Will the rumored Source 2 Counter-Strike be a new game or just a major update?
More than 12 years have passed famous moment ever since, when Gabe Newell was asked at an event about when Counter-Strike 2 will come out. Of course, not so long ago the announcement and release of CS: GO, which is growing in popularity to this day and is considered one of the best in the world’s leading electronic – considered sports title. But the game isn’t Counter-Strike 2 simply because it still uses the old Source engine. Plus, it wasn’t originally made as a full game, but as a console port compiled by third-party developers, and how to put it nicely… it was quite buggy. For a long time, people didn’t even think that the new title could replace Source and 1.6, which by that time was quite mature in a competitive sense. But in the end, Valve’s sponsorship and skins brought the expected success.
It’s been 10 years since then, and CS: GO is really thriving, despite the fact that really cool new content hasn’t been added for quite some time, and besides competitive sports and esports, almost nothing hooks players to it. The community was not comfortable with this strange situation, as everyone at least since 2015 had been waiting to see when the Source 2 update would come. The Valve engine, which was still new at the time, brought a lot of exciting changes to Dota2, and the Counter-Strike community , of whom he was always jealous, also longs for Gaben’s love. But Gabin didn’t even listen to us. Instead of an update, for 7 years CS: GO players have received almost nothing for what they poured their money into – except for Panorama UI.
What do players want? 128 tags, better VAC, better competitive experience, new tracks, better performance, better gameplay and more. So far, almost nothing has been achieved. We could probably have identified the first three if we had gone to FACEIT, which is a third-party platform. But after years of rumors about all kinds of unreliable characters, it came last week Nvidia leak With CS2 and CSS2.exes and Article by Richard Lewis. The latter, based on sources close to Valve, claimed that not only is there a new Counter-Strike based on the Source 2 engine, but some professional gamers have already been secretly testing it in Seattle and the beta could be launched in a matter of weeks.
But what’s the new Counter-Strike game everyone’s been talking about for a week? CS: GO 2? Counter Strike 2? That is the million dollar question now. And the answer, as in all of these cases: Yes. Until Valve comes up with its plan, we won’t know if it’s a truly new game or just the long-awaited Source 2 update. What does it matter? Well, in the first case, there will be two games, CS: GO and the new one. However, in the latter case, only one game remains at the end, the new game. If there are separate titles and in 5 years I want to have CS:GO because we want to be nostalgic with our friends, I’ll be able to do that easily. If it turns out to be similar to Dota 2 Reborn at that time, then after a while the new version will replace the old one, so the Source 2 version will be the only one. This is an important question only because a lot of people are talking about a new game, CS: GO 2 or Counter-Strike 2, but the most likely scenario is that this is only technically true.
According to a report by Richard Lewis, Counter-Strike based on Source 2 can solve many problems that have plagued the community in recent years. First, here comes 128 marks and a better competitive experience. These are all issues that Valve should have had great solutions for a thousand years ago, but it just didn’t make sense to force them into the old version. But in the meantime, people’s computers have become more powerful, so their needs have changed, so now they have to do something. More than once, it took Valve weeks to fix even minor bugs, so confusing was the outdated code they sourced from Hidden Path Entertainment. However, due to the semi-rewritten and more structured game, development and the game itself can become smoother, which means more and better content.
So, for example, they have a realistic chance of developing a MM system that can rival FACEIT – at least that’s the hope. Because at the moment, the rumor is that at the beginning of the trial period, the competitor will still work as it does now. However, this will be replaced by the new on-the-fly system, which can bring more dynamic leveling and even seasons to the game. But at least we got 128 tickets from the start.
By definition, the Source 2 engine can make improvements both visually and in terms of performance, because it supports a lot of new technologies from the 2000s that the old Source engine doesn’t. Of course, you shouldn’t expect miracles, the point is not to make Crysis in the 1920s. But it is really worth expecting better detail and more advanced course preparation procedures. Who wouldn’t want to see Dust2 reworked for a century at 16k? Well, right. 3D Zeus skins? I’m already opening my wallet! New tools could lead to a Steam Workshop renaissance, so Source 2 may affect the more frequent rotation of competitive levels in the future, not to mention the prettier skins.
Speaking of skates. There is a healthy fear here that if a new CS:GO is released, everyone will give up on everything. But one thing everyone knows for sure about Valve rules that out: they love money. It’s unbelievable to shoot yourself in the foot like that, so importing existing skins and stocks into the new version is inevitable. What we don’t know much about is Antichet. Historically, Valve doesn’t favor intrusive anti-cheats like FACEIT or Valorant solutions, so it’s really not worth expecting something like that. However, in the new version, there is at least a better chance that if someone finds a vulnerability, it will be patched faster by the developers.
Finally, Valve will have a huge impact on esports as well, since depending on whether we get a standalone game or an update, the community can split in two, as was the case with Source and 1.6 at the time. From a competitive point of view, it would be much more correct if Counter-Strike, based on Source 2, replaced CS: GO, because you don’t have to think about what the professionals play.
But this requires the game to run and this takes time. And let’s not even get into what would happen if the game mechanics changed drastically. If you do, they’ll announce that the Fall Major will play on it, but things could go very badly. Looking at it realistically, in the case of CS:GO it was more than a year before the regular release, at least that time you spend on it now wouldn’t hurt either.
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