Counter-Strike 2 News

CS:GO's report botting problem has been fixed again

Report botting is a serious problem in online competitive games, especially in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive. Although Valve claimed it had solved the problem of en masse reporting two years ago, it seems some users were able to bypass the fix - but not anymore.

As reported by our sister site PCGamesN, John McDonald tweeted "RIP report botting" earlier today, suggesting the problem had been solved once again. After being questioned if the solution would hold true for years to come, the Valve developer says it's "impossible to say 'This will be fixed forever'" since it's "an ever-escalating battle" but the team is working on keeping report botters at bay for good.

Report botters were a big problem years ago when many players found they were banned via CS:GO's self-regulating Overwatch system as a result of being mass reported. The problem escalated so much so that in 2018, McDonald tackled the problem himself, telling players on the Global Offensive subreddit that the bots no longer work.

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Looks like CS:GO is saying bye-bye to "report botting"

One of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's peskiest issues is report botting, and Valve may have just gotten rid of it. While a developer at the FPS game's studio revealed a couple of years ago the problem had been worked out (at that time) it seems to have recurred as an issue since then - but has now been taken care of again.

Valve developer John McDonald has posted a brief tweet announcing: "RIP report botting." In a follow-up tweet replying to another user asking if it's gone for good this time, McDonald adds: "With adversarial problems, it is impossible to say 'This will be fixed forever'. It's probable bad actors will figure out how to bad act again in the future. It's an ever-escalating battle". So, while it sounds like there's a chance the issue could return to the game at some point, it's been solved for the time being.

Around two years ago, the dev posted on the CS:GO subreddit that "Report bots do not work", explaining he "personally did the work" to prevent them a year prior to the post.

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A CS:GO fan is building a Lego version of a classic map

The videogame world is no stranger to Lego-based crossovers, and it's not only the more well-known franchises like Star Wars or Minecraft that get a look-in. We've seen game series like Fallout, Portal, and even Dark Souls taking on a more blocky aesthetic in the past. Now, thanks to one Lego-savvy fan, it seems that it's Counter-Strike's turn to be transformed into a small, cube-based project.

A CS:GO player, who goes by the username Mexicandemon2, has recreated a section of the Dust II map using their Lego set and posted a picture of their build to Reddit earlier today. The fan has decided to focus on the Bombsite A section of the map, which will be familiar to any Counter-Strike player. While this may seem like an unlikely crossover, it actually works rather well and the build is incredibly accurate.

The Lego build is surprisingly detailed, even including a terrorist, a counter-terrorist, and a bomb in the correct position. The creator has also made sure to add in the boxes often used for cover in this area. The colour palette they've chosen also fits nicely with the actual in-game look of the map.

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CS:GO's new world ranking system will let players take mental health breaks

A new world-ranking system for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive will let players take more time off. The system, designed by the Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association, takes the emphasis off needing to attend every event in order for pros to hold onto their current fixture, as well as improving the overall environment of top-level play.

Reported by our friends The Loadout, the CSPPA World Ranking is designed by the association and over 30 CS:GO player representatives and consultants. The overhauled leaderboard for the multiplayer game is based around three key areas: creating a more sustainable work-life for pros, increased simplicity and transparency, and greater inclusivity and diversity.

On that first point, players will now have their ranking protected from absence-related penalties due to mental health issues, injury, or illness. Individual matches won't contribute to their placing either, nor will events that aren't part of the CSPPA World Ranking remit. Rankings are to be decided from tournaments spanning a longer period, too, meaning that a mid-season dip isn't the be all, end all of an otherwise strong run. "I think that rankings need to consider our mental health, and that a protected ranking is a really good change to the scene," Markus 'Kjaerbye' Kjærbye, a member of FaZe Clan's CS:GO team, said. "It's important to protect the teams and not put extra pressure on the person who is injured or having mental health problems."

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CSPPA reveals a new CS:GO world rankings system

The Counter-Strike Professional Players' Association has revealed its own rankings system that looks to rank CS:GO teams in a more transparent way that also promotes its overarching goal to improve playing conditions.

The new rankings, which aim to "promote a more sustainable work-life balance" for CS:GO players, aim to reward individual teams' performances over a 36-week rolling period but only award ranking points to a select number of tournaments and will not award any to tournaments hosted during player breaks. Although points are awarded to individual players, with the total points of all five players tallied up for the team's score, the rankings system does not penalise players for missing events through injury, illness, or mental health breaks.

"Current rankings systems incentivise players to play as many matches and tournaments as possible," the CSPPA announcement reads. "[Existing rankings] often fail to afford players and teams reasonable protections in case players are unable to attend matches or tournaments due to health and burnout issues."

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