Overpass cannot be overlooked when discussing CS:GO’s most important competitive maps of the last decade. And though many people unjustifiably forget about it when listing their favourite options, Overpass gave birth to at least two iconic and legendary esports moments and is also the map where not the most ingenious tactics are deciders, but the aiming and trickery of pro players.
However, times are changing. This map received the last more or less serious update in 2020, and in general, for almost ten years, it has already become a little boring graphically and gameplay-wise. You even might think that the developers have brought it to perfection and are polishing others, but this is not true. There are enough problems everywhere. Today, CS.MONEY Blog identifies Overpass’s three most significant issues: balance, monotony, and bugs.
Overpass Balance Is Broken
Here’s a bold statement: Overpass is worse than Mirage and should be replaced next. Why? Let us explain below.
The first and most crucial problem with this map is the tilted balance. With Valve updating and shifting the CT and T meta a bit, Overpass is still pretty much the most CT-oriented map in the last 12 months on the pro scene, falling behind only Nuke.
Some maps were created one-sided, mostly the defence team: Ancient, which is a whole percentage closer to the golden mean, and Nuke, which remains the most imbalanced card in the map pool, but at the same time the most respected. Meanwhile, Mirage is two per cent behind, almost perfectly balancing the games to be entertaining enough, and this is noticeable even in tournaments.
Thank Gaben that the developers released a fresh Anubis, which returns the balance of power to the T-side.
Overpass Tactics Are Obsolete
Overpass has a well-thought-out map design that allows you to win through well-executed scenarios, as well as to be cunning and come up with cool solutions for various game situations.
But the problem is that all possible tactics and solutions have long been known and the map has become obsolete for analysts/coaches, whose task is to come up with combinations for entering the sites. Since the map was released a long time ago, back in December 2013, and the developers could have been more generous for updates in recent years, Overpass has become 100% explored. There have only been four updates since 2017, one of which literally states “Pruned some shrubbery” for a whole update!
And now the players as individuals, and not as a team, are game-changers on Overpass.
Rounds, in most cases, start the same way: fire to Playground and the Shorts, smokes there, smokes here, at 1:47 shoot the stairs at T near the electrical panel, and all that. The same thing is repeated over and over again like a Deja Vu, and this is not madness. On Reddit, you can see users’ complaints: players make 5-6 frags per match simply repeating routine shots, not to mention the legendary Astralis’ nade tactics, and so on.
Does it highlight individual skill? Of course. But also, this map doesn’t work well for teams now. And CS:GO is, first and foremost, a team shooter.
Not All Overpass Bugs Are Fixed
Even after so many years and fixes, Overpass is still an unfinished map. In general, you can understand Valve: they may have been busy moving to the new Source 2 engine for several years already, and that’s why they fix the old stuff so lazily (after all, why sweat for something that will fade soon in the face of a new one?). And besides, tinkering and redoing something in the cumbersome Source 1 is a complete mess. So, since there are too many bugs, it’s probably easier to do everything from scratch.
Here is an example from half a year ago highlighted by m0NESY (2022), who talked about a bug with a bench and smoke.
In addition to this spot, there are a bunch of places where particles highlight players through smoke. Add to that some points that allow you to hover in the air: a llama in the subway, the famous “fixed” olofmeister boost or its second edition near the toilets. Not to mention the invisible barriers that grenades ricochet off.
By the way, you can notice a “park guide” at the CT spawn, which is basically the map’s blueprint. Even these days, it is the same as it was on the release, despite all the updates and rearrangements made by Valve.
So What?
Just do a simple thing, Valve: remove Overpass in the next competitive maps reshuffle, not the old-timer Mirage. You have a severe indicator: even esports teams understand it. Only Dust 2 has been picked less than Overpass in 2022.
All the things mentioned above are seriously negative factors for a competitive CS:GO map. And it would be best to eliminate the weakest element in the mappool by completely reworking it. Small changes could have been made over the past five years, and since there were none, it’s time for the map to visit the intensive care unit.
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