Valve will release Counter-Strike 2 this summer as a free upgrade for CS:GO
Valve has officially announced Counter-Strike 2. This first-person shooter is based on the Source 2 engine and features improved maps and a significantly better tick rate compared to CS:GO. The shooter will be released this summer as a free upgrade for CS:GO.
Counter Strike 2 receives several improvements over Global Offensive. Valve speaks on Twitter about an ‘overhaul of every system, every piece of content and every part of the Counter-Strike experience’. The studio shares details about three such improvements. Among other things, the maps in the game will receive upgrades and revisions that ‘take advantage of all new Source 2 tools and rendering features’. The developer said he used three approaches.
Valve calls the first approach ‘touchstone’, which was used for ‘classic maps with good foundations. These maps receive improvements in lighting and character read, but otherwise remain unchanged. For the second approach, certain playing fields will receive ‘upgrades’. These use updated Source 2 lighting with an improved rendering system for realistic materials, lighting effects and reflections. The oldest playing fields have also been completely rebuilt with Source 2.
An example of a map that has been completely rebuilt: Overpass. Left Counter-Strike 2, right Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
The tick rate of Counter-Strike 2 should also be significantly better than that of CS:GO. The tick rate dictates how quickly certain actions, such as shooting or moving, are evaluated by the game server. This happens at specific moments, called ticks, and the time between different ticks ‘doesn’t exist’, Valve says. A low tick rate can therefore cause delays. Counter-Strike 2 will have a system with sub-tick updates for this. According to Valve, servers know the exact moment when a player moves or fires a shot. The server calculates which actions players perform between ticks.
Furthermore, smoke is improved in Counter-Strike 2. Smoke grenades are now dynamic, volumetric objects that respond to the environment, such as lighting, shots and explosions. For example, smoke can be temporarily blown away by shots and grenades. Smoke must also naturally fill a room and can also seep through doorways and broken windows. Furthermore, the UI and audio have also been revised for CS:2. Source 2 tools will also be available to community members who create their own maps.
Valve is now starting limited playtests of Counter-Strike 2, the company writes on the new game’s website. That test version will be available to a small number of CS:GO players, that have been selected based on the amount of recent playtime on official Valve CS servers, the ‘trust factor’ and Steam account status, among other things. Users who have been selected will be notified in the CS:GO main menu. More players will be added to the test version in due course.
Counter-Strike 2 will be officially available via Steam this summer. The game will then become a free upgrade of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Users keep their inventory of skins after the switch. Valve says it will share details about “all new features in the game” this summer, upon its official release.