A Counter-Strike: Source interview straight from Korea and Gamemeca.com (Korean) has been translated for us by, you guessed it, Jawon "Nadomola" Lee. Is there anything he can't do? The interview is a Q&A with three visiting members from Valve Software. Michael Dunkle, the marketing manager in cyber cafe programs, Jess Cliffe, the product manager and the original creator of Counter-Strike, and Mike Dussault, the chief programmer.
The most interesting bit from the interview is that the CS: Source public BETA is just around the corner for CS:CZ owners. Click below for the English version![break="gamemeca.com CS: Source interview" type="viewnews"]Q: Is this your first time in Korea?
The most interesting bit from the interview is that the CS: Source public BETA is just around the corner for CS:CZ owners. Click below for the English version![break="gamemeca.com CS: Source interview" type="viewnews"]Q: Is this your first time in Korea?
Michael: No, this is my 20th visit to Korea, but it is the first time for Mike and Jess.Q: What were the main points of emphasis in the development of CS: Source. How long did it take?
Jess & Mike: The biggest priority is to appeal the new environment created by Half-Life 2 engine to gamers. We put a lot of effort into giving a similar familiar feeling to the established CS fans while we're combining the hugely-improved physics engine with the new graphics. CS: Source has been in development since January 2004. Although this seems like a comparably short period, there have not been serious troubles because it was basically a remake of a finished product.Q: Are there any unique additions in addition to the physics engine and the graphics?
Jess: You can use obstacles, which were previously just eye-candy, to work out various strategies. In addition, we're considering including new maps in which you can maximize the functions of the Half-Life 2 engine.Q: Although the upcoming release of CS: Source is certainly a welcomed-thing, we also believe that there should be a perk for those who purchased Counter-Strike: Condition Zero recently.
Michael: CS:CZ owners will have a chance to play CS: Source beta via the Steam service in advance.Q: We understand that CS: Source will be released prior to the release of Half-Life 2 via Steam. Is there a concrete date for this planned release? Furthermore, is it true that Half-Life 2 packages will include a free copy of CS: Source? And, is there any possibility that CS: Source will be released as an independent package?
Michael: Affirmative. Although I can't specifically announce the exact release date, I can at least say it will be released via steam within two months. Right now, I can't promise that the Half-Life 2 package and the CS: Source package will be sold separately; however, the combined Half-Life 2 + CS: Source package will be released with a reasonable retail price including the extra price for CS: Source by Vivendi Universal Games.Q: Is there any progress with the legal dilemmas with Vivendi Universal Games?
Michael: The legal dilemma has been caused by a problem with distribution on August 2002. We will not mention the details of this issue at this point in time.Q: Can you tell us the specific requirement for CS: Source.
Mike: The minimum requirement is 1.2Ghz CPU, 256 Ram, and 3D cards with DirectX 7.0 capability, and the recommended requirement is 2.4Ghz CPU, 512 Ram, and 3D cards with DirectX 9.0 capability. We recommend you have a high-spec computer to maximize your experience in CS: Source.Q: The Counter-Strike community has been struggling with cheating which has caused enormous complaints from gamers. Have you prepared for a special anti-cheat counter measure?
Mike: We're working on multiple anti-cheat solutions and one of them is VAC (Valve Anti Cheat). This has been active with CS 1.6 and we're also forming a special anti-cheat task force. We promise to put our maximum effort to solve this problem since we're taking this as a serious issue.Q: We've heard that Half-Life 2 and CS: Source are optimized for ATI graphic cards. Since most cyber cafes in Korea are equipped with Nvidia's GeForce products, wouldn't this be a problem?
Mike: Being optimized for ATI graphic cards does not necessarily mean that it has worse performance with Nvidia graphic cards. It rather means that ATI graphic cards can provide you the maximum performance in bump mapping and other various effects because the Half-Life 2 engine is optimized for Direct X 9.0. Even with Nvidia's graphic cards, you will run CS: Source properly. Furthermore, if Nvidia's hardware improves to fully support the various function of DirectX 9.0, you can enjoy Half-Life 2 with the same performance as ATI graphic cards.Q: We've heard that Won.net is scheduled to be phased out soon. While the majority of Counter-Strike users are still playing through Won.net, it would be presumable that this decision to shut down Won.net would cause a lot of confusion. What is your insight on this issue?
Michael: Won.net won't stop right now. After Steam acquires enough users, then Won.net will be terminated. That's what we said. Counter-Strike is being upgraded continuously, so consider CS 1.6 as an upgradeable version of Counter-Strike provided via Steam.
Based on the research done by ourselves, the number of CS 1.5 users is estimated between 25,000 and 40,000, and the number of CS 1.6 users is approximately 100,000 to 120,000. A lot of users have shown the rapid tendency of switching to CS 1.6 from CS 1.5 recently. It's difficult to stick with CS 1.5 while there's no support for it. We will strengthen the support for CS 1.6 (Steam) after the termination of Won.net as soon as there are enough users jumping to the Steam service from Won.net.
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