Activision appear to have got their own way with Modern Warfare 2 (again) as the previously universal Party Chat – the built in tool that lets you chat with your friends regardless of game or team – is being removed to prevent cheating if the image below is to be believed. Basically, if you’re in a Party Chat when you start playing the latest Call of Duty the message will pop up saying that if you want to continue, you’ll need to be in the Game Chat (which will then obviously cancel your private Party Chat).

Although the PS3 version doesn’t yet have this feature, there’s not a chance I’ll personally be going online with the 360 version if I can’t stay in a private chat lobby – I don’t handle screaming kids particularly well and for whatever reason the PS3 still seems to be reasonably nob-free online. Still, an interesting idea – Party Chat has, in the past, been used to ‘infiltrate’ enemy teams with the microphone conversation allowing dead opposing team members to indentify targets. I’ll stick to Liam ramming me off the road in Forza, then, and get MW2 for the PS3.
Michael | 02/11/2009 08:32
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Given your recent news, you might want to rethink the screaming kids part.
dpb135 | 02/11/2009 08:36
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Thats BS, I just wanna have banter with my mates on party chat. Can see why they have done it though. Suppose ppl will just send voice messages instead to combat this????
Wont stop me getting it on 360 tho
dpb135 | 02/11/2009 08:42
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Also to add, just read somewhere else it may not be in all playlists in the game. No need to have it on team death match or domination is there as you respawn straight away.
JamboGT | 02/11/2009 08:44
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I have plenty of friends who will be upset about this.
UltimateBox | 02/11/2009 17:12
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lolwut? Good thing im on a PS3.
Tiran Kenja | 02/11/2009 08:48
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I always wondered why ghosting and spying on the other team was never issues that was never mentioned with this feature. But Guess it did, at least at Activition?
With recent rumors of a similar cross-game chat in the next firmware of the PS3 (… again… personally I think ‘wolf’ has been cried too many times for me to really believe it). One wonders if something similar is going to be enforced on it…
Rascal | 02/11/2009 09:31
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Until issues like this are resolved I will always default to PC for team based FPS where possible. Fact is that (at least for me) the PC will have better graphics, better net code and the option of using third party voice comms software etc.
FPS on console always feels like a compromise.
Tiran Kenja | 02/11/2009 09:49
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You forgot ‘better control scheme’
Oh… Was that a can of worms I opened? My bad =)
bunimomike | 02/11/2009 09:54
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Is there a way for it to identify if you’re on a different channel (in a different “room”) with friends but none of those friends are playing the same game as you so things are still fair? Seems quite sensible to me. The moment someone joins your room/chat, said game could see if they’re MW2 (for example) and then apply limitations if they join the other side. However, if they’re on your team then the vocal shenanigans can continue.
FRUIT0FDOOM | 02/11/2009 10:08
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With part chat only hosting a maximum of 8 players/friends the team-work with anyone outside of you party chat can suffer. So removing it will hopefully aid better all round team-work. With the last ModernWarfare you can “mute” any players that are being a pain in the arse anyway. Failing that Live does allow you to mute any other Live member forever at the push of a button. I am all up for minimising any cheating. If I ever catch my son screaming down the mic like some of these kids when he is older he’ll be chewing on a bar of soap for a week! Disclaimer: I wouldn’t “actually” make my son eat a bar of soap. We don’t use bars anymore. So he’d be tied to a wall where i could spray Radox Hand wash at him using a super soaker! Disclaimer: I wouldn’t do that either!
RadioactiveMouse | 02/11/2009 11:10
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That last part made me laugh SO hard!
Roynaldo | 02/11/2009 12:34
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I worry about you sometimes dude.
cc_star | 02/11/2009 10:32
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Cross game chat is a useful and great service, but it does have a negative impact that I’m pleased someone has finally recognised.
I presume Sony are having the odd problem trying to fit the feature in and keep the memory footprint small so existing games don’t break, I don’t know if they’ll ever bring it, but they certainly need to keep in mind that cross game chat not only kills in-game chat, but it can also have further negative impacts on games that everyone moaning about the lack of it hasn’t considered.
Thechunkymunky | 02/11/2009 10:56
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Sorry if I sound stupid here, but how can people cheat if you’re in a private chat? Or can they still hear you? (Not very clued up on voice chat lol)
Also, I wouldn’t say PSN has been completely nob-free. Anyone sending those damn chain messages springs to mind…..
cc_star | 02/11/2009 11:09
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I believe (may be wrong though) it is because they can join the game in spectator mode, and therefore watch it from multiple camera angles, they then tell their mates where people are hiding, or that they’re attacking down this flank or something like that.
Doddsy | 02/11/2009 11:23
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People would also run into the enemy base and die, and while they were lieing there dieing they could tell their friends what was going on.
Thechunkymunky | 02/11/2009 11:36
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Ahh ok. Makes sense to limit the feature then. I suppose the problem would only be with shooting games.
jacklum | 02/11/2009 13:06
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In e.g. Chromehounds, the in-game chat system is part of the game mechanic as you can only talk to teammates when they are in range of radio. There are ways of extended your range of communication, e.g. by controlling radio towers or using special equipment, and you can also interfere with your enemy’s communication. If, however, everyone is using party chat none of this matters.
BadBoyBoogie | 02/11/2009 11:18
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Anything that prevents possible cheating has got to be a good thing.
skibadee | 02/11/2009 12:18
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whats the point if it is gained from a cheat
Roynaldo | 02/11/2009 12:32
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I always thought thatif PS got cross game/ party/ whatever chat then there could be potential for cheating in games like KZ in clan games you could have people telling you where the enemy is without being part of the match.
I understand why some gameswill need to be blocked but it will be by far a minority of the market….most likely games with clan systems in place.
Matherz | 02/11/2009 12:47
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Another case of the minority ruining it for the majority.
hazelam | 02/11/2009 13:00
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does that mean the ps3 version won’t support cross game chat if sony ever get it working?
mind you it’ll be another one of those “the devs have to support it” things anyway so it’s likely no games will support it for at least six months.
Ed the Penguin | 02/11/2009 14:07
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I can understand it as a ‘ranked game’ essential, but I think the option to allow party chat should still be there for custom games.
Rascal | 02/11/2009 15:38
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Incidentally, the issue is not the cross game chat, but the fact you can still watch all the action when you are dead…and thus cheat. Simple fix for that is the classic Counter-Strike solution of fixing the perspective to that of your team only upon death, rather than allowing open viewing to any user or camera available. Or, better yet, make a feature of it – you die, cutscene kicks in until you respawn etc or a mini game…lots of possibilities. Fact is other games on other platforms deal with this simply.
SirGregThorn | 02/11/2009 17:39
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Yep, but because it’s MW2 they throw their weight around and have a feature changed rather than thiking of a way to get round it.