First-person shooter video game Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) is a part of the Counter-Strike franchise. It was released to the public on August 12, 2011, and was created by Valve Corporation. Later, on August 21, 2012, the game was made available as a digital title for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Microsoft Windows, macOS, and finally Linux.
A few changes were made to the Counter-Strike series’ fundamental gameplay formula in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Weapon damage models were balanced in comparison to Counter-Strike: Source. Bullet penetration through some materials, objects, and walls has improved. Among other things, the radio commands for bots and players have been changed.
On September 27, Valve launched Counter-Strike 2, the free update to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. According to Valve, players of CS: GO won’t be left behind because all CS: GO items will transfer to CS2. Counter-Strike 2 will be free for the players, just like CS: GO. Recently on Steam, Counter-Strike 2 has replaced CS:GO.
Counter-Strike 2 is Valve’s fourth major release in the first-person shooter series. The initial game, which was based on a mod for Half-Life by Valve, was released in 2000. Then, in 2004 and 2012, Valve released Counter-Strike: Source and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, respectively.
When Counter-Strike 2 was first announced by Valve, the company promised a complete “overhaul to every system, every piece of content, and every part of the Counter-Strike experience.” Updated maps, dynamic smoke grenades, and sub-tick updates were shown by Valve during this event.
Counter-Strike 2 and Counter-Strike Global Offensive differences
Since CS: GO was first released more than ten years ago, CS2 will replace CS: GO’s outdated Source Engine with the more modern Source 2 Engine. This new engine will bring a complete overhaul to CS2. The changes are listed below:
- Improved Smoke Grenade Mechanics in CS2
The smoke grenades in CS2 are one of the largest modifications. According to the creators, the smoke grenades in CS2 are “dynamic volumetric objects that interact with the environment and react to lighting, gunfire, and explosions”.
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CS2 vs. CS: GO Maps
From CS:GO, maps in CS2 have also seen significant changes. Full Overhaul, Upgrade, and Touchstone categories are used to group the maps. Full Overhaul maps are entirely redesigned from the ground up, utilizing and showcasing all of the new features and enhancements of the Source 2 Engine.
Upgrade maps are maps that utilize the enhanced lighting system in the Source 2 engine and often appear better than their CS: GO equivalents. Finally, the maps produced by Touchstone have better lighting and character reads.
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Improved server performance
On game servers, the Source 2 engine enhances its performance. The tick rate is no longer calculated by the server. The architecture for sub-tick updates has been improved in Counter-Strike 2. This enables the servers to precisely track player movements, weapon fire, and grenade throws. Regardless of the tick rate, all game activities will have equal responsiveness.
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High-res models, Improved VFX, and UI
The game’s graphics, object models, and overall user interface (UI) have all been enhanced by CS2. High-resolution models of the characters and weapons have better details and lighting. The UI has undergone a significant redesign and has some spectacular animations. The game comes with enhancements to the animations, blood-spatter VFX, and muzzle flash.
Now with the launch of Counter-Strike 2, players will get to experience the new-generation first-person shooter game by Valve. Since the launch of Counter-Strike 2, Valve will now officially bid farewell to Counter-Strike Global Offensive.