Counter-Strike, the world’s number one online action game series, is a first-person shooter developed by Valve Software, the creators of the renowned Half-Life series. This team-oriented online shooter pits terrorists and counter-terrorists against one another in round-based combat set all over the world. Using the power of the “Source” engine, the original Counter-Strike has been completely remade as Counter-Strike: Source—offering upgraded graphics, levels, and the implementation of a new physics engine. Counter-Strike will never be the same!
First released to the public on June 18th, 1999, Counter-Strike began as a simple fan-produced mod for Half-Life. Thanks to a series of steadily-improving beta releases, the mod started to foster a progressively-enlarging and dedicated following. As the fast-paced, tactical game play was refined and improved, and as new concepts and maps were introduced, Counter-Strike moved from being a mere Half-Life mod to an entirely new game.
With the release of Steam, Valve's digital content delivery system, Counter-Strike found a new footing within the gaming community. Counter-Strike’s first single-player chapter, Counter-Strike: Condition Zero (Developed by Valve and Turtle Rock Studios), was a great success, bringing many new features and upgraded graphics to the classic game. The release of Counter-Strike: Source only helped boost the series further towards its now legendary status. Counter-Strike is about as close as you’ll ever get to saving the world; or destroying it!
What’s in This Section?
Counter-Strike not only revolutionized the world of modding, but the entire Half-Life community, and we’re happy to show off our admiration of this revolutionary series with our collection of overviews, guides, strategies, tweaks, and tricks. Want to buff up on your Counter-Strike knowledge? Check out our overview sections. Need help “pwning n00bs” on de_dust? Swing by our map strategies section. Having trouble getting the most FPS out of your computer? We’ve got tech guides at your disposal. Want to turn your grenades into something more cute and cuddly, or change your Counter-Strike menu background? Head over to our files section for mods, maps, models, and more! Welcome to the last place you will ever need to go for all of your Counter-Strike needs!
Tactical Intervention: The Next Counter-Strike[ 9 Comments ] 18:57 PST | John Phillips | Print News | Category: Counter-StrikeCounter-Strike has become more than just a casual game since it's original release in 1998, it's become an Internet gaming phenomenon. So it's no question why fans have become irritated over the years at the lack of a Counter-Strike 2, and the creator of Counter-Strike, Mihn Le, is no exception to that rule. After issue after issue, Mihn Le announced in an article with IGN his new in-development game "Tactical Intervention."
The game effectively is what Mihn envisioned Counter-Strike 2 to be, the actual title itself having been shelved by Valve for other titles. Mihn talks with IGN in a hybrid preview-interview and talks about the game, his visions for it, and how it all came to be.
I had the opportunity to look at Tactical Intervention when I visited Minh's office in the western part of Seoul. On the surface the new game very much resembles Counter-Strike in appearance; both games run off the same engine so the graphics haven't progressed much. "Graphics-wise, I know it's not the best," said Minh. But the game is definitely his baby as he is finally able to introduce some of the elements he wanted to put in Counter-Strike into TI.
Click here to check out the full article. No solid release date for Tactical Intervention was given, but the game is just entering into beta testing and is projected to be released closer to the end of 2009.
Fixed an exploit that allowed files to be uploaded to the server at arbitrary locations in the file system.
Fixed a server crash caused by a client packet claiming to be an HLTV client when HLTV is disabled on the server.
Fixed a server crash caused by spoofing a client disconnect message.
Fixed a server crash caused by sending malformed reliable subchannel data.
Novint Falcon support is now enabled by default.
Remember to restart your Steam client to get all the latest patches an updates.
Monday, 6 July, 2009 – Planet Half-Life News
Germany Bans CS From Public LAN Events[ 31 Comments ] 8:14 PST | John Phillips | Print News | Category: Counter-StrikeFollowing a year of brutal school shootings in Germany, several German municipal governments have decided to ban all "killer" games from public LAN events, including Counter-Strike according to GotFrag.com. The shootings, many of which had no explanations, left many German authorities searching for any means to ease the tension and the possibilities of more shootings.
This ban has lead to the cancellation of many ESL Friday Night events and has now lead to the cancellation of the Convention-X-Treme tournament. Tournament managers have given full refunds to all of those who've already bought tickets, and are currently searching for a new venue for future events. The question now remains on whether or not Germany will man this a nation-wide ban, or if it remains the prerogative of municipal governments.
Tuesday, 30 June, 2009 – Planet Half-Life News
Counter-Strike 2D[ Comment ] 6:40 PST | John Phillips | Print News | Category: Counter-StrikeCan't get out of the good old days of 2D gaming, but love Counter-Strike? Then you'll love Counter-Strike 2D! CS2D takes your favorite weapons, maps, and gameplay modes into a 2D environment with a few new additions as well.
You can get your hands on the game right here, or check out cs2d.com for more information.
Saturday, 13 June, 2009 – Planet Half-Life News
17-Year-Old Girl Drops Out to Play Counter-Strike[ 36 Comments ] 6:32 PST | John Phillips | Print News | Category: Counter-StrikeWhen I was a seventeen year old high school student, I too played Counter-Strike until the wee hours of sunrise on a Tuesday... or Wednesday, depending how you look at it. I couldn't concentrate on school work and I I was itching to just not go so I could play the #1 online FPS all day. But that doesn't make much sense, does it?
Well, it does for Sophie “inzane” Regner, a former high school student from Stockholm, Sweden. Sophie dropped out because she was up too late playing the game and practicing with her all-female clan Pink Zinic and wanted to focus all of her time and energy to that.
Granted she does make some money during tournaments and she also models "for a friend" for money as well. But where will she be when Counter-Strike finally isn't the "it" thing anymore? Furthermore, what kind of parents let their child drop out of school for video games? Oh yeah, the parents of the 16 year old professional guitar hero player.
Whether you think these kids are under the line of intelligence (can you blame them, they don't have an education) or you think what they're doing is every gamer's dream, we wish them the best of luck. They'll probably need it when their hands are crippled by carpal tunnel and are applying for jobs at McDonalds.
The recent 1.6 update that fixed similar problems that existed in the game came after close to 10 years hasn't helped the online community who have by now integrated the glitches into their play style. The key to making Counter-Strike great again is not to fix something that is so fundamentally broken and outdated that by the time it does all the things it should and could we'll be taking day-trips to the moon.
What they need to do is draw a line under what has happened and simply listen to the competitive community for what needs to be improved. The Source Engine was obviously not cut out for something like a competitive shooting game, where absolutes are paramount.
You can check out the very interesting read right here. Whether you're a competitive Counter-Strike player, a casual pubber, or you've been completely turned off of the game, then you'll definitely want to check it out.
Tuesday, 5 May, 2009 – Planet Half-Life News
Counter-Strike Opponent Brutally Murdered[ 42 Comments ] 8:49 PST | John Phillips | Print News | Category: Counter-StrikeIt's no question that there are some players, especially in the highly competitive Counter-Strike community, that take the game a little too seriously. In Novosibirsk, Russia, a simple one on one game of Counter-Strike ended in the brutal murder of a seventeen-year-old (Alexei) by his fourteen-year-old rival (Alexander).
According to the investigation report on the Novosibirsk Prosecutor’s Office website, the two boys had met at a local cyber café to play Counter-Strike together. Alexei, the older of the two boys, had continuously defeated his younger rival which led to several fights breaking out, only to be broken up by the café's administrator. During the night, both boys were drinking alcohol and continued to play the game, despite their rapidly degrading relationship.
Alexander had left the café first and, with another, older friend, waiting outside until Alexei finished playing at 3:00am. Upon leaving, Alexander proceeded to hit Alexei over the head with a brick until he succumbed to his injuries. The half-buried body was discovered the following morning by residents.
The killer testified in court that his seventeen-year-old friend had nothing to do with the murder or attempted disposal of the body. Alexander was found guilty and sentenced to four years imprisonment at a penal colony for minors. The boy was sentenced under Article 111, Paragraph 4 that states that, while the attack was deliberate and meant to cause serious bodily harm, that the death was accidental, hence the short sentence. Prosecuting attorneys attempted to appeal this, but the sentence remains.
3. Garry's Mod: A glorious mix of Lego playset and context-free Half-Life 2 insanity. Garry made a mod we didn't realise we needed to play. Then we attached a jet to a bath, and sat Dr Breen inside. And then we couldn't stop. For the best creations, visit:
4. The headshot noise from counter-strike: The sound of melon death and victory.
17. Steam: Hundreds of games ready to buy and download at a moment's notice, alongside all your favourite servers and friends list. An endless supply of free demos and game movies, and the best indie game portal on the planet. Amazing. Steam is PC gaming.
29. Team Fortress 2 content updates: Because staying up all night waiting for a patch to download is big, clever and cool. Since launch Valve have added achievements, new weapons and the brilliant Payload game mode.
82. The gravity gun: Because a toilet hurled into the face is the new "hello".
83. The portal gun: An elaborate solution to an age-old problem: not being able to see your own bottom.
100. De_Dust: We know every nook and cranny of this perfect Counter-Strike map, and find routes to the bombsites with our eyes closed. We love it so much we hired the designer, Dave Johnston, to make a PC Gamer themed version of it. You'll find de_dust_pcg on our DVD.
Be sure to check out the entire Part 1 of the article right here.
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