The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Beta was a pre-retail version of Counter-Strike: Global Offensive available from November 30, 2011 until the full retail release of the game on August 21, 2012.
History[]
Originally, the beta was supposed to begin in October 2011, but it was delayed until the end of November as a result of feedback from VIPs invited to play the alpha versions of the game.
Availability[]
The beta was originally a closed beta, only available to approximately 45,000+ players[1] in the form of beta keys. The participants were mostly players who attended gaming conventions featuring Counter-Strike: Global Offensive footage, or players who filled out a Steam survey. The beta was continually updated until August 14, 2012, when the beta became open to anyone who had pre-ordered the game.
Weapons and equipment[]
Knives[]
Stock Knife (CT)
Stock Knife (T)
Pistols[]
SMGs[]
Rifles[]
Heavy[]
Grenades[]
Molotov (T after February, 14 2012 update)
Incendiary Grenade (CT; added after February, 14 2012 update)
Gear[]
Game modes[]
- Classic Competitive
- Classic Casual
- Only two random CT players would receive a defusal kit. This was changed to have the whole team receive one. Also, CT players didn't have rescue kits, due to hostages having the same mechanic from CS:S.
- Arsenal
- Arms Race (Added later date)
- Demolition (Added later date)
Official Maps[]
Bomb Defusal[]
Hostage Rescue[]
Arsenal[]
Arms Race[]
Demolition[]
Cut Official Beta Maps[]
Bomb Defusal[]
Hostage Rescue[]
- Assault *
Arsenal[]
Arms Race[]
- Tibet *
Demolition[]
* Added after release.
Factions[]
|
Terrorists |
Counter-Terrorists |
All other factions were added in the August 10th, 2012 update.
Notes[]
- Contrary to prior Counter-Strike games, The Counter-Terrorists did not have any weapons with silencers, opting for the P2000 and M4A4 instead. Silencers were later re-added in the 'Arms Deal' update with the addition of the USP-S and the M4A1-S.
- In the game's launch trailer, the M4A4 is known as the "M4A1", but was properly renamed in a later Beta update.
- The knife originally had different models and animations in the previous releases.
- In the pre-alpha stage at PAX, the knife was a curved switch blade for the Terrorists with bare hands.
- In later alpha stages, when Valve invited professional players to test the game, the hands had become gloved and the animations were improved.
- The Counter-Terrorist knife was a combat military knife and did not change between pre-alpha and alpha, excluding improved animations.
- Later in the beta, the Terrorists knife was changed to a regular knife with a wooden handle and a Persian-fashioned blade. The Counter-Terrorist knife was also changed from a knife based on the M9 Bayonet into a knife based on the German Eickhorn Recondo IV knife.
- The pre-alpha Terrorist knife was recycled into the Flip Knife as cosmetic knife, and the Counter-Terrorist knife was recycled into the Bayonet.
- In the Beta, bodies had the same ragdoll behavior as Counter-Strike: Source.
- Additionally, dead bodies still responded to weapons' fire, including creating additional blood splatter.
- Blood pools would also form below dead bodies, but they would vanish quickly.
- In the Alpha, the names of the weapons used different names, much like the games prior to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive.
- Before the public beta, the VGUI for the buy menus were different. In the game's official trailer[2], the images featured in the buy menu weapon images were solid, gray-blue silhouettes.
- Maps in Arsenal had different names (Mill = Sugarcane, Shacks = St. Marc, Vietnam = Shoots etc.)
- All weapons had different models, animations and sounds before the final release.
- Many weapons in the public beta reused Counter-Strike: Source animations.
- Alternative weapon models with camo skins of the M4A4, the AK-47, the AWP, the Glock, and the Deagle were contained within the game files, but later removed. The camos for the AK-47 and the Deagle were eventually reused for the Left 4 Dead 2 The Last Stand Update as alternative textures for the Magnum Pistol and the AK-47.[3]
- A cross-platform feature was planned, but remains unreleased to maintain the integrity and stability of the PC release.[4]
- To accommodate countries requiring a "low violence" version of the game, a surrendering animation was created and still exists in the game. It would normally be seen when a player's Health is reduced to zero, causing the player to surrender instead of turning into a ragdoll. This feature however, can be re enabled by typing
-lvin the launch options and can still be used in any game mode[5].- Originally, the German version of the game had the low violence enabled prior to the games full retail release[6].
- MP5, TMP and SCAR-17 existed in the game files and could be spawned in the beta, but if you attempt to spawn it after it was removed from the game files, the game will crash.
References
- ↑ @csgo_dev's tweet
- ↑ Counter-Strike: Global Offensive launch trailer at Youtube
- ↑ Unused/alternative weapon variants? on Steam Forums
- ↑ IGN - Cross Platform Play Cut from Counter-Strike GO
- ↑ CS:GO Low Violence Version at YouTube
- ↑ Counter Strike: Global Offensive censored in Germany: here's what German players will see on PCGamesN
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