Counter-Strike: Source

About Counter-Strike: Source
Counter-Strike: Source is the sequel to the popular mod for Half Life, Counter-Strike. It was designed and created from the ground up by Valve Software, using their new Source engine. Counter-Strike: Source features highly realistic physics courtesy of the Havok physics engine, and detailed maps and models. Official maps for Counter-Strike: Source


 * Developer: Valve Software, Turtle Rock Studios
 * Publisher: Valve Software
 * Platform: PC
 * Release date (North America): October 7, 2004
 * ESRB rating: M (Mature) 17+
 * PEGI rating: 16+

Flashbangs
Flashbang grenades will blind anyone who sees them go off, or a reflection of them going off; and deafen anyone within a certain radius (to a lesser or higher degree depending on their distance from the grenade). Although they will not hurt anybody, if somebody is caught in a flashbang "explosion", they will be incapable of a co-ordinated response to any attack, and will be an easy kill. Flashbangs should be preferably used against groups of enemies, and you should only attack if you're sure the flashbang has been effective. Flashbangs may be bounced off walls when thrown, but you must always remember that the "hitbox" of any grenade is slightly larger than you might expect, so if throwing one close to a wall (perhaps over a parapet), you must remember to throw it slightly further away from the wall than you might normally do so, to prevent it bouncing back.

If caught in a flashbang "explosion", the best thing to do if you remember your surroundings sufficiently well is to move for cover. If you do not remember your surroundings, you should at least crouch down. If you're completely blinded, it would be useful to reload so you can be prepared for any pending onslaught.

Footsteps
All players run to move by default in Counter-Strike: Source, and if you're quiet, you can hear their footsteps. This can help pinpoint where people are if they're close to you, or when to shoot if you feel somebody's about to pop out from around a corner. Players who walk instead of running (by holding down Shift by default) make an almost inaudible amount of noise, and so this tactic doesn't work. Crouching will also soften the noise you make.

Terrorist
You have two options: to stay near the hostages, or to rush to meet the counter-terrorists. Staying near the hostages is safe, but you are open to attack from several corridors, and counter-terrorists will probably appear from more than one at one time or another. This strategy allows you to "protect" the hostages from the counter-terrorists, but could be called camping by more inflammatory players. Rushing to meet the counter-terrorists is risky, as they have many good sniping points around the garage area. If you choose to go down the steps towards the garage, jumping around the corners always helps surprise the counter-terrorists. Grenades and flashbangs bounced around corners are also quite effective, especially if you know somebody is coming up the stairs. You must always be wary of counter-terrorists outside, as the windows smash easily, and there is plentiful cover outside. It would be adviseable to have at least two terrorists rush out through the window first. Opening the garage door from the outside gives a warning to any counter-terrorists inside, who will be waiting for whoever has opened the door: a better bet is to go in through the porch half-way up the stairs, and jump down the last flight into the garage, perhaps letting loose a grenade or flashbang first. Rushing down the main corridor of the office building is almost suicidal unless you're exceptionally fast, especially if the counter-terrorist team has snipers, because the storage rooms opposite the main office building offer superb sniping galleries, and counter-terrorists like throwing grenades in through the front window. A better bet is to go down the corridor at the back of the terrorists' spawn and exit into the small courtyard with the snowman, quietly walking through the passage into the main courtyard and crouching down at the exit porch to snipe any rambling counter-terrorists. Taking this option, you must always be wary of snipers in the sniping gallery. Once your sniping is finished, you can climb up the ladder to the right and follow the counter-terrorists through their likely entry path, shooting them rather unsportsmanshiply in the back before they get to the hostages.

Counter-terrorist
The counter-terrorists have the fun job of assaulting the office building. There are three main routes of assault: the garage, the left-hand side, and the main entrance. Rushing the garage is a safe bet, since there is plentiful cover. It's your choice whether you go outside through the garage door, or rush up the stairs, but if you do go outside you must remember to watch for terrorists through the window. Jumping on top of the crates allows you to shoot terrorists through the window without revealing too much of yourself to enemy fire. Once inside, the route to the hostages is clear, although you might want to take a detour round the inside of the office to confuse terrorists. The main entrance is another easy ride, with cover provided by the curving staircase. A flashbang into the main corridor is helpful unless you know it's clear. The best path to take once inside is to go straight forward, and turn right, taking the back corridor into the hostage area, jumping around all the corners. The left-hand side is risky, with terrorists having the advantage of not having to climb up a ladder before being able to shoot. A good plan is to go round the corridor into the small courtyard with the snowman, and check the room is clear before smashing the window and entering. Once inside, just follow the back corridor, jumping around every corner and throwing a flashbang into the hostage area before entering. When you've got the hostages, exit down towards the garage. When leading hostages to safety, make sure to check for terrorists camping the rescue zone, as it is a common last-ditch strategy, especially by bots. Common hiding places are behind and on top of the skips. A flashbang into the garage wouldn't go amiss.

Terrorist
For campers, playing as terrorists on cs_assault is very desirable, as camping is the de-facto strategy. However, there are many routes of attack for the counter-terrorists, so you should stay on your guard. In the first minute of the game, counter-terrorists usually attempt to gain entry to the warehouse through the ventilation system. At least two terrorists should stay upstairs and guard both vent exits: the one in the main warehouse, and the one in the ceiling of the office area. Left unguarded, the latter allows counter-terrorists easy access to the hostages, and gives them the chance to shoot you in the back, unexpectedly. At least one terrorist should also guard the bottom side door behind the cargo boxes. They should put themselves in a hidden position, immune from attack by counter-terrorists sniping through the railway door. A good position for this is hidden on the raised level (not upstairs) behind a pillar. It is quite dark there, and terrorists have been known to hide without being noticed there while the entire counter-terrorist team runs around the warehouse. A few adventurous counter-terrorists will always try the side door near the beginning of the round, but will be dispatched easily enough. Somebody patrolling the gantry on the forward side of the warehouse is also quite useful, as they are able to take out counter-terrorists in virtually any part of the warehouse without being in too much danger from snipers. The final few terrorists in the team should patrol around the entire warehouse, regularly checking that the hostage room hasn't been disturbed. A good tip is to make sure that any doors to the warehouse are always closed, or counter-terrorists could snipe through them.

Counter-terrorist
The counter-terrorists have a tough time on cs_assault, but a good co-ordinated attack will have a high chance of winning the round. Teamwork is of the essence, with assaults on two or more points being almost critical to winning. If the terrorist team isn't particularly well organised, a few counter-terrorists could infiltrate the ventilation system and exit in the office area, to grab the hostages and covertly shoot any terrorists in the back. However, this strategy is suicide if the terrorist team is on the ball, or if they see you coming: you are stuck in a small vent with limited manoeuverability, while terrorists are free to throw grenades in as they please. If sniper rifles are purchaseable on the server, one counter-terrorist should buy one and crouch down behind the railway door, to snipe off any terrorists wandering around on the gantry visible from such a position. This position is, however, open to assault by an adventurous terrorist rushing out from either side of the railway door. Some counter-terrorists should wait on the external staircase, opening the door and rushing back down before coming back up the stairs just enough to be able to shoot any terrorists inside. This minimises the visible area of your body, making it exceedingly hard for terrorists to shoot you. Later on in the round a couple of counter-terrorists could sneak in through the bottom side door (underneath the external staircase), as any terrorists initially guarding that door have usually wandered off by such a time in the round. Hiding in the shadows and shooting visible terrorists with silenced weapons can clear out the entire warehouse if you're against an average terrorist team.