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Counter-Strike Source Rated, Explained, Compared

Posted by simoniker on from the strike-up-the-band dept.

Thanks to Gotfrag for its extremely comprehensive review of Valve's Counter-Strike: Source PC team-based FPS, following its recent debut for select cybercafes, and, as of Wednesday, "extended to owners of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero; and ATI Fulfillment Coupon holders." GotFrag points to physics improvements as a particular highlight ("If your teammates are dead, finding their [physics-affected limb] positions may help you understand how they died"), before concluding: "While many changes are worthless eye candy to those who play seriously, the improved graphics and game play presentation will assist Counter-Strike in becoming more spectator friendly." Eurogamer also has hands-on comments on the "subtle and generally benign" gameplay alterations.

50 comments

  1. TV Tie in by cluke · · Score: 5, Funny

    "If your teammates are dead, finding their [physics-affected limb] positions may help you understand how they died"

    I can see the TV show now - CSI : Counter Strike!

    "Yeah, I'm pretty sure this guy was shot"

    1. Re:TV Tie in by gl4ss · · Score: 1

      haha..

      seriously though, some of these improvements were already in mods in other games(like in sas for ut2004).

      anyhow.. how about they get the damn HL2 out? cs:source has "team fortress classic" written all over it with sprayed on words.

      --
      world was created 5 seconds before this post as it is.
    2. Re:TV Tie in by Soul-Burn666 · · Score: 1

      They mean for example that if you see your teammate splattered upon the LEFT wall, pretty far from where u assume he went, you could assume there's a sniper on the RIGHT side...

      Or if you see your dead teammate somewhere high, and in pieces, you can understand a grenade was involved.

      --
      ^_^
    3. Re:TV Tie in by KDR_11k · · Score: 5, Funny

      "This one died from an awp."
      "How can you be sure?"
      "He wrote 'OMFG U camping faggot!' with his own blood."
      "Ah."

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    4. Re:TV Tie in by focitrixilous+P · · Score: 1

      If they make it really accurate, I suppose you might be able to tell where he got sniped from. I doubt it, and by the time you've figured it out the sniper has moved or you're dead, but it might be useful.

      --
      SAILING MISHAP
    5. Re:TV Tie in by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      At the risk of sounding like a troll, what is an awp? I've never heard that term before and a quick google search didn't come up with much.

      Thanks in advance

    6. Re:TV Tie in by carlcmc · · Score: 1

      AWP is a sniper rifle that is one-shot-one kill that people with great snap aim and a good ping can use to completely decimate teams in certain situations. Some people get extremely bent out of shape about getting killed by a sniper who by definition, sits and snipes.

  2. Quake by dmayle · · Score: 2, Funny

    finding their [physics-affected limb] positions may help you understand how they died

    Give me Quake physics anyday. Hmmm, yep, I think this teammate got fragged... ;)

  3. Mirror by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

    Counter-Strike Source Review

    By: Jason Coene, last updated August 15 2004 at 9:28 PM EDT

    The rumors are spreading, and people are getting anxious to get their hands on Counter-Strike: Source. Many people have ventured to their local LAN centers, which often aren't all that local; just to get first impressions for the new game. What's new? What's changed? Is it still playable? Could it actually be an improvement over 1.6? We'll tell you...

    First Impressions

    The Source Engine

    Years in the making, and the official platform for Half-Life 2, the Source engine is what Valve is hoping will set the bar in computer gaming. Gone are the days of flat and scripted environments, stiff models, and half-hearted special effects. The new version of Counter-Strike is based on the Source engine, and that's why it's called Counter-Strike: Source (or CS:Source).

    This review will focus primarily on the changes made to the actual game itself, and secondly the changes that have been introduced as byproducts to the adoption of the Source engine. We'll spare you the details that don't matter - you'll get plenty of those when you play the game, starting August 18th for CZ owners.

    Living Environments

    The first time you get into a game, you'll be amazed at how well the environments have been put together. Barrels aside ramps and corners take the place of the typical boxes and crates. Bottles and cans line the alleys in Dust, which before was a sandstorm figure in the middle of nowhere, and now oozes Middle Eastern architecture and war-torn background ambience.

    Bomb A in Dust is no longer wide open with the same old boxes, but instead a wasteland of interactive and static objects for defense, offense, hiding and baiting. Counter-Strike Source has introduced dynamic environments to the most popular first person shooter, and all that we can say is... thanks Valve! Not only do the interactive objects in Source leave a lasting impression and improve the overall player experience, but they add to the dynamic experience of actually playing. Barrels can be rolled into position, they can be shot at realistic angles to slide or tip them. Tires can be rolled. Whiskey flasks can be kicked and shot into pieces.

    Environmental Effects

    Valve has stepped up the realism once again. Half-life was one of the first games to feature wall "types". Some walls are cement, others plaster, wood, sand, etc. Different objects had unique sounds and "breakaway" particles associated with them. The Source engine has increased this capability in several ways.

    If you've seen the Matrix (who hasn't, right?), you're familiar with the office building scene where Neo and Trinity blast away a lower level filled with pillars. The walls, the floors, and the pillars themselves were made of marble. Source doesn't go so far as to allow you to actually chip away at walls, however it makes you feel like it's so during a firefight. Clipping walls as you trace a player behind them will give you the feeling that you're actually doing damage to the structure. Bullet impressions stay, and look very realistic.

    When you chop away at a sandy wall, it will spew dust. Tiled floors will reflect the lighting, including shadows cast by objects and players. Not only are the effects visually impressive, but they improve the overall atmosphere and realism of the game.

    New Physics System

    The talk of the town, people have been perhaps most impressed with the improvement in physics in the latest games, including Far Cry, Doom 3 and now Half-Life 2 (or Source games). I've seen them all, and Source has the most impressive physics system yet. Players slump in realistic positions when dead, barrels take gun impact in a fashion that can only be described as lifelike, and objects move with absolute freedom. When you push a tire down a hill, it rolls exactly as you'd expect.

    Additionally, as you get into firefights, your guns fly all over. It's almost comical. When you hit the "drop weapon" key,

    1. Re:Mirror by YOU+LIKEWISE+FAIL+IT · · Score: 4, Insightful
      Gone are the days of flat and scripted environments, stiff models, and half-hearted special effects

      Half-Hearted? Do you remember how ga-ga the gaming press went at the visuals when HL1 was released? Frailty, thy name is the gaming press.

      YLFI
      --
      One god, one market, one truth, one consumer.
  4. So to get it... by Peter+Cooper · · Score: 1

    This all looks really good. I've avoided CS in the past because of its use of the 1999 HalfLife engine (nothing wrong with it, just it's not up to, say, RTCW quality) but this looks and sounds excellent.

    So, to get this, I need to buy Counterstrike: Condition Zero.. and then after that I'll be able to get it for free, right? Or what? I don't see any mention of this in the various stores, so I'm assuming Source isn't going to be a standalone product..?

    1. Re:So to get it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      This is just a beta for CS: Source. They're only letting in people who bought Condition Zero before the deadline (a few days ago) or bought an ATI card that came with the "free Half-Life 2" coupon. As for the final (non-beta) CS: Source, to my knowledge it's not clear yet if it'll be given free to all original CS owners, or if it will be included with HL2. I'm hoping they won't try to charge extra for it for people who already have HL1 or 2.

      "Source", btw, is the game engine. It's not a standalone program you'll be downloading separately.

    2. Re:So to get it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no it'll only be available through hl2, it wont be free for hl1 owners.

    3. Re:So to get it... by Xylaan · · Score: 2, Informative

      Source is the 3D engine used for half-life 2. Currently, Condition Zero players are being allowed to download the beta version.

    4. Re:So to get it... by sevensharpnine · · Score: 3, Informative

      Do not buy Condition Zero. The game is a terrible flop. This entire CS:Source release is just an attempt by Valve to cash in on the pre-game hype surrounding the HL2 launch (hype created, in part, by willful lies [HL2 was going to be released last year] on Valve's part). Last week, after the CS:S beta was announced for Condition Zero owners, Valve's own Steam product starting forcing users to view ads featuring Condition Zero. In a nutshell, the CS:S release is just a pathetic attempt to try and sell Condition Zero (and maybe make up for the insane prices levied to cyber cafes). The CS release is just another shameless money grab by the gaming world's newest corporate monster.

      --
      "God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." -Voltaire
    5. Re:So to get it... by chaosmage42 · · Score: 1

      "..the [is] game set to be bundled with Half-Life 2 and made available as a standalone purchase (and followed by Source versions of TFC, Day of Defeat and others).."

      --

      done
    6. Re:So to get it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Valve isn't forcing anyone to buy it. You are more than welcome to just say no.

    7. Re:So to get it... by Khasmo · · Score: 1

      First of all, since when did it become evil for a company to try to make money. The bottom line is, if people are willing to buy something, for what ever reason, as long as the product isn't being misrepresented, then more power to the company for having found a way to add value to a 'flopped' product. My only concern would be that people would buy CS:CZ expecting to be able to play CS:S indefinately, and that may not be the case.

    8. Re:So to get it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      CS:s is the multiplayer part of HL2. There is no free upgrade from any previous versions of CS because this is a NEW game (not a mod). In order to own and play CS:s you must own a copy of HL2 (and have steam... yuck)

    9. Re:So to get it... by Khasmo · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Also, I think that this is a great way to test the Source engine. The get to distribute an early version of the game to dedicated fans and get valuable feedback to make the release of HL2 go well. In my book that's a win-win.

      Now if you didn't purchase CS:CZ, you don't HAVE to participate in the beta. You'll just have to wait for the release of HL2 like everyone else.

      Apologies for the double post. Damn submit button is right next to the preview button.

    10. Re:So to get it... by sevensharpnine · · Score: 1

      To be clear, I never said making money is evil. The fact that makes me angry is that Valve is manipulating the hoard of idiot fanboys who will do anything to get a glimpse of the HL2 engine. If this were a discrete event, I would laugh it off. But given the pre-launch success of HL2, I suspect other companies will try the same stupid shit. The trend here is that a game's success is getting to be far too dependant on the game's pre-sale hype. How much is Valve spending on these stupid marketing campaigns? How much money from a typical project is diverted from the game into stunts like this? Do you think future games will get hyped more and more if HL2 sells millions? Valve has the legal right to do all of this, and I respect that right. But watching the drooling fucktard gamespy crowd get lead around by their noses before the game is actually released is depressing. We would all have better games if we acted like intelligent consumers. Instead, we'll have better marketing campaigns.

      --
      "God is a comedian playing to an audience too afraid to laugh." -Voltaire
    11. Re:So to get it... by That's+Unpossible! · · Score: 1

      We would all have better games if we acted like intelligent consumers.

      You have seriously failed to prove this statement.

      Instead, we'll have better marketing campaigns.

      In the end, marketing can only sell stuff until the first round of consumers get their hands on it. Then it's word of mouth that will make a game truly successful or a flash in the pan.

      Watching the drooling fucktard gamespy crowd get lead around by their noses before the game is actually released is depressing.

      So don't watch.

      --
      Ironically, the word ironically is often used incorrectly.
    12. Re:So to get it... by KDR_11k · · Score: 1

      We would all have better games if we acted like intelligent consumers.

      You have seriously failed to prove this statement.

      Exhibit A
      Exhibit B

      --
      Justice is the sheep getting arrested while an impartial judge declares the vote void.
    13. Re:So to get it... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Apologies for the double post. Damn submit button is right next to the preview button."

      No no -- the problem is that the Preview button TURNS INTO the Submit button!! The Preview button is then displaced to an alternate, although adjacent location.

      Leave it in the same F*(%*($ place already!! :P

    14. Re:So to get it... by BigAl_nz · · Score: 1

      Also, as of the 18th August, if you have one of the ATI - HL2 deals (9800XT 9600XT with HL2 coupon) you can pull the game from Steam.

      Check out the offer for details of how to get it.

      I'm not a CS player myself, but I pulled it down to have a look at the new engine. Very nice, looking forward to HL2.

      --
      --- There isn't any problem that can't be solved by a small, low yield nuclear device, is there??
  5. I saw it by Moo+Moo+Cow+of+Death · · Score: 5, Informative

    I saw it played last night, it had MUCH improved physics and gameplay. Previously I, along with many of my friends had put it out of mind because it was considered a "n00b" game to anyone with real gaming talent. Now it's got real recoil, a semi-interactive environment and lots of fancy effects. Even the flashbang got upgraded to a "real" flashbang, not only blinding you but also disorienting your sounds where all you hear is a ringing noise (mostly true, it disorients your senses). You can even throw crap on top of the bomb to help prevent counter terrorists from defusing it. Smoke grenades actually make people's models harder to see, not just deploy smoke in the area (think a small amount of invisibility almost), and entering the smoke not only blocks your visions slightly, the gamma lowers on your screen so it looks darker, and GRADUALLY to make it more realistic. Anyhow there was quite a bit added, it makes me drool in anticipation for HL2 :)

    1. Re:I saw it by DerWulf · · Score: 1

      wasn't CS the first game that sported 'realistic' weapon models at all and introduced recoil and bullet spray (were bullets don't exactly hit what you aimed for, increasing with distance)? I am just asking, because those things I remember distinctivly being in CS.

      --

      ___
      No power in the 'verse can stop me
    2. Re:I saw it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      yeah, this guy has no idea what he is talking about. Probably his views of the current game is accurate...but it is pretty clear he knows nothing about the original CS. There are a lot more pro-gamers that play CS than any other fps...so him calling it "n00b" pretty much proves he is full of crap.

    3. Re:I saw it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      CS wasn't the first to do much of anything. It was just the most popular mod that did those things. Action Quake 2, for one, had realistic weapon models, bullet spray, and recoil, and even basic Quake 2 had bullet spray and recoil of a sort. I'm not even saying those were the "first" to do any of those things. I'd wager such concepts are so obvious that any number of people could have implemented them independently.

    4. Re:I saw it by Nalgas+D.+Lemur · · Score: 1

      Before that, Marathon (one of Bungie's first FPS games) had both bullet spray and weapon recoil in its pretty-impressive-for-the-time (1994, I think, around the time Doom II came out, a couple years before the first Quake game) physics model. I never played Pathways into Darkness, another FPS by Bungie from a year or so before Marathon came out, enough to know if it could do either of those, but even if it didn't, it wouldn't surprise me if someone else had already done it by then, or at least thought of it, although that's almost getting back in time as far as Wolf3D...

    5. Re:I saw it by DerWulf · · Score: 1

      yeah, somehow I knew when I typed it that I was probably wrong about the 'first' part. Also, eventhough my sentence conveyed things differently, when saying it was the 'first to' I was exclusivly thinking about realistic weapons. At least CS is the first game/mod where I saw actual real world weapons (and only those) available.

      --

      ___
      No power in the 'verse can stop me
    6. Re:I saw it by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      "Previously I, along with many of my friends had put it out of mind because it was considered a "n00b" game to anyone with real gaming talent."
      You guys are idiots, it's the leetest game you can play. All the leet people play it.

  6. How can that help? by tod_miller · · Score: 5, Funny

    "finding their [physics-affected limb] positions may help you understand how they died"

    So if I find a guy with no arms, legs or head, then I am gonna have a damned hard time trying to figure out how he was killed.. what is that noise behind me?

    --
    #hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
    1. Re:How can that help? by katanan · · Score: 3, Insightful

      well i think the main upside to it would be the position of the body in relation to the map, say if you see a dead teammate lying right inside the door you can be pretty sure someone is watching that door and by the way the body could be contorted by the bullet/death you can determine which way the enemy is camped. and although i have not played i'm pretty sure the limbs don't rip off, when was the last time you saw an arm get ripped off from getting shot with an mp5?

      this has helped me in games like Call of Duty when you can kinda tell the direction of an enemy through how a body falls (sometimes) but the improved physics of CS:S should help in this area a great deal.

    2. Re:How can that help? by Soul-Burn666 · · Score: 1

      If it was realistic, then limbs can pretty much be severed even from an SMG, and certainly from an assault or a sniper rifle. Hell, a real sniper bullet can kill things that are near the hit area at around a meter radius, even if the target itself isn't hit.

      --
      ^_^
    3. Re:How can that help? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      right....

      we don't die from shock in CS, nice try.

    4. Re:How can that help? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      it's called shrapnel, you baka

    5. Re:How can that help? by johnnliu · · Score: 1

      > So if I find a guy with no arms, legs or head,

      You sure that's a 'guy'? Could be anything really.

    6. Re:How can that help? by tod_miller · · Score: 1

      I know there is no dismemberment in HL/CS. I like Soldier of Fortune for that. And Hitman CN47 has the *best* rag doll physics engine for body hits. Hit them int he head, it acts like a skull being hit, the arm acts like an arm. A clean shot through the neck gives a nice vertical decent.

      The best Jerry.

      Maybe liking dismemberment is a little sick... but it is funny as heck in GTA:VC et al! :-)

      --
      #hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
    7. Re:How can that help? by tod_miller · · Score: 1

      I am just gonna pick up some nearby guns, you can play 'frisk the freak' by yourself ;-)

      --
      #hostfile 0.0.0.0 primidi.com 0.0.0.0 www.primidi.com 0.0.0.0 radio.weblogs.com
    8. Re:How can that help? by NealokNYU · · Score: 1

      Thanks for mentioning this. It drives me nuts how I can near-miss someone with the AWP and it doesn't take the guy's face off anyway. I mean, part of the purpose of a sabot dart tank round is to make use of the vacuum effect! When we learned about shooting the .50 cal machine gun, we were instructed on how the Geneva Convention mandates that it is not an anti-personnel weapon; yet if you fire a hot-dog sized round through the driver's canopy of, for instance, a personnel carrier, the sheer force of the bullet's wake could kill everyone in the vehicle! Yet I've never, ever seen this effect modeled in a game. People might say it's unbalanced to be able to effectively snipe around a corner, but I say just don't give as much ammo to weapons whose rounds would tear flesh just by passing by in real life.

      --
      I'm funny. If you come see me perform, I will make you laugh.

    9. Re:How can that help? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So if I find a guy with no arms, legs or head, then I am gonna have a damned hard time trying to figure out how he was killed.

      But it'll make it easier to determine which one of your teammates it is. For instance, if the body is lying in front of a door, it must be Matt. If it's pinned against the wall, it must be Art. And if it's floating in the water, then it must be Bob!

  7. sys requirements? by putch · · Score: 1

    so. do i need a doom3 computer rig to get this to run?

    --
    just because I don't care doesn't mean I don't understand!
    1. Re:sys requirements? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      no

  8. Not again by Lisandro · · Score: 0

    "While many changes are worthless eye candy to those who play seriously, the improved graphics and game play presentation will assist Counter-Strike in becoming more spectator friendly."

    Am i the only one who finds these comments bothering? Sheeze, "play seriously"? "spectactor friendly"? It's not soccer, get over it. The average person doesn't care. You're not an athlete just because you can reach out for your Cheetos faster than anyone else inbetween frags. No, you won't make a career out of it.

    It's a game, it's fun; why can't we keep it that way? Nothing is hurting CS more than some of their fans.

    1. Re:Not again by 33degrees · · Score: 1

      Well, being a relatively poor player, I spent at least half my time dead, watching the game, and the improved physics will definitely make that more entertaining...

    2. Re:Not again by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Besides your trollability, I fail to see how CS is hurt?

      It's one of the most popular online games right now and has been for years. If anything it's a measure of how a successful serious group of gamers can make a sport out of a video game. The fact that you need spectators illustrates this pefectly. I'm not really a fan of the game.. I guess it's too new school for me. I prefer Quake 1 Clan Arena.. now that's good physics, but I still think you're way off base in claiming CS is hurting in any form.

  9. On Athletes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Athlete literally means "gamer".

    "Sport" encompasses "mind-sport" and has for thousands of years.

    HTH

  10. Great but... by MMaestro · · Score: 1
    Did you play the game modded or unmodded? I'm sure the moment the game gets released publicly (not limited to LAN center), chances are people will find a way to basicly nullify all the changes. After all, in CS we have people who can snipe people while in mid-air, a good pistol shooter can take down someone with an AK, the graphics for the flashbang are often turned down or outright disabled client-side making them ineffective, smoke grenades are a joke even against newbies due to narrow hallways and chokepoint, and insane amounts of ammo you can hold removes the need to watch your fire (120 rounds in reserve in a game where matches are often less than 3 minutes long?).

    Weren't these things supposed to be what the original CS was supposed to bring, only to have them modded out/'figured out' and made common knowledge in months after its release?

  11. Sweet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    An early chance to write my aimbots before the final release!