Counter Strike New Revealed
Valve finally announced Counter Strike New after weeks of speculation. It's an update for CS:GO that will put the game on the Source 2 engine and make some major visual changes.
It also introduces sub-tick server updates as well as responsive smoke grenades. It's got plenty of armchair gamers going crazy but it looks like a huge upgrade for the regular player.
Smokes
Counter Strike New has a huge update that will change the way smokes work in the game. The new changes are being referred to as responsive smokes and will be a major game changer. Smokes will expand to fill up spaces naturally and move around objects on the map. They will also react with the lighting of the games, making them look more realistic. Smokes will also to interact with game events. This will provide new opportunities for tactical play. Bullets, for instance will cause smoke to be pushed to temporarily clear sightlines. Hex grenade blasts can also disperse smoke occlusion.
The biggest change to smokes is that they will become a more active part of the game. In the past, smokes were a fixed shape and was limited in terms of how far they could travel and the amount of vision it blocked. The new smokes will occupy the space they are located and make it harder for players to see vision when they are present. This is a significant change that will make the game more dynamic and provide both teams with the same level of visibility.
In addition, smokes will now react to the surroundings weapons, lighting, and environment in the world. This will make smoke more realistic and allow players to utilize it to gain an advantage over their opponents. This is especially beneficial during the chaotic matches that will happen on every map.
Smokes are no longer one-way. This was a major problem in CSGO, since it allowed players to see the location of their opponent from behind the smoke. Twistzz is a renowned CS:GO professional who believes the new system will make CS2 more fair for both teams.
Other minor improvements include changing the vertical position of smoke particles to minimize the impact of edges, and updating spectators smoke overlays to ensure that they correspond to their camera's position. The expiration time of smokes was updated to be more in accordance with the visuals of how they fade onto the screen.
Loadouts
CS: GO players are now able to customize their weapon choices prior to the start of each game. The revamped loadout system allows players to choose the weapon that best match their playstyle and team's strategy. The updated system adds new depth to the game, as players must find a balance between the power of their weapons and their utility.
In addition to the new loadouts, the CS: GO update includes many other improvements and changes. The buy menu was completely revamped. The old buy wheel has been replaced with an adjustable grid that displays all available purchase options simultaneously. The grid is comprised of five pistols as well as five "mid-tier weapons" such as submachine gun, shotguns and rifles.
The new system will be simple to use and will give players more control over their weapon choice. It will allow them to select the weapons which best suit their style of play, team strategy and experiment with different combinations. They can also compare their loadouts with other players and observe how they compare.
While many players are pleased with the additional flexibility, others have criticized it for deviating from the fundamental premise of Counter-Strike. They have also raised concerns over how it will affect loadouts specific to maps and agent skins that are based on visibility.
Despite these criticisms the new loadout system will be tested in greater detail in the coming months. Some of these issues might be addressed in future updates. It is essential to keep up-to-date for more details.
Workshop Tools are also included in the update and can be enabled via the settings menu. This allows community members to create weapon finishes and stickers, as well as maps. In addition, the update will now live ban players who break the rules of VAC during games.
The new CS GO update will be released in the coming summer. Players can now check out the complete list of features and updates by visiting the official CS: GO site.
Sub-Tick Updates
The world of Counter-Strike is constantly updated by the server in discrete time increments called ticks. Valve is determined to ensure that CS: GO is responsive and smooth. The smallest delay can affect the accuracy of the shot. A new video shows one of the biggest under-the-hood improvements, known as sub-tick updates.
Instead of a 64-tick-update each millisecond CS:GO can now use sub-ticks, or as Valve calls them, "micro ticks", to communicate with the servers. The client will take note of each of these tiny increments and transmit them to the server. The server will transmit the updated game state back to players. The servers will know when you shot, jumped, or peeked.
While a one-minute video is not enough to cover everything, the video explains that every piece of information sent by a client has an associated timestamp, and that the server will gather all the data from all players in chronological order before sending it back. According to the video the CS: GO server will now be able to send up to twice as much data as a 64-tick server.
This means that even when the tick rate of the game is increased to 128 Hz it can still handle your commands instantly. It's not solely about increasing the tick rate either; the micro-tick updates will also reduce latency and input lag by guaranteeing that the server is responding to your actions without delays or glitches.
It's evident that this is just the beginning of the technical enhancements Valve is making to the game. The company is working on dynamic smoke and particle systems to improve how smoke interacts with the environment and is upgrading all of the maps with high-resolution textures, lighting and models. All CS: GO weapons and cosmetics will also be updated with Source 2 tools and features.
Maps
case opening update for Counter Strike New brings new maps and a few classics with facelifts. These updates are being tested in a limited beta. The first set includes an upgrade and touchstone maps that won't see any significant changes to gameplay, while other maps have been completely revamped or rebuilt using the brand new Source 2 Tools.
Overpass is one of these maps that was reworked in order to benefit from the new engine's unified illumination system. The map's eerie underground has been flooded with daylight, making it more spacious and less crowded. Smoke grenades now expand dynamically in order to fill spaces and interact with light.
Another map that's been overhauled is Italy that has been given an overhaul in texture lighting, structure and texture. The new version has a more balanced feel than its predecessor which was heavily CT oriented. Fans can anticipate a few more classics, like Aztec and Militia which will be updated in the future.
These maps won't be added to the map pool for competitive play, even though they are still playable. The only exception is Train, which has been pulled out of Active Duty and will continue to be played in tournaments. Valve hasn't yet decided whether the other maps that were removed from the pool will be reinstated.
One of the more controversial updates is one created by Helsingin Sanomat, Finland's national newspaper. The newspaper has been open in its criticism of Russia's actions towards Ukraine. This map is based on war-ravaged Donetsk. The map is called de_voyna, and includes a variety of references to the conflict.
In the near future, the developer will be releasing a set Source 2 tools for community map makers to make their own maps. This will include features like improved lighting and reading of characters, as well as physically-based rendering that produces realistic textures and materials. It will also make real-world objects, like doors and windows, simpler to use. The update is scheduled to release sometime this summer.
