Rumors have been running rampant for a while now, but today, Valve officially announced Counter-Strike 2, an upcoming free update to the game built on Valve’s Source 2 engine. Valve is promising a variety of new features for Counter-Strike 2, but perhaps the biggest deal is that the game will offer “sub-tick” server updates. Like all online games, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive would send info back and forth to certain intervals – CS:GO was one of the more responsive games out there, but it still wasn’t perfect. Now servers will instantly be updated when you press a button. Sounds like magic, but Valve insists it’s the real deal. Check out a quick trailer for Counter-Strikes 2’s sub-tick updates, below.
“Sub-tick updates are the heart of Counter-Strike 2. Previously, the server only evaluated the world in discrete time intervals (called ticks). Thanks to Counter-Strike 2’s sub-tick update architecture, servers know the exact instant that motion starts, a shot is fired, or a ‘nade is thrown. As a result of these changes, regardless of tick rate, your moving and shooting will be equally responsive and your grenades will always land the same way.”
Valve has also revealed a few other new Counter-Strike 2 features, including overhauled, more visually-detailed maps…
…and more realistic smoke effects.
Valve is also promising updated effects of all kinds, a refreshed UI, and more. You can get more details on Counter-Strike 2’s new features here. More details are expected to be revealed as we get closer to launch.
Can’t wait to get your hands on Counter-Strike 2? Well, Valve is kicking off a “limited test” today. Those granted access to the test will be hand-picked by Valve based on a variety of factors, including “recent playtime on Valve official servers, trust factor, and Steam account standing.” If you’ve been chosen, you’ll be informed within the main menu of CS:GO. If you don’t get chosen initially, don’t take it too hard – Valve says they’ll be expanding the pool of limited test players on a regular basis.
Counter-Strike 2 launches sometime this summer on PC. What do you think? Excited to jump into this new version of Valve’s venerable shooter?