Counter-Strike is a first-person shooter video game that was originally developed as a modification of the popular game Half-Life in 1999. It was created by two developers, Minh Le and Jess Cliffe, who later worked with Valve Corporation to develop the game into a standalone game. The game quickly gained popularity, becoming one of the most played online games in the world. Counter-Strike 1.6 was released in 2003 and remained the most popular version of the game until the release of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) in 2012. The game stayed that way for more than ten years, until yesterday when Valve finally announced Counter-Strike 2, the long-awaited upgrade to CS:GO.
Valve is offering a limited beta to select members of the game’s community. The game has been fully overhauled to update every system, content and aspect of the Counter-Strike experience. Valve has moved the game to the latest version of its in-house Source 2 engine, which will result in a noticeable improvement in graphic quality. Counter-Strike 2 will feature sharper textures, more realistic lighting, and additional geometry.
Valve has taken a three-tier approach to level design. Touchstone maps, such as Dust 2, will mostly remain untouched. Upgrade maps will use the enhanced lighting pipeline to improve the materials and reflections’ realism, while Valve plans to completely overhaul a handful of levels to take full advantage of its engine.
The gameplay has also been enhanced with the move to Source 2. For example, smoke grenades will now exist as volumetric 3D objects within the game world, which will make them responsive to other gameplay elements. For instance, shooting or throwing grenades through the smoke will allow vision through the smoke for a split second. Valve is also overhauling the game’s server architecture to support sub-tick updates, which should make the new entry feel like the most responsive Counter-Strike game to date. This will be the biggest gameplay shift from the last game, which relied on 64-tick updates for registering in-game movements and other actions, such as shooting.
Valve’s announcement of Counter-Strike 2 has generated a lot of excitement within the gaming community. With its enhanced graphics, improved gameplay, and overhauled server architecture, Counter-Strike 2 looks set to deliver an upgraded and thrilling experience for its loyal fans.
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