Pro Counter-Strike Players Secretly Flown to Valve for Secret Meeting

[Shawn Zipay]

Shh, it's a secret! Well, it would be a secret if the news wasn't already leaked that a number of notable professional Counter-Strike players are headed to Valve to discuss the future of Counter-Strike. Richard Lewis from Cadred spills the beans on this trip and what it might mean for those invited.

So yes, apparently Valve have approached several top players from across Europe, as well as J3di from the Zblock team, and have invited them to a meeting in their Seattle offices to discuss the future of the game.

This is the first time that they have ever attempted anything like this for CS:S and it's the first time they have showed any sort of interest in the project since Dynamic Weapon Pricing was introduced.

Already there is some speculation as to what this means for the future of Counter-Strike. Is this the start of a massive balancing update to the already existing Counter-Strike: Source, an effort to draw in more to the CS pro community? Or is this to lay the foundation for Counter-Strike 2 or even some sort of a free to play Counter-Strike title?

We have an email in to Valve about the matter. If we happen to hear anything back, we'll pass along what we're permitted to say.

[CptainCrunch]

Re: Pro Counter-Strike Players Secretly Flown to Valve for Secret Meeting

I doubt CS:S players would even stay with CS2, if it was made. They would all beta test it and give their input and then on release, go back to CS:S. Not all of them, just 75%.

Crunch

[Shawn Zipay]

It depends on how Valve makes a CS2. If they listen to the community, most would probably move over to it, esp if it is a F2P title.

[jimykx]

true, dint the same happen with 1.6?

[Kylee!]

CS:S and 1.6 have a similar amount of players now, but 1.6 is preferred in the pro circuit because it has better gameplay.If they listen to those players, then they'll have what the CS community has wanted since the early 2000's, which is basically 1.6 with better graphics.

[Shawn Zipay]

Re: Pro Counter-Strike Players Secretly Flown to Valve for Secret Meeting

And that's the issue I have. The fact that if they only listen to the pro crowd, there won't be any innovation to the game. It won't evolve and something like a proper improvement to the game will never come about because the pro gamers can't adapt.

There's nothing pro about that.

[Kylee!]

Re: Pro Counter-Strike Players Secretly Flown to Valve for Secret Meeting

Yea I agree, but when they tried to change stuff they came out with CS:S... which did the opposite of innovate.

If they can properly creatively innovate off the gameplay of 1.6, and add some updated graphics, they could probably bring CAL and CGS back haha.

[CptainCrunch]

Re: Pro Counter-Strike Players Secretly Flown to Valve for Secret Meeting

Thats all my point. They will get the exact same game with updated graphics, but keep close to system requirements. Thats the only way I can see the players move to a CS2.

Crunch

[stilla-killa]

Re: Pro Counter-Strike Players Secretly Flown to Valve for Secret Meeting

I never did see the big deal with CS?

[K-16]

I remember when Flayra had a Veterans program for professional players of Natural-Selection (before Unknown Worlds Entertainment/NS2 existed), to playtest pre-release builds and provide feedback that had great influence over the game's development (balance tweaks for example). The program ended up getting cancelled due to the game failing to accommodate casual players, due to the veterans limiting accessibility by design. It also didn't help that some casual players accused veterans of having a false sense of superiority causing some friction within the community between casual/professional players, and the developers.

I like the idea of bringing in customers who may know more about the game than the developers themselves, in order to find out what the rest of us really want in the game, but could not say because we didn't realize it until we see it, but I do fear it may end up being as innovative as Call of Duty or League of Legends. Not everyone finds a competitive game accessible. Why else are F2P casual games getting more popular? Not everyone wants to be hardcore enough to play hardcore games. Worse if the game gives off that impression, because no change in the world can fix that when the impression is there.

Still, I suppose it is possible that innovation isn't what the CS franchise needs, and perhaps my fears are moot (such as implying League of Legends is inaccessible despite the recent newspost regarding player count; I'm aware of my flimsy point). Maybe this really is about not fixing what isn't broken. I guess I'm feeling ambivalent and unsure about this.

(I hate how line breaks are ignored in the quick reply.)

[Unregistered]

They asked Source pros to come discuss this game. So basically they asked players that are at 1.6 Pubbie level. Good plan.