Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 Beta Addresses Long-Standing PC Issues

The upcoming Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta may have solved the annoying 'Compiling Shaders' wait and 'Update Requires Restart' phenomenon for PC players

The Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4 beta is scheduled to start soon, and it may bring some exciting news for PC players. According to Infinity Ward and co-developer Beenox, the beta may have eradicated the elongated wait times associated with compiling shaders, a problem that has plagued PC gamers for a long time.

However, compiling shaders can take time, and it has to be done in full when starting a game for the first time, after updating GPU drivers, and when major patches are released. This can be frustrating for PC players, especially when compared to console players who do not have this problem due to standardized hardware and software configurations.

This means that once the download is complete, shaders start pre-loading in the background, reducing the wait time for players. However, there are some caveats to this technology. For example, the Battle.net launcher appears to be the optimal way to experience this tech during the beta, as it is the only place where shader pre-loading begins by default.

Update Requires Restart Phenomenon

The beta is also addressing another long-standing PC technical issue: the 'Update Requires Restart' phenomenon. This occurs when the game checks for updates and requires a restart before the update can take effect. Infinity Ward is reducing the number of instances where this is necessary, making it possible for more types of patches to be downloaded without requiring a restart. The following table summarizes the platforms that will benefit from this change: | Platform | Benefits from Change | | --- | --- | | PC | Yes | | PlayStation 5 | Yes | | Xbox | No, but developer is working to reduce required restarts | | Nintendo Switch 2 | No |

The Modern Warfare 4 beta starts soon, and PC players can pre-load the game today. To play, PC players will need to enable TPM 2.0 and Secure Boot, as they are both required. The beta may bring some exciting changes for PC players, and it will be interesting to see how these changes are received.

Source: Eurogamer