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Overview of Counter-Strike
Concept
Counter-Strike, a multiplayer modification for Half-Life, pits two teams against each other: the terrorists and counter-terrorists (CTs). The terrorists are the bad guys and the counter-terrorists are the good guys, much like the SWAT team for lack of a better comparison. It is the counter-terrorists job to complete whatever objective the map holds within the given time frame or to completely exterminate the terrorist threat. Players can buy weapons, ammo, and equipment that are realistically modeled after their real-world counterparts. In this modification teamwork is greatly encouraged in order to complete the map's objectives. After every round teams members are allocated money based on individual and team performance for that round.
Teams
There are two basic teams in Counter-Strike. The player has the option of either joining the counter-terrorists or the terrorists upon entering a server (see -How to Play- for more information). The counter-terrorists, also known as the good guys, look to eliminate the terrorist threat completely or complete the map objectives. The terrorists, the traditional bad guys, are not too fond of the counter-terrorists and look to stop them at all costs. The terrorists look to completely destroy the counter-terrorist task force or hold them off long enough to prevent any sort of hostage rescue. Different maps present different challenges and strategies for each team. Some players take up one team as a favorite while others will pick the one that suits them the best for that map. It is recommended the player play on each team for each of the different maps and discover which one they are the most comfortable with for that map.
Buying Weapons/Equipment
Counter-Strike contains a large variety of weapons, ammo, and equipment modeled after real-world counterparts of the same type. Players who are familiar with weapons such as the AK-47 and MP5 should probably know what to expect from the weapons in Counter-Strike. In order to buy equipment, ammo, or weapons the player must be in a "shopping cart" area. A little green shopping cart will appear on the left hand side of the player's screen while he or she is able to buy goods. The default keyboard bind to pull up the "buy menu" is 'B'. Pressing B will give the player a list of categories to purchase items from. From there the player can decide what he or she needs to achieve their team's goal.
Map Objectives
There are a variety of maps in Counter-Strike each with their own objectives. While on every map a team can win by completely eliminating the other team, all maps have an alternative option to succeeding. The hostage rescue maps have been in Counter-Strike since the first beta. In the hostage rescue maps it is up to the CTs to rescue the hostages from within the terrorist encampment and bring them to safety. Assassination, Escape, and "Defusion" are other forms of maps. In Assassination maps one of the CTs acts as a V.I.P. who must reach safety before the terrorists can extinguish him. In Escape maps a percentage of the terrorists must escape by way of an escape point before a given percentage of terrorists are killed by CTs. Defusion maps feature bomb targets, which the terrorists strive to plant a pack of C4 to and blow up. It is the CTs goal to stop the terrorists from blowing up their target.
Spectator Modes
When a player dies in Counter-Strike he is unable to continue playing until the round ends. While the player is dead he or she enters a spectator mode in which they are free to roam the entire map and check out the action as it continues to unfold. Also available in the spectator mode is the option to follow a specific player as he or she moves throughout the map for the remainder of the round. While the player cannot participate while dead, there is still tons of game action to be watched.
What you need to Play Counter-Strike
First, you'll need to download the latest Counter-Strike files and install them. Then, you can either use the game's internal browser to look for servers on the Internet, or use a program like GameSpy Arcade to look for games and people to play them with. You can find more detailed directions on using GameSpy Arcade in our multiplayer section.
Next- Equipment and Weapons
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