Counter-Strike 2

Counter-Strike 2

A global gaming phenomenon, the flagship of all FPS games (first person shooter), esports giant and for some an interesting business. Counter Strike: Global Offensive has received countless nicknames and titles, and rightfully so, but in recent years it has started to decline – in all aspects. However, Gabe Newell, director and co-founder of Valve Corporation, did not idle and after endless waiting, he came up with a sequel to the legendary shooter. But that raised an endless number of questions. Is it a full-fledged sequel? How much will it affect the esports scene? What about the skins from CS:GO? Will players return in large numbers? A month after the release, we are able to answer most of these questions.

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History of a game that changed the gaming industry

In 1999, most of the population feared what the turn of the millennium would bring. Especially what it would mean for computing technology, which was then on the rise. What if the three zeros that the next year would bring, would jam all computers? Luckily for us, the guys at Valve Corporation didn’t dwell on these questions and were hard at work on a new title called Counter Strike. A team-based shooter with a simple principle had a long road ahead, but even then it was something new, something fresh and the then-small gaming community warmly received it. The first versions weren’t very polished, it took many trials and errors before they reached the version Counter Strike 1.6. It was then, in 2003, that it truly won the hearts of fans and the first amateur tournaments began. An appealing look, polished shooting mechanics, high competitiveness… Gabe’s recipe worked. In the same year, the Steam platform was also released, but no one yet knew what to expect from it. A year later, Valve tried to replace 1.6 with a new engine game: Counter Strike Source. It achieved greater success, but the competitive scene (then still in its infancy) eventually returned to the previous version. Until 2012. The promised end of the world then only occurred for Counter Strike 1.6, which had already conquered the world. The arrival of Counter Strike: Global Offensive was accompanied by huge excitement. A graphically advanced game (running on the Source engine) at the time had good playability and the same beloved principle – playing terrorists and cops. It didn’t take long and it completely displaced the previous versions from players’ minds. The first cases with skins followed, it was the first microtransactions in games. Everything was enabled by the fully developed gaming platform Steam, which came up with the idea of an inventory and an internal wallet. Operation followed operation, new skins replaced the old ones and it seemed that nothing better could come. The esports scene was then at its peak, titles like Star Craft and Warcraft III were breaking attendance records and CS:GO was competing with them effortlessly. But everything is too much. Valve recorded a huge outflow of players, reduced activity on its marketplace, and scandals with unregulated gambling games, where skins were used as payment – thus gambling was accessible to minors as well. It seemed that the strong flame of one era was slowly dying out. But Gabe said no and with the announcement of Counter Strike 2 he poured a tanker of gasoline into the dying flame.

Game preview

What is Counter-Strike 2 (CS2)?

That’s a tricky question. The uninformed would say it’s a new game, but that’s not entirely true. Although it uses the improved Source 2 engine, it doesn’t show much new. It’s like CS:GO got a new cosmetic coat, adjusted shooting, and slightly better grenade physics. Most faithful FPS players would agree with me. CS2 also changed a few gameplay elements (new shopping menu, weapon selection settings, fewer rounds), but it still remains the same beloved shooter where players play as bandits and sheriffs. Whether it’s good, in a time when most developers just recycle old games, is up to you to decide. For Valve and actually also for gaming communities, it meant one thing: revitalization of the not-so-active skin market. Old players are returning to try the new version of their favorite game and new players want to find out what the fuss is all about. And no one wants to run around without a cosmetically upgraded weapon! Secondary online marketplaces and websites offering case openings are experiencing a renaissance. But before we dive into this topic, we need to inform newcomers about what this game is actually about.

Minimum HW requirements

Operating system: Windows 10 Processor: Intel Core™ i5 750 with 4 hardware threads or better Graphics card: 1 GB memory or more and recommended compatibility with DirectX 11 and Pixel Shader 5.0 DirectX: 11.0 Operating memory: 8 GB Hard disk: 85 GB …and of course an internet connection.

Game modes

As we mentioned earlier, the game is almost the same as CS:GO, we completely meant it. Game modes have not changed. So there is the classic deathmatch (team or everyone against everyone, you choose the weapon yourself), arms race (team deathmatch, you get a new weapon for a kill), casual mode (ten against ten, terrorists must plant a bomb) and demolition mode (arms race + casual mode). If you prefer fewer players, then Wingman (2vs2) is suitable for you. Of course, any of the modes can also be played against bots. The most important and at the same time most popular aspect is of course the Competitive mode. Here, five-member teams – terrorists (T) must plant a bomb, counter-terrorists (CT) prevent it. The change compared to CS:GO is in the number of rounds. Compared to the original 16 rounds for victory, the number has been reduced to 13 won. This obviously also affects the game economy. The game is faster and players must watch their finances. There is also less room for mistakes. Another change is also the selection of the competitive map. Unlike the previous version, it is selected from seven active maps by voting. Teams alternate in banning maps and the last one remaining is played. In CS:GO we might know this mechanic from the Premier mode. Compared to the original version, we have lost two modes: Danger Zone and Flying Scoutman, but the popularity of these modes was almost at freezing point.

Playability

Strategic skills play second fiddle here, far more important is being able to shoot the opponent. Fortunately, the recoil of the weapons has only changed slightly compared to CS:GO. Players who stand at the top of the esports scene spend long hours just training their aiming. For this, deathmatches or maps with bots are most suitable.

Maps

Again: everything remains the same as in CS:GO, but it can be expected that we will see new maps in the future. This decision is quite logical: teams spend a long time perfecting tactics on one map (there are always seven active maps) and the transition to CS2 in the esports world was almost instantaneous. So we can shoot on all the classic maps (maps in the current active service: Mirage, Vertigo, Inferno, Anubis, Ancient, Overpass, and Nuke), but if you play other modes than competitive, you will also experience other well-known places (e.g. Short Dust, Dust II or Office).

Weapons

Now really for the last time: no change with the new version. Among the pistols, we still find the popular Tec-9 or deadly Desert Eagle, from heavier calibers players choose from well-known shotguns, machine guns, and rifles. However, matches are still dominated by the Russian AK-47, sniper AWP, and police M4A4 (or its quieter sister M4A1-s). The first noticeable change that relates to weapons can be found in the shopping menu. Before the match, you can select which weapons will be available to you (you can no longer have all available) and for the first time there is also the option of returning a purchase (however, this can only be done at the beginning of the round). Weapon prices have remained the same.

Skins or the oldest internet currency

“How much is that knife skin? At least for €500, right?” I ask an old friend. “For two USPs, I spun it on Hellcase,” he proudly replies. Before cryptocurrencies and virtual wallets, there was the Steam platform. Its developers one day decided for extra monetization of their game. Optional monetization, but the community will eat you up if you don’t participate. Cosmetic additions to games sounded like a wonderful idea. Add to that a certain form of gambling like the lottery (read: opening cases) and you have a recipe for a perfect business. Of course, only a few cases will drop and you have to buy a key for them. If you want more cases, you can buy them on the marketplace, where they are offered by other players. They will thus earn money, but the earnings can only be spent again on our platform. Gabe is a pretty slick businessman and all credit to him that this idea worked. And not only did it work, but it created a completely independent market economy detached from the outside world. Each skin has its value. Everyone can deal with their skin as they want – as long as it’s within the bounds of the Steam platform. But a few individuals wanted to convert an expensive skin into real money. That’s when the first marketplaces started appearing. A few more individuals thought about how they could further appreciate their skins. That’s how the first casinos and gambling rooms, where cosmetic additions were used as currency, came into being. Websites offering the opening of lucrative cases outside of Steam were a natural development. Although skin transfers happen outside the Steam platform, skins still remain in Steam inventories. Today, we can look at the world of skins from CS:GO (now from CS2) from several perspectives: collector’s, investor’s, trader’s, or completely innocent, when a person just wants to enhance their gaming experience. Most people were afraid of the new version of Counter Strike. What will happen to the skins? Previous versions did not have cosmetic additions. Valve came up with a simple and elegant solution: all skins are transferred to the new game.

Esports as a top sport?

Finally, we have reached the point where the general public will not look down on you if you tell them that you play video games. The strange dogma surrounding players is slowly dissipating, and we see it mainly in the esports scene. When the Polish player PashaBiceps lifted the trophy overhead, the uninformed might think it was probably some bodybuilding contest. No, this was not about muscles, but about accurate aiming and the right strategic decision. And about winning one million dollars. Yes, the best teams compete for such high amounts, from the first amateur tournaments in basements, e-sports has reached sold-out stadiums. Today, successful teams are trying to be set up even by athletic clubs (e.g. football Porto), sponsors are rushing from all sides and the amounts you can reach as a player are increasing. Most top esports players operate on a basis of monthly salaries and bonuses for winning tournaments. The problem arises when the game ceases to be attractive – the original enthusiasm wanes, matches become stale over time. A slow drain of fans then does not take long to appear. Where there are no fans, there is no money. Therefore, it was so important that a new version of the popular shooter – Counter Strike 2 – and breathed new wind into the sails. Today, the first tournaments in CS2 are already being played and according to the viewership numbers, it looks like esports and the associated economy around skins will not die anytime soon. And the dream of a young player that one day they will play on a large stage for a crowd of people, lives on.

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2️⃣ Are there still weekly cases dropping in the new CS2?

3️⃣ When was Counter Strike 2 released?

Peter Broz

Article author – esports expert
Email: peter@slothbet.com

I came into contact with playing computer games long before a billion-dollar business with professional teams emerged around them. Although I never reached the professional level, I still have many acquaintances among the top esports players today. At SlothBet, I will primarily contribute to the esports section.

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