Counter-Strike 2 Gets Custom Maps as Part of Workshop Update

Counter-Strike 2 has received a much-needed update with the arrival of custom maps.

“The Maps workshop is now open for business,” developer Valve declared in a post on the Counter-Strike website.

“Community map makers can start uploading their maps to the workshop, and community servers can host those maps,” Valve added. “If you’d like to try some workshop maps offline, subscribe to them on the workshop and head to the Play menu.

“There are a bunch of other workshop tool updates today, along with a host of other fixes and adjustments to CS2. Check out the notes, play some matches, and keep that feedback coming!”

Fans have welcomed the news for a number of reasons, chief among them because custom maps are great for training. CS2’s predecessor, CS:GO, had a few useful maps for aim training and learning how to pre-fire, learn smokes, and spots to peek on certain maps, but those maps were inaccessible when CS2 replaced CS:GO in September. And already community map makers have worked their magic, with an aim training custom map going live less than 24 hours after the update launched.

Here are the Counter-Strike 2 November 2 patch notes in full:

[ WORKSHOP ]

• Enabled uploading CS2 maps to the workshop
• Community Servers can host workshop maps
• Added paint metalness and roughness by color features to Solid Color, Hydrographic, and Spray-Paint finishes in the Item Editor
• Added option to toggle “Automatic PBR Color Correction” to all sticker types in Item Editor
• Various Item Editor help system updates including “mat_fullbright 10” to test PBR
• Various updates to workshop tools

[ GAMEPLAY ]

• Fixed a case where user commands would be ignored in poor network conditions
• Fixed a case where weapons would fire faster than intended
• Fixed a case where clients would show multiple gunshots for one actual shot
• Fixed a case where players would fail to keep their weapons between rounds of overtime
• Fixed some instances of dropped weapons falling out of the gameplay space
• In firstperson, dead players will now see their own ragdoll at the server-authoritative lag-compensated position of their demise
• Decoy grenades interact aesthetically with smoke clouds
• Smoke grenades now have a minimum fuse duration to prevent smokes from prematurely detonating if stuck in crevices
• Players now ignore individual damage events dealing less than one point of damage
• Knife attacks will now prioritize enemies and will only hit teammates if there are no enemies in range
• Knife attacks no longer predict damage effects or sounds on the client
• Knife attack immediately after switching to a knife will always deal full damage amount
• For a given map location, eye height is now consistent regardless of how the player arrived

[ MAPS ]

• INFERNO
  • Fixed clipping in various areas
  • Fixed various microgaps
  • Fixed disappearing meshes in skybox
  • Removed birds that got mistaken for grenades

[ SERVERS ]

• Added sv_maxuptimelimit setting to request server shutdown after certain number of uptime hours.
• Support -sv_maxuptimelimit command line parameter to randomly select uptime limit per instance within a range, e.g. “-sv_maxuptimelimit 48-72” command line parameter will request game server instance to self-shutdown somewhere between 48 and 72 hours by issuing “sv_shutdown” command on the game server.
• Added game server startup timing log records.
• Game servers will now print global chat messages when players acknowledge newly acquired items while connected to the game server.
• Fixed a bug showing 100% packet loss immediately after connection
• Fixed a bug where scoreboard ping could get stuck at a value lower than the real ping

[ MISC ]

• Improved rendering of stickers
• Added wins and wins-needed to Competitive Play Menu map tiles
• Fixed various minor HUD bugs
• Fixed various skins and sticker bugs
• Fixed various bugs with item inspection UI
• Fixed a skinning issue with Trapper Aggressor agent’s legs
• Improved performance of player animations on client and server
• Smoke grenade canister changed to chrome material
• “Boost Player Contrast” no longer applies to dead players
• Adjusted microphone voice threshold value

Counter-Strike 2 launched in September and replaced the 11-year-old Counter-Strike: Global Offensive, upsetting some within the community who compared the move to Blizzard’s controversial decision to replace Overwatch with Overwatch 2. Counter-Strike 2 currently has a ‘mixed’ user review rating of 63% on Steam for recent reviews. All reviews are ‘very positive’, but they include reviews for Global Offensive.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.