Activision Apologizes, Promises Fixes to PS3 Call of Duty 4 Online
By Chris on Tuesday, January 8th, 2008 at 10:20 PM PST In Activision, Call of Duty, Game Companies, Game Consoles, Game Platforms, Gamer Life, Games, Sony
As you might have noticed in the comments of a story I posted in November, there are some issues with Call of Duty 4’s online play on PlayStation 3. (If you didn’t, I don’t blame you for plowing through 850+ comments. ) Developer Infinity Ward’s community manager, fourzerotwo, has posted a message from Activision’s Chief Technical Officer, Steve Pearce, which attempts to explain what has caused the problems and what’s being done to repair the situation.
In short, they didn’t have enough servers to maintain the load of players. They’ve implemented a fix, and to make some additional changes, the servers will be taken offline tomorrow, Wednesday, January 9, at 4:00 AM PST. It should only be down for a few hours at most, but that seems like a small price to pay to allow IW to ensure there won’t be any further latency problems from their end.
Check after the full message from Pearce after the break.
Firstly, on behalf of Activision and DemonWare, I’d like to apologize for the difficulties you’ve experienced while playing the PlayStation 3 version of Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare during the holiday season.
The fact is that we’ve experienced an unprecedented load on the DemonWare backend servers, which has steadily increased since late December beyond our expectations. In spite of all of our planning and precautions, the extreme load revealed several issues. These issues triggered unscheduled downtime this past month. As we encountered issues, we deployed additional hardware and/or optimized the server infrastructure to keep the service up and running. However, while the servers were active for the vast majority of the time, many players experienced significant wait times repeatedly when joining games.
To overcome this issue, we’ve implemented a fix today, which should dramatically improve the time it takes to join an online game. And, in order to make additional improvements we are briefly taking the servers offline tomorrow, Wednesday January 9th at 4:00 a.m. PST
As a rule, we try to avoid scheduled downtime whenever possible. However, at this juncture we will need 1-2 hours to update a number of server infrastructure components. We apologize for any short-term inconvenience this may cause, and appreciate your ongoing support and patience.
Our expectation is that the server load will continue to increase as system bottlenecks are removed. So in the coming days, we will continue to monitor our system and make further optimizations and improvements as necessary. We will be deploying additional hardware to improve our database throughput and load handling. In addition to the added hardware, we are further optimizing components of the underlying server software to improve performance. We hope to be able to hot deploy these updates while the system is live. In the event that the system requires further scheduled downtime, we will post a message both here and in-game via the “Message of the Day” to keep everyone informed.
Rest assured that we are taking every possible action to insure that your Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare online PS3 experience is smooth and trouble free. We apologize for the trouble this has caused and ask for your understanding and cooperation as we get things sorted over the coming days.
Thanks,
Steve Pearce
CTO, Activision
I hope this works because I havent been able to get online now at all for 4 days, and all the ports on my router are open.
I couldn’t take anymore of the “DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS” screen.
Jeff
Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
when they r going to release the patch work?
Get a xbox 360…lag free baby…lag free
HAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
I’v only suffered a small experience of “DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS” screen but i’m presumin thats cause i’m from uk and not playing during peak times. Oh and Jim, lag is due to the internet connection and not the games console
I experience no lag at all 
@ Jim, lag free? are you in a dream world? seems like the last 2 and a half weeks have been hell.
Well im glad, the online is amazing but can be a bit dodge
Online still doesn’t even work for me. Great job Activision. I sold my fucking 360 copy for the PS3 one too because I got tired of paying for XBL.
Yeah….ooookkkkk jim,and how much do you have to pay to get online with a x-box?kinda sucks you also have to pay for PlayStation…..oh wait…thats right…ITS FREE!!!! Cod is working perfect now for me
i know jim lol what and arse…. anyone know when and where i can get this patch?
If this works would i still have to forward ports and all that crap…
vic
NOTHING HAS CHANGED , STILL STUCK AT DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS.
MADMAX1978
Coquitlam, BC, Canada
ALL IS BETTER! they fixed it
… Now no DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS and it takes 6 seconds for me to join a game. Woo! now we don’t have to worry about any problems 
… and Jim don’t talk crap about the 360 here beacause ps3 is now officially BETTER on COD4! but no offenses lets just all have fun… while it lasts 
hehehe… (and its not a PATCH they just fixed the servers and changed the playlists around a little). 
DO YOU STILL HAVE TO FORWARD PORTS THATS MY QUESTION CAN ANYONE ANSWER THAT FOR ME PLEASEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
Wow, 30 mins of “DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS” After the update.. and now i cant get a game and its not the router.
Oh Yay.. I got a game, played one game and it “Server Timed Out” And now I cant get another one, get your shit together. Im sick of this I buy a 60$ Game so it works. Not the other way around. Fuck.
Oh and what do you know, Another “DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS” Please tell me what the fuck the update did for us.
Ah Damnit, 750Xp away from my FIRST Prestige and it wont work
Hey is anyone getting ERROR:”Unable to connect to Activision Matchmaking (Error:32)”?? Plz reply if u are
PORT FoRWARDING DOES NOTHING TO HELP, I’VE DONE IT. MY ROUTER IS SET UP THROUGH A DMZ CONNECTION WHICH OPENS ALL PORTS.
I’M STILL STUCK AT DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS. I HAVN’T PLAYED FOR A WEEK, IT WORKED GREAT BEFORE XMAS.
I HAVE TOTALLY GIVEN UP ON THIS GAME.
MADMAX1978
Coquitlam, BC, Canada
Unbelievable. This whole time I thought I was have problems with my ps3. It is nice to know that people are have the same problems with the “downloading game settings” bull shit. I think its funny that everyone gives Jim shit for what he said. My room mate has COD4 on 360 and I’ve turned to that system instead because, uhhhh, it works. I am a die hard Playstation fan, but they need need to get some shit ironed out. Anyway, thanks for easing some of my worries and hopefully Ill be kicking your asses soon in COD4 in ps3, lol.
still no online game this is the reason i got this game so i could shoot my work mates how long will it take lol
This is a total joke, i dont see what that patch did, 1 out of 5 games i have decent latency, and thats if i can be bothered waiting to join one. 38 mins wait to join a free for all which gave me a sweet 1 bar latency in which i left ,because its just not possible to win wen on ur screen ur face to face with someone and you watch kill cam and you died 5 minurtes ago,or better yet you join and the game boots everyone. pissed that u pay 120$aud for a nex gen game to play online and you cant even do that. very very dissapointed.
I get code 33 every time now. I think its got worse not better, if im lucky i can get on late(11pm) fri/saturday nite and thats it but my mate 2 miles down the road from me has no probs. why???
Right ive just read on game spot that the prob is TISCALI, they dont like on line gaming between 6-11 and the way COD4 logs on to the internet meens they can stop it!!!(fucking cunts!!!!!) and thats why your other games work!
The “downloading settings” thing popped up yesterday (haven’t played since yesterday).
It worked for about 3 days (bought the game 3 days ago) and now it doesn’t.
when are they gonna fix this??? since the patch i was only able to go online one… i havent played for a week now and its starting to tick me off… anyway to fix this??
mine works perfectly (ps3)
Yeah… Mine hasn’t worked for like… 5 days.. ugh.. I just want to play it online, thats all.. all my clan buddies are on while I sit and watch the “downloading setting” message. gay as fuck
mine works fine [ps3]
add me: A_LOKEZZ
I left the downloading game settings on the screen for 6 hours this morning at 8 and it still said it six hours later. they better fix this shit soon.
this game for me is a joke.
i have had it since release,worked perfect for 1 week,then all the problems started.
i swear i will never buy another activision/infinity ward product ever again.
problems include pretty much everything that has been listed.
interesting that nobody has said anything about not being able to play on north american servers.
i live in u.k have 10/15 gaming buddies from the states and can’t connect,i know it’s the patch they have had but come on it’s been weeks now.
sick of listening to rude french,germans,spanish etc,that never shut up and if you say anything you get tons of abuse in poor english.
at least the yanks have some good comebacks.
if this is not fixed soon may think about selling the game,real shame,when it works it is amazing,but usually it doesn’t
I’m frustrated too i haven’t seen anyone mention the black screen at the end of a game every time it goes to lobby black screen come on man get your act together
Error 33 for 2 days now. Also on Tiscali. No much luck for me eh?
I think that everyone should get some kind of compensation, for all or troubles whos with me
does anyone have problems with trying to join certain maps??? Some maps eg AMBUSH, BACKYARD, BLOCK, CRASSH SITE and the Boat games load fine,while all the others just get to the stage of the balck screen just prior to the game starting and it appears to Freeze and i have rebot the system. I was not sure if it was the CD that was scrathced or problems with the online gamming. Many thanks mumbles (PS3)
4 days since my last post and still the same old bullshit, seems the only games i can get into without waiting 30 minutes are cage match and team tactical.
Free for all is a absolute nightmare, im at times getting 30+ min waits just to play ffa and after all the waiting get thrown into a game where im the only 1 with a bad latency when my net is fine on others. Also, you would think they would input a fuckin mute button, cant be that hard, im sick of dirty pricks comin into a game spouting shit like “your all fuckin shit cunts fuck u all your all gay” blah blah blah because they dont know how to play.they needa take notes from classic games such as counterstrike where you can select your level, ping, player amount and everything rather then throwing you into a shitty game every20 mins which you quit, refund incoming i think.i agree with Chris to, we deserve compensation for paying rediculous next gen prices for a unfinished product, any 1 elses thoughts?
It’s a frigin nightmare last night I couln’t even invite my mate to a 1-2-1 deathmatch cause of the wonderful msg we all know “” Error Connection Host (just fucked you over again!!)”", pissing me right off!!!
Have COD4 since Christmas and havn’t been able to get online once.
What a joke, I spend more time waiting to join a game than actually play it!
Steve Pearce, you should know from the sales of previous CoD titles that the demand is going to be high, even more so at Christmas! Cut the crap, just fix it.
In 30 mins, I got 2 Host ended game, spawned 5 mins from the end of 1 other game, and spent the rest of the time causing screen burn while looking at a crap lobby screen.
Great game, what a big let down.
this is a load of pish just because am with tiscali i cant play it fuck tiscali
It won’t even let me download the patch!!!! When the download box pops up it will download for a lke %12 and then stop. It says on the bottom that it can not perform background download of this content!! CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP!! This would be the best game on the PS3 if the online wouldn’t have so many problems!!!
its still not working, infinity word/activision, why is it still not working, its january 16, and its still not working, do you guys plan to fix this or not?
Hey activision come on now, i love cod4 I all ways play it on ps3, now all of the sudden every time i try to go on public play list it says DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS
Hey activision come on now, i love cod4 I all ways play it on ps3 ONLINE, now all of the sudden every time i try to go on public play list it says DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS like rele i timed it on a stop watch and it took 20 mins to show the list please fix this and get back to be and tell me what to do!!@!…
I bought the game last week and been able to get online twice…IM PISSED OFF, all my friends can get online and even my brother can get online but all that comes up with me is Activision Matchmaking Error and im thinking of returning the game because its a waste (but i still love the game)
I left mine with the Downloading Game Settings 2 hours ago and its still up….
Yeah I’m tired of this fucking shit. Given, it’s better than it was 3 weeks ago but now i can only play about half the maps. Ambush, backlot, district, and one or two others will either freeze at the “Awaiting Connection” screen or get to the load screen and do absolutely nothing. I hate how I paid 400+ for an 80 gig PS3 mainly to play this game and I can’t even fucking play. Why don’t you guys at Infinity Ward or Activision look at what you’re doing right with the 360 and apply it to the PS3. Is it really that hard?!
ya well im not even able to play anymore. all i ever get is DOWNLOADING GAME SETTINGS.
I still can’t join a game and it has been at least 2 weeks!!!!!! I sit at the game lobby waiting for people to play and it I ever get in it says the game lobby is closed. WHAT SHOULD I DO!!!!!!!!