Counter-Strike’s best maps are finely tuned staging grounds for battles of tactics, will and hair-trigger reflexes. A slight change can have a tremendous impact on how they play. Even something as seemingly insignificant as the weather, as this mod demonstrates.
Lewis Palfrey and Luke Millanta’s Changing Weather Collection (via Eurogamer) adds a slew of weather conditions to Dust2, Cache, Mirage and Overpass that are randomly chosen at the beginning of each round. Here are the whims of notoriously uncaring Mother Nature that Dust2 can be subjected to:
– Thunderstorm (heavy rain, low visibility, puddles, frequent lightning, storm clouds)
– Heavy rain (heavy rain, medium visibility, puddles, occasional lightning, storm clouds)
– Light rain (light rain, normal visibility, puddles, no lightning, storm clouds)
– Heavy sandstorm (low visibility, dust in atmosphere, sandstorm sky)
– Medium sandstorm (medium visibility, dust in atmosphere, sandstorm sky)
– Light sandstorm (good visibility, sandstorm sky)
– Heavy fog (low visibility, overcast sky)
– Light fog (medium visibility, overcast sky)
– After Rain (normal environment with puddles)
– Default (everything normal)
And here’s how that looks:
These are not just superficial visual effects, either. Sandstorms obscure players’ vision, forcing confrontations that are up-close and a little too personal for everybody’s comfort. Rain produces puddles and even puts out fires. Basically, you might think you know what you’re in for on these maps, but a little bad weather can change even the most well-laid of plans.
Case in point:
Birthday party ruined.
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