Counter-Strike (video game)

Counter-Strike (also known as Half-Life: Counter-Strike or Counter-Strike 1.6) is a first-person shooter video game developed by Valve and published by Sierra Studios for Microsoft Windows. It was originally a Half-Life modification released in 1999 by game designers Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess Cliffe. Valve later acquired the mod's intellectual property by hiring both Le and Cliffe. Several years later, it was ported to Xbox by Ritual Entertainment in collaboration with Turtle Rock Studios. The Windows version was re-relased via Valve's digital distribution service Steam, including the Linux and OS X releases.

Development
The game began as a mod of Half-Life that was created by Minh "Gooseman" Le and Jess Cliffe. Le had started his last semester at university, and wanted to do something in game development to help give him better job prospects. Before Counter-Strike, he had worked on mods with the Quake engine, but later wanted to try something new and opted for GoldSrc for his latest project. During the times when Valve released the software development kit (SDK) for GoldSrc, Le estimated it took him about a month and a half to complete the programming and integrate his models for Beta One of Counter-Strike. Jess Cliffe, the co-creator of the Counter-Strike mod, managed the website and community of the mod, and had contacts within level map making community to help build some of the maps for the game. For development of the mod, Gooseman took an inspiration from his own interest in guns and the military, and from games of the Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six and Spec Ops series.

Around 2000, Gooseman and Cliffe were approached by Valve, offering to buy the Counter-Strike intellectual property and hire them to continue the development of the game at Valve. Both accepted the offer, and by September 2000, Valve released the first non-beta version of the game. The full game was released on November 9, 2000 for Microsoft Windows by Sierra Studios, the publishing label of Sierra On-Line. It was bundled with Team Fortress Classic, Opposing Force multiplayer, and the Wanted, Half-Life: Absolute Redemption and Firearms mods. After the release, Cliffe continued his job at Valve, while Gooseman, while doing additional work for Counter-Strike 2.0, a sequel to Counter-Strike based on the upcoming Source engine, eventually left to open his studio in South Korea, FIX Korea, to develop the spiritual successor of Counter-Strike called Tactical Intervention, after Valve opted to shelve the sequel.

Gameplay
Counter-Strike is a first-person shooter game set in various locations around the globe, in which the player chooses one of the two available teams, including terrorists and counter-terrorists. The task of both teams is to defeat each other in small-sized maps by using various weapons to choose from, such as the knife, pistol, shotgun, machine gun, rifle and grenade, among others.

In the first mode, Bomb Defusal, the terrorist's task is to plant a bomb on the place marked with both the letters A and B, which are referred to as "Bombsite", while the counter-terrorist has to defuse the bomb which may result in winning the round if manages to complete the defuse.

There are two other modes depending on the choice of specific maps, such as Hostage Rescue and Assassination, where in the latter, is only available on the map named Oilrig. In Hostage Rescue maps, anti-terrorists rescue the hostages, leading them to the anti-terrorist's area, while in Assassination, one of the counter-terrorists is chosen to act as a V.I.P. and the team must escort this player to a designated spot on the map to win the game. The terrorists win if the V.I.P. is killed or if the time runs out with no conclusion.

Why The Counter Terrorists Win

 * 1) Along with Doom and Quake, Counter-Strike greatly popularized esports when it comes to the first-person shooter game genre. It is also notable for spawning Valve's most popular franchise to date, with games that are still played by many gamers around the world, especially its recent installment, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, which is one of the most popular first-person shooter esports games, as well as the most popular game on Steam. If it weren't for this game, esports wouldn't be as popular, the sequels would never exist, and Valve wouldn't get so much attention, and it's worth considering the fact that it was a small company when the game came out. The game also stood out for being one of the first games to became a full game that was originally a mod, although Chex Quest and Team Fortress Classic (another game by Valve) did it earlier.
 * 2) What makes the game stand out most is how much fun the gameplay is, even after two decades, hence it is not surprising that a lot of people are playing the game. Although the game is based on banal gameplay rules, it's still fun to plant/defuse the bomb and rescue hostages. The sequels are based on the same gameplay, including CS:GO, which still make the gameplay of this game timeless that entertains gamers from various generations. No matter who you play with, be it bots, friends or global players, this easy-to-remember gameplay scheme still is not getting boring.
 * 3) It was the first Valve game that introduced Valve Anti-Cheat (VAC), an anti-cheat software that stopped inappropriate players who cheat, making it as an essential thing for multiplayer games to include, considering that the game was extremely popular for its time, it was an easy target for cheaters. Valve made a very good decision to create their own anti-cheat, although there was already one piece of software that did the same thing as VAC, which is PunkBuster, hence it is the second anti-cheat software ever made.
 * 4) Like other Valve or id Software games, it features a console, in which you can write the commands, mainly to modify in-game, for example you can change the size and colors of the crosshair, as well as HUD. You can also modify in-game time, money, things related to management of the match and even manage the players, if you are a hoster of any server.
 * 5) The game, which itself was a mod for Half-Life, is also moddable due to the software development kit that Valve released. In the game, mainly mods are created that are based on custom maps and weapons, as well as textures.
 * 6) While the Israeli company VocalTec introduced voice chat in 1995, this game, along with Sega's final console, the Dreamcast and its first game using this technology, Alien Front Online, have extremely spread this technology based on Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP). Voice chat is largely useful for online games where not always the player has enough time to type anything, especially when he/she's playing asymmetrical multiplayer games, hence this technology solves this problem. Without Valve and Sega, voice chat would never be so widely used in online games.
 * 7) Solid amount of great and memorable maps to the extent they're getting recreated on next Counter-Strike installments. The maps are quite adequately designed for an asymmetrical multiplayer game, based roughly on tactics, in which the maps are both not too small and not too big, giving the player free space in some useful places, but also the game makes the maps very easy to remember, so the player easily looks for the right tactics without thinking. The setting of Bombsite A and B should be commendable, as they are not too close to the terrorists base, while are closer to the counter-terrorist base, so this aspect demands more challenge and more clever tactics from the terrorists team.
 * 8) * Bomb Defusal:
 * 9) ** Dust2 (de_dust2): The game's most famous and most played Bomb Defusal map in the whole game, which serves as a successor to Dust. Like its predecessor, it takes place in Middle East. Dust2 was created by David Johnston, a level designer who's responsible for creating levels for games like Team Fortress Classic, the PC adaptation of James Bond 007: Nightfire and Brink.
 * 10) ** Inferno (de_inferno): It is a small town with European architecture that takes place in Italy. Inferno was created by Christopher Auty, a British level designer that moved to Germany and started working for Crytek in 2003, developing levels for the first Far Cry game and the Crysis series.
 * 11) ** Nuke (de_nuke): The map takes place in a warehouse containing nuclear materials or a nuclear power plant. Nuke was created by Jo Bieg.
 * 12) ** Train (de_train): The map that takes place in an industrial setting with a train station. Train was created by Christopher Mair, one of the developers who was working at Barking Dog Studios until the studio became a part of Rockstar Games.
 * 13) ** Vertigo (de_vertigo): It is based on a skyscraper that is under construction and centered the conflict between the two playable teams. Vertigo was created by Christopher Auty, who worked on several other maps of the game (including the mentioned Inferno).
 * 14) * Hostage Rescue:
 * 15) ** Assault (cs_assault): The game's most famous and most played Hostage Rescue map in the whole game. It takes place in an American city, featuring the warehouse, in which hostages were kidnapped. Assault was created by the Finnish mapper Lari Muuriaisniemi.
 * 16) ** Italy (cs_italy): The second Counter-Strike map that takes place in Italy, specifically in the north since there are mountains visible. It is filled with narrow passageways and includes an iconic marketplace. The map is widely considered a fan-favorite amongst the community. Italy was co-created by Glen Cooper and Jaison Gree. One of the creators, Cooper, used to work at various companies involved in Internet consulting before founding his own consulting company Pico Logic in 2007 and several years ago he formed the band Diamondwolf along with a friend.
 * 17) ** Militia (cs_militia): A map that takes place somewhere in a mountainous area, featuring the house where the hostages have been hijacked. Militia was created by Andrew Aumann, who outside of developing this map, his hobbies are hunting and fishing.
 * 18) ** Office (cs_office): It is set in the winter in a office building with parking areas and outside yards. It is considered one of the more balanced Hostage Rescue maps in Counter-Strike as players have ground throughout the map and the hostages are easily escorted in the wide pathways. Office was created by the Russian level designer Alexander Manilov.
 * 19) The game features a lot of weapons and gadgets, with most of them being reused in newer Counter-Strike games, considering how useful, well-balanced and popular they are. Among them, you can qualify the AK-47 (CV-47), Desert Eagle (Night Hawk .50C), ES Five-seven, USP (K&M .45 Tactical), XM1014 (Leone YG1265 Auto Shotgun), AUG (Bullpup), FAMAS (Clarion 5.56), P90 (ES C90), MP5 (K&M Sub-Machine Gun), UMP-45 (KM UMP45), SG 552 (Krieg 552), M4 (Maverick M4A1 Carbine) and AWP (Magnum Sniper Rifle), among others.
 * 20) The artificial intelligence of bots is well-functional, especially when you choose Hard or Expert difficulty, although in some respects even on Easy and Normal difficulties bots can also be helpful for the player. Bots use many different tactics for a given map, give commands/reports to others (for example they tell if the area is clear), and can also tell how many enemies are left. Given that you too have the ability to give commands, they will listen to you and do what you say. They are also noteworthy for their movement, who try to hide or jump when shooting the opponent and shoot while moving or crouching. The last thing worth noting is that they use every type of weapon, even using knives, grenades, shields and gadgets that are present in the game.
 * 21) The graphics, which despite looking identical to Half-Life, still look fine for the year the game was released, noticing the well-designed character and weapon models, lighting and special effects. Although the resolution of the textures is low, it does not take away the charm of GoldSrc games.
 * 22) The sound effects are extremely realistic, noting the weapon sounds, as well as voices of both terrorists and counter-terrorists, which are heard when you give a command/report or bots automatically say in a certain situation.
 * 23) The publisher of the game, Sierra Studios, has offered an amazing deal when you bought the physical version. First, the game was only $30, which additionally offered Team Fortress Classic and multiplayer versions of Half-Life and Half-Life: Opposing Force, but there was also the Platinum Edition, which cost twice as much, it also offered the single-player campaign of two mentioned Half-Life games. Like the original publisher of the game, Valve also decided to make a special deal for the digital version, because when you buy Counter-Strike, which currently costs $10, you can also receive Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, the only game in the series, which features the single-player campaign. Considering the overall quality of the game and the bonus games you get in the bundle, the price was definitely a bull's eye.
 * 24) The Xbox version of the game is a massive surprise, since it is not just a regular port of a successful game, in fact, it's technically a recreation of the game itself, offering remade graphics, most notably maps and character models. The port's another notable feature is that it has a brand new select weapon menu, which Valve reportedly liked so much that they took inspiration from that menu in Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.

Bad Qualities

 * 1) Non-existent soundtrack, which makes the game completely silent, even on the main menu. The only thing you hear are sound effects implemented in the entire game.
 * 2) The in-game animations are stiff, especially the playable character animations, which lack of dozen frames per second during reloading a weapon, walking and dying.
 * 3) The controls are way inferior, comparing to other Valve's GoldSrc games because the playable characters are slower, especially when you jump (which causes stopping the player for one second). Although the shooting is the same, in this aspect the game is too unenjoyable to make various moves made by advanced players, such as bunny hop.
 * 4) Counter-Strike is by far one of the easiest games when it comes to installing the game via illegal websites, due to the fact that there are many fanmade freeware launchers that even allow you to join multiplayer servers, making this game an easy target for cheaters.
 * 5) On the Steam re-release, it's impossible to play with bots, which doesn't make sense, since not every player in the world is advanced enough to play with actual people, making this re-release unfriendly to beginners. The only way to play with bots on Steam is to download external files, which can be downloaded here.

Reception
Counter-Strike was critically acclaimed by critics and considered by some critics as one of the greatest games of all time. According to the review aggregator Metacritic, the Windows version received "generally favorable reviews", while the Xbox version received "mixed or average" reviews.

GameSpot's Scott Osborne gave an 8.4/10, summarizing: "Counter-Strike is undeniably influential, and has already helped inspire countless similar mods and games. It's easy to see why: Counter-Strike has a simple yet effective design that's brought to life with superior maps and vivid graphics and sound. The end result is utterly exciting and addictive. Counter-Strike is a model of its kind and a thrilling action game."

Giving for Counter-Strike an 8.9/10, Clayton Wolfe of IGN said that the game "is fast paced, intense, and satisfying--this game will not disappoint. This is truly one of the best mods for one of the all time greatest first person shooters ever, and the retail package of CS is simply bursting with multiplayer goodness."

Counter-Strike is considered one of the most influential multiplayer games of all time. The game is attributed to having pushed the competitive gaming movement forward and have been reported that it was the first game for which a fantasy league was started.

The game was critically acclaimed from the player base. On Steam, Counter-Strike holds the "overwhelmingly positive" rating.

Legacy
Following the success of the game, it got multiple sequels such as Counter-Strike: Condition Zero (2004), which uses the same engine as the original Counter-Strike and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (2012) which is so far the recent instalment in the series and is the second Counter-Strike game powered by the Source game engine.

It spawned several spin-offs mainly for the Asian player base with the first game being Counter-Strike Neo (2003), an arcade game developed by Namco. Since 2008, a Korean game company Nexon developed free-to-play installments, such as Counter-Strike Online (2008), Counter-Strike Online 2 (2013) and Counter-Strike Nexon: Studio (2014), formerly called Counter-Strike Nexon: Zombies.

In the same year when Valve released Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, the original title received a remake titled Counter-Strike: Source (2004), being the first game in the Counter-Strike series that was powered by GoldSrc's successor, Source.

Trivia

 * Sounds for the Radio Commands and the Announcer were recorded by Jess Cliffe, one of the creators of the game.
 * The sound effects for the M249 were contributed by an actual employee of Fabrique Nationale, the manufacturer of the weapon.
 * A Canadian video game developer, Barking Dog Studios, was responsible for the Beta 5 update in 1999. The same studio was rebranded to Rockstar Vancouver due to the acquisition by mh:crappygames:Take-Two Interactive, becoming a part of Rockstar Games in 2002. It was notable for developing an action-adventure game titled Bully.
 * The game became a subject of Internet memes due to the viral video on YouTube called DOOR STUCK! DOOR STUCK!, which was uploaded by KinetiK001 in 2007, where KinetiK is griefing his teammate iambackk (jrbsn) and the latter stucks in a door frame on cpl_mill map.
 * This video has become so iconic among the Counter-Strike community, the sticker of the meme is available on Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
 * Jordan Robinson (jrbsn), a Counter-Strike player that stucked in a door, is an ESEA player, as well as a livestreamer on Twitch. In one of his Valorant streams, Robinson made a reference to "Door Stuck".

Videos
ou4GLvAEKtE agNzE-YBJGQ Ec9s-t75lMw _XjALzawweA KotpxcDsZoo x1s2IVGkw5U lLVs2p0NFZQ xgQ4eRu02MI 11hbijXT67w