Counter Strike New Revealed
Valve finally revealed Counter Strike New after weeks of speculation. It's an update to CS:GO that will put the game on the Source 2 engine and make some major visual changes.
It also introduces responsive smoke grenades and sub-tick updates for servers. It's got plenty of armchair gamers going crazy but it looks like an enormous improvement for the average player.
Smokes
Counter Strike New is getting a major update that will completely alter the smoking system used in the game. These changes, known as responsive smokes, will be an important game changer. Smokes will expand to fill up spaces naturally and then move around objects on the map. They will also respond to the lighting of the game, making them appear more attractive and realistic. Smokes will also be able interact with gameplay events. This will create new tactical possibilities. Bullets, for instance, will push smoke to temporarily clear the sightlines. Hex grenade blasts will also disperse smoke and occlusion.
The biggest change to smokes is that they will now be a more dynamic part of the game. Smokes in previous versions were a fixed shape and was limited in the distance they could go and the amount of vision it blocked. The new smokes will occupy the space in which they are placed and block more of a player's vision when they are there. This is a major improvement that will make the game more exciting and give both teams the same level of visibility.
In addition to this, smokes will now react to the surroundings as well as weaponry and lighting in the world. This makes the smoke appear more real and allow players to use it in a variety of ways to gain an advantage over their opponents. This is especially beneficial in the chaotic matches that are expected to occur on every map.
Smokes will also no longer be one-way, which was a significant issue in CSGO and allowed players to view their opponents' positions behind the smoke. Twistzz is a popular CS:GO professional who believes the new system will make CS2 more fair for both teams.
Other minor enhancements include changing the vertical position of smoke particles to reduce the visibility of edges, and updating viewers' smoke overlay images so they are in line with their camera's location. The expiration time of smokes has been updated to be more in line with the visuals of how they fade on the screen.
Loadouts
Players of CS:GO can now customize their weapon choice before the start of each match. The new loadout system lets the players to choose weapons that match their playstyles and team's strategy. The new system also brings new tactical depth to the game as players must balance firepower and utility.
In addition to the new loadouts in addition to the new loadouts, the CS: GO update includes several other improvements and changes. The buy menu was completely redesigned. The old buy wheel has been replaced with an adjustable grid that shows all available purchase options simultaneously. The grid has been populated with five pistols and five "mid-tier" weapons like shotguns and submachine guns, as well as five rifles and carbines.
The new system will be simple to use, and will give players more control over their weapon selection. It will allow them to select the weapon that best suits their style of play and team strategy the most, as well to experiment with various combinations. It will also enable players to test their skills against other players' loadouts and see how they compare.
While many players are pleased with the added flexibility, others have been critical of it for straying from the core essence of Counter-Strike. There have been concerns about how it could affect the specific loadouts for maps and skins of agents dependent on visibility.
In counter-strike cases of these criticisms the new loadout system will be tested more thoroughly in the coming months. It is possible that some of these issues may be addressed in future updates, therefore it is vital to keep an eye out for further information.
Workshop Tools are included in the update and can be enabled via the settings menu. This allows community members to create weapons finishes and stickers as also maps. Additionally the update will live ban players who violate the rules of VAC during matches.
The new CS GO update will be released in the coming summer. Players can look over the complete list of features and updates by visiting the official CS: GO website.
Sub-Tick Updates
The world of Counter-Strike is constantly updated by the server in discrete increments of time called ticks. The tiniest delay between a tick's time and the mouse click of a player may have an impact on the accuracy of a shot, and Valve is doing its best to ensure that CS: GO is fluid and responsive. A new video highlights the biggest improvements made to the game, referred to as sub tick updates.
Rather than an update of 64 ticks every millisecond, CS GO will now be able to make use of sub-ticks (or as Valve calls them, "micro-ticks") to communicate with the server. Each of these small increments of time will be recorded by the client and sent to the server, which then transmit the updated game state back to players. The servers will now know the exact moment that you shot your shot and jumped, swung and other inputs.
While a minute-long video is not enough to explain everything, the video explains that each piece of information sent by a client has an associated time stamp. The server will gather all information from all players in chronological order before sending it back. According to the video it is believed that a CS: GO server will be able to send more than twice the data as a 64-tick servers.
This means that even when the game's tick rate increases to 128 Hz, it will still be able to handle your commands instantly and continuously. And it's not solely about increasing the tick rate also, micro-tick updates also reduce latency and input lag by guaranteeing that the server responds to your actions with no delays or glitches.
Valve's technical improvements to the game are just beginning. Valve is currently implementing dynamic smoke and particle systems to improve how smoke interacts with the surrounding and is upgrading all of the maps with high-resolution lighting, textures, and models. All CS cosmetics and weapons will get a facelift with Source 2 tools and features.
Maps
The next update for Counter Strike New brings new maps as well as some classics that have been updated with facelifts. The updates are currently being tested as part of a limited test beta. The first set of updates includes an upgrade and touchstone maps that will not see major changes in gameplay, whereas other maps have been completely revamped or rebuilt with the help of the new Source 2 Tools.
Among these, Overpass has been reworked to make use of the engine's new unified lighting system. The map's dark underground has been flooded with daylight to make it more spacious and less overcrowded. In addition, smoke grenades will now expand dynamically to fill spaces and interact with the new light.
Italy is another map that has been revamped. Its texture, lighting and structure have been significantly improved. The new version is more balanced than its predecessor, which was heavily CT-sided. Fans can anticipate a few more classics, including Aztec and Militia which will be updated in the near future.
While many of these maps are playable in other modes, they're not being added to the competitive map pool. Train is the exception because it has been removed from Active Duty but will still be played in tournaments. Valve hasn't yet confirmed whether the other maps that were taken will be added back to the pool.
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 against Ukraine. This map is based off of the conflict-ravaged Donetsk. The map is called de_voyna and includes a number references to the conflict.
The developer will release a set Source 2 Tools for map makers in the near future. This will include features like improved lighting and character read, as well as physical-based rendering that produces realistic textures, materials, and reflections. It will also allow for easier implementation of real-world objects, like windows and doors. The update is expected to be released sometime in the summer.