The first mention of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been found in Source 2 libraries. Today, the CS.MONEY blog is going to try and figure out what exactly this reference means and whether the game even needs a new engine.
What happened?
Yet another cause for SHOCK and SENSATION! For the very first ever, a mention of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been found in the libraries related to Source 2. The community immediately started speculating on how quickly the game will be ported to the new version of the engine.
In case you didn’t know, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is now based on the first Source. Just like its predecessor Counter-Strike: Source, released in 2004. And if the current engine seems outdated to you, you’re right. It certainly is. However, before we discuss technological subtleties and nuances, let’s cover the basics.
What’s a game engine?
Simply put, a game engine is a set of programs that are required to make a game function properly. Normally, it includes a rendering engine, physics, sound, network code, artificial intelligence, and other elements. An engine isn’t a universal platform. Even the Unreal Engine, which is the basis for MMORPGs as well as for fighting games and shooters, is still far from universal.
Source and Source 2 are engines released by Valve. When the first Source appeared fifteen years ago, it was a genuine breakthrough. Moreover, after all these years, Half-Life 2 facial animations still look quite pretty.
What’s the difference between the two versions of Source?
Another tricky question. The fact of the matter is, the first Source has a whole bunch of varieties: more than ten, actually. CS:GO, for example, uses its 2011 version. Not to bring up arcane stuff, let’s define the main differences between the first and second versions of the engine.
Source 2 has better multicore capabilities, supports such API as Vulkan and DirectX 11, and features a new physics engine — Rubikon. Another important thing that the average player is unlikely to notice is the new software you can work with. As of today, creating a map for CS:GO isn’t a particularly rewarding experience. In Source 2, building locations is much easier.
Why hasn’t CS:GO switched to Source 2 yet?
Because there’s no reason for such migration. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has been breaking online records for a year now and is one of the top 3 most popular games on Steam. Even the strictest updates don’t tend to cause any sizeable decrease in the game’s audience.
Unlike Dota 2, CS:GO is unlikely to have a smooth engine transition: too much change will be needed. What’s worse, it’s unclear how and what elements exactly will undergo changes. Will the devs go to great lengths to retain existing grenade throws? How much effort will they put into saving all the movement features? Given the previous experience with engine changes, namely the switch from CS 1.6 to CS: Source, the answer to these questions is a definitive no.
And it’s starting to look like an extremely risky business too. If the engine change goes badly, it’s hard to predict how many regular players and pros will migrate to Valorant. A small reminder just in case: the latter bears a striking resemblance to CS.
Source 2 may be a necessity
Nevertheless, Valve can well be developing builds of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive based on the new engine. Former Valve software engineer, Richard Geldrich, argues that adding new features to the game is a challenging task. In this light, Source 2 is beneficial to both users and developers.
In summary, Valve are unlikely to release Counter-Strike: Global Offensive 2 or simply upgrade the game to a new engine anytime soon. Since February 2019, the game has been skyrocketing. Even now, after all the changes to the accounting system, CS:GO ranks first in terms of online players on the platform.
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