CS2 
The Status of Operation and Anti-Cheat in CS2 – Danger Zone and Cobble Remake – Counter-Strike 2 Update
It’s been over two months since the so-called release of Counter-Strike 2, and I believe many will agree that, at the moment, as I suspected, we are still witnessing more of an open beta.
To be frank, the developers were in a bit of a hurry due to community pressure for the promised summer release.
Regardless of how anyone, including myself, tried to come up with logical justifications, the numbers speak for themselves. Recent Steam reviews have been mixed, and the player count, despite the initial hype, has seen a negative growth of up to 25%.
However, according to the developers in a recent exclusive interview with PC Gamer, such an early release, despite all the nuances, will allow them to bring CS2 to the desired state much faster than the sluggish development and support of two versions.
Hello, everyone! It’s Maxim back at the microphone after all this time because there was simply nothing to talk about.
In reality, the developers released a bare skeleton, which has been gradually fleshed out with content that has been available for years in the previous version.
But thanks to their small actions during the game’s development process, their communication on Twitter, Reddit, and that very PC Gamer interview, I’ve put together a puzzle in my head, and today, I’ll try to predict what we can expect in future updates.
First and foremost, we need to understand where all the missing game modes have gone.
When Counter-Strike 2 was first released in its limited beta, it already had fully functional templates for absolutely all game modes. In addition, there was the possibility to write custom scripts with custom game mechanics, just like in CS:GO with VScript.
However, over time, they began to cut and replace all the necessary elements. So, the problem is not that the developers are so bad that they couldn’t finish it by the release. CS2 is not written from scratch and still reuses large chunks of code from the original game. Weapons race, flying scoutsman, and even Danger Zone were functional from the earliest closed beta versions.
So why break and remove what already works well? Fortunately, our worst fears did not materialize, and, to everyone’s surprise, Valve lifted the veil of secrecy, stating that:
“No one has forgotten about these game modes! We have plans to reintroduce both previous popular game modes and explore new ones. In any case, all game modes, regardless of their mechanics, heavily rely on a stable gameplay foundation. In short, we’ve focused our development on the parts where players spend most of their time. It’s a compromise, and we understand the concerns of other players who liked the other modes, but we believe this is the best solution for CS2’s long-term success.”
It’s important to note that all of this started around the same time we began hearing more about a new Valve tool called “Pulse.”
If you haven’t watched my videos, Pulse is, in a nutshell, a separate tool for visual, node-based programming, based on two languages: TypeScript and JavaScript, using Google’s V8 engine.
As of now, developers are already using this system for in-game logic, and all scripts have extensions like .vts, .vjs, and .vpulse. But, most importantly, they’ve started gradually recreating the most basic game modes based on this tool, such as Wingman.
Theoretically, when everything is ready, developers could provide the community with a full-fledged Pulse Editor, where anyone can create game logic by dragging and dropping visual elements, instead of dealing with code.
Based on this logic, we can assume that, using the Pulse toolkit, they’ve already implemented a relatively simple mode, Duos. In the future, developers can introduce more complex and exciting game modes.
From the very early versions of CS2, we knew that developers were experimenting with configurations for two popular community game modes.
Before they removed support for old modes and VScript, the files contained templates for Surf and training aim maps implemented in Lua.
So, the current stagnation in game modes, in my opinion, is not only due to the fact that the developers encountered problems in the main game but also because their second, quite important tool, is not ready yet.
In the end, we should get all game modes from the group of military games since the game files and promotional materials have already hinted at remakes and ports of all necessary maps, like Leek, Shortdust, Beggedge, and Shoots. However, developers might have to recreate them all from scratch since the old maps used outdated assets and technologies. Considering how popular they were, Valve has all the reasons to update them.
But even now, with so many modes missing, we’ve already received several updates, which brought improvements to Danger Zone. This Battle Royale mode will undoubtedly become a flagship for CS2, and in the near future, developers promise to add new features that take full advantage of the capabilities of the new Source 2 engine.
One of the most expected updates is the rework of the already familiar Cobblestone map. We’ve all seen it in the CS2 trailer, and it’s hard not to be excited.
As Valve explains, the idea was not only to update the visuals but also to rethink the map’s gameplay and its role in the entire game. The developers didn’t provide detailed information yet, but it’s safe to assume that the updated Cobblestone will become part of a new operation or an extended Danger Zone mode.
The Current State of Anti-Cheat in CS2
Now, let’s talk about something that worries all of us – anti-cheat.
Since the closed beta, many players have reported strange and even outrageous situations. Not only are there complaints about the performance and server crashes, but also, unfortunately, there have been cases of quite sophisticated cheats that allowed some players to gain an unfair advantage. Valve has repeatedly stated that CS2 uses the latest version of their anti-cheat system, but we all know how this phrase usually ends in practice.
There’s an interesting moment when looking at the players’ profiles who are consistently in the top ranks. We can see that they all have fewer than 100 hours in the game. This suggests that, in one way or another, smurfing is already in place.
Valve acknowledges these problems and is actively working on improving anti-cheat, but they have yet to share the specifics. It’s reassuring to hear that they understand the community’s concerns and are determined to address them.
What’s Next for CS2?
So, what can we expect from CS2 in the coming months? Here’s a quick summary of what’s on the horizon:
- Potential operations with story comics and interactive missions.
- New cooperative gameplay modes and competitive updates.
- Improvements to the anti-cheat system and strategies to tackle smurfing.
In conclusion, Counter-Strike 2 is still a work in progress, and the community eagerly anticipates exciting updates in the future. Stay tuned for news and updates to make sure you don’t miss out on crucial changes in the game!
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