If expressed in one word, what the essence of CS GO as a game is, that word would be "victory". One can talk endlessly about the thrill of playing, about demonstrating one's skills in front of opponents, or even deny the desire to win, but the fact remains: Counter-Strike is already an official esports discipline. And the purpose of any sport is to prove your superiority over the opponent by winning against them. It's unlikely that such pros as NiKo or s1mple are paid about 50 thousand dollars a month just for their good looks and media presence. No, it's much more prosaic: that's how much their skills are worth, which they know how to convert into victories for their team.
From what exists in CS GO, it is primarily necessary to learn the rules of competitive mode, under which the largest esports tournaments for Counter-Strike are held, for example, the majors.
Rules of Competitive Mode: Map Selection
The game takes place in a limited virtual space, called a map or map. To defeat the opponent, you need to take 2 maps out of 3.
Before the major, the organizers determine a list of 7 maps, on which the tournament battles then take place. Before the start of the duel, teams, consisting of 5 esports athletes, must choose 3 maps out of 7. This is done as follows:
- First, opponents alternately "pick", i.e., choose one map they want to play on.
- Then, from the remaining list of 5 maps, it is necessary to choose 1 map, which is called the "decider". For this, teams alternately ban 2 maps each. The last unbanned map will be the "decider". If neither of the teams can take 2 consecutive maps, then the outcome of the game will be decided on the "decider".
How is a Map Played?
So, the maps are chosen, now we need to find out what the essence of CS GO is during gameplay on a map. To win a map, you need to take 16 rounds out of 30 mandatory rounds. If no one can do this, and the scoreboard reads 15:15, then 6 additional rounds are played. To win, you need to prove your superiority over the opponent in 4 out of 6 overtimes. At a score of 18:18, another 6 additional rounds are assigned. This process can continue indefinitely until one of the opposing sides prevails.
The team that picked the map chooses which side to play for the first 15 rounds: terrorists or counter-terrorists. After the end of the fifteenth round, opponents switch roles. The first and sixteenth rounds are pistol rounds.
In overtime rounds, the first 3 overtimes, the opponents play for the same side they were on before the overtimes. Then they switch roles for the next 3 rounds.
Round Play
Now let's break down what the essence of CS GO gameplay is in a single round, lasting 1 minute and 55 seconds. Five gamers from one team take the side of either terrorists or counter-terrorists. Shooting your teammates and inflicting damage on them is allowed.
The task of the terrorists, also called "terrorists", "attack", "T-side", "attack side", is:
- To destroy all five counter-terrorists within the allotted time.
- Or mine using a bomb at one of 2 points, which in gamer slang are called "plant". After setting the explosive device, the goal of the terrorists is to protect it for 40 seconds. In case of successful detonation, TTs win, even if they were all destroyed.
The task of the counter-terrorists, also called "counter-terrorists", "counter-terrorists", "defense", "cops", "CT", "defense side" is to eliminate all terrorists or defuse the bomb (if there is a defusal kit, it takes 5 seconds, without it - 10 seconds), while it does not matter if someone from the attack side survived or not. Also, CTs win upon the expiration of the round time, if at least one of them survived, and the terrorists failed to break through to the plant and set the bomb.
Economic Aspect of the Game
Our story about what CS GO is would be incomplete without a brief mention of the importance of economic strategy in the game. The presence of money, which is spent on purchasing armor, grenades, and weapons, introduces an element of planning and makes it unlike other shooters.
Therefore, in addition to thinking about tactics for the round, it is necessary to correctly assess the financial situation of your team and the opponent's team before each round. For this, you should know at least the basics of the game's economy and understand why money is needed in the game. So, in competitive mode:
- Money is awarded for killing opponents; the more difficult the kill, the more they pay. That's why a kill with a knife is worth 1,500 dollars, a kill with a shotgun - 900 dollars.
- 800 dollars are given to each gamer before the first round. The maximum that can be accumulated is 16,000 dollars.
- The economy improves if the team completes the round with a victory.
- Money is also given, of course, in smaller amounts, to the losers as well. Moreover, to maintain balance, a team that has lost several rounds in a row receives an increasingly larger sum with each new lost round.
Other Game Modes
Competitive mode is not all there is in CS GO. To enhance the spectacle, the developers have devised and launched several other modes.
Casual mode. It differs little from competitive mode, except that shooting your own is impossible, armor is free, as is the defusal kit for CTs, and the amount of money given to gamers for the first round is increased - 1,000 dollars.
Deathmatch. This mode can be characterized as a fun melee where there are no teams, and everyone plays for themselves. The goal is simple - to score more points than all other opponents within 10 minutes. Points are awarded for kills. There are no rounds, no economy. Players respawn almost immediately after being killed.
Gun Game. Two teams play. In the beginning, everyone has the same weapon. A player who makes 2 kills gets the next weapon. Another 2 kills again yield a new weapon. The game continues until someone kills an opponent with a golden knife. The team for which this player competed is declared the winner. There are no rounds, no economy. Players respawn almost immediately after being killed.
