Valve has officially unveiled the second part of the popular multiplayer shooter Counter-Strike. The game has left the beta testing stage and is now available to anyone for free. The developers announced that they will transfer all content from CS:GO, so gamers will be able to upgrade to CS:GO 2 without loss and continue playing with all the accumulated goodness.
Counter-Strike 2 has been ported to a new game engine – Source 2. Almost all maps have been redesigned using new tools and technologies, including rendering technology. Some maps were remade from scratch. Valve said that a little later all the tools will be available to modders to create their own maps.
A subtick structure appeared. Now the system instantly learns about the actions of the players – their movements, jumps, throwing grenades, shooting, like any action in CS:GO 2, do not depend on the server update frequency.
The creators of the game worked on smoke grenades. Counter-Strike 2 uses dynamic volumetric particles for them. They learned to interact with light and their surroundings. This means that each bullet now temporarily dispels the smoke screen. It also uses updated lighting and particle systems from Source 2. They are needed to rework the behavior of fire, water, smoke, flashes and other effects, making them as realistic as possible.
Fans of the game and ordinary gamers can expect a large number of innovations, both cosmetic and functional.
Separately, it is necessary to say about the updated rating. The table now contains a separate skill indicator, which determines the player’s position in global and regional leaderboards. In order to increase your rating, you need to play in the updated Premier mode.
We went through Valve’s sound effects and interface. The former have been improved, and visual effects for the player’s state have appeared in the interface. Skin lovers will be pleased with their high quality. Firstly, due to the same Source 2 engine, which works great with light and materials, and, secondly, thanks to higher quality textures.
The game is already available for download. For switching from the first part to Counter-Strike 2, players will receive a special medal.
