Counter Strike New Revealed
Valve finally announced Counter Strike New after weeks of speculation. It's a major update for CS:GO which will put it on the Source 2 engine.
It also introduces sub-tick server updates and smoking grenades that are responsive. It's got a lot of casual gamers going wild but it appears to be a huge upgrade for the regular player.
Smokes
Counter Strike New is getting a major update that will completely change the method of using smokes in the game. These changes are being dubbed as responsive smokes and will be a significant game changer. Smokes will expand to fill in areas and move around the map to move around objects. They will also respond to the lighting of the game, which will make them look better and more realistic. Smokes will also be able interact with events in the game. This will create new opportunities for tactical play. For instance, bullets could cause smoke to temporarily clear sightlines and hex grenade explosions will disperse smoke occlusion.
Smokes will now be more dynamic in the game. Smokes in earlier versions were a fixed object with a limited range of movement and vision blocking. The new smokes will fill the space they are placed and block more of a player's vision when they are in place. This is a major improvement that will make the game dynamic and provide both sides with the same view.
Smokes also react to light as well as the weapons and the surroundings of the world. This will make the smoke feel more real and allow players to utilize it in various ways to gain an advantage over their opponents. This will be especially useful during the chaotic matches that will take place on every map.
Smokes will also no longer be one-way, which was a significant problem in CS:GO and allowed players to view their opponents' positions from behind the smoke. Twistzz is a well-known CS:GO professional who claims that the new system makes CS2 more fair for both teams.
Other minor changes include adjusting smoke particles vertically to minimize the visibility of edges, and updating the spectator's smoke overlays to ensure they are in line with their camera's location. Also, the expiration of smokes has been updated to be more in with the visuals of how they fade on the screen.
Loadouts
The CS:GO players are now able to alter their weapon selection prior the start of each match. The revamped loadout system allows players to select the weapons that best fit their style of play and team's strategy. The updated system adds new depth to the game, as players must balance the power of their weapons and their utility.
In addition to the brand new loadouts in addition to the new loadouts, the CS: GO update includes several other enhancements and changes. The most important is that the buy menu has been completely overhauled. The old buy wheel has been replaced with a customizable grid that shows all available purchase options simultaneously. The grid has been populated with five pistols and five "mid-tier" weapons, such as submachine guns and shotguns, as well as five rifles and carbines.
The new system is easy to use and gives players greater control over their weapon selection. It will allow them to select the weapons which best suit their style of play, team tactics and play around with various combinations. It will also allow them to test out their abilities against other players' loadouts and find out how they stack up.
Many players have praised the flexibility, while others have criticized it for deviating away from the essence of Counter-Strike. There have been concerns over how it will affect loadouts specific to maps and agent skins dependent on visibility.
In spite of these criticisms the new loadout system will be tested more extensively in the coming months. It is possible that some of these issues may be addressed in future updates, therefore it is essential to stay tuned for more details.
Workshop Tools are also included in the update, and can be enabled from the settings menu. This lets community contributors design weapons finishes and stickers as well as maps. The update will also the players who are in violation of the VAC rules in matches.
The latest CS GO update will be released in the middle of summer. Players can now check out the full list of new features and upgrades by visiting the official CS: GO site.
Sub-Tick Updates
The server updates the world of Counter-Strike in discrete intervals of time known as ticks. Valve is determined to ensure that CS: GO is responsive and smooth. The smallest delay could impact the accuracy of an attack. A new video shows the most significant improvements to the game, which is also known as sub tick updates.
Rather than a 64-tick update every millisecond, CS: GO will now be able make use of sub-ticks (or as Valve calls them, "micro-ticks") to communicate with the server. The client will record each of these tiny increments and send them to the server. The server will transmit the updated game's state back to players. The servers will know the moment you fired a shot or jumped, or swung, or pounced.
While a one-minute video is not enough to fully explain everything, the video explains that every piece of information sent by clients has a timestamp, and that the server will collect all the information from all players in chronological order prior to sending it back. According to the video, a CS: GO server will be able to send up to twice as much information as a 64-tick server.
This means that even the tick rate of the game increased to 128 Hz it will still be able handle your commands instantly. The micro-tick updates also reduce input lag by making sure that the server responds to your actions without any glitches or delays.
This is clearly only the beginning of the technological enhancements Valve is making to the game. Valve is currently implementing dynamic smoke and particle systems to improve the way smoke interacts with the surrounding, and it's updating all maps with high-resolution lighting, textures and models. Source 2 tools and features will be used to upgrade all CS cosmetics and weapons.
Maps
The next update for Counter Strike New brings new maps and a few classics that have been updated with facelifts. These updates are currently being tested in a limited-test beta. The first set of maps comprises upgrade and touchstone maps that won't see major changes to gameplay, while others have been fully rebuilt or overhauled with the latest Source 2 tools.
Overpass is one of these maps that has been reworked in order to make use of the new engine's unified light system. The underpass of the map has been filled with light which makes the area more spacious and less crowded. Additionally smoke grenades are now able to expand dynamically to fill spaces and interact with the new light.
Another map that's been overhauled is Italy, which has received a significant overhaul in texture lighting, structure, and lighting. The new version is more balanced than its predecessor which was heavily CT oriented. Fans can expect a few more classics, including Aztec and Militia which will be updated in the near future.
These maps won't be added to the map pool for competitive play even though they're still playable. The exception is Train which has been removed from Active Duty and will continue to be played in tournaments. Valve hasn't yet confirmed whether the other maps that were removed from the pool will be added back.
One of the more controversial updates is one created by Helsingin Sanomat, Finland's national newspaper. The news agency has been a vocal critic of Russia's actions in Ukraine and the map is based from the city that was devastated by war in Donetsk. The map is called de_voyna, and it contains a number of references to the conflict.
case opening will release a collection of Source 2 Tools for map makers in the near future. This will include features like improved lighting and character reading, as well as physical-based rendering systems that creates realistic materials and textures. It will also make real-world objects, like windows and doors, easier to use. The update is scheduled to release sometime this summer.