When I think of Counter-Strike, I immediately think of one of its oldest maps, Dust 2. As far as online gaming goes, it’s nothing short of a fucking institution. Valve recently unveiled a reworked version of the map which, visually, is pretty substantial.
The game’s latest iteration, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, is updated fairly frequently, but overhauling a map with as much prestige as Dust 2 is a pretty huge deal. Considering every piece of geometry in the game is important, whether it provides cover or just an edge to bounce a grenade off, even small changes can sway the balance of a map entirely.
Valve unveils revamped Counter-Strike map Dust2 and opens it up for testing https://t.co/4jwKAiBU9Y pic.twitter.com/11teBWtelK
— PC Gamer (@pcgamer) October 11, 2017
While the layout is essentially identical, the aesthetic has been changed completely. “We wanted to honor its pure form while buffing away the jagged edges,” Valve said, noting their desire to modernise the map visually while refining player movement around the space.
“We set out to refine it further rather than performing a wholesale redesign,” they added. On top of the map itself, the player models have also been enhanced.
New Dust 2 and character models are now available in beta. https://t.co/YqXAm0QygT #csgo pic.twitter.com/35lFL4ubfx
— ValveTime (@ValveTime) October 11, 2017
Straight off the bat, you can see how much lighter the new Dust 2 is, which minimises the darker patches players used to camp in the previous version. While most players are welcoming the changes, those with older PCs are noticing a drop in performance due to the higher details.
— Pateo (@Pateo_769) October 11, 2017
— Jahongir Abdurafikov (@JAbdurafikov) October 11, 2017
fps=dead
— spOOky Astrus (@GenericStocks) October 11, 2017
Hell ya but rip those people with potato PC
— ????LOWEE???? (@lowi_ftw) October 11, 2017
R.I.P. Fps to the Low Users
— Major ϟ (@Renato__Major) October 11, 2017
Some are just bummed to see the Dust 2 we’ve known for so long disappear.
Is this Inferno? pic.twitter.com/mWD3A2ixfN
— ~ seazoN (@SeazonCS) October 11, 2017
Doesnt look very dusty
— Motoh the ???? (@Motoh_The_GOAT) October 11, 2017
it looks too nice if you ask me, its too white to be dust2 if im honest
— spoops (@Varshious) October 11, 2017
And others don’t really see the big deal.
— Can K. (@NeDemisCan) October 11, 2017
It took that long for that. I thougt they were making some crazy changes
— nitxuj (@nitxuj_cs) October 11, 2017
They changed the textures, nothing more.
— Yungxsteffe (@StefanoRLCSGO) October 11, 2017
It’s still in beta at the moment, but you can opt-in to give it a whirl right now if you’re keen. Suss out some more visuals over on the Counter-Strike website.
