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In the final part of our 3 part CS:GO chat with Chet Faliszek we throw some quick fire questions on the new content (weapons, maps, player models & gamemodes) as well as post-release server support and the upcoming beta. We also contemplated how much longer the CS formula will live on as it competes with a different online shooter landscape than it did back in 1999.[br]Read on after the break and stay tuned for updates on the new beta release date.[br]
GLENN: What new items / weapons will there be?[br]
CHET: There are 8 new weapons like the molotov and a couple new guns. We've also retuned the guns as well. And there are things like the Zeus which is a taser-like weapon for humiliation kills, which costs a grand ($1000).[br]
LAURENCE: Speaking of item pricing what other changes are there?[br]
CHET: We have done some remodelling there; we want the Zeus to be a weapon where you are making a financial choice which may pay off or not.[br]
GLENN: In CSS you guys introduced dynamic weapon pricing and from what we've seen it didn't work out so well? [Chet: Fair enough!] So nothing like that will be in CS:GO?[br]
CHET: I mean we really were looking at the community to see things they were doing, things like shorter round times. Min models, so there are different models but they are the same class. Going back to CSS that had friendly fire in it...like crazy. What the hell were we thinking?[br]
LAURENCE: Including round times, how customisable are the servers and to what extent can you customise your own server?[br]
CHET: So we're going to host a bunch of servers for all platforms. Equally you will be able to host your own and do pretty much everything you can do in CSS. It's important to have parity with what is already there so if people want to start doing crazy stuff they can. They can surf, shoot or whatever.[br]
GLENN: There is a limit to the things which can modded I assume? Like Left 4 Dead could have weapon re-skins but not actual new weapons...[br]
CHET: Yeah, there are some problems there which goes down to some really core underlying technology that came about when we created Left 4 Dead. That's one of the problems we have because all the games are on a separate branch but from the same tree. We're actually working on that, we're going to add some more stuff. We?ve done some work to get ready for that and solve the problems with it but hopefully we will be able do it within the 'branch' and do more stuff.[br]
GLENN: Back to CS:GO, what maps are coming on launch?[br]
CHET: We are shipping 7 of the classic maps. Things like Aztec, Italy, Office, Nuke, Dust, Dust 2...err oh god I should know these. It's been a long week! (Train is the other one he forgot)[br]
GLENN: Do all these maps have changes in them like we've seen in Dust?[br]
CHET: No not Dust 2, it works...why mess with it![br]
GLENN: What about from some of the other maps you mentioned?[br]
CHET: Well, so I know dust we?ve changed a lot on, we?ve changed a lot on Aztec, and those are what we?ve been playing the most. First of all there?s no thunder when the terrorists are crossing the bridge [general laughter] ? that was probably a bad idea, alright? Oh, we?ve moved up part of the terrorist spawn, so they can move either way a little better. And we?ve also actually removed some of that, some dead space that pros were never using and that new players got confused.[br]
SULK: You can get lost quite easily in Aztec, sort of end up being like ?wait, where?s the fight...??[br]
CHET: Yeah, we want to make it a little tighter that way. Those are the maps we?ll really be grinding on, and when the beta goes out we?ll eternally be grinding on other ones as well, so we?ve also been working on eight new ones for the gun game mode ? Arsenal mode.[br]
GLENN: Are they coming out on release as well, with gun game? [br]
CHET: Yeah, yeah, it?s Arsenal mode and it?s going to come out with Demolition, which is a team-based version of gun game. And then there?s the classic Arms Race which is just cycle-through-the-weapons-and-ending-with-the-knife.[br]
GLENN: What was the map that we saw in the screenshots that were released by Valve two days ago, when Eurogamer started?[br]
CHET: Oh, I think those are Bank ? which has new models, so you?re playing professional robbers, or a SWAT team. Those maps are really small, really intense. You?re on top of the enemy ? often in the game, you can go down different alleyways, you?ll actually see them right almost at the spawn. So really tight, intense maps.[br]
GLENN: So the skins for the Terrorists and Counter-Terrorists ? they change based on the map environment?[br]
CHET: Yeah, we want a variety, but we don?t want that random variety of Arctic in Dust.[br]
SULK: I?d like to ask - what do you think is the ludic effect of having no regenerating health, having it mean something worse when you get injured ? what effect does that have on how the game works?[br]
CHET: One of the rules we had in starting CS:GO, way back, was ? it?s got to be Counter-Strike. It?s got to be Counter-Strike. Occasionally someone would stray off and try something that wasn?t Counter-Strike and it was really clear that this wasn?t Counter-Strike. Counter-Strike means the whole works; let?s make sure we?re staying true to that.[br]
SULK: Then ? last question ? you compared the rules of CS to the rules of football, and they have lasted a long time. How long do you think they COULD last?[br]
CHET (contemplatively): I dunno, it?s kind of a weird thing, right? I mean, how long ARE things going to last? We were always talking about that running the website stuff ? like, how long does this last? Does it END? Is there something going to happen? I dunno. At this point it?s as long as people want to play it, and we think there?s still a large portion of the community that wants to play competitive games, and that?s what we want to give ?em.[br]
GLENN: So the beta, when is that out and how are people getting hold of it?[br]
CHET: In October. We have keys we?re giving out at these kind of events, and then we?re going to seed communities with keys that they give to give to their members, and then we?ll just keep going from there. We want it to scale in size so that we can react to the changes, react to server loads, and all that kind of stuff. So it?s a real beta ? things are going to change.[br]
GLENN: And lastly, free to play or a paid product?[br]
CHET: We are not worried about how it?s going to be sold or anything else yet. In the new year we?ll start looking at that and talking about that.[br]
Many thanks to Chet and Ido for taking the time to talk to us.[br]
Glenn and Laurence (Brindle Blog)
