9 replies to this topic

[Wobblefoot]

So, the successor to Counter-Strike: Source is currently in closed beta, and I was curious if anyone in the IMG community got in? I received an invite about a week ago, and have played it a little bit. It is currently only available for Windows, but it should be ported to Mac OS sometime down the road.

I'm no veteran to the CS franchise, but so far it seems pretty fun. It is fairly lackluster, though, in terms of "cool mechanics" like vehicles, cover, and other things offered by other modern FPS games, but I guess those aren't what CS is about. That said, I'm not sure how much draw the game will have for me in the long run since I don't fancy myself a "competitive gamer", but it's fun enough that I'll keep playing and helping the beta team put some polish on it prior to release.

[Wumpus]

Tried the original CS off a $5 Steam sale and ended up playing it for like 30 minutes. Found it boring and uninteresting. I'm all for hard, complex or challenging games, but that one didn't appeal to me at all.

On the beta front though I never got an invite that I know of, probably because I don't play CS or didn't apply for any beta.

[Thain Esh Kelch]

I tried CS:S, and it didn't appeal to me either.. I don't get why it is so popular..

[The Liberator]

I have been playing CS on and off since 2005. I used to play with friends at school and at internet cafes. It was actually the first PC FPS I came across and actually started playing. I own Source and have played 1.6 quite a lot, and CZ a bit; I however am not in the closed beta.

I think Wooblefoot has brought up an interesting point, in that the game mechanics are rather bare, at least compared to most games of around this time. When the game was in late beta stage (2002-2003), the general mechanics and concept of the game was completely down and things were not going to change at all from then until the present day. There have been three revisions of the game since its last beta release; Counter-Strike 1.5. The only real changes in the game have been its graphics and rewriting of a whole new engine; Counter-Strike: Source. !.6 was the final release and Condition-Zero was an overhaul.

I have found, as there is no cover mechanics, no pure vehicle mechanics and the gameplay is rather simple (in many ways), it is an excellen test of a player's skill. I might add though, the community is one of the highest competitive and rather tough to break into. Unlike the Modern Warfare series, the Halo series or even the Battlefield series, I think the skill level and conveyance of it is much more than in those games. Unlike many of those games, CS is not suited for the average gamer, whom may own a console, or that type of game. There may however be times where one may be able to play with others on servers, but the way the game is exploited and used, is completely different in my mind, than to others. I would think that CS is more like Unreal Tournanment 2004 and the Quake II/III games, where a higher skill level, really can be a cut above.

My ¢2, which are very possible wrong.
Liberator.

[Janichsan]

The Liberator, on 19 March 2012 - 07:08 AM, said:

Unlike many of those games, CS is not suited for the average gamer, whom may own a console, or that type of game.

An yet, Valve is trying to cater to exactly those gamers with CS:GO. The matchmaking is planned to provide you with opponents on your own skill level and there will be console versions. (On a sidenote: luckily, Valve seems to have realised that pitching PC and PS3 players against each other is not a very good idea.)

[The Liberator]

Janichsan, on 19 March 2012 - 07:22 AM, said:

An yet, Valve is trying to cater to exactly those gamers with CS:GO. The matchmaking is planned to provide you with opponents on your own skill level and there will be console versions. (On a sidenote: luckily, Valve seems to have realised that pitching PC and PS3 players against each other is not a very good idea.)

Yeah, the PC players would absolutely masacre the console players.

I have also heard that the comp players of 1.6 are thinking there are serious problems with the upcoming game. There is a reason why 1.6 is still used in tournies, while Source is not…funny, I think. Valve is looking like it is trying to shrug off the exact thing that it helped bring about.

I knew that Valve were changing it in-game, to be more welcoming to new  players, I had no idea they were optioning a matchmaking feature. In my  opinion the weloming of new players by changing how the game starts  completely is wrong and unecessary. The current system is alltogether  fine, albiet a little fast for newcomers. As I can remember, one only  gets between five to fifteen seconds freeze time and another twenty and  thirty seconds buy time. All they would need to do is…

…nothing. Everything is already in the game to make it less punishing  and more forgiving for new players, and somewhat less advantageous for  veterans.

Lib

P.S. At the height of my game, I was able to buy extra ammo for my primary gun (usually an MP–5), my secondary (standard issue pistol), my MP–5 and armour (including the helmet) within less than half a second. It became that easy, when you were used to the system, as one already knew what one was buying before the new round started and was completely assured of which button sequence would buy what.

Edited by The Liberator, 19 March 2012 - 08:04 AM.

[Wobblefoot]

As The Liberator said, I'm not sure how much weight this game will have with the "casual" community without the flash and flare of titles like CoD and Battlefield. Therefore, to further echo everyone's sentiments, I just don't understand what Valve is thinking by changing up the mechanics to cater to that player-base.

Let's alienate the current players, but not offer enough in our changes to provide what casual players want. The end product will appeal to... who, exactly?  

On a side note, I think the beta invite was wasted on me. I'm having some fun with it, and I'm happy to provide feedback. Unless I have a group of friends to play with or some major changes come down the pipe, though, I doubt I'll pick it up once it goes retail.

[DaveyJJ]

It's actually releasing simultaneously for OSX and Windows.

http://www.appleinsi...mac_aug_21.html

[The Liberator]

DaveyJJ, on 04 June 2012 - 04:50 PM, said:

It's actually releasing simultaneously for OSX and Windows.

http://www.appleinsi...mac_aug_21.html

Didn't we already know it was coming to Mac alongside the PC? Thanks for the release date though.

Lib.

[Trautman]

http://store.steampo...d.com/app/1800/
http://blog.counter-...e-begins-today/

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