Counter-Strike 2 - Valve
Release Notes for 6/12/2013

[ MAPS ]
- Added de_mirage.
- Added console command to help players plan strategic grenades. Set sv_grenade_trajectory 1 (cheat convar) to see a visual arc in-game.

[ OVERWATCH ]
- Overwatch Investigators are now required to submit more detailed verdict reports after reviewing evidence.
- Fixed interpolation issues during GOTV and Overwatch demo playback which caused the weapon of a shooting player to visually appear several ticks behind the moment a victim was hit.
- Overwatch FAQ updated. http://blog.counter-strike.net/index.php/overwatch/

[ OPERATION PAYBACK ]
- Operation Payback Pass on sale for $0.99 until Monday 6/17.

[ UI ]
- Added links to top streams on the main menu.
- Added an audio option to reduce game music volume when Steam Overlay is activated.

[ MISC ]
- Restored the "retry" console command.
- Players can only submit griefing reports for teammates.
Counter-Strike 2 - Valve
Release Notes for 6/5/2013

[ OVERWATCH ]
- Added more investigators to the Overwatch Beta.

[ MISC ]
- Added an explanation for no binary signature validation for clients running in -insecure mode.
- Fixed an exploit where clients could bypass network convar restrictions using setinfo.
- The crosshair gap size will no longer change when switching weapons while using "Classic Static" (cl_crosshairstyle 4) -- other crosshair styles are unaffected.
Counter-Strike
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The team known as "Ninjas in Pyjamas" has a made a documentary showing off its bomb-planting tactics in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive at Copenhagen Games 2013. Well, it's not so much a documentary as it is a well-produced video of pro players laying down the heat against other teams, but it's still a pretty good way to spend 18 minutes.

If defusing bombs isn't your thing, Copenhagen Games also offers tournaments for StarCraft II, League of Legends, and other competitive multiplayer games. It's always fun to see how people who train for a certain game play compared to casual players, and then quietly sob in a corner after being awed by their skills.

If you said "They aren't that good," while watching the video, Copenhagen Games will return next year between April 16-20. All you need are some decent teammates, sponsors, and ruthless tenacity.
Counter-Strike 2 - Valve
Release Notes for 5/29/2013

[ OVERWATCH ]
- Updated Overwatch FAQ (http://blog.counter-strike.net/index.php/overwatch/)
- Overwatch case reviews will highlight kills and assists from The Suspect in kills feed.
- Overwatch case reviews will not record the team name when all five players play with their clan tag.
- Servers running with default setting sv_kick_players_with_cooldown 1 will not allow players convicted by Overwatch to play, setting it to 0 will allow convicted players to join.

[ STEAM BADGES ]
- Updated CS:GO Steam trading card art to their final designs and names

[ MISC ]
- Fixed an exploit with disconnecting and reconnecting players being able to respawn in the same round.
- Network interpolation and update convars can no longer be changed when playing. To configure these convars, players must not be connected to a server or must join the spectators.
- Enforced signature validation of game dlls and plugins. Clients launching with tampered dlls will be informed of the invalid signatures error, and will not be allowed to connect to VAC secure servers to avoid being VAC banned.
- Fixed a problem in the GOTV recorder that could result in some non-delayed data getting written into the recorded stream, causing playback artifacts.
Counter-Strike 2



This week: We've seen the competition from the big three that the kids are calling "next gen." Evan, Tyler, and T.J. discuss what this means for the PC. CS: GO is getting a new mode that lets players evaluate one another. We get all meta and evaluate it. Plus: Diablo 3 one year later, listener questions, playlists, and more.

Xbox, play PC Gamer Podcast 353 - What's in the box?

Have a question, comment, complaint, or observation? Send an MP3 to pcgamerpodcast@gmail.com or call us toll-free at 877-404-1337 x724.

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@ELahti (Evan Lahti)
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Counter-Strike 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Craig Pearson)

staring eye!Did you wake up this morning feeling more judged than usual? Don’t panic. Just look around the room and see if you can spot the RPS Staring Eye of Judgement? Well done, you have chosen, or been chosen, to take part in our little experiment: the RPS Staring Eye of Judgement will, eventually, monitor your every move to ensure that when you sit down and make a comment on the site that you’ve made the correct> decisions in life up to that point. I say “eventually”, because right now it’s just a helium balloon with an eye drawn on it. Could you just drag it around and pretend, maybe making whirring and clicking noises? Thanks! We got the idea from Valve, who’ve decided to hand the matter of CS: GO’s policing over to the community. The sinister sounding Overwatch will be community members who have the power to review cheating cases reported by players and ban those responsible. (more…)

Counter-Strike
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Valve are beta testing a community-run self-regulation system for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. It will allow certain experienced players to review reports of "disruptive behaviour", watch replays, and issue temporary bans where necessary. Naturally, Valve have called this program "Overwatch", which was also the title of the transhuman Combine soldiers of Half-Life 2. Not that there are any parallels. This is just an enforcement squad, working under a larger body that has ultimate power over... Oh...

Valve explain how the Overwatch will function in a post about the now-live beta. "Prospective Overwatch Investigators are presented with an active Overwatch button in the main menu, which indicates that there is a pending case for them to evaluate. The investigators can then choose to participate by watching a replay (eight rounds’ worth or roughly 10 minutes) and selecting a verdict.

"If the investigators collectively agree that an offense has occurred, a ban will be issued. The ban duration will depend on the severity of the offense and the suspect’s history of convictions, if any."

Investigators are selected around a variety of conditions, including account age, game time, and a low report history. And the more an Overwatch member participates, and the higher their resulting accuracy, the more weight their decisions will carry in the future.

For now, though, the scheme is just being trialled. Overwatch cases will be reviewed and analysed before any bans are enforced, giving Valve the chance to ensure they aren't creating a force of power-mad storm troopers.

You can read the full details of the Overwatch program here.
Counter-Strike 2 - Valve
Release Notes for 5/22/2013

[ OVERWATCH ]
- Started the Overwatch beta http://blog.counter-strike.net/index.php/overwatch/.

[ MISC ]
- Added two new convars, cl_crosshair_drawoutline and cl_crosshair_outlinethickness, that will enable a black outline to draw around the classic crosshair pips for better visibility.
Counter-Strike 2
CSGO thumb


It seems a bit unfair that the only multiplayer FPS that's been burdened with a gross sounding nickname is Codblops. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying we should stop, just that we shouldn't single Black Ops out. Surely there are other icky contractions to find. For instance, Counter Strike: Global Offensive, which were currently letting off lightly with the totally normal CS:GO. I say we start calling it GlobOff instead.

Whatever we choose, it's having a free weekend on Steam. You can install it now by clicking these words.

In addition to the trial, the game is also on sale, making it $7.50/£5.99 until Monday. It's a price just low enough that it might tempt the most committed of card traders, now that that's a thing Steam does. On the plus side, the influx of newbies might make me look halfway competent for once. So see you in Globoff. Nope, I've gone off it already.
Counter-Strike 2 - Valve
Release Notes for 5/15/2013

[ MAPS ]
- de_train: Fixed grenade collision bug, other minor bugs.

[ MISC ]
- Added a convar sv_vote_allow_in_warmup defaulting to off and controlling whether votes are allowed during warmup.
- Shooting through a nodraw surface now doesn't count as a gun penetration (you can always shoot through nodraw).
- Consolidated Map Groups in Classic Casual and Demolition modes.
...