Counter-Strike 2 has just received a massive update called “A Call To Arms”, bringing a plethora of new features, fixes, and tweaks to the beloved first-person shooter. From gameplay enhancements to graphical improvements, let’s dive into the details of what this update has to offer.
Arms Race and New Maps
One of the most exciting additions to Counter-Strike 2 is the inclusion of Arms Race mode, adding a refreshing twist to the gameplay experience. Additionally, players will now have two new battlegrounds to explore: “Baggage” and “Shoots.” Get ready to test your skills in these new environments as you climb the ranks and race to victory.
Weapon Finishes and Stickers
Customization options have been expanded with the introduction of the Kilowatt Case, featuring 17 community-designed weapon finishes. Plus, lucky players might stumble upon the rare Kukri Knife with original finishes as a special item. But the customization doesn’t stop there; the Ambush Sticker Capsule is now available, allowing players to adorn their weapons with flair. With support for flexible sticker placement, you can now personalize your arsenal like never before, with up to five stickers per weapon. And thanks to a new zoom feature during sticker placement, achieving the perfect look is easier than ever.
Music Kits and Zeus Enhancements
For those who like to set the mood, the NIGHTMODE Music Kit Box is now up for grabs, offering a selection of tunes to accompany your gameplay. Meanwhile, the Zeus has undergone some improvements, becoming reusable across all game modes with a 30-second recharge delay. Plus, players can now apply stickers and name tags to the Zeus, adding a touch of personality to this formidable weapon.
Gameplay Enhancements
Numerous tweaks have been made to enhance the overall gameplay experience. From quality of life improvements like a “Refund All” button in the buy menu to more significant changes such as reduced peeker’s advantage and improved collision mechanics, this update aims to make every match smoother and more enjoyable.
Audio and Networking Improvements
In the realm of audio, players now have more control over their voice chat settings, with options to select audio input devices, adjust microphone thresholds, and even listen to their own microphone output. Meanwhile, networking improvements aim to reduce peeker’s advantage and enhance overall server performance, providing a more stable and responsive online experience.
UI Overhauls and Map Fixes
The user interface has received some love as well, with new background map settings and improved chat functionality. Plus, several maps have undergone adjustments to fix various bugs and improve player visibility, ensuring a more balanced and immersive gameplay environment.
Conclusion
With this extensive update, Counter-Strike 2 continues to evolve, delivering new content and improvements to keep players engaged and entertained. Whether you’re a seasoned veteran or a newcomer to the series, there’s never been a better time to jump into the action and experience the adrenaline-pumping thrills of Counter-Strike 2. So grab your weapons, customize your loadout, and prepare for intense battles in the ultimate first-person shooter experience.
The Release Notes for “A Call To Arms”:
MUSIC KITS
The NIGHTMODE Music Kit Box is now available for purchase in standard and StatTrak versions
ZEUS
Made Zeus reusable in all game modes, after a 30 second recharge delay
Added support for applying stickers and name tags to the Zeus
Adjusted the Zeus first person model position
Added Zeus kill icon to kill cards and post round damage report
SMOKE
Smokes now cast shadows
Smoke rendering and animation have been improved
GAMEPLAY
Added a “Refund All” button to the buy menu
Added a setting to disable first person bullet tracers
Silencers can now always be reattached regardless of whether detaching them is enabled or not
Player pings are no longer blocked by invisible geometry
Various adjustments to sub-tick shooting
Fixed several cases where players could silently drop down vertical surfaces
Improved smoothness of sliding along surfaces
Fixed an issue where collisions between players were jittery
To ensure loadouts are correct at the beginning of matches, loadout changes are no longer allowed while searching for Premier, Competitive, or Wingman
SOUND
Added the option to select an audio input device for VOIP from the audio settings menu
Added the option to change your microphone threshold (the minimum loudness before we start transmitting audio) from the audio options menu, as well as metering for your current mic loudness
Added the option to listen to your own microphone from the audio settings menu to hear how you sound
Replaced the M249 fire sound effect
Replaced the Zeus charging, charge not available, and charge ready states sound effects
Further reduced occlusion effects
Minor mix adjustments
Fixed an issue where some player-centric sounds were being perceived as originating from slightly behind the player
NETWORKING
Reduced peeker’s advantage in many cases
The amount of peeker’s advantage in the steady state is reduced by 16ms
Also reduced the frequency of situations that lead to very large peeker’s advantage due to excessive command queue depth
Added cl_ticktiming console command that prints a report breaking down the various sources of latency
Added an option to buffer server updates and user commands by one or more packets. This can be used to smooth over stuttering due to packet loss, at the expense of increased latency
UI
Added support for separate main menu and item inspect background map settings
Added “Baggage” and “Warehouse” as options for the main menu and item inspect background maps
In-game team-only chat will now be prefixed with the team (e.g., “[T]” or “[CT]”)
Added ‘XP Overload’ status which is awarded to players who have earned all of their normal XP during the week (11,166 XP) and reached reduced XP gain. XP Overload status is attached to players’ names in scoreboard, main menu, death notices, etc. XP Overload status is awarded for a minimum of one week. Additional tiers of XP Overload status can be unlocked by earning all of the normal XP over multiple consecutive weeks
Agents with unique end-of-match cheer animations now have unique defeat animations as well. You can disable playing defeat animations for the local player in settings
Added more accolades to end-of-match
MISC
Adjusted the range of CS Ratings allowed to party together in Premier matchmaking
Fixed a case where high-DPI mice would result in jittery mouse movement
Added Minor improvements to animations during demo playback
Disabled rich presence update when running Steam Client in tournament mode
MAPS
INFERNO
Fixed various gaps and adjusted grenade collision to make grenade bounces more predictable
Adjusted texture blending to improve player visibility
ANCIENT
Adjusted grenade collision on bombsite B ground to make grenade bounces more predictable
ANUBIS
Fixed holes in world at Lower Tunnel
Fixed collision on all pillars so players can no longer pixel boost
Fixed collision so utility does not fall out of world on top of structure at T Start
Fixed missing collision on steps at Street which would allow dropped weapons to fall out of world
Improved vis at CT spawn
Fixed invisible boost ledge at Bombsite B
Fixed various gaps in the world
Fixed missing collision on stair geo at CT spawn that allowed weapons/bomb to fall out of world
Fixed missing collision at Fountain that allowed weapons/bomb to fall out of world
Fixed some doors not generating bullet decals
Fixed vis issue at Street
OVERPASS
Fixed some collision that was causing unpredictable player movement
MIRAGE
Added collision to prevent bomb becoming unreachable
Adjusted some collision to prevent a ledge/pixel walk
Fixed player getting stuck when strafing on Middle Ramp by simplifying geo of floor and wall
Removed a clip brush from Apartments to improve flash lineups
NUKE
Built some collision to prevent bomb from getting stuck behind barrels
Fixed some disappearing mesh
Fixed dynamic shadow clipping on characters at Vending
Improved clipping in vents
Fixed bombsite water to have better reflections on low settings
Fixed vis issue at t-spawn
Fixed collision on ramp in Bombsite B
Fixed holes in world
VERTIGO
Fixed holes in world and other minor geometry bugs
ITALY
Adjusted some collision to prevent players getting stuck in apartment
OFFICE
Fixed a case where players could jump on a wall
Fixed a case where players could get stuck if they crouched
