Counter-Strike 2 - Valve
Release Notes for 9/19/2013

[OPERATION BRAVO]
- Added Operation Bravo Pass for access to Workshop maps in Deathmatch, Casual and Competitive. Visit http://blog.counter-strike.net/operationbravo/ for details!

[GAMEPLAY]
- Fixed the buy menu not allowing players to buy a helmet+vest when they had a vest but not enough to buy the helmet+vest.

[MAPS]
- Inferno
-- Removed flowerpots on balcony near Mid.
-- Blocked visibility through haycart at Banana.
-- Blocked visibility through sandbags in Banana.
-- Blocked one way visibility through yellow car in Banana.

- Mirage
-- Tweaked cover in Bombsite A.
-- Removed trashcan near connector into Bombsite A.
-- Added cover at top of CT stairs into Bombsite A.
-- Widened box near T tunnel into Bombsite A.
-- Blocked visibility under the van at Bombsite B.
-- Removed the red pushcart near Bombsite B.
-- Removed bed in apartments near Bombsite B.
-- Removed center divider in CT sniper window.
-- Added cover inside Palace.
-- Removed scaffolding in alley near Apartments, tweaked skybox volume.
-- Removed chairs in Underpass.

[UI]
- Fixed vest and helmet+vest armor costs in the buy menu.
- Fixed flashbang grenade overlap bug in the UI.
- The "flashed" icon no longer shows up when the cl_draw_only_deathnotices is set.
- Fixed missing localization text for status of players playing the Weapons Course.
- Increased resolution of death message weapons icons.

[MISC]
- Replaced "Arms Deal Collection Contract" with "Trade Up Contract" that can be used with weapons from any Collection.
- Holstered weapons now correctly show their silenced/unsilenced state.
- Fixed expired Operation Payback Passes not being redeemable for Operation Payback Coin.

[COMMUNITY SERVERS]
- Fixed a community server crash in certain Deathmatch mode settings.
- Fixed a community server file transfer exploit.
- Custom map scenario text files can now contain "RULESHERE" as the very first thing in the text which will get replaced by the game mode rules that are currently being loaded. The rest of the scenario text file will be added to the end of the rules text.
Counter-Strike 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Craig Pearson)

Thanks to the Steam Workshop, I have more random things installed on my PC than ever before. Wanderin through the workshops has become a routine in my downtime. They are the curio shops of games, a tiny sliver of insight into someone’s passions put on display. I’ll find something, subscribe, forget I have it, then turn on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and discover it has underwater maps, battlegrounds inspired by Alice In Wonderland, and motherboards to run around on. Here’s a few of my favourites. (more…)

Counter-Strike 2 - Valve
Release Notes for 9/12/2013

[CONTRACTS]
- Added the Arms Deal Contract, allowing players to exchange items from the Arms Deal case.
-- Use the Arms Deal Contract to exchange 10 of your Arms Deal Collection items of identical quality for a single Arms Deal Collection item of a quality one tier higher. Note: Knives are not part of collections.

[ARMS DEAL]
- It is now possible to use Name Tags on stock/default items.

[UI]
- Clan tags are now displayed in the lobby.

[GAMEPLAY]
- Players can now only purchase 1 smoke grenade per round.
- Synchronized M4A1 and M4A4 reload completion event with visual magazine insertion and sound effect.
- Improved some bad cases of player radar visibility through smoke volumes.
- Enemy target IDs now only appear when the crosshair is over a target player's hitboxes instead of their overall bounding box.
- Looking at a weapon in-game (default F) no longer interrupts attaching or detaching silencers.

[MISC]
- The kill panel now correctly displays item rarity and owner.
- Kill panel damage given and received stats no longer add damage from before a player took over a bot.
- Fixed weapon inventory hud flashing when it didn't find the selected weapon in edge cases where you just threw a grenade.
- Fixed hud inventory not refreshing properly in some cases when picking up a flashbang.
- Fixed a bug that reported "hltv_changed_target" as an unused event in the console.
- Fixed weapon icons appearing dark for some Mac versions.
- When watching friends games on official servers, GOTV information is now requested asynchronously from matchmaking servers.
- CS:GO inventory items in Steam Community profiles now list most recently acquired items first.
- Improved CS:GO matchmaking servers stability.
- Fixed context menu popping up over the client info panel in the lobby.
- Added a cheat protected convar named "cl_draw_only_deathnotices" that turns off most hud except for death notices (for movie makers).
Counter-Strike 2
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If you've got three friends and the urge to break into the pro Conter-Strike: Global Offensive scene, MSI's Beat It! Open Qualifiers open for US teams this weekend. There are slots for 64 teams, the top two of which will advance to face the likes of Curse and Complexity in an eight team playoff. The winner of that playoff gets to go to Beijing to compete for $22,000 in prizes.

Check-ins for the open qualifier are first come, first served... so keep your browser pointed at the check-in page on September 8 at 5 p.m. Eastern, 2 p.m. Pacific. The qualifier will progress in rapid-fire rounds, with the finalists to be decided by 10 p.m Pacific. So you might want to have some snacks on hand if you're planning to go all the way. The playoffs for the US Qualifiers are scheduled for the 10th, 11th, 14th, and 15th.

You can read more about the competition on the official announcement page.

Counter-Strike 2 - Valve
Release Notes for 8/29/2013

[UI]
- Added ability to rename a weapon’s name with a custom engraved nameplate via Name Tags.
- Simplified trading with other players by adding a Start Chat button to CS:GO profiles.

[GAMEPLAY]
- Chicken changes based on pro feedback:
-- Reduced chicken sounds dBs and volume.
-- Reduced idle clucking rate.
-- Reduced range that scares chickens when running.

[MISC]
- Adjusted Weapon Case Key and Payback Pass prices for foreign currencies based on current international exchange rates.
- Fixed an issue causing poor rendering performance, especially for SLI/Crossfire users.
- Fixed M4A4 loadout selection not saving correctly between sessions.
- Fixed competitive round backups restoring M4A1-S as M4A4 and USP-S as P2000.
- Fixed observers seeing smoke screen overlay when a smoke grenade popped on their last alive position.
- Fixed bomb activate/plant/defuse sounds not playing if the bomb was out of view
- Fixed Payback Coin description incorrectly displaying the number of hours logged in game.
- Fixed missing localization for Payback map maker Coins.
- Fixed an empty item panel sometimes showing on the scoreboard.
- Fixed Elite world model physics.
- Added flipping sound to inspecting the Desert Eagle.
Counter-Strike 2 - Valve
Release Notes for 8/21/2013

[GAMEPLAY]
- SSG08:
-- Reduced price from 2500 to 2000.
-- Reduced standing and crouching accuracy recovery times.
- Reduced Molotov price from 500 to 400.
- Reduced Incendiary Grenade price from 850 to 600.
- Reduced Glock damage from 33 to 28.
- Fixed bug that NiP discovered where the aimpunch experienced when compensating for recoil was incorrect.
- Third person silenced muzzleflash light brightness is no longer a portion of unsilenced brightness, instead it is now completely removed.
- Chickens are no longer scared when moving silently near them or shooting near them with silenced weapons.
- Fixed a bug where removing/adding a silencer would also drop a magazine on the ground.


[MAPS]
- Fixed map placed weapons not working properly.

Aztec:
--New connector between A and B bombsites.
--More cover in underpass.
--More cover in overpass.
--More cover at bombsite A.
--Changed cover at CT side of bridge.
--Removed railings on bridge.
--Added player collision inside large vegetation models.
--Removed collision on some props.
--Clipped stairs.
--Reduced fog.
--Reduced noise in textures.

Train:
--Tweaked shower room.
--Moved ladders to ends of traincars.
--Made T entrance into bombsite A wider.
--Reduced size of CT sniper position.
--Removed some cover from CT sniper position.
--Blocked visibility under electrical box at bombsite A.
--Blocked visibility through yellow barrels at bombsite A.
--Brightened textures near bombsite A.
--Removed some wires at bombsite A.
--Blocked visibility under traincars.
--Rearranged trains at bombsite B.
--Widened back of bombsite B, T side.
--Replaced cover at back of bombsite B, T side.
--Clipped stairs.
--Optimizations.
--Fixed radar naming.
--Blocked visibility through concrete bags near Ivy.
--Brightened door near Ivy.
--Removed railing at top of ladder.
--Brightened environment light.
--Reduced fog.

Inferno:
--Fixed missing collision in an area in mid.
--Made railing at back of bombsite A easier to see through.
--Widened doors in construction.
--Reduced wall penetration in construction.
--Removed wall supports in apartments hallway.
--Increased C4 explosion radius to make it consistent with other maps.

Nuke:
--Fixed a bug in ramp room.
--Widened door in rafters.
--Fixed some radar naming bugs.
--Increased C4 explosion radius to make it consistent with other maps.

Mirage:
--Added more light to CT window into bombsite B.
--Fixed some graphical bugs.
--Removed small trashbags that could be mistaken for players.

Dust2:
--Made it easier to spot enemies at back of long A, CT side.
--Removed center scaffolding in tunnels.

[UI]
- Added warning message for when there is a new update available.
- Fixed Main Menu for 21x9 monitors.
- Weapon Case Unlock Animation:
-- Fixed animation stopping on an item when the connection to the item server is actually unresponsive.
-- Fixed animation not closing if error dialog occurs.
-- Fixed animation restarting if space bar was pressed.
- In-game previews of StatTrak™ weapons and unusual knives now correctly display those attributes in the name.
- Weapon target ID text now colors the weapon the color of its rarity.
- Fixed StatTrak HUD element for knives hiding.
- Fixed Tooltip backgrounds disappearing when browsing Workshop maps.
- Fixed Matchmaking 'ACCEPT' button not reappearing after you accept a match and not everyone accepts.
- Fixed spectator player panels were showing up when they shouldn't be (wrong team, wrong mode, etc).
- Fixed the spectator panel not using the new knife icons properly.
- Moved the “flashed” icon from the center of the screen, made it more subtle and added fringe fades for when your target is flashed when connected via GOTV.
- Fixed Rescue Kit displaying as Defuse Kit in hostage maps.
- Fixed pause menu missing entries.
- Fixed item drops displaying for 'Unknown' players.
- Fixed formatting of AWP kill award text in Classic Competitive.
- Teammate’s names now always show overhead during freeze time.
- Additional work on inventory, addressing edge cases where HUD positions would not update properly after a weapon had been added or removed.

[MISC]
- Added "Five Year Veteran Coin" awarded to players who were a member of the Counter-Strike community for over 5 years.
- Fixed Overwatch not displaying new cases after viewing one case.
- Fixed extended delay in the end of Classic Competitive games that had GOTV spectators.
- While watching matches in GOTV, the Autodirector is paused, not deactivated, if the spectator follows a specific player.
- Added weapon_m4a1_silencer and weapon_usp_silencer FGD entries for map makers.
- Fixed several exploits affecting dedicated servers.
- Added a server convar sv_quota_stringcmdspersecond to allow rate-limiting client string commands.
- Reduced memory usage on dedicated server.
- Fixed weapon switch and knife swing animations being choppy at low ping.
- Stability fixes in shaders
- Identified a memory allocation bug involving nVidia Geforce Drivers version 320.49 or earlier. We suggest that you update to the latest beta driver version 326.80.
Counter-Strike 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Craig Pearson)

Who is this guy? I don't know, so it must be an ARG. I have a jar of ball bearings on my desk. For each kill in CS: GO, I drop a ball into a hole in desk. The bearing rolls into a rat’s cage. The rat squeaks in terror, and a noise-activated switch turns on a fan. The fan blows a toy boat across a bucket of water, and the boat’s mast tips a small bucket of sand into another bucket. That bucket is on a string that’s tied to a switch, and it gently tugs at it, releasing another ball bearing from a small cage on a shelf above me. That other ball bearing drops into another jar. If I want to know how many kills I have, I count the balls in the jar. How do you track your kills in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive? You just use one of the StatTrak modules from the now live Arms Deal update? Show off. (more…)

Counter-Strike
GunsGunsGuns


The Arms Deal Update for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is live, adding in a Team Fortress 2-style system of random drops, over 100 new weapon skins, two new stock weapons, and a purchasable item that helps fund competitive play.

The new weapon skins will drop randomly while you play CS:GO, much like new items in Team Fortress 2. Unlike TF2, all of the modifications are purely cosmetic. You will also occasionally find weapon cases, similar to TF2's crates, which must be opened by a key. These come in two styles: standard variety, and a special eSports case. The proceeds from eSports case keys will go towards larger prize pools and greater visibility for competitive CS:GO.

It's not all just paint jobs and microtransactions, though. We're also seeing the return of the silenced variants for the M4A1 and the USP, which feature a smaller price tag and magazine size than their louder brethren.

Arms Deal is available now, and you can read more about it on the official announcement page.
Counter-Strike 2 - Valve
Release Notes for 8/14/2013













[ARMS DEAL UPDATE]
-Visit http://blog.counter-strike.net/armsdeal/ for complete details.
--Ten Weapon Collections have been released.
--Standard and eSports Weapon Cases now available - a portion of the proceeds from eSports Weapon Case Key sales will help support prize pools for upcoming community competitive CS:GO tournaments.
--Weapon Cases have a chance to contain new knives and StatTrak weapons, which track all player kills with that weapon.
--Players can receive decorated weapons through timed item drops, available on any VAC-secure server.
-All Arms Deal Update items can be traded.
-All Arms Deal Update items can be sold and purchased through the Steam Marketplace (visit the FAQ for details).
-Every decorated weapon has a unique finish and exterior condition and can be thoroughly inspected in game. The ability to launch the in-game inspection view for an item is available in the Steam Inventory, Community Market, and Steam Trading.

[UI]
-Upgraded Scaleform version to 4.2.
-Improved memory management of Scaleform UI elements.
-Added Inventory to Main Menu and the In-Game Pause Menu.
-Added Loadout to Main Menu and the In-Game Pause Menu.
-Added blog.counter-strike.net blog to the main menu
-Added drop shadows to some UI element text for improved readability.
-Improved some HUD layouts to avoid overlap.
-Game no longer truncates player names in most HUD UI elements. Fonts will now scale down to fit the full string.
-When a player picks up a weapon, the original owner of that weapon will now be indicated.
-Fixed certain buttons missing clicks

[GAMEPLAY]
-Added Silenced M4A1.
-Added Silenced USP.
-New weapons can be equipped through the Inventory UI.
-When a player reloads their weapon, they now drop a magazine that persists in the world.
-Machine gun belts now visually match the ammo count in the viewmodel when firing and reloading.
-Added holdable action key +lookatweapon that allows players to visually inspect their first person weapon while in-game. This has been bound to the F key by default (if that key was previously unbound).
-Players now automatically crouch while planting bombs.

[MATCHMAKING]
-Adding matchmaking servers in Brazil.
Counter-Strike 2 - contact@rockpapershotgun.com (Craig Pearson)

I have a recurring nightmare: I’m sat at my desk and everything is soft-focus and great. I feel happy, and turn to say as much to my girlfriend. But she’s not there. It’s Gabe Newell, who is definitely not my girlfriend, and he’s using one of those old school accounting machines. On the floor is a pile of paper that he gathers up and hands to me, saying: “In Half-Life 2, destroyed 1200 crates. This is your bill.” And I say I don’t have that kind of money, then I wake up crying. I don’t think Valve would retroactively charge me for opening crates, but then I didn’t imagine that their strangely popular unlock system that drives both Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2 would end up in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. But that looks like it’s going to happen. (more…)

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