Counter-Strike 2’s impending launch has everyone and their grandmama excited. The build-up to release has also inspired some creative suggestions for what the new Counter-Strike game should be. One such CS2 gameplay suggestion, which definitely gets creativity points, was met with a substantial backlash from the community.
A Redditor posted an undeniably curious question on the Counter-Strike subreddit: What if CS2 has a dynamic weather system or a day and night cycle? As interesting as that idea might be, the community at large had a simple response to the concept: no.
Counter-Strike veterans point out that, as a competitive FPS, each CS title needs consistency in all of its aspects. The more variables, the more the game would wander from its competitive nature. Adding a dynamic weather system or a day and night cycle to CS2 would completely change how the game is played and would, as they say, make it something other than Counter-Strike.
The idea wasn’t completely shunned, though, as even those who dismissed it admitted that it would be curious to see, if not for the heavy implications on competitive balance. Others who are more open to this revolutionary approach brainstormed ways in which dynamic weather could make its way into Counter-Strike 2.
The boldest supporters propose a veto system similar to the one employed for picking playable maps in pro matches. There would be a bunch of weather conditions and times of day from which to choose. Both teams would use a veto and pick system to determine what the match’s setting will be. This could be an excuse to bring back the night vision goggles from Counter-Strike 1.6, and we’re all up for it.
More measured responses acknowledge that, while an interesting idea, dynamic weather and a day and night cycle would be too loose of a mechanic at a competitive level. They do add, however, that trying either of those out in Casual or Deathmatch is absolutely something Valve could try.
Our personal favorite proposition is for Valve to add dynamic weather and a day and night cycle to Counter-Strike 2 as a Halloween update later this year. It’s perhaps safest to keep it out of competitive to not make everyone mad, but you can’t argue that it would make CS2’s first Halloween a truly special occasion.