Counter-Strike: Global Offensive

[Ennui]

Well, it looks like rumors have proved true: Valve is working on another Counter-Strike game called CS:GO (Global Offensive). It uses a modern updated version of the Source engine and has some classic maps, albeit sometimes heavily modified, as well as presumably new maps/content. More information coming tomorrow...

https://www.facebook.com/ESEA.net

It's being misreported as Counterstrike: Global Operation but according to a post on the Steam forums, Jess Cliffe confirmed that it is in fact Global Offensive:

http://forums.steampowered.com/forums/showthread.php?p=24307076

A redditor was at Valve today and played it:
http://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/jgehv/iama_guy_who_spend_the_day_at_valves_headquarters/

Decided to put this in the Games and Gaming section since the CS:S and Valve sections are all but dead at this point and we really just need a megathread anyway (it might get moved there once everyone hears about this though).

We should have a news post incoming once we get official word on the matter (presumably tomorrow morning).

edit: Some new info coming from the reddit thread:

Q: release date?
A: Q1 2012

Q: The big question: Will it have updated graphics but with 1.6 style gameplay? Which is, arguably, the more competitive of the two. Are they going for an esports title contender or are they going for a CoD-esque type game?
A: It is a mix really, it has wallspamming which is more like 1.6, but it is on the source engine, so the feel of it is more(but not exactly) like source. The flashes are also more like 1.6, where turning your back to them will make you a lot less flashed than looking straight at them, but they also have the sound from source. The smokes are like they are in the current source. There is also more tagging than in source, but the tagging also depends on the damage youre being dealt, so you wont be pinned to the ground by being hit by a glock for example ;>
They have a casual and a competitive more - the competitive mode is very esports-minded and will have a match-making and ranking system both for teams and individual players.

Q: any kind of estimate on when it'll actually come out? Does valve seem to be focused on fixing a lot of complaints from old source/1.6? Is this just essentially a huge update that'll cost $50?
A: Planned release is Q1 2012. The people here are all top players from source or people from the big communities, so they are very focused on fixing things that people have problems with in earlier versions of the game. It will have matchmaking and rankings, so it's not just another version of the same thing, it is mainly made for 5on5 play, so it's more about getting the "real" competitive experience than previous versions has been.

Q: Does the game resemble CounterStrike 1.6 or Source more?
A: Much more like Source, it's made on a newer version of the source-engine and the maps are (some of them heavily)modified versions of the source-maps.

Q: What was Valve mind set of the game? What ideas were they suggesting? Did you actually get to test some gameplay? Did they mention anything about the competitive side e.g 1mill tournament for this as they did for Dota 2?
A: Their mindset on it isn't that it needs to have the 1.6 players and/or source players all move to it necessarily, even though clearly theyre hoping to make it good enough that people want to move. They are very serious about making it a good competitive game though (there is a competitive and casual mode), which is proven by them flying in 20 top players from europe to help them test it.

We played the game yeah, they said we should suspect crashes and stuff, but it wasn't too bad. We we're 10 people playing in the room I was in and I think we had 3 crashes total in like 4-5 hours of play, so it's not too bad.

I'm pretty sure he said at lunch, that there wasn't going to be a dota2 style 1 million dollar tournament, but I only overheard that conversation, so I'm not 100% sure about what exactly he said.

In short:
- Release Q1 2012
- Matchmaking / individual and team ladder system
- Emphasis on competitive play, 5v5
- Casual and competitive modes
- Classic maps return, modified

Sounds like Counterstrike 1 1/2 more than 2 to me, basically. Some people are also saying that it's console oriented.

 

[-smash-]

I'm excited!

 

[sixteenth]

Well, time to start playing CS:S again.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

Welp, time to wait for EP3 some more.

 

[Ennui]

More from the same reddit AMA:

Ammo is free as in source, it was debated a couple of times through the day though, so it might not be how it's going to be in the final version, even though I personally think it won't have ammo-buying.

There are a few new guns (and all the guns have been changed more or less, but their current versions aren't at all final). There are also a couple of new nades, which are pretty cool. There are molotov grenades, which create a fire-blanket that slows players are little. It sounds crazy, but it actually played really well I think, even though the size/dmg might need a bit tweaking. The other new nade is a decoy-nade, that can play firing-sounds, so it can be used to fake that a player is in a position. Not sure how usable it is, but the idea is pretty nice I think.

In the current build armor is also free, but I am pretty sure this will be changed, at least for the competitve mode, since most people here thought it was a bad idea and there basically was no point to even have armor in the game, if it was given for free every round.

Because of this armor-change they also revamped the money system, which wasn't too nice, you didn't really get enough money, so sometimes you would end up needing to have 3-4 ecos or having won 5 rounds in a row and still only have 4k left xD This was also down to more grenades and other equipment being available though.

All the maps have names you know, but most of them have been altered. Dust2 only has very minor changes from the source version, but the other maps have some pretty big changes (most importantly dust and aztec have been changed to try and make them more usable for 5on5 play)

The deagle is about as powerful as in source, but it's hard to tell after such little playing time, we spent more time trying out other guns/stuff mostly.

 

[Dekstar]

Interesting... I'm up for a bit of something new, it'll be good to see how it pans out.

 

[Krynn72]

I'm up for a bit of something new

New as in two several year old games being mixed together into one game that still feels like both games?

 

[ríomhaire]

Surely there's going to be significant changes if they're going to release it for the third time? I mean splitting the playerbase up more just wouldn't be a good idea if this is just going to be Counter-Strike: Source: Source.

 

[Stormy]

I really hope it goes back to its roots. Would love it to have a real 1.5 feel when the game wasnt just a massive spray fest and the maps where super balanced rather then just made to look nice.

I am interested to see what there plans are but will have to wait and see really.

 

[BabyHeadCrab]

Oh... my god!

Yes!

 

[Shakermaker]

Welp, time to wait for EP3 some more.

This. I have never cared much about Counter-strike.

 

[Schmollian220]

Well Counter-Strike:Source's release coincided with Half-Life 2's release, so maybe they will release this alongside Half-Life 3?...... Maybe?.....You think?..... Yeah probably not.

Damn it Valve!

 

[Omnomnick]

Like I've said plenty of times, it's a new Valve game, so it'll be good.

 

[Unfocused]

Well Counter-Strike:Source's release coincided with Half-Life 2's release, so maybe they will release this alongside Half-Life 3?...... Maybe?.....You think?..... Yeah probably not.

Damn it Valve!

Yeah, maybe they'll throw in HL3 as a side dish!

-"Here's CS:GO and we throw in HL3 to sweeten the deal."
-"Whaaaa--? HL3, ohmygodohmygod"
-"Yeah, no biggie, enjoy!"

 

[hool10]

So CS since 2004 has gone from:

To the micro-transaction Chinese CS:

Hopefully they do it right and not add hats. CS was the game I would play every day when I was a kid and brought me into the multiplayer world. The only games that tore me away was NS and TF:C. Then of course BF2 came along and tore me away completely. However I became really good at CS. I remember joining a CAL team and we really dominated. CS 1.6 though is still the #1 PC action multiplayer game out there. Recently COD and TF2 have been dominating that spot but it always seems to crawl to the top again.

 

[ríomhaire]

Hool Counter-Strike has been back to having a much higher player count than Call of Duty for some time now and Team Fortress 2 only beats it when you compare it to CS and CSS separately. Combined they have a much higher playercount than anything else:
http://store.steampowered.com/stats

 

[Barnz]

I don't see any huge changes on the gameplay. I still want Tactical Intervention more.

 

[Escaep]

Sounds cool. I wonder if they're doing anything with Day of Defeat as well since I always seemed to prefer DoD to CS.

 

[hool10]

Hool Counter-Strike has been back to having a much higher player count than Call of Duty for some time now and Team Fortress 2 only beats it when you compare it to CS and CSS separately. Combined they have a much higher playercount than anything else:
http://store.steampowered.com/stats

Well of course CS beats TF2 in player numbers when you have 2 games against 1.

 

[Vegeta897]

Well of course CS beats TF2 in player numbers when you have 2 games against 1.

Then combine TF2's numbers with TFC if you want it fair :dozey:

 

[Quixoticism]

Interesting. I enjoy CSS every now and then but not enough for me to buy this.

Also I'm just going to put it out there that the micro-transactions for CS GO are going to be the sprays. It's going to cause a big upset with the existing player base but you can't have a competitive e-sport game with the kind of sprays that many players use. Spray micro-transactions area nice way to keep that under control while at the same time a resource for valve to make some money, and will likely support user created sprays like TF2 has user content on the store too.(but again, this is moderated by valve)

 

[Lobster]

Surprised to see this happen, and excited to see the changes they have made. The alternative casual-mode is interesting, I wonder if that is to keep a microtransaction store seperate from the main game.

 

[StarBob]

I've been over Counterstrike for years. Playing it as a mediocre mod for HL was neat for a while, but the game is mind numbingly repetative after a bit of time... and the concept of sitting there staring at your screen waiting for the next round just kills me. If I'm going to play a game, I don't want to spend just as much time waiting to play as playing. I went back to it recently in effort to obtain a ticket for that summer camp thing on steam and I was even more annoyed now than I was back when I played it. I just don't know how people get so committed to it.

I really think there are better multiplayer experiences out there for fans of the FPS. I'm frankly disappointed that with such great IPs, Valve is choosing to work on one I care so little about. I mean... I'd rather see a Left 4 Dead 3 than this...

 

[Shakermaker]

From the reddit AMA

A kinda funny side story though is that when we had just arrived in the states I was being asked a lot of questions about a customs employee about why I was here, who I was going to be with and if I was going to do work etc. and the guy acted as if he didn't know anything about what I was talking about - then when I was walking away he went "is it half-life 3?". I liked it!

 

[VictimOfScience]

Mmm, very excited about this. I LOVED CS:S for so long after HL2 so I am really hoping this gets me as involved if not more.