All You Need to Know About The Updates In Source 2
Topic: The Next Era of CS:GO: Counter-Strike 2 released beta
After many rumors in the CS:GO community, especially after many changes to the Twitter banner, various suspicious actions of core developers, many changes in the code base, and other more or less insightful hints Valve has officially announced a new version of the popular game CS:GO, called Counter-Strike 2.
It includes overhauled maps, improved lighting, changes to smoke grenades, and sub-tick servers replacing the previous tick-rate system, which was heavily criticized. A limited test of the new features was released on March 22, available to selected players chosen by Valve and the full game will be available for free to all players in Summer 2023. Despite being over ten years old, CS:GO continues to hit new player count records and this trend will not stop with the release of Counter-Strike 2.
Eric jAlex
Counter-Strike 2 - Responsive Smokes
Valve has made significant changes to smoke grenades in Counter-Strike 2, giving them the ability to interact with other gameplay events. The grenades are now dynamic volumetric objects that respond to lighting, gunfire, and explosions. Bullets and HE grenades can temporarily clear sightlines or expand occlusion by pushing the smoke.
Counter-Strike 2 - Sub-Tick System
Many players were expecting Source 2 to include official matchmaking servers to have a tick-rate of 128 as already provided by many third-party CSGO matchmaking platforms. As already predicted by the community this will not be the case as the developers of Counter-Strike 2 have introduced a sub-tick update that ensures players' movements and shooting will be equally responsive regardless of the tick rate. This means that the server will know the exact moment a player fired a shot, jumped, or peaked, making the game more accurate and fast-paced. The server will calculate the precise actions between ticks, making the tick rate no longer a factor for moving and shooting.
Counter-Strike 2 - Leveling Up The World
Counter-Strike 2 has "different types of maps" that are somewhat fully overhauled using new Source 2 tools and rendering features (e.g. Overpass), upgrade maps that feature new Source 2 lighting with realistic materials, lighting, and reflections (e.g. Nuke) and touchstone maps which are classic maps that serve as a reference point for players to evaluate gameplay changes from CS:GO to Counter-Strike 2. The touchstone maps as Dust II have some improvements to lighting and character visibility but have not been otherwise altered. Community map makers for Counter-Strike 2 will have access to the Source 2 tools and rendering features, making it easier for them to build, experiment and iterate on their own maps.
Counter-Strike 2 - Bringing Your Inventory to Life
In Source 2 players can bring their entire CS:GO inventory with them and all items collected over the years will benefit from Source 2 lighting and materials. The game supports legacy models and finishes and all stock weapons have been upgraded with high-resolution models. This might even make it possible to revive old and unattractive skins and crafts and might be the start of a new era of the CS:GO skin scene.
Counter-Strike 2 - Stunning Visual Upgrades
Counter-Strike 2 features updated visual effects throughout the game, including redesigned gameplay visuals for readability, reauthored environment effects with improved visual fidelity and a completely overhauled UI with fresh visual effects that communicate important game state. The game leverages Source 2 lighting and particle systems for an all-new look and behavior for water, explosions, fire, smoke, flashes, bullet tracers and impact effects. Additionally, directional blood impacts provide players with more information as they move through the world.
Counter-Strike 2 - Accurate Audio
The audio in Counter-Strike 2 has been reworked, rebalanced and reverbed for a more accurate reflection of the physical environment, improved distinction, and to express more game state. The changes were made to create a more comfortable audio experience for players.
Conclusion
After what feels like an endless wait we finally got Source 2 within CS:GO and some pretty promising changes have been announced. The test phase only evaluates some of the new features to fix major issues before the release in the upcoming sommer. It's time for Counter Strike 2 - be hyped, the future of the game we all love is more than bright with updates like that one! Cheers.
