Seven maps are played in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive competitions and particular terms have been coined for the various sites that can be found on these maps. CS.MONEY here to help you familiarize yourself with the competitive maps and their secrets.
Sites Common for Different Maps
Despite all competitive maps are different, they share a number of sites. For instance, both Cache and Dust 2 have a total of 21 passages to sites. Because of that, there are “mid” and “long” on these maps.
Despite all maps have their own terms, some are universal:
Despite all competitive maps are different, they share a number of sites. For instance, both Cache and Dust 2 have a total of 21 passages to sites. Because of that, there are “mid” and “long” on these maps.
- “Mid” is the central area of the map. The current competitive map set doesn’t include this site on Nuke and Train.
- “Long” is a longer passage to one of the sites, found on Dust 2, Cache, and Overpass. One of the passages on Inferno is sometimes called long as well.
- Short stands for a short passage to a site. More often than not, we’re talking about passages on Dust 2 and Overpass.
- “Connector” is a “bridge” that connects passages. Found on Mirage, Overpass, Cache, Train, and Vertigo.
- “Squeaky” is a passage with a door. When opened, the door produces a distinctive sound — hence the site’s name. The maps that contain a squeaking door include Cache, Nuke, Overpass, and Inferno.
- “Heaven” is an area overlooking a certain site. Such areas are found on Cache, Overpass, Train, and Nuke.
- “Ramp” is a gently downhill area. Found on Train, Mirage, Inferno, and Overpass.
- “Catwalk” is a long and straight area. Catwalks can be found on Mirage, Dust 2, Train, and Nuke.
- “Default” is the “standard” location for planting С4, found on all sites and maps. It’s considered to be the most convenient spot for defense or safe planting.
- “Ladder”: a map normally contains a ladder — or many, located separately.
- “Vent” stands for ventilation ducts. Found on Nuke and Cache.
- “Headshot” is a defense site from which the enemy’s head is visible. Found on Cache, Inferno, Train, and Nuke.
Sites that have a common name on several maps are intuitively understandable. A quick glance at the map or the surroundings is enough to understand where the long or connector is. They are the easiest to learn, with in-game information about these sites instantly clear to pretty much any player.
Unique Terms
Sites that aren’t to be found on other maps receive their own special names, and those don’t necessarily reflect any part of the environment. Sometimes the name has been preserved since the times of CS Source or CS 1.6. Like the graveyard on Inferno, the name of a certain position at A Site. There are no crosses or graves at the graveyard, only a small enclosed platform.
The names of such sites should be memorized. On each map, you can find about 10 such unique positions. Naturally, you won’t be able to learn everything at once, but after some time, your memory is sure to succeed. Before it happens, you can communicate with your allies using radar symbols. To do it, just look at the corner of the screen from time to time — you’ll always find the “official” name of the position above the radar.
Why Bother Memorizing These Names?
Communication is an important element of team play. Knowing where the opponent is makes it easy to guess where and when they can go. There are built-in voice and text chats in the game, and using them for information exchange significantly increases the chances of success in the match.
Fortunately, maps in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive are small and almost completely deprived of verticality. It’s easy to find your way on them, with common terms for sites helping you to quickly master and memorize map geography.
