We have added a WebAPI for public access to official playtime distribution on Operation Hydra maps in Competitive and Casual game modes. This allows map creators and the CS:GO community to track the relative popularity of Operation Hydra maps.

In order to access the WebAPI you would need to obtain a Steam WebAPI key, if you don't have one yet, as described in this document.

Here's an example WebAPI call:
https://api.steampowered.com/ICSGOServers_730/GetGameMapsPlaytime/v1/?format=json&key=YOURKEYHERE&mapgroup=operation&gamemode=competitive&interval=week

Supported parameters:

• gamemode={competitive|casual}, used to filter playtime tracking to the requested game mode
  
  
• interval={day|week|month}, used to aggregate playtime across the requested interval. Data aggregation interval used in this WebAPI always ends at midnight GMT that has already occurred. For example, when requesting playtime for the day on July 4th at 09:00:00 GMT, the aggregated data returned will be for the 24 hour period between July 3rd 00:00:01 GMT and July 3rd 23:59:59 GMT. Playtime for the week covers 7 days period ending at last midnight GMT, and playtime for the month covers 31 days period ending at last midnight GMT.

WebAPI response:

• WebAPI response contains relative percentages of player-minutes played on the Operation Hydra maps in requested game mode for the requested aggregation interval.

We encourage callers to cache the response for 24 hours, as aggregated data doesn't change until next daily aggregation cycle happens after midnight GMT.

We have added a WebAPI for public access to official playtime distribution on Operation Hydra maps in Competitive and Casual game modes. This allows map creators and the CS:GO community to track the relative popularity of Operation Hydra maps.

In order to access the WebAPI you would need to obtain a Steam WebAPI key, if you don't have one yet, as described in this document.

Here's an example WebAPI call:
https://api.steampowered.com/ICSGOServers_730/GetGameMapsPlaytime/v1/?format=json&key=YOURKEYHERE&mapgroup=operation&gamemode=competitive&interval=week

Supported parameters:

• gamemode={competitive|casual}, used to filter playtime tracking to the requested game mode
  
  
• interval={day|week|month}, used to aggregate playtime across the requested interval. Data aggregation interval used in this WebAPI always ends at midnight GMT that has already occurred. For example, when requesting playtime for the day on July 4th at 09:00:00 GMT, the aggregated data returned will be for the 24 hour period between July 3rd 00:00:01 GMT and July 3rd 23:59:59 GMT. Playtime for the week covers 7 days period ending at last midnight GMT, and playtime for the month covers 31 days period ending at last midnight GMT.

WebAPI response:

• WebAPI response contains relative percentages of player-minutes played on the Operation Hydra maps in requested game mode for the requested aggregation interval.

We encourage callers to cache the response for 24 hours, as aggregated data doesn't change until next daily aggregation cycle happens after midnight GMT.

We have added support for normal maps on Custom Paint Job, Patina, and Gunsmith finish styles. The CZ75-Auto | Victoria has been updated with this feature.

You can read more about it and see an example here.

We look forward to seeing your creations. Happy skinning!

We have added support for normal maps on Custom Paint Job, Patina, and Gunsmith finish styles. The CZ75-Auto | Victoria has been updated with this feature.

You can read more about it and see an example here.

We look forward to seeing your creations. Happy skinning!

Operation Hydra features the all-new Operation Hydra Events--a 2v2 competitive mode, a 5v5 mode that requires broad weapon proficiency, and twists on classic game rules including a chance to play using a special heavy armor, low-gravity sniping, team deathmatch, knife and zeus-only, and others. There's more - Operation Hydra features a set of new and returning community maps available for casual and competitive modes, along with a full Guardian Mission campaign, an Operation Coin upgradable to the new Diamond level, an Operation Journal with friends leaderboards, the opportunity to gain extra XP, Operation weapon drops, and the all new Operation Hydra Case!

Operation Hydra features the all-new Operation Hydra Events--a 2v2 competitive mode, a 5v5 mode that requires broad weapon proficiency, and twists on classic game rules including a chance to play using a special heavy armor, low-gravity sniping, team deathmatch, knife and zeus-only, and others. There's more - Operation Hydra features a set of new and returning community maps available for casual and competitive modes, along with a full Guardian Mission campaign, an Operation Coin upgradable to the new Diamond level, an Operation Journal with friends leaderboards, the opportunity to gain extra XP, Operation weapon drops, and the all new Operation Hydra Case!

With the introduction of Operation Wildfire and the update of de_nuke, come a number of visual upgrades and features that we think mapmakers and community content creators alike will find useful and exciting. The following is an overview of these features and how they can be enabled in your own maps and content.

http://blog.counter-strike.net/workshop/maps.php#new_features

With the introduction of Operation Wildfire and the update of de_nuke, come a number of visual upgrades and features that we think mapmakers and community content creators alike will find useful and exciting. The following is an overview of these features and how they can be enabled in your own maps and content.

http://blog.counter-strike.net/workshop/maps.php#new_features

The quality of workshop submissions has been steadily increasing. We’ve seen some incredible work by new and returning contributors. For the next case, in order to direct this amazing creative force in the most useful direction, we’ve decided to announce in advance the weapons we hope to ship.

Shipping a case means balancing an ideal case design against the available weapons on the workshop. Often we’d like to ship a particular weapon at a particular quality, but can’t find a match on the workshop. As a result we end up shipping some weapons more frequently than we’d like, and some a lot less.

While we expect to ship several of the items already on the workshop, we’re hoping this announcement can help guide artists to fill some gaps (marked with an asterisk below). Note that the list isn’t a guarantee of the final case design. With that caveat out of the way, here is the list:

Covert

• M4A1-S
  
• G3SG1*

Classified

• USP-S
  
• AK-47
  
• SSG 08*

Restricted

• M249*
  
• P250
  
• MAG-7*
  
• Galil AR*

Mil-Spec

• Glock-18
  
• Dual Berettas*
  
• FAMAS*
  
• SCAR-20*
  
• XM1014*
  
• MP7*
  
• MAC-10

We will be making our final selections after September 7th.

FAQ

Do I need to do anything special to be eligible for this case?
No, all you have to do is submit your designs by September 7th and make sure your item has been finalized on the workshop.

Do I need to use the new paint style in my design?
No, it’s just one more option that you can consider. As with any weapon case, we’ll be looking for variety in art style.

Do I get paid more for a weapon in a higher tier?
No. Every weapon in a case pays out an equal share.

How do I design for a specific tier?
It mainly has to do with visual salience and design specificity. Weapons with bright colors and designs that perfectly complement a weapon’s geometry end up in the upper tiers. Weapons with more subdued colors and/or more randomization in the pattern application end up in the lower tiers.

What can I do to stand out?
Give your weapon a story. This is more than creating a beautiful design; it’s giving the weapon a visible history that hints at a larger narrative. Good examples are the AWP | Asiimov, the P250 | Cartel, AK-47 | Wasteland Rebel, and the P90 | Elite Build.

The quality of workshop submissions has been steadily increasing. We’ve seen some incredible work by new and returning contributors. For the next case, in order to direct this amazing creative force in the most useful direction, we’ve decided to announce in advance the weapons we hope to ship.

Shipping a case means balancing an ideal case design against the available weapons on the workshop. Often we’d like to ship a particular weapon at a particular quality, but can’t find a match on the workshop. As a result we end up shipping some weapons more frequently than we’d like, and some a lot less.

While we expect to ship several of the items already on the workshop, we’re hoping this announcement can help guide artists to fill some gaps (marked with an asterisk below). Note that the list isn’t a guarantee of the final case design. With that caveat out of the way, here is the list:

Covert

• M4A1-S
  
• G3SG1*

Classified

• USP-S
  
• AK-47
  
• SSG 08*

Restricted

• M249*
  
• P250
  
• MAG-7*
  
• Galil AR*

Mil-Spec

• Glock-18
  
• Dual Berettas*
  
• FAMAS*
  
• SCAR-20*
  
• XM1014*
  
• MP7*
  
• MAC-10

We will be making our final selections after September 7th.

FAQ

Do I need to do anything special to be eligible for this case?
No, all you have to do is submit your designs by September 7th and make sure your item has been finalized on the workshop.

Do I need to use the new paint style in my design?
No, it’s just one more option that you can consider. As with any weapon case, we’ll be looking for variety in art style.

Do I get paid more for a weapon in a higher tier?
No. Every weapon in a case pays out an equal share.

How do I design for a specific tier?
It mainly has to do with visual salience and design specificity. Weapons with bright colors and designs that perfectly complement a weapon’s geometry end up in the upper tiers. Weapons with more subdued colors and/or more randomization in the pattern application end up in the lower tiers.

What can I do to stand out?
Give your weapon a story. This is more than creating a beautiful design; it’s giving the weapon a visible history that hints at a larger narrative. Good examples are the AWP | Asiimov, the P250 | Cartel, AK-47 | Wasteland Rebel, and the P90 | Elite Build.