Difference between revisions of "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3"

Revision as of 01:54, 23 November 2017

Warnings

The macOS (OS X) version of this game does not work on macOS Catalina (version 10.15) or later due to the removal of support for 32-bit-only apps.


⤏ Go to series page
Call of Duty	2003
Call of Duty 2	2005
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (series)
Call of Duty: Black Ops (series)
Call of Duty: Ghosts	2013
Call of Duty: Online	2013
Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare	2014
Call of Duty: Heroes	2014
Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare	2016
Call of Duty: WWII	2017
Call of Duty: Warzone	2020
Call of Duty: Vanguard	2021
Call of Duty: Warzone 2.0	2022

General information

Official Call of Duty series site

Call of Duty Wiki - A detailed wiki for every Call of Duty game made.

Steam Community Discussions

Availability

Source	DRM	Notes	Keys	OS
Retail
Amazon.com
Steam

All versions require Steam DRM.

DLC and expansion packs

Name	Notes
Content Collection 1	Contains Content Pack 1, 2, and 3.
Content Collection 2	Contains Content Pack 4 and 5.
Content Collection 3	Contains Content Pack 6, 7 (Spec Ops portion), and 8.
Content Collection 4	Contains Content Pack 7 (Multiplayer portion) and 9.

DLC for the game consists of 9 Content Packs (each combining 24 Content Drops). See the Wikipedia article for details

Essential improvements

Utilities

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Multiple Profiles - allows user to hack in the feature of multiple profiles (managed in a utility external to the game).

Skip intro videos

Edit config file^{[citation needed]}
Go to the configuration file(s) location. Open `config.cfg`. Find the line `seta intro "1"` and change the value to "0". Save the file.

Game data

Configuration file(s) location

Template:Game data/row Template:Game data/row

System	Location
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/115300/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

config.cfg is for single player, config_mp.cfg is for multi-player

Save game data location

Template:Game data/row Template:Game data/row

System	Location
Steam Play (Linux)	<SteamLibrary-folder>/steamapps/compatdata/115300/pfx/^{[Note 1]}

Save game cloud syncing

System	Native	Notes
Steam Cloud

Video settings

Template:Video settings

Input settings

Template:Input settings

Controller support

Game pad controllers are not supported by Modern Warfare 3. Please check our controller page for information about how to hack controller support into the game.

Audio settings

Template:Audio settings

Localizations

Language	UI	Audio	Sub	Notes
English
French
German
Italian
Japanese				Only available in Japanese retail release. Retail CD Key gives subscription exclusive to single language.^[1]
Polish				Only available in Polish retail release. Retail CD Key gives subscription exclusive to single language.^[2]
Russian				Only available in Russian retail release. Retail CD Key gives subscription exclusive to single language.^[3]
Spanish
Turkish

Network

Self-hosted servers are available through the Steam client's server browser or the in-game server browser found under the Servers menu.

Multiplayer types

Type	Native	Players	Notes
LAN play
Online play		18

Connection types

Type	Native	Notes
Matchmaking
Peer-to-peer
Dedicated
Self-hosting		Use `iw5mp_server.exe` (configure with `server.cfg`).
Direct IP		Go to the Multiplayer launch options and add `+connect` followed by the IP.

Ports

Protocol	Port(s) and/or port range(s)
UDP	3074

This game does not support Universal Plug and Play (UPnP) for automatic port configuration.

VR support

3D modes	State	GG3D	Notes
Nvidia 3D Vision			See Helix Mod: Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
TriDef 3D
iZ3D

Devices
3RD Space Gaming Vest

Issues fixed

A small tweak guide is available at PC Gamer

A collection of potential crash fixes are available at Crash Fixes

Black screen on start-up

Black Screen on Start-up^{[citation needed]}
With some users, a black screen will display on start-up, though game music can be heard in the background. This is caused by a collision with the Mumble voice client. Within Mumble, be sure to disable the in-game overlay.

PC crashing/freezing in-game

Reinstall DirectX^{[citation needed]}
Go to `<path-to-game>\redist\directx\` Run `dxsetup.exe`

Disable Steam Community^{[citation needed]}
Open Steam Right click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and select Properties Disable Steam Community In-Game

Game freezes during the intro video

Game Freezes during the Intro Video^{[citation needed]}
Verify the integrity of your Steam game cache. Update DirectX and GPU drivers. Delete `ModernWarfare3.bik` in the installation folder

Crash to Desktop

Crash to Desktop^{[citation needed]}

If the game randomly crashes on launch, ensure or try the following:

Update DirectX and GPU drivers.
Turn off SLI / Crossfire.
Use only one GPU first (turn the other one off via your graphics control panel).
Disable anti-aliasing and filtering.
Disable V-sync.
Disable background applications; turn off your anti-virus software.

Turn down sound acceleration (Windows XP)^{[citation needed]}
Go to Control Panel -> Sounds and Audio Devices -> Volume -> Speaker settings Select Advanced Open the performance tab Reduce sound hardware acceleration to basic, the 2nd notch from the left.

DirectX error while loading

DirectX error while loading^{[citation needed]}
Change texture quality to automatic in video settings.

Cannot install

Cannot Install^{[citation needed]}
This is a Microsoft C++ bug so the quick fix is to uninstall your C++ files. If you see 2 instances of Microsoft C++, uninstall both of them. There are also a couple workarounds online if you don't want to uninstall them.

Failed to run install script

Failed to run install script^{[citation needed]}

This is a common issue with Windows 7.

Locate setup.exe for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the install disc and run it as administrator
In Steam right click on COD: Modern Warfare 3
Insert Disc 1 into your DVD drive and close Steam (File -> Exit Steam)
Go to Start and type C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steam.exe -install D:
Press okay and continue with the installation

Audio issues

Disable communications activity sound reduction^{[citation needed]}
Open the Start screen/Start menu, type `mmsys.cpl` and press `↵ Enter`. Go to the Communications tab. Choose Do nothing. Click OK to save your changes.

Multi-monitor issues

Multi-monitor^{[citation needed]}
Unplug other monitors and play on single screen. Try playing in windowed mode.

Nvidia Optimus

Nvidia Optimus fix^{[citation needed]}
Open Nvidia Control Panel Open 3D Settings on the left hand side under "Select a task..." Select Manage 3D Settings Click Program Settings tab Under "1" Select a program, click add, and navigate to the MW3 EXE file. Under "2" Select "High-performance Nvidia processor" Click apply and launch the game

Fuzzy textures

Fuzzy Textures^{[citation needed]}
Set Image Quality to "Native", as "Extra" up-scales the textures resulting in poor image quality.

DirectX 9 compatibility with older video cards

DirectX 9 Compatibility With Older Video Cards^{[citation needed]}

Appended the game laucher with -dx9 to force DirectX 9 compatibility mode.

"seta rRendererPreference "Shader model 2.0"" in the player config for single player or multi-player respectively.
- <path-to-game>\players2\config.cfg
- <path-to-game>\players2\config_mp.cfg

Mouse problems

Mouse problems^{[citation needed]}
Shut down any software used for the mouse. Also try a lower polling rate if the mouse has this function. Turn off FRAPS

RELIABLE COMMAND BUFFER OVERFLOW

RELIABLE COMMAND BUFFER OVERFLOW^{[citation needed]}
Go through the building on the right with the broken glass, and stay in there until the end of the offices, and it will auto save.

"Steam Error – 55: This game is currently unavailable. Please try again at another time" error

Steam Error – 55: This game is currently unavailable. Please try again at another time^{[citation needed]}
Restart Steam Or the computer

"DLC content is required. Required map ... is missing or damaged." error

DLC content is required. Required map (map name) is missing or damaged^{[citation needed]}
Make sure both the single player and multi player versions of the game are installed. Verify integrity of game cache If the problem persists, reinstall the game while the anti-virus is turned off.

Other information

API

Executable	32-bit	64-bit	Notes
Windows
macOS (OS X)

System requirements

Windows
	Minimum	Recommended
Operating system (OS)	XP	Vista, 7
Processor (CPU)	Athlon 64 X2 Dual Core 4000+ Intel Core 2 Duo E4300 1.8 GHz	Intel Pentium Dual Core E6600 3.06 GHz
System memory (RAM)	2 GB	4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	16 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 8800 GTS ATI Radeon X1900 256 MB of VRAM DirectX 9.0c compatible Shader model 3.0 support	Nvidia GeForce 210 ATI Radeon HD 3650 1 GB of VRAM

macOS (OS X)
	Minimum
Operating system (OS)	10.9.2
Processor (CPU)	Intel Core i3 2.2 GHz
System memory (RAM)	4 GB
Hard disk drive (HDD)	13 GB
Video card (GPU)	Nvidia GeForce 640M ATI Radeon HD 4850 Intel Iris 512 MB of VRAM

The following chipsets are unsupported by the OS X version: ATI Radeon HD 2000 series, ATI Radeon HD 6490M, 6630M, 3870, Nvidia Geforce 9000 series, Nvidia Geforce 320M, 330M, Intel HD 3000, 4000, 5000

Hard drive volumes formatted as Mac OS Extended (Case Sensitive) are not supported

Notes

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1
Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
- File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
- Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/115300/.
- Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
- The app ID (115300) may differ in some cases.
- Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
- See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

References

[Proton_path_note-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Notes regarding Steam Play (Linux) data:
File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.
Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/115300/.
Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.
The app ID (115300) may differ in some cases.
Treat backslashes as forward slashes.
See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[2] File/folder structure within this directory reflects the path(s) listed for Windows and/or Steam game data.

[3] Games with Steam Cloud support may also store data in ~/.steam/steam/userdata/<user-id>/115300/.

[4] Use Wine's registry editor to access any Windows registry paths.

[5] The app ID (115300) may differ in some cases.

[6] Treat backslashes as forward slashes.

[7] See the glossary page for details on Windows data paths.

[2] SteamDB: Every depot associated with Japanese Retail Product Key

[3] SteamDB: Every depot associated with Polish Retail Product Key

[4] SteamDB: Every depot associated with Russian Retail Product Key

[Note 1]

[1]

[2]

[3]

@@ Line 49: / Line 49: @@
 ===Skip intro videos===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Edit config file|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Edit config file|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 # Go to the [[#Game data|configuration file(s) location]].
 # Open {{file|config.cfg}}.
@@ Line 332: / Line 331: @@
 ===Black screen on start-up===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Black Screen on Start-up|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Black Screen on Start-up|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}}}
 With some users, a black screen will display on start-up, though game music can be heard in the background. This is caused by a collision with the Mumble voice client. Within Mumble, be sure to disable the in-game overlay.
 }}
 ===PC crashing/freezing in-game===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Reinstall DirectX|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Reinstall DirectX|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 # Go to <code>{{p|game}}\redist\directx\</code>
 # Run <code>dxsetup.exe</code>
 }}
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Disable Steam Community|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Disable Steam Community|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 # Open Steam
 # Right click on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 and select Properties
@@ Line 352: / Line 348: @@
 ===Game freezes during the intro video===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Game Freezes during the Intro Video|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Game Freezes during the Intro Video|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 * Verify the integrity of your Steam game cache.
 * Update DirectX and GPU drivers.
@@ Line 360: / Line 355: @@
 ===Crash to Desktop===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Crash to Desktop|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Crash to Desktop|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}}}
 {{ii}} If the game randomly crashes on launch, ensure or try the following:
 * Update DirectX and GPU drivers.
@@ Line 371: / Line 365: @@
 }}
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Turn down sound acceleration (Windows XP)|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Turn down sound acceleration (Windows XP)|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 # Go to Control Panel -> Sounds and Audio Devices -> Volume -> Speaker settings
 # Select Advanced
@@ Line 380: / Line 373: @@
 ===DirectX error while loading===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=DirectX error while loading|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|DirectX error while loading|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 * Change texture quality to automatic in video settings.
 }}
 ===Cannot install===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Cannot Install|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Cannot Install|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}}}
 This is a Microsoft C++ bug so the quick fix is to uninstall your C++ files. If you see 2 instances of Microsoft C++, uninstall both of them. There are also a couple workarounds online if you don't want to uninstall them.
 }}
 ===Failed to run install script===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Failed to run install script|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Failed to run install script|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}}}
 {{ii}} This is a common issue with Windows 7.
 # Locate <code>setup.exe</code> for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on the install disc and run it as administrator
@@ Line 403: / Line 393: @@
 ===Audio issues===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Disable communications activity sound reduction|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Disable communications activity sound reduction|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 # Open the Start screen/Start menu, type <code>mmsys.cpl</code> and press {{key|Enter}}.
 # Go to the Communications tab.
@@ Line 412: / Line 401: @@
 ===Multi-monitor issues===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Multi-monitor|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Multi-monitor|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 * Unplug other monitors and play on single screen.
 * Try playing in windowed mode.
@@ Line 419: / Line 407: @@
 ===Nvidia Optimus===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Nvidia Optimus fix|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Nvidia Optimus fix|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 # Open Nvidia Control Panel
 # Open '''3D Settings''' on the left hand side under "Select a task..."
@@ Line 431: / Line 418: @@
 ====Fuzzy textures====
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Fuzzy Textures|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Fuzzy Textures|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}}}
 Set Image Quality to "Native", as "Extra" up-scales the textures resulting in poor image quality.
 }}
 ===DirectX 9 compatibility with older video cards===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=DirectX 9 Compatibility With Older Video Cards|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|DirectX 9 Compatibility With Older Video Cards|ref={{cn|date=October 2016}}}}
 Appended the game laucher with <code>-dx9</code> to force DirectX 9 compatibility mode.
@@ Line 447: / Line 432: @@
 ====Mouse problems====
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Mouse problems|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Mouse problems|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 * Shut down any software used for the mouse.
 * Also try a lower polling rate if the mouse has this function.
@@ Line 455: / Line 439: @@
 ===RELIABLE COMMAND BUFFER OVERFLOW===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=RELIABLE COMMAND BUFFER OVERFLOW|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|RELIABLE COMMAND BUFFER OVERFLOW|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 * Go through the building on the right with the broken glass, and stay in there until the end of the offices, and it will auto save.
 }}
 ==="Steam Error – 55: This game is currently unavailable. Please try again at another time" error===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=Steam Error – 55: This game is currently unavailable. Please try again at another time|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|Steam Error – 55: This game is currently unavailable. Please try again at another time|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 * Restart Steam
 * Or the computer
@@ Line 468: / Line 450: @@
 ==="DLC content is required. Required map ... is missing or damaged." error===
-{{Fixbox|1=
+{{Fixbox|description=DLC content is required. Required map (map name) is missing or damaged|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}|fix=
-{{Fixbox/fix|DLC content is required. Required map (map name) is missing or damaged|ref={{cn|date=July 2016}}}}
 * Make sure both the single player and multi player versions of the game are installed.
 * Verify integrity of game cache

Developers

	Infinity Ward
	Sledgehammer Games
Publishers
	Activision
OS X	Aspyr Media
Engines
	IW 5.0\|IW engine\|IW 5.0
Release dates
Windows	November 8, 2011
macOS (OS X)	May 20, 2014