Latest CS2 update makes a key competitive music kit feature obsolete

CS2’s latest patch has introduced a feature bound to assist those unwilling to use the 10-second bomb timer music kit. Players will now hear a different beep while the bomb ticks to its final moments, indicating how much time players have to defuse the bomb.

This comes alongside multiple tweaks tackling glitches and sub-tick movement in an Oct. 17 patch. The new bomb sound can replace the long-standing music indicator and will provide the same information the kit once did. 

Players can also look forward to improved footstep clarity, making those do-or-die clutches all the more easier. Those who’ve whiffed a vital knife kill can now rest easy knowing sound fall-off distances have been reduced, making it significantly quieter to slash around like a maniac.

Unfortunately, the changes don’t particularly address the variety of issues listed by pro players at IEM Sydney, with the likes of peeker’s advantage and other general game sounds remaining untouched. Not that it would have mattered anyway, as head CS2 referee Michal Slowinski confirmed players at the event won’t be playing on the newest update.

“We don’t want to use an untested [patch], and it also includes quite a big change with aliases that most teams are using at the event,” he said. “We don’t want to force teams into a change when we can avoid it.”

CS2 Oct. 18 Patch Notes

This particular patch is now available to download on Steam and will be automatically applied to clients should a player attempt to load the game.

Gameplay

• Command aliases now leverage subtick accuracy.

Sound

• 10-second bomb timer now has a new sound.
• Missing KSK Agent voice has been added.
• Distance of knife impact and swish sounds have a reduced falloff.
• Bug fixes and tweaks to occlusion filters and footstep clarity.

Misc

• Data involving flashbangs and damage stats have been changed to fix missing game state integration.
• The bomb no longer blocks players from picking up guns dropped close by.
• Bugs allowing players to see through ceilings have been fixed.
• Convar cl_draw_only_deathnotices now blocks match status alerts such as during the last round of the first half.
• Sv_load_forced_client_names_file command has been added, allowing tournament servers with +sv_load_forced_client_names_file namesfile.txt to use loading key-values file where client names are enforced to be tournament-registered player names.
• Game clients have a fallback path, allowing them to download network configuration.
• Added a game setting cq_netgraph_problem_show_auto that allows players to enable automatic display of network connection issues in top right corner of game HUD.