In the first of a series of guest columns on gaming, Cadred columnist and popular gaming commentator Richard 'Dr Gonzo' Lewis explains how Valve could once more make Counter-Strike the foremost online game.
There is little more frustrating to the public than seeing a good idea badly executed. There will be people coming out of the cinema having watched X-Men Origins: Wolverine that will be able to tell you all about that. But it is something that competitive players of Counter-Strike: Source will already be able to tell you about at length should you wish to sit down and endure it.
The Counter-Strike format is the gaming equivalent of all the "high concept" movies that flourished in the Eighties. Two teams, both with their own set of goals, pitted against each other to complete them with a variety of weapons and tactics at their disposal, all set to a time limit.
It has absolutely no right to be as engaging and as fundamentally addictive – even to the casual gamer – as it is, but somehow time evaporates into nothingness when you play it. The basic principles take seconds to learn, but the game itself can take the best part of a lifetime to master.
The best competitive 1.6 matches have attracted live audiences of tens of thousands, being spectated by hundreds of thousands worldwide and it didn't take long for CS:S to become the free gaming mod with the most number of players.
The Source of all the trouble
Yet it is no secret that the port of Counter-Strike on to the Source engine brought about numerous problems, not the least of which was the huge divide in the competitive community.
COUNTER-STRIKE: a mod for Half Life that became a phenomenon
There were numerous reasons for this and even though those that took the time to perfect Counter-Strike 1.6 would tell you it is simply that the newer version is a worse game that requires less skill – an argument that contains more than a grain of truth – the fact is that they are so very different it meant that in a lot of cases the only thing players would be bringing across with them would be their reputations.
As such there is no correlation between being hugely successful at 1.6 and Source. Some can either master it, many can't. But the key point is that there are not many willing to try.
Your comments (11) Click to add a new comment
jimd
May 16th
11. I agree with the points made in the article. But honestly, I dont play CS that much anymore. There isnt enough depth in the game. Small enclosed maps are old school. Games like COD 4, BF are more compelling now. Strangely enough the one old game I have never stopped playing, that had all that depth years ago was Starsiege Tribes/Tribes 2. That game, even with dated graphics is still awesome sauce.
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coreyhalliwell
May 15th
10. I completely agree, I wrote that long comment at work so i didn't have all day to elaborate on it much. I also noticed that I made a few ridiculous spelling errors. But the point still remains. A lot of the things i did touch on are real ideas and in elaborating I would be beating a dead horse really... Because i'm not a coder or game designer I really wouldn't know HOW to get them done.
Furthermore, I don't think the comment of some guy on tech radar will be valve's model for creating/changing a game. I was just stating my experiences and letting the "world" know that CS does need change.
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rodman1_r2
May 15th
9. I see what you mean about the problems with CS1.6 and CS:S, but you should elaborate more on how Valve could fix the problem. Improve the writing in this commentary, and you'd be more convincing than you are now. I agree with many points, but your writing looks too much like the usual chatter you'd see in the game.
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coreyhalliwell
May 14th
8. As a gamer who played CS since beta 3, this article speaks to me on every level possible. After 10 years of gaming my reflection on CS has changed as i've grown and experienced other games. My current reflection on CS is much more regretful than it has ever been.
When the game first came out, it was amazing, new ideas, great engine, and just plain fun. But it's really a game that has stagnated and even through the 1.6 and Source changes, the game fundamentally hasn't changed at all. I personally think that in a world with constant patches (ie; WoW, L4D, Tf2) that counter-strike should be no acception. The game's bugs, weapon and map inbalances, really made my incentive to compete next to nil.
These issues have gone on so long that weather or not I care about a CS update is really debatable. Since valve has completely redifined multiplayer with Left 4 Dead and Team Fortress 2, CS has essentially been replaced because it lacks the depth and polish of it's current line up.
In terms of "saving cs" I think the entire game would need to be reworked with new physics, a completely new damage system, new maps and a dynamic patch system. The game started of course as a community based mod but i think CS needs to be brought up to the big leauges.
A few personal peeves of mine that really got to me especially as of late was the game's lack of realism and lack of depth. After playing games like COD 4 etc, where guns are guns and flesh is flesh, coming back to CS and having to shoot someone 10 times with an MP5 sub machine gun was a complete joke. In terms of depth, i really think the, "Join a server a lone, have no friends, get some kills and leave" system really leaves a lot to be desired in the way of a fulfilling multiplayer game. Valve has relieved some of that with the friends system and that's great but again L4D especially is a perfect match for a friends based system and CS lags behind in that regard.
So, CS really has changed gaming but it really fell off after 1.6 and the article is completely right in saying it needs a major update. My long winded comment should show people how passionate the CS community can be!
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kyuss
May 14th
7. I think we need Counter-Strike 2.0 to ship with Orange Box 2.0.
A fresh start and a new audience.
I personally would love to see CS2.0 on XBLA on the 360. Shocking i know but just look at the buzz the BF:1943 is attracting.
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richardlewis
May 11th
6. Thanks a lot. I was really pleased to be approached after what was a chance meeting at the GSL event. Hope to do some more pieces in the future.
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