Modern Warfare 3 players divided over slide to sprint delay reduction

Players debate whether there should be a delay after slide-canceling in MW3 after Sledgehammer Games decreased the timing.

There has always been some sort of sliding mechanic in Call of Duty titles, but each one does it slightly differently. With the continuation of MW2 came yet another version of the slide. Instead of an instant slide, Sledgehammer added a short delay after the player stopped sliding to when they began sprinting again.

The initial slide delay was released during the first week of the beta from Oct. 6 to Oct. 10. This delay was discussed on Reddit among other players, who all agreed that the movement felt “clunky.”

After the initial beta testing on PlayStation, Sledgehammer made sure to address the community’s concerns with the current version of the game. They not only considered the sliding delay, but also visibility of enemies and the tuning of certain weapons.

MW3 players urge Sledgehammer to remove slide delay altogether

Sledgehammer released a statement after the patch notes detailing the specific change made to sliding in MW3. They decreased the sliding delay down to 200ms in hopes that the motion would feel more smooth than the previous build.

An update is now live in the #MW3 Multiplayer Beta to decrease the slide to sprint delay by 200ms! Give it a try, and let us know how it feels 🤝 pic.twitter.com/FFn1ZRurvj

— Sledgehammer Games (@SHGames) October 12, 2023

“An update is now live in the MW3 Multiplayer Beta to decrease the slide to sprint delay by 200ms,” said Sledgehammer. “Give it a try, and let us know how it feels.”

Although the change was appreciated by players, a majority of the comments below the post suggested the delay be removed from the game entirely. One Twitter user slammed the studio, claiming that their focus on movement should not coincide with the term “delay.”

“The studio who claims to be focusing on “freedom of movement” and “fluid movement” should never even have to mention the word “delay” when referring to movement,” said xcellerations, “We’re asking for removal, not decrease.”

Oct. 12 marks the opening weekend for Xbox and PC players to test out the latest build of the beta. Sledgehammer took fans’ wants into consideration the first time around and implemented changes accordingly. There could still be hope for a complete removal of the slide delay by the time the game is released in November.