Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer will launch with a red diamond marker over enemy players, helping cut down on instances of mistaken identity. This change has been much requested after fan frustrations during the Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Beta in September.
One of the key complaints during the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer Beta was that players had a hard time telling allies from enemy players. Despite the map environment being more vibrant than past Call of Duty titles, players still got confused trying to tell friendlies from enemies because of more neutral colors on operators, leading either to shooting wildly at allies or ignoring enemies and getting caught off guard. For the launch of multiplayer, Infinity Ward will be adding icons that will help players be less anxious.
Enemies in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 will have a red diamond above their heads to help players tell friend from foe. This change has been received positively among players, if the comments section of the r/ModernWarfare2 subreddit counts as a reliable sample size. The picture posted there by u/sneakysaf has commenters in agreement that the red diamond stands out enough from the map, yet is still subtle enough not to be distracting or give away a players position.
This enemy marker is being preferred to having an enemy players name or gaming tag over their head. That would have been more revealing for players with longer names and leave them at a disadvantage. This icon isn't perfect, though. As one commenter noted, sunlit maps, brightly lit areas, or parts of the map environment that the red diamond can blend into may slightly obscure the icon, but this change still leaves players feeling positive about this feature.
With the Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer launch imminent, Infinity Ward is making sure the fans have a smooth launch day gameplay experience. Infinity Ward has been listening to community feedback and even though some suggested changes won't be implemented to Modern Warfare 2, it shows that the developers are listening and will seriously consider changes if they see it as beneficial to the players.
Changes like this are small, but it helps the players, especially those that are fans of Hardcore game modes where Friendly Fire is on. If Modern Warfare 2 launched without this enemy icon, it would lead to more players getting warnings or kicked for disruptive behavior, even if it were unintended.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 Multiplayer releases on October 28 for PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.