MW2: how did the [spoilers] blow up?

[garfoldsomeoneelse]

I, too, pondered this scene quite extensively. I'm guessing the best answer you could wrestle out of IW would be something along the lines of...

"Well, uh... see, explosions have mass... and that spreads really fast... and... uh... WHAT PART OF SEMI-REALISTIC MILITARY SHOOTER DON'T YOU UNDERSTAND?! IT LOOKED COOL, SO WE DID IT! THERE! WE MADE YOU INTO AN ASTRONAUT THAT GOT BLOWN UP BY A NUCLEAR MISSILE, HOW MUCH MORE AWESOME DO WE HAVE TO BE BEFORE YOU STOP CARING ABOUT THE DETAILS?!"

 

[MysticnFm]

Heh, people assume because space is a vacuum that's the only principle of physics you have to obey.
Never mind all the matter and gas introduced into the vacuum of space by a fucking nuclear warhead exploding. That's right people, when something explodes you get a lot of pressurised gas expanding very rapidly. If you don't think gas can carry a shockwave, I can see how you'd nitpick this point.

But please, feel free to ignore this post if you want to ***** about a very good game because it's trendy to do so. While you're at it, complain about why lasers make noise during space battle sequences in Star Wars.

The nuke exploded a good 1000-5000km away. The mass launched by the nuke that would hit such a small target as the ISS would be minimal. But, feel free to try being self righteous and correct people. While you're at it, why don't you complain about the lack of coherent story.

Did you measure that with some string, or one of those clicky wheel things?

 

[Kubanator]

Heh, people assume because space is a vacuum that's the only principle of physics you have to obey.
Never mind all the matter and gas introduced into the vacuum of space by a fucking nuclear warhead exploding. That's right people, when something explodes you get a lot of pressurised gas expanding very rapidly. If you don't think gas can carry a shockwave, I can see how you'd nitpick this point.

But please, feel free to ignore this post if you want to ***** about a very good game because it's trendy to do so. While you're at it, complain about why lasers make noise during space battle sequences in Star Wars.

The nuke exploded a good 1000-5000km away. The mass launched by the nuke that would hit such a small target as the ISS would be minimal. But, feel free to try being self righteous and correct people. While you're at it, why don't you complain about the lack of coherent story.

Did you measure that with some string, or one of those clicky wheel things?

Nah, I just used my feet. I lost count after 12 though, so I just made it up from there.

 

[Compatriot Block]

Yet more proof that if someone doesn't want to understand something, they never will.

Fellow people who enjoyed the story, I suggest we keep it to ourselves. This forum has become rather...hostile towards anyone who thinks that the story was good.

 

[Scaredpanther0101]

Wow... I never thought this thread would turn into a flame war...oh wait...

 

[Kubanator]

Yet more proof that if someone doesn't want to understand something, they never will.

Fellow people who enjoyed the story, I suggest we keep it to ourselves. This forum has become rather...hostile towards anyone who thinks that the story was good.

Ok, the pivotal plot points were:

*Spoiler*

Russia attacked by American "terrorist"
Russia invades America
British guys go kill dude in South America
British guys go attack Russia
British guys EMP America
America wins
British guys find old captain (This was a decent twist)
British guys get betrayed by generic leader whom the player has no attachment to for obscure reasons (Horrible. Should at least try to connect the player to traitor before betrayal)
British guys kill traitor
Good guys win

Where is the good in that story? Finding our old friend was good, but the rest was a simple good vs. evil. Good does something completely by accident, evil is unleashed, good goes to Mordor to stop evil, they do it, big party.

*End spoiler*

 

[HalfLife205]

The nuke exploded a good 1000-5000km away. The mass launched by the nuke would be minimal. But, feel free to try being self righteous and correct people. While you're at it, why don't you complain about the lack of coherent story.

1,000-5,000km? Ha ha ha, oh wow.
The ISS is never more than 350km above the earth, and that's it's apogee. Keep in mind the height of earth's atmosphere is about 80km, and you've got a maximum of 270km - now keep in mind space is a vacuum (which all detractors are so fond of reminding us), which means travelling particles are not limited by atmospheric pressure and air viscosity like they would be in an explosion that happens within the earth's atmosphere.

Science!

The blast does not happen directly below the ISS, clearly. So it's going to be maybe around 350km away, Probably a much greater distance. But still, energy will radiate away from the blast point in accordance with inverse square law, so the ISS will receive roughly 1/4 pi distance^2 of the blast. Taking distance as 350,000m, that's 1/1539830000000 (to 6 s.f) of the energy from the initial explosion. And that's assuming it can propagate through the atmosphere as it would do normally. If you're relying on the gas released by the explosion, then by the time it has travelled 350km, it's going to have diffused so much that the energy transferred is going to - again - be a fraction of that.

 

[kingcom]

On the seventh day God saw what IW had done, and he was not pleased....

 

[Kermi]

But please, feel free to ignore this post if you want to ***** about a very good game because it's trendy to do so.

Or maybe I just don't like MW2 because it's not actually a very good game. Maybe that's possible too.

Regardless of how wrong it is, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

 

[Alphavillain]

I don't really understand how you can have a game where the US and Russia go to war and there isn't complete nuclear obliteration.
And as a rule of thumb, when TWO different people provide a "shock twist" and shoot your two separate characters in the face, you know the writers have overcooked it just a lee-tle.

 

[Kubanator]

Conclusion: Astronauts are badass. Nukes are badass. Astronauts getting nuked is badass. However MW2 is not realistic. And the story sucks.

 

[waterhazard]

the story was better than MW1

 

[duchaked]

I thought it was the EMP, which was the point of launching the nuke into space in the first place.

The lack of coherent story did it.

Okay, this annoys me. No, the story is not hand fed to you the same way it was in MW1. Yes, it holds up to inspection if you just take the time to analyze it. Just tell me what you found incoherent and I'll explain.

It really wasn't that hard to understand. Character motivation and the series of events played out and I wasn't confused for very long once I sat back to THINK about it for a moment.

And while I think the story was exaggerated in scale to blow our minds, I disagree with the "plot holes" previously mentioned. Points of interest? Yes, but not a "plot hole" by definition.

Nuclear war is a touchy subject. No one wants it. MAD. Sure by policy if one side starts one the others will too but...again mutually assured destruction. The best the side that gets nuked will do is to survive one blast, and figure out the best way to retaliate (all out nuclear war means everyone loses). I don't think people realize just how massive modern nukes can be (land, air, space). Way bigger than those tiny things in Japan during WWII.

For me, the twist with Shepherd was totally uncalled for. It changed the entire tone of the game...pissed me off if anything really. The one thing that took me a moment to catch one was the "Oh yeah...this isn't the Russia from before, this is the Ultra-Nationalist Russia...they hate America. They'll use any excuse to attack America...okay that makes sense. Wait crap..." and then it happened. Impossible? No. Improbable? Yeah, but so were the events in MW1...just a bit less improbable. But not by much if you REALLY wanna be uber realistic (seriously guys). Realism was America's Army, and that was fun for a few days. So overall I enjoyed the story. Was it like a big action film? Duh. =)

(Honestly...a cliffhanger? Right when the badass level of Soap and Price rose to an epic level? Sigh...)

But really it was when Shepherd killed Ghost and Roach I was like "Okay yeah this is ridiculous" but not totally in a bad way. After all, the ending was great cuz I was like "Okay, grab the gun, just like last time" and then "oh wait no?"

YouTube search: Amazing Knife Kills Modern Warfare 2
(they're awesome)

 

[Ben7]

The ISS wasn't balanced for lean.

 

[duchaked]

But please, feel free to ignore this post if you want to ***** about a very good game because it's trendy to do so.

Or maybe I just don't like MW2 because it's not actually a very good game. Maybe that's possible too.

Regardless of how wrong it is, everyone is entitled to their opinion.

That attitude is really annoying. Sure it's not exactly all that smart to have blind devotion to a game, but it's just plain out aggravating for someone to hate something just because it's trendy. I mean, I'm not saying "don't do it" because I do it too (so would be hypocritical of me) with the likes of Harry Potter and other popular entities in media. But I try to keep it mum because I'd rather not be the stink to society around me (reduce my carbon foo- I mean, negativity footprint).

 

[duchaked]

Plot holes in modern warfare 2.

1. War between Russia and the USA would be nuclear, therefore impossible... unless they agree to fight in some other country with out nukes or allies with nukes.

Why would it be nuclear, there is no acceptable reason for why Russia would just say NUKE THEM because of a terrorist attack

M.A.D. (Mutuallly Assured Destruction) is a reason why nuclear war hasn't occured, because if Russia sent a Nuke to the US the US would send a nuke straight back and so on and so forth.

They invaded because they were pissed off about an American terrorist attack on Russian soil.

This occured in real life (See: US invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan) even though they believed they had nuclear weapons they still invaded.

In World War one every country had gas they could use on the enemy and this occured. So in World War 2 they recognized the harm it did so all governments agreed upon a policy of "We only use it if they do it first" The same applies with nuclear weapons in modern times

Not really a plot hole, in my mind

Still can't invade. As MAD dictates, if a nuclear country is brought to the brink of destruction, they will make a last ditch attempt to win, and launch all of their nukes, making invasion impossible.

I don't think America was to that degree of "oh gosh we're about to lose" really. More like "oh dear we're about to lose Washington D.C. and our historic landmarks there"

but yeah...not that you're wrong or anything, cuz if the war progresses any further to THAT degree then MW3 would be pretty short (like shorter, cuz you play as some guys at giant computers pressing buttons and the world is nuked to death)

lol

 

[Comma-Kazie]

Bad physics.