Counter-Strike 2 News

37 CS:GO coaches banned for exploiting infamous coach spectator bug

The Esports Integrity Commission (ESIC) has sanctioned 37 coaches who abused a Spectator Bug in official tournaments. The bug allowed coaches to take a number of steps to become a spectator anywhere on the map - and then they could relay information to their team about enemy locations.

ESIC has examined 20% of the available data thus far and given sanctions based on the "frequency" and "duration" of bug abuse. This is an impressive feat, as the complete dataset comprised of 99,650 demos, an astonishing 15.2TB of data. However, the commission is keen to point out that only 0.1% of cases so far have returned positive results.

At present, ESIC has banned 37 coaches for periods between 3.75 and 36 months, the longest ban handed to Aleksandr 'MechanoGun' 'zoneR' Bogatiryev for 16 counts of bug exploitation with his team Hard Legion. As well as the ban, many coaches including zoneR have been fired by their teams. However, zoneR's replacement at Hard Legion Sergey 'starix' Ischuk has also been issued a ban, his for 10 months.

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CS:GO console commands, launch options, and configs

What are the most useful CS:GO console commands? Like with many of Valve's other games, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive can exploit the power of the Source engine console to give you more options and better settings. It's just as important for improving at the game as knowing where to aim guns and grenades - plus, it can even make practising that much easier and more efficient. Being a Steam game, CS:GO also has launch options that can be configured to customise elements before you're even loaded in.

All Counter-Strike: Global Offensive veterans will tell you that matches of skilled players can be won and lost on the smallest of margins. A smoke grenade lobbed an inch to the left of the optimum location can reveal your push to the enemy team, for instance. Ensure you have all the knowledge you need to win with the best CS:GO console commands.

Below we'll break down all the best console commands and launch options, and even recommend what you should change in your config files to give you the biggest advantage possible. If you're a new player, you might want to check out our CS:GO tips before heading into the console, to help you get a leg up in Valve's deceptively complex FPS.

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ESL announces CS:GO 2021 events calendar, big Pro Tour format changes, more

The ESL has announced some big changes headed to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's competitive scene next year, along with a full reveal of its events calendar, as it hopes to "bring some stability back" for players, fans, and the organisation itself. These changes include an all-new format for ESL Pro Tour events, a shiny new studio "designed for CS:GO", and more.

"Following one of the most unpredictable and challenging years in esports history, we'd like to reveal our vision and outlook for ESL Pro Tour 2021," the ESL announces on its site. "By announcing our calendar for the upcoming events next year we wish to bring some stability back for the players, fans and ourselves. We hope that LAN events will return and we will continue to monitor the COVID-19 situation leading into 2021."

The first of these major updates is the official CS:GO 2021 calendar itself, which next year will feature a "lower density of matches" - that is, eight ESL Pro Tour LAN tournaments, which will be "held over the course of two back-to-back weekends", instead of over a single week.

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This fan-made CS:GO map lets you tackle Wingman mode in a London Tube station

Alongside the main game, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has a pretty active custom map creator community - and one new, particularly impressive fan-made map lets you hare around a (fictional) London Underground train station. The map, titled 'Oyster' - presumably after the travel card - is for the FPS game's 2v2 Wingman mode, and sees you battle it out in an "under construction" Tube station, Aldham East.

The map was made for the recent Source Engine Discord Wingman mapping competition, creator and level designer Sol Williams explains in a press release. As you can see in the cinematic showcase clip of the map below, while the station itself is fictional, it's hugely faithful to the look and feel of London's underground network of tube stations, from its advert-covered white tiled corridors to the signs, escalators, and - heck! - even its litter bins.

"Fifteen stories beneath the streets, within the thick concrete of an under-construction station," the trailer says, "an organised eastern European agent is to attempt an attack", in order to destroy a bunch of historical artefacts hidden underneath the station's floor.

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The story of Counter-Strike's de_dust2_long, as told by its creator

In late August, a Twitter user asked their followers if they had any achievements that were completely inconsequential, but which they held dear nonetheless.

One reply stood out. "Back in 2005, I came up with a rough modification of an already existing Counter-Strike 1.6 map, which became popular worldwide and it's still being played to this day," Ramiro Olivencia, of Santa Fe, Argentina, tweeted. "It's called de_dust2_largo."

Searching for Counter-Strike 1.6 servers in Argentina in the mid-2000s always yielded similar results. Dozens of players gathered in room after virtual room, playing the same map until sunrise. It wasn't the famous Dust2, but rather a modification of it that went on to carve out its own place in history, known in the rest of the world as 'de_dust2_long'. But no one knew who to give credit to until Olivencia tweeted about it. He never acknowledged how successful his creation had been, both inside and outside South America. 15 years later, the reaction to his revelation still leaves him shocked to the core.

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