so for you.
"The game server machines themselves will be run by a number of Ranked Server Provider (RSP) companies," DICE announced on the official forums. "We do not allow other companies to run game servers, or for other people to run game servers from home." This may seem like a small thing, but if you're part of a community that is already running servers for its own games, it's galling to be forced to pay someone else to host your server—especially when EA is only approving a few companies to rent servers.
Modern Warfare 3 needs to steal Battlefield 3's marketing
We saw the first footage of Modern Warfare 3 at a press event before E3, and the press compared notes after the presentation was over. The response was unanimous: the game looked competent, but so far there was very little to get excited about. Contrast that with the first reveal of Battlefield 3, which consisted of a trailer that was split into pieces before it was released to the public. It showed off the game's use of the Frostbite 2 engine, the improved animation system, and set the tone for the game. The most recent multiplayer trailer is jaw-dropping.
It doesn't hurt that Battlefield 3 is more immediately impressive visually, but the editing and clever hooks in these trailers go a long way to getting fans salivating. Modern Warfare 3 seems to be stuck showing the same types of things we've seen in past big-budget war games, and it leads to fatigue. The Battlefield 3 trailers look like they're hyping a game that pushes the genre forward. Modern Warfare 3 could use some of that magic.
Battlefield 3 needs to steal Modern Warfare 3's availability on Steam
Yes, we've already written about this issue, but it's still a major sticking point for PC gamers. Many of us are happily locked into the Steam community and have grown comfortable with the service, while barely anyone can find a nice word for EA's newly launched Origins platform. The biggest question is simple: what do we gain for setting up yet another account at yet another service? Especially one that has seen so much controversy over its End-User License Agreement.
You can buy Battlefield 3 on other services, but with this many members of your community being so vocal with their "Steam or bust" message, why alienate them? You can preorder Modern Warfare 3 on Steam right now, and that's very good news.
Modern Warfare 3 needs to steal Battlefield 3's platform agnosticism
The first time we saw Battlefield 3, it was running on a high-powered PC. The first time we played the game, it was on the PC. The first time it was shown a late-night talk show, it was the PS3 version. You'll get larger servers when you buy the game on PC, and the first expansion pack will be free if you preorder the game. It's also available for every system, so you'll likely have a good experience no matter where you buy it.
Modern Warfare 3, on the other hand, is very much an Xbox 360 game. It's shown off on that system at most events and, like past releases, Microsoft has thrown money at Activision to make sure all the new content will be a timed exclusive on the Xbox 360. Even if PC or PS3 gamers want to pay the $15 asking price for these expansions, they won't be able to when the expansions hit the market. This goes a long way to making everyone who doesn't own the 360 feel like a second-class citizen in this particular game.
Do you know anything about the game PC version of Modern Warfare 3 other than the fact it will support dedicated servers? Me neither. Activision is also historically reluctant to send PC copies of their games to the press for review, meaning there will be little to no coverage of the game on the PC at launch. Activision is a publishing juggernaut that is clearly throwing support and love to the biggest console in the United States, but it's an annoying strategy.
Learn from each other, don't just compete
The two games will be very different, but if the companies involved paid attention to what the other is doing, it could lead to great things. We don't think Modern Warfare 3 needs vehicles, but it would be interesting for EA to pay attention to what drives the passionate Modern Warfare community. I have a feeling it didn't include forcing gamers to leave the services their friends use to game.
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