Modern Warfare 2: Minimap Red Dot Problems Are Causing a Casual vs. Hardcore Player Divide

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is promising to be one of the biggest shakeups in recent years for the COD franchise, with big changes to gameplay and its various modes. While there are big fundamental additions such as how Invasion mode works or quick-swapping to your sidearm, there are also understated changes that while quietly implemented, were quickly felt by the community. Modern Warfare 2 introduced a new revision to the classic red dot system for spotting players based on whether they fired an unsuppressed weapon, are tracked by field upgrades or are by support aircraft. Read on for how Red Dot Problems Are Causing a Casual vs. Hardcore Player Divide in Modern Warfare 2!

Modern Warfare 2: Minimap Red Dot Problems Are Causing a Casual vs. Hardcore Player Divide

As Infinity Ward puts it in their latest update, the red dot is used differently in Modern Warfare 2, where it now only shows up on the minimap if you’ve called in a UAV or Advanced UAV. This is highly irregular compared to pretty much any previous COD game, where you could count on the enemy showing up on your minimap if they fired a weapon without a suppressor attached. In Infinity Ward’s words, this is because they “do not want to punish players for firing their weapons,” instead having players check their compass where a red dot shows, which indicates the direction from which an enemy fired. This forces the players to adopt a more tactical mindset, but it hasn’t been 100% positively received.

What Do the Players Think of the Red Dot Changes in MW2?

While the game is still in beta, meaning this could ultimately change, player reception to the red dot change is not overall positive. Additionally, they believe it will be limiting the enjoyment of those who they label as casual players, but even hardcore players aren’t thrilled with this change. In general, though, it’s seen as a disadvantage for casual players who are so used to the tried-and-true COD formula.

In addition to gripes about how this can affect the experiences of those seeking just to have fun in their favorite shooter, other social media complaints take note of other features that seem inconsistent with this policy. The suppressor attachment, in particular, usually a go-to for players looking to avoid giving off the red dot, is seen as being devalued by this change, although it will take your red dot off the compass when you fire, at least. But other items, like the Decoy Grenade, still give off a red dot despite simulating gunfire, which seems contradictory to how they want players to react to gunfire, and also makes it rather obvious that it’s…well, a decoy, unless there’s a UAV in the air.

It seems clear that the public reception to this change could influence Infinity Ward enough to reverse it coming out of the beta. But it also speaks to how not all of Modern Warfare 2’s changes are seen as wholly good. As always, beta periods are a time in which you can be heard by the developers, as they try to make the best possible experience for you. They’ve done the bulk of the hard work, and if you make your voice heard positively, the rest of the fine-tuning can turn this into the best COD yet.

Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 will release on October 28, 2022, on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.