Overview
Counter-Strike is a modification (MOD) to Valve
Software’s hit game Half-Life. It modifies the multiplayer aspects
of
Half-Life to provide the player with an experience that a
trained
counter-terrorist unit or terrorist unit might have. Players will
join
either a terrorist or a counter-terrorist force and play in one of
the
four types of scenarios. These are:
Hostage Rescue, where the counter-terrorists must
rescue hostages.
Bomb / Defuse, where terrorists must plant a bomb in
a critical area and counter-terrorists must defuse the
bomb.
Escape, where the terrorists must escape
from the counter-terrorists.
Assassination, Where the VIP must be
escorted by the counter-terrorists to an escape point.
Weapons and other pieces of equipment are available at a
cost, and players can earn money in a variety of different ways
while
playing the game. Players may also lose money for inappropriate
actions.
E.g. killing a hostage or a teammate.
Getting Started
After installing Counter-Strike, you will want to
activate it through the Half-Life menu. To do this, choose
‘custom
game’ from the initial Half-Life menu, then select
Counter-Strike
from the list that appears. Choose ‘activate’ and you should
notice that the appearance of the menus has changed.
The next thing you will want to do is familiarize
yourself with the mapping of the game
controls
on your keyboard/mouse. Choose ‘configuration->
controls’
and look over the default keyboard configuration. To change any
of the
default mappings, double-click on the key/button field in the
window.
You will then be able to enter your desired key for that
function. (A
warning; if the new key/button was previously mapped to
another
function, you will need to select a new key for that function, as
it
will no longer have a key mapping).
If you have no previous experience with Half-Life,
it is strongly recommended that you play the excellent
tutorial
included with that game. See the ‘
Controls’
section below for a description of what each game
control
does.
The Scenarios
Hostage Rescue
As a terrorist, your role in a hostage rescue level is to
prevent
counter-terrorists (CTs) from leading the hostages from where
they are
being held to the hostage rescue zone. Terrorists win hostage
rescue
rounds by eliminating the counter-terrorist force while
preventing
them from rescuing hostages.
CTs win a round by finding the hostages and
leading more than half of them to freedom. CTs can get the
attention
of a hostage by moving near him then pressing their ‘Use’ key
(see
Controls, Use). The hostage will
now
follow the CT back to the rescue zone. If a CT wants the hostage
to
stop following, they need to press ‘Use’ again and the hostage
will stay put. Sometimes when you have a group of hostages
following
you, they may block you into an area; you can push them out of
the way
by simply walking into them. CTs can also win a round by
eliminating
the terrorists.
Bomb/Defuse
In a bomb/defuse map, the goal of the terrorist is to plant a C4
bomb
in the designated area then prevent the CTs from defusing the
bomb.
Players must remember to stay well clear of the bomb when it
explodes,
as it has a large and deadly blast radius. The bomb is
randomly
assigned to a terrorist at the start of the round. Team members
can
identify the bomb carrier by the backpack they are wearing and
the
player with the bomb will see an icon on their Heads Up Display
(see HUD,
bomb carrier). To plant the bomb, the carrier must be in the
vicinity
of the bombing target. While having the bomb as their
currently
selected item, the player must then press and hold their fire key
(see
Controls, Fire) for three seconds
for
the bomb to be planted. The bomb will go off after a set period
of
time has passed (45 seconds by default). The level is won by
the
terrorists when the bomb explodes (maximum payoff) or if the CT
team
is eliminated (smaller payoff).
CTs can win a defuse map in two ways: by defusing
the bomb or by eliminating the Terrorists (if the Terrorists
managed
to plant the bomb before being eliminated, CTs must still defuse
the
bomb to win the round). To defuse the bomb, CTs must stand near
the
bomb, target it then press and hold their ‘use’ key until the
bomb
is defused. Buying a defuse kit will halve the time required to
defuse
a bomb.
Escape
The terrorist team starts out in a fortified location and must
"escape" to one of the pre-defined escape points. The CT's must
exterminate
them before they can escape. The Terrorists win the round once 50%
of the team has
successfully escaped. They can also break into the armory to steal
weapons,
or just get out of there. The two teams will switch roles after
every 8 rounds of play.
Both sides can also win the scenario if they manage to wipe the
opposition team out.
Assassination
One member of the CT team will serve as the VIP. The object is to
get the VIP safely to the pre-defined escape points. If he
dies, the CT's lose the round. If he makes it safely, the CT's
win.
The VIP has a unique skin, only carries a knife and pistol, and
has ample body armor.
The terrorist job is to assassinate the VIP, but
with the other CT's guarding the VIP it is never an easy task.
Certain weapons cannot be purchased by each team in this
gameplay
scenario, and these will be grayed out on the weapon selection
screen.
Money
Various events in the course of a Counter-Strike
game can earn you money (to a maximum of $16000) or cost you money.
This
money can be used to buy better equipment. The following is a
summary of
these events and their associated cost:
Action
|
Payoff /
Fine
|
Rescuing a Hostage
|
$1000 for individual, $150 for team
mates
(awarded at end of round)
|
Kill a Hostage
|
-$1500 for individual
|
‘Use’ a Hostage
|
$150 for individual, $100 for team
mates
|
Kill Opponent
|
$300 for individual
|
Kill Team Mate
|
-$3300 for individual
|
Terrorists Win by Bombing Target
|
$2750 for team members
|
Win by Elemination Hostage map
|
$2000 for team members
|
Win by Elemination Bomb map
|
$2500 for team members
|
CTs Defuse Bomb
|
$2750 for team members
|
CTs Win by Rescuing Hostages
|
$2000 for team members + Hostage
bonuses
|
Surviving Hostage Bonus
|
$150 per hostage for team members
|
Hostages Rescued Bonus
|
$250 per hostage for CT team members
|
Either Team Loses Round
|
$1400 for team members
|
Either Team Loses over 2 Consecutive
Rounds
|
$1400 + $500 per round over 2 (to
maximum
$2900)
for team members
|
Money can be spent on weapons whenever the player is standing in a
buy
zone. This is indicated by the presence of the buy icon on the
Heads Up
Display (see
HUD
below).
Game Flow
Prior to the round starting, there is a variable
grace period (the server can change this, but it defaults to
five
seconds) during which players cannot move but may buy equipment
and
weapons. Each round of Counter-Strike lasts for five minutes. If
neither
team has won after this time the round is considered a win
depending on
the scenario:
- Hostage: If after the round ends and
there is at least 1 player left on both teams, and not all the
hostages have been rescued then the game will be a win for the
terrorists.
- Bomb / Defuse: If the round ends, with the bomb having
not
blown up a target, and there is still at least 1 player left on
both
sides the CT's will win.
- Escape: If the round ends, with at least 1 player alive
on
both teams, and less than 50% of the terrorists have escape, the
CT's
will win.
- Assassination: If the round ends, with players left on
both
teams and the VIP has not reached the escape point, the
terrorists
win.
When a player is killed during a round they will
enter an observer mode until the next round. While in observer
mode,
they can fly around the level and watch the action. There are
three
types of observer modes. The first is ghost mode, where the player
can
freely fly around the level unobstructed by anything. The second
is
locked chasecam. While in locked chasecam you will be locked behind
the
player you are observing. The third is freelook chasecam, in this
mode
you can freely swing the camera around the player you are
observing.
While in the observer modes you can use the jump key (see
Controls,
Jump) to switch between the three modes and the fire button (see
Controls,
Fire) to switch from one player to the next. If a player joins into
a
game when a round is already in progress, they will be
immediately
placed into observer mode until the current round ends.
Controls
The following is a list of he player controls, their default
keyboard/mouse mapping and a description of what each does.
Function |
Default Key
Mapping |
Notes |
Buy Menu |
B |
The main point of entry for the buying menus |
Buy Equipment Menu (Optional) |
O |
Takes you directly to the equipment purchase menu |
Buy Primary Ammo (Optional) |
, |
Automatically buys a single clip of ammo for your primary
weapon |
Buy Secondary Ammo (Optional) |
. |
Automatically buys a single clip of ammo for your secondary
weapon |
Select Team |
M |
Change sides. You will die until next round starts |
Drop Current Weapon |
T |
You can only carry one primary and one secondary weapon. To pick up a
better weapon from the battlefield, first drop your existing |
Standard Radio Messages |
Z |
Brings up a list of radio commands. Press the corresponding number to
utter the message |
Group Radio Messages |
X |
Brings up a list of radio commands. Press the corresponding number to
utter the message |
Report Radio Messages |
C |
Brings up a list of radio commands. Press the corresponding number to
utter the message |
Move Forward |
W or UP ARROW |
|
Move Back |
S or DOWN ARROW |
|
Turn Left |
Mouse X AXIS or LEFT ARROW |
Unnecessary if using Mouse for looking |
Turn Right |
Mouse X AXIS or RIGHT ARROW |
Unnecessary if using Mouse for looking |
Move Left (Strafe) |
A |
|
Move Right (Strafe) |
D |
|
Jump |
SPACE |
Cycles through the three observer modes |
Duck |
CTRL |
|
Swim Up |
' |
Unnecessary if using Mouse |
Swim Down |
/ |
Unnecessary if using Mouse |
Look Up |
Mouse X AXIS or PGUP |
|
Look Down |
Mouse X AXIS or PGDN |
|
Look Straight Ahead |
END |
Unnecessary if using Mouse |
Strafe Modifier |
ALT |
Optional |
Mouse Look Modifier |
; |
Unnecessary if using Mouse |
Keyboard Look Modifier |
INS |
Unnecessary if using Mouse |
Fire |
MOUSE BUTTON 1 or
ENTER |
Fire Weapon, Throw Grenade, Plant C4, Will jump to next player in
observer mode |
Special Weapon Function |
MOUSE BUTTON 2 or |
Invokes your weapons secondary function, i.e. burst fire, sniper scope
etc |
Reload Weapon |
R |
Tops up your clip…good idea before joining a firefight. |
Drop Current Weapon |
G |
Drops the currently held weapon |
Use |
E |
Press a button, get hostage to follow you, defuse bomb, etc |
Walk |
SHIFT |
Move forward at slower, quieter pace (important for stealth) |
Night vision goggles |
N |
Toggles the Night vision on/off (must be bought via equipment menu
first) |
Flashlight |
F |
Toggles your flash light on and off |
Spray Logo |
T |
Pick logos in Customize Menu |
Menu Item 0 |
0 |
|
Menu Item 1 |
1 |
|
Menu Item 2 |
2 |
|
Menu Item 3 |
3 |
|
Menu Item 4 |
4 |
|
Menu Item 5 |
5 |
|
Menu Item 6 |
6 |
|
Menu Item 7 |
7 |
|
Menu Item 8 |
8 |
|
Menu Item 9 |
9 |
|
Previous Weapon |
MOUSE WHEEL DOWN or [ |
|
Next Weapon |
MOUSE WHEEL UP or ] |
|
Last Used Weapon |
Q |
|
Display Multiplayer Scores |
TAB |
Shows scores, teams, wins, frags, status, bomb carrier etc |
Recap Mission Briefing |
I |
Press Jump, Fire or Special Weapon function to make the mission briefing
go away |
Chat Message |
Y |
Broadcast message to all |
Team Chat Message |
U |
Broadcast message to team |
Take Screen Shot |
F5 |
|
Quit |
|
Not assigned by default |
Weapons &
Equipment
Weapons are divided into three categories: Primary
(Rifles, Shotguns, Sub-Machine Guns and Machine Guns), Secondary
(Handguns) and Melee (Knife). Equipment such as hand-grenades
and
defusing kits have their own category. Players may only carry one
item
at a time in each of these categories except equipment, which can
have
several items at once. Some weapons may also have a special action
(see
Controls,
Special Weapon Function); these are listed in the table below.
Primary Weapons
Name
|
Cost
|
Notes
|
Benneli M3 Super90
|
$1700
|
Shotgun
|
Benneli XM1014
|
$3000
|
Full Auto Shotgun
|
H&K MP5-Navy
|
$1500
|
Sub-Machine Gun
|
Steyr Tactical
|
$1250
|
Machine Pistol
|
FN P90
|
$2350
|
Sub-Machine Gun
|
Ingram MAC-10
|
$1400
|
Sub-Machine Gun
|
H&K UMP
|
$1700
|
Sub-Machine Gun
|
AK-47
|
$2500
|
Available to Terrorists only
|
Colt M4A1 Carbine
|
$3100
|
Available to Counter-Terrorists only,
use
special function key to toggle silencer
|
Steyr AUG
|
$3500
|
Available to Counter-Terrorists only,
use
special function key to toggle scope
|
Sig SG-552 Commando
|
$3500
|
Use special function key to toggle
scope
|
Steyr Scout
|
$2750
|
Sniper Rifle-use special function key to
toggle
scope
|
AI Arctic Warfare/Magnum
|
$4750
|
Sniper Rifle-use special function key to
toggle
scope
|
H&K G3/SG-1
|
$5000
|
Available to Terrorists only. Sniper Rifle-
special function key to toggle
scope
|
Sig SG-550 Sniper
|
$4200
|
Available to
Counter-Terrorists only.
Sniper Rifle- special function key to toggle
scope
|
FN M249 Para
|
$5750
|
Full sized machine gun
|
Secondary Weapons
Name
|
Cost
|
Notes
|
H&K USP .45 Tactical
|
$500
|
Default CT weapon, , use
special function key to toggle silencer
|
Glock 18 Select Fire
|
$400
|
Default Terrorist weapon. Special action
key
toggles between burst fire and semi-automatic
|
Desert Eagle .50 AE
|
$650
|
High caliber Pistol
|
SIG P228
|
$600
|
Pistol
|
Dual Beretta 96G
|
$1000
|
Dual Pistols
|
FN Five-Seven
|
$750
|
Pistol
|
Knife
Name |
Cost |
Notes |
Knife |
N/A |
Everyone has the knife.
Primary
attack gives quick slashes, while a secondary attack will
give a
slow, but more powerful vicious stab. |
Equipment
Name
|
Cost
|
Notes
|
Kevlar vest
|
$650
|
Protects chest region
|
Kevlar vest and Helmet
|
$1000
|
Protects chest and head
|
Night vision goggles
|
$1250
|
Enhances vision in darkness
|
Concussion Grenades
|
$200
|
i.e. Flashbang. Temporarily blinds everyone
in
the vicinity
|
HE Grenade
|
$300
|
Traditional Grenade
|
Smoke grenades
|
$300
|
Releases a carpet of black smoke
|
Defuse Kit
|
$200
|
Available to Counter-Terrorists Only, On
Bomb
Maps Only
|
Heads Up Display (HUD)
Whilst playing you will always see the HUD. On the
HUD
you'll see:
TOP OF HUD - left to right
Radar - Useful for seeing the approximate
location of your team mates. You will see five symbols on the
radar:
A purple dot = Team mate.
A red dot = Location of the VIP (Shown only to
CT's in assassination scenarios) / Bomb carrier (Shown to
only to
terrorists in bomb / defuse scenarios).
A T shape = Indicates your tame mate is a
level above you.
A upside down T shape = Indicates your team mate
is a level below you.
A yellow square = A team mate has activated a
radio command.
Weapon / equipment selection menu - Will show
the weapon you select. Upon selecting a weapon the menu will
flash for
only 5 seconds to show the weapon you select then disappear.
Default
keys for the weapons & equipment are:
1 - Primary weapon (Large guns)
2 - Secondary weapon (Pistols)
3 - Knife
4 - Grenades
5 - Bomb (Available only to the terrorist who
carries the bomb in the bomb / defuse scenario)
Flashlight - All Counter-Strike players are
equipped with a flashlight. Toggle it on and off by pressing
the
flashlight key (see Controls,
flashlight). When your flashlight is on other players will see
the
area surrounding you glowing brightly.
BOTTOM OF HUD - left to Right
Health Meter - You will start a round with 100
units of health, and die when your health reaches zero.
Armor level - Two types of armor can be
purchased; a kevlar vest or a vest paired with a helmet. The
helmet is
moderately affective at reducing damage when hit in the head.
Round Timer - Counts down from 5 minutes (the
server can change this, but it defaults to five minutes). A round
ends
when either the objective of the round has been completed, i.e.
in
Bomb / defuse scenarios the bomb has blown, or if all the players
on a
team have been eliminated. If the timer reaches zero with neither
the
objective being completed or all players on one team having been
eliminated
then, depending on the scenario one side will automatically win.
(see GameFlow,
list).
Ammo Indicator - Your current ammo count is
displayed in the lower right hand area, under the cash display.
Ammo
is broken up into two separate counts: the number of shots in
your
clip, and the number in your inventory. When your clip is
exhausted,
it is automatically reloaded for you. If you would like to
reload
before your clip before it is empty press your reload key. (see
Controls,
Reloading).
Cash - Your current account balance. Additions
to the cash balance are briefly shown above the balance in
green
numbers. Fines and penalties are shown in red.
MIDDLE LEFT OF HUD
Depending on your location you will not see all of these
icons on the HUD. All these icons are colored green:
Basket (Buy Zone)- This means your in your 'buy
zone'. Here pressing your buy key (default B) will give you
access to
the buy menu where you will be able to buy weapons, ammo, and
equipment.
R (Hostage rescue Zone) - When a
counter-terrorist is at the spot where hostages must be
delivered,
this icon will appear.
V (VIP escape point) - When a counter-terrorist
or VIP is at the spot where the VIP must reach to escape, this
icon
will appear.
E (Terrorist escape point) - When a terrorist
is at the spot where the terrorist can 'escape', this icon
will
appear.
Bomb - This will only be seen by a terrorist
who is carrying the bomb in the bomb / defuse scenario. When the
bomb
carrier is within the bomb delivery zone, this icon will
flash.
Defuse kit - The icon looking like a pair of
wirecutters, will appear on the HUD of any CT player that has
bought a
Defuse Kit.
Scoreboard - Seen when pressing the score key
(default key, tab). The scoreboard lists all the latest game
statistics and player status. Information on the scorecard tells
you
who is dead or alive, who is carrying the bomb, player kills
and
deaths, latency and team scores.
Hints
Sound, Pros and Cons
Stealth is vitally important in Counter-Strike. When a player runs
at
full tilt (which is the default), their footsteps can be heard.
To
prevent this, use the walk key (see
Controls,
Walk) when trying to avoid detection. Also be wary of doors,
ladders and
elevators. These will often emit a sound that may give you or
your
enemies position away.
Life is Precious
Counter-Strike strives for realism. Running into a firefight all
gung-ho
will generally get you killed. The player can only sustain a few
bullet
shots before dying, depending on the type of gun (ammunition
actually)
being shot with, and the condition and presence of kevlar. There
are
also one hit kills in CS. Most guns can kill a player in one shot
if
they connect with the head. Savvy CS players, will take cover as
often
as possible and use their surroundings to their advantage. Working
with
your teammates to bring the enemy down is encouraged and necessary
to
beat the other team. Keep in mind, you only get one life per round
in
CS. If you die, you will be put into Observer mode until the round
is
over.
Know Your Gun
Counter-Strike has realistically modeled weaponry. If you run and
fire
at the same time, your accuracy will be horrible (changes with
different
guns), Standing still increases accuracy and crouching is even
better.
Also be aware of the guns recoil, holding down the trigger isn’t
as
effective as short quick bursts. It is also important to know that
all
the rifles can shoot through walls to some extent. The Para Machine
Gun,
and the Desert Eagle Pistol can as well.
Map Voting System (New to beta6.5)
There is now a way for players to vote for maps. Players can type
'listmaps' to see the maps available to vote on, and then they type
'votemap X' where X is the corresponding number of the map.
Only
after a certain number of players have voted for the map which
one
player has started a vote on, will the sever change map.
Note: Server admins who want to add new maps must also
add an entry into mapcycle.txt, that allows players to vote on any
new maps.
Advanced
users
Console Commands
These can be entered during the game by typing them in the console.
The
default key to bring down the console is <`>(the tilde key ~).
The
following is a list of all available Counter Strike specific
console
commands
Server Options:
These types of commands are generally called CVARS. The
following
CVARS are only accessible by the server. To find the status of a
CVAR,
enter its name. To change it, enter its name, leave a space, and
then
enter the new value. Note: some of these do not take effect until
the
round restarts.
mp_startmoney (default
800)
Sets the amount of money players start with.
mp_logdetail (default 0)
Bitwise cvar to set the level of detail for logging attacks (bit
0: log enemy attacks, bit 1: log teammate attacks).
mp_fadetoblack (default
0)
When set to 1, player's screen fades to black for the remainder of
the round when he dies
(hud still works normally so player can chat and see the scores, etc.)
Overrides mp_forcechasecam
mp_buytime (default 1.5)
Designate the desired amount of buy time for each round. Min buy time
is .5 minutes. No max buy time.
mp_winlimit (default 0)
Will cycle the map after one team reaches this many wins.
mp_limitteams (default 2)
Maximum number of players that one team can have over the other.
To
entirely disable team limiting, set to 0.
sv_restartround (default 0 sec)
Time until the game restarts fresh, or 0 to not restart.
This
will reset all frags, scores, weapons and money to default. Use
this
to coordinate clan matches.
mp_autokick (default 1)
Enable automatic team-killer banning and idle client kicking.
mp_autoteambalance (default
1)
Toggles auto balancing of teams.
mp_chasecam (default 0)
Limit observers to chase modes.
mp_c4timer (default 45
sec)
C4 timer duration. Minimum of 15, maximum of 90.
mp_freezetime (default 6
sec)
The length in seconds of the Freeze period at the beginning of
rounds.
Set to 0 to disable.
mp_roundtime (default 5
min)
Min round time is 1 min. Max round time is 9 min. Supports
partial minutes (1.5 is 90 seconds).
mp_friendlyfire (default 0)
Set to 1 to enable friendly fire, 0 to disable.
mp_timelimit (default 0
min)
Period between map rotations.
mp_maxrounds (default 0)
Maximum number of rounds to be played on a map, leave at 0 to
obey mp_timelimit.
mp_footsteps (default 1)
Set to 1 to enable footsteps, 0 to disable.
mp_flashlight (default 1)
Set to 1 to enable the use of flashlights, 0 to disable.
mp_tkpunish 0/1
if set to 1, TK'ers will sit out next round
mp_hostagepenalty X
X = max. number of hostages you can kill before the server boots
you out... setting this to 0 will shut off this command
mp_logmessages 0/1
used for server admins to spit out chat messages in their log
files
mp_forcechasecam 0/1/2
When set to 2, not allowed to spectate anyone...player's view stays
where the player dies. When set to 1 only allowed to spectate player's own
team when player dies. Default 0.
Client Options:
Anyone can use these to alter their personal settings.
cl_observercrosshair (default
1)
Set to 1 to enable crosshairs in Observer mode, 0 to
disable.
cl_hidefrags (default 1)
Set to 1 to hide all frag/death counts on the Scoreboard but your
own,
0 to show.
hud_centerid (default 0)
Set to 1 to center auto-ID text on screen, 0 to have auto-ID text
in
the bottom left corner.
lefthand (default 1)
Set to 1 to use left hand, 0 to use right.
max_shells X
X = maximum number of shells at one time
max_smokepuffs X
X = max. number of smoke puffs at one time
fastsprites X
x = 0 : regular transparent smoke grenade sprites
x = 1 : simple transparent smoke grenade sprites (default)
x = 2 : VERY simple transparent smoke grenade sprites
adjust_crosshair
Each time you type this into the console your crosshair
changes
colour. There are 5 colours to choose from.
con_color
Change the colour of your HUD. Like con_color "256 256 256"
numeric values can be found by
looking in most paint packages.
timeleft
Tells you how much time is left on the map
setinfo vgui_menus X
{X = 0 or 1, 0 disables VGUI menus, 1 enables VGUI
menus}
(also available through the "Play CS" > "Customize" menu)
*Note: If the buy weapon system
malfunctions, disable the vgui
through the "Play CS" > "Customize" menu
Infokey settings. Type "setinfo" to check
the status of all infokey settings. To change one, type
"setinfo
".
InfoKey Keynames
dm (default 1)
Set to 1 to display map briefings after loading new levels, 0
to
disable.
ah (default 1)
Set to 1 to enable auto-help, 0 to disable. Auto-help gives the
player
hint messages throughout the game.
- [N/A]
