MW3 players argue the revered Shipment map may have “ruined” the perception of good Call of Duty maps.
The smallest map in the series, Shipment, has been a fan-favorite locale since the original Modern Warfare days. It’s resurfaced a number of times since then, including in Call of Duty’s newest installment – 2023’s Modern Warfare 3.
Players tend to respond well to the fast-paced and chaotic action that Shipment’s streamlined scale provides. However, some fans are questioning whether the beloved map may have done more harm than good in the long run.
Such thoughts stem from complaints that some of Modern Warfare 3’s other small maps feel too big.
MW3 players say Shipment “ruined” Call of Duty maps
A Redditor posed the following question to COD players in a recent thread: “Does anyone else think that shipment has ruined people’s perception of a good map?”
They said the thought hit them after seeing someone argue that the Skidrow map is “too big for 6v6.” The user continued, “…it just got me wondering how we got to the point that Skidrow is considered a big map.”
One concern is that feeding into this idea will encourage developers to design smaller and smaller maps as time goes on.
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Many MW3 players responded saying they agree that, while Shipment’s great, they wouldn’t want it to become the blueprint for all future Call of Duty maps.
Reads one such reply, “I really like Shipment, when I want that type of gameplay. However, I would not like every game to be like that.”
Someone else echoed this sentiment, noting that variety is key to what they want out of Call of Duty. The user explained, “I like Shipment for ‘quickly’ getting camo challenges done and levelling weapons up… [but] I like a variety of maps depending on what I want to use or play.”
Another person chimed in to say the skewed perception may be Warzone’s fault. “I blame Warzone because maps like Shipment have been around since CoD4. There’s a [subset] of CoD players that just use multiplayer as a means to level up their weapons and get camos just to use them in Warzone.”
Whatever the case, it seems many would agree that variety is the spice of life when it comes to play spaces in Call of Duty.