Counter Strike New Revealed
Valve finally revealed Counter Strike New after weeks of speculation. It's a major update to CS:GO that will put it on the Source 2 engine.
It also includes the ability to use smoke grenades that respond and sub-tick updates for servers. It's got plenty of armchair gamers going crazy but it appears to be a huge upgrade for the regular player.
Smokes
Counter Strike New is getting an update that will completely change the method of using smokes in the game. These changes are being dubbed as responsive smokes and are a huge game changer. Smokes will now expand to fill spaces naturally and move around objects on the map. They will also react to the lighting of the game, making their appearance more appealing and realistic. In addition to these new features, smokes are now be able to interact with gameplay events that will provide new tactical possibilities. Bullets, for instance will cause smoke to be pushed to temporarily clear sightlines. Hex grenade blasts will also disperse smoke occlusion.
Smokes are now more dynamic in the game. In previous iterations, smokes were a fixed shape and was limited in terms of how far they could go and the amount of vision it blocked. Smokes of the new design will fill the space they are placed and make it harder for players to see vision when they are present. This is a major upgrade that will make the game dynamic and will give both sides the same view.
Smokes will also react to the lighting as well as the weapons and the environment in the world space. This makes the smoke appear more realistic and allow players to use it in different ways to gain an advantage over their opponents. This is particularly useful in the chaotic matches that will happen on every map.
Smokes are no longer a one-way. This was a major problem in CSGO, since it allowed players to see the position of their opponents behind the smoke. Twistzz is a well-known 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 overlay visuals so they are in line with their camera position. The expiration of smokes was updated to match the visuals displayed on screen.
Loadouts
Players of CS:GO can now alter their weapon choices prior to the start of every match. The new loadout system allows players to choose weapons that suit their playstyles and team strategies. The new system also brings new tactical depth to the game because players must balance power and utility.
In addition to the brand new loadouts in addition to the new loadouts, the CS: GO update includes several other improvements and changes. Most important, the purchase menu has been completely overhauled. The old buy wheel has been replaced with a customizable grid that shows all options for purchase simultaneously. The grid is populated with five pistols, as well as five "mid-tier weapons" such as submachine gun, shotguns and rifles.
The new system will be easy to use, and will give players greater control over their weapon choice. It will allow them to pick the weapons that fit their style of play and team strategy the most, as well as experiment with different combinations. It also allows them to test out their skills against other players' loadouts and find out how they compare.
While many players appreciate the additional flexibility, others have criticized it for deviating from the essence of Counter-Strike. They also expressed concern about how it would impact agents' skins and loadouts specific to the map based upon visibility.
Despite these criticisms, the new loadout system will be tested in greater detail in the coming months. It is possible that some of these issues may be addressed in future updates, therefore it is essential to keep an eye on the site for more information.
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 and maps. The update will also live the players who are in violation of VAC rules during matches.
The latest CS: GO update is set to launch later in the summer. Players can now look over the complete list of features and upgrades by visiting the official CS: GO site.
Sub-Tick Updates
The world of Counter-Strike is constantly updated by the server in discrete intervals of time called ticks. The smallest delay between a tick and the mouse click of a player could affect the accuracy of a shot, and Valve is doing its best to make sure that CS: GO is responsive and smooth. A new video highlights one of the game's 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. Each of these tiny increments of time will be recorded by the client, and then transmitted to the server, which will then transmit the updated game state back to players. The servers will now know the exact moment you fired your shot and jumped, swung or made other inputs.
While a one-minute video is not enough to fully explain everything, the video explains that each piece of information sent by a client has an associated timestamp, and that the server will gather all 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 if the game's tick rate increases to 128 Hz, it'll be able to handle your commands instantly and consistently. And it's not just about increasing the tick rate, either; micro-tick updates can reduce input lag and latency by ensuring that the server responds to your actions with no delays or glitches.
Valve's technical improvements to the game are only beginning. The company is implementing dynamic smoke and particle systems to improve the way smoke interacts with the environment, and it's updating all maps with high-resolution textures, lighting and models. Source 2 tools and features will be used to upgrade all CS cosmetics and weapons.
Maps
The coming update for Counter Strike New will bring new maps to the game, alongside a few classics that are being given facelifts. The updates are being tested in limited beta. The first set of maps includes touchstone and upgrade maps that will see no major changes to gameplay, while others have been renovated or redesigned using the new Source 2 tools.
One of them is Overpass has been revamped to make use of the new engine's unison lighting system. The map's eerie underground has been filled with light to make it more spacious and less overcrowded. Smoke grenades are now expanding dynamically in order to fill spaces and interact with the light.
Another map that has been revamped is Italy that has been given an overhaul in texture lighting, structure, and lighting. The new version has a more balanced and natural feel as opposed to its predecessor, which was heavily CT oriented. In the future, fans can anticipate seeing classics like Aztec and Militia redesigned.
Although many of these maps are still available in other modes, they're no longer added to the competitive map pool. Train is the only exception since it was removed from Active Duty but will still be played in tournaments. Valve has not yet confirmed if the other maps removed from the pool will be added back.
One of the more controversial updates is one designed by Helsingin Sanomat, Finland's national newspaper. The newspaper has been vocal in its criticism of Russia's actions in Ukraine, and the map is based from the war-torn city of Donetsk. It's titled de_voyna, and includes a variety of references to the conflict.
In the future the developer will be releasing a collection of Source 2 tools for community map creators to use in their own creations. This will include features such as improved lighting and character reading, as well as physical-based rendering systems that produces realistic materials and textures. case opening will also make real-world objects, such as doors and windows, simpler to use. The update is scheduled to launch sometime in the summer.