The eagerly anticipated arrival of Counter-Strike 2 is just around the corner, poised to grace us with its presence this summer. The prospect of indulging in this forthcoming game iteration is nothing short of exhilarating. Anticipate a plethora of fresh features that are poised to be bestowed upon us within this new rendition. Rest assured, while these additions are set to inject novelty, they are crafted with utmost care to not disrupt the essence that defines Counter-Strike's esports legacy.
The competitive core of the game stays untouched, and that is exactly what everyone cares about.
Let's start with the most visible change Valve has made: the reworked Smoke Grenade. Old smokes were full of glitches and see-through spots. Smoke was never a true 3D object, so different players saw it slightly differently. One player could spot an opponent through the smoke while the other couldn't see back, and anyone walking out of a smoke appeared with a visual delay to the players watching it.
Consequently, in the CS:GO 2 context, Valve has developed a more sophisticated smoke system, often called volumetric smoke. In essence, this entails the transformation of the smoke into a genuinely three-dimensional entity that assimilates its surroundings, akin to authentic smoke behavior. In the prior iteration of Source, the smoke retained a consistent size, leading to scenarios where deploying it within, for instance, Dust II's corridors, would result in it permeating walls and congealing mid-corridor, a rather unrealistic depiction. With the current iteration, the smoke adapts based on obstructions and terrain, akin to how actual smoke would behave. It now accurately fills an entire corridor, much like its real-world counterpart.
Valve's approach to volumetric smoke allows for the manipulation of its form. When bullets pierce through the smoke, they temporarily create apertures due to their momentum. Likewise, a fragmentation grenade hurled into the midst of the smoke causes it to disperse due to the explosive impact. However, the smoke subsequently reverts to its previous form after a brief interval.
These alterations fundamentally reshape the gameplay dynamics within Source 2, ushering in the potential for novel strategies and eliminating the unjust advantage resulting from flawed smoke mechanics. As a result, each player, irrespective of their viewing perspective, will now encounter consistent smoke behavior, marking a substantial improvement in fairness and strategic possibilities.
