Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO), the popular multiplayer shooter developed by Valve, is finally getting a sequel!
Counter-Strike 2 is scheduled for release this summer as a free upgrade to the current game, with a closed beta beginning this Wednesday, Mar. 22. The creators of Steam are hailing it as "the largest technical leap forward in Counter-Strike's history."
What revolutionary enhancements should you expect?
In any case, Valve has not confirmed anything just yet.
The company noted on the game's website, "All of the game's new features will be revealed when it officially launches this summer, but the road to Counter-Strike 2 begins today as a Limited Test for select CS:GO players. During this testing period, we'll be evaluating a subset of features to shake out any issues before the worldwide release."
Nevertheless, Valve has shown off a lot of the finer-grained updates coming to Counter-Strike 2, as per Kotaku's report. While they may not impress casual players, those who have invested hundreds of hours into the game over the last decade will find them to be a welcoming change.
According to Kotaku, some examples of such enhancements are:
- Volumetric smoke grenades
- "Tick rate no longer matters"
- New and improved maps
- Upgraded Source 2 mod utilities
- Higher-resolution models of firearms
- Better blood splatter
- "Completely reauthored explosions"
- Enhanced audio quality
Given the central role smoke grenades play in CS: GO's tactical gameplay, it is hardly surprising that Valve has dedicated a significant portion of the sequel's presentation to discussing how smoke effects will now alter lighting and interact with other components like bullets.
Fans of the first Counter-Strike will be pleased to learn that their favorite CS:GO skins will carry over to the sequel, with updated graphics to match.
Highest-Impact Tech Shift in the Game
Valve is dubbing a new system the "sub-tick update architecture," which may be the most significant technological change for professional players.
Historically, tics have been used to quantify player activity in Counter-Strike, with the resulting sequence of processing resulting in some degree of imprecision. With the new approach, "servers know the exact instant that motion starts, a shot is fired, or a 'nade is thrown," Valve explains. The consequence is that your moving and shooting will be equally responsive regardless of tick rate, and your grenades will always land the same way.
Popularity Over the Years
Originating as a Half-Life mod, the first Counter-Strike game was released in 2000. Though there have been many additional titles in the series, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive in 2012 has established itself as the series' flagship product. Despite not receiving massive seasonal upgrades like other live-service blockbusters, it is consistently the most-played game on Steam, averaging roughly 1 million players at once.
Time will tell whether Counter-Strike 2 improves upon the formula that made its predecessor so successful or if it can attract a whole new set of gamers.
