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[ Guide ] - [ All of in one Pack ]

1. Configuration
- Rates and interp

The best rates are the highest rates, for rate this is “20000” for cl_updaterate and cl_cmdrate this is “101”. But not all servers and connections can handle these rates, that’s why there are some things you have to consider:
• sv_maxrate and sv_maxupdaterate: these are server side variables which will limit the amount of updates the server sends to you, so having a higher value than the ones specified in the server.cfg are useless and may even cause choke. To check these values you need rcon ( rcon sv_maxrate ) or for example HLSW which will show most server settings.

• Another thing you have to watch out for is choke, choke can either be caused by to high rates or a too low rate. The best thing to do is try and change some values. If you use high cl_cmd and cl_updaterates you’ll also have to use a high rate.

• In CS 1.6 interp "haxxing" doesn’t exist anymore but you can still use bad values. The best thing to do in CS 1.6 is setting ex_interp to “0” . Counter-Strike will then automatically adjust your interp to 1/cl_updaterate.
For more info you can always read the excellent article by sieger about the net code. ( Netcode explained )

- Mouse fixes

Windows 2000 and windows XP both have an affect on your mousespeed in games. One way of fixing this is using the following commands in your counter-strike command line ( go to the games menu in steam , right mouse click on counter-strike , choose properties , click on launch options ) –noforcemaccel –noforcemparms. As the name says these command will not force mouseacceleration or other parameters to be activated in game.

You can also download the XP mouse fix from here.

- Sensitivity

Most gamers use a low sensitivity because this will give them a more stable and smoother aim at long and midrange but because those close combats can be very important too so you’ll have to find a setting in between which pleases you. If you want to compare your sensitivity with other players its best to ask them how many degrees they turn when moving their mouse from one end to the other on their mousepad, because sensitivity changes with mouse, mousepad, monitor etc.

- Mouse Drivers

Both keyboard and mouse can be installed with drivers but none of them actually need them to work. Keyboards only need drivers if they have special multimedia keys you want to use, mouses however could actually work better and more accurate with the right drivers.

- More FPS

Lower your resolution, disable vsync in your videocard options (start/settings/control panel/display/settings/advanced/ then look around for vsync or vertical synch and put it to “always off” ) and make sure you chose 16bit color depth in your game options. Drivers are a tricky thing, I would advise you to have the latest vidcard, chipset and directx versions but these do not guarentee you the best FPS possible because CS is an old game running a modified Q1 engine which relies heavily on your processor. For ATI cards I would advise to use Omega drivers. These are modified Catalyst drivers which improve FPS in most games.

There are also a few commands that can help raise your fps:
• gl_cull "1"
• gl_keeptjunctions "0"
• gl_max_size "128"
• gl_clear "0"
• r_mirroralpha "0"
• cl_weather "0"
• gl_texturemode "GL_LINEAR_MIPMAP_NEAREST"
• gl_picmip "1"
- GUIs & Various Scripts

  • CPL CS GUI (LAN adapted)
  • CPL Server Settings (LAN adapted)
  • Live on 3 script
  • CPL Mouse Fix

    - Operating systems

    The best operating systems for gamers are Windows 2000 Pro and Windows XP Pro. A lot of gamer mainly uses Windows XP because every tournament they go to also uses Windows XP and thus it is better to get used to the sensitivity of this operating system.

    - Refreshrates

    The higher your refreshrate the better. But in windows 2000 and XP there is a little bug which only allows 60hz in games no matter what you selected in your options. To solve this you'll need a program that fixes this. There are several well known programs such as Powerstrip or you can download HZRefreshlock.

    V-sync is a command related to your hz, with v-sync on your fps will be equal to your hz this sound good doesnt it? but there is a catch. If your pc has more fps than hz you'll get something that is called tearing. For more info I'd suggest to read a great article about V-sync and all its effects at http://www.esreality.com/?a=longpost&id=522789&page=2

    - Resolutions

    Contrary to what people believe resolutions dont change the size of your models, they only put more pixels into each model which makes the graphics better. I tested this by measuring several objects in 640x480 and 1280x960 and the measurements didnt change what so ever. Resolutions do change your sensitivity. The players also change a lot from 640 to 800 because some tourneys use 17" monitors while others use 19" monitors.

    - Crosshairs

    With the new updates to Counter-Strike it is now possible to choose your crosshair size and the look of it by some simple commands. cl_crosshair_size "small/medium/large" ; cl_crosshair_color "255 255 255" ( Red Green Blue values ) and finally cl_crosshair_translucent "1/0"


    - Brightness and Gamma

    Pplayers change their brightness and gamma in windows according to CPL rules. Because every monitor is different this wont guarantee that you can see good with these settings.

    - Digital vibrance

    Digital vibrance is an option for Geforce cards to make the colors more vibrant. This will help you to clearly see the different shades of colors on maps and models. NVidia's "Digital vibrance" control is a *hardware* setting with a fixed range. It is not simply a feature of their drivers . ATI hardware doesn't have anything like Digital Vibrance, but unlike NVidia, ATI has 10-bit gamma correction and gamma correctable overlays.

    - Game broadcasting

    There are 2 ways to broadcast a game. The first one is the easiest : A scorebot. A scorebot will relay the action from the game to mIRC. It can show the kills/deaths, bombplants and every single important action in the game. You can use the CWbot from jubii.dk or the program HLSW which not only is a serverbrowser but also has a built in scorebot.

    The second way of broadcasting is by using HLTV. This will allow people to join a server and see all the action live ingame and not just some text. The first thing you need to do is go to steam/games, then select dedicated server and let steam download these files. Then go to your “steam/steamapps/youremail/dedicated server” directory and look for the hltv.exe , open this and then type “connect ip” in the window and HLTV will connect. Its as simple as that. You can also modify the hltv.cfg to change the name,nr of users... To know more about HLTV go to http://www.slipgate.de/hltv/hltv.htmll which is the site of the official designer of HLTV. For info on how to start your own HLTV server click on the Admin HLTV FAQ.

    - All CVARs and commands

    People often wonder what all those commands in a config mean, well luckily there is a site with every HL/CS command and you can find it at http://server.counter-st rike.net/server.php?cmd=cmdall

    2. Hardware
    - CPU :

    The everlasting question : Which CPU is the best ? Well i believe the intel chips are the best around. Not only do they give us great performance but they are also the most reliable and thus more than make up for the slightly higher cost compared to AMD chips.

    - Graphics cards :

    I think you should chose the Pentium 4 3.4 Extreme Edition and an ATi Graphics Card

    - Mousepads :

    There are 2 major kinds of mousepads, the first one being mousepads made of a hard material (mostly some kind of plastic). I prefer Steelpad S&S which was designed by SK, in a lot of ways this pad is the same as the well-known func surface but it is about 40% bigger and much better. The second kind of mousepad are the cloth mousepads. Allsop is very cheap and widely available, The DKT/FAT pads, which are very big and great for low sensitivities, are harder to come by.

    - Headsets :


    The three most used headsets are the Sennheiser HD series, the Sennheiser PC series and the Plantronics DSP-500.

    Sennheiser is known for their quality sound while the plantronics DSP-500 was the first to have a built in soundcard, which is very useful, when you go to LANs. Sennheiser however also jumped on the gamer market and have released the PC-135/145/155 which is are great headsets with a microphone but also with a built in USB device which also has a soundcard. The biggest advantage the USB device from Sennheiser has is that it can be used with all Sennheiser headsets including the HD 590 and other top quality products.

    - Memory :

    As in all games RAM is a huge factor in having steady FPS in Counter-Strike. The best and most reliable memory producers in the world : Corsair. 256mb is an absolute minimum to try and play Counter-Strike at a decent level but it is advised to have 512mb or even 1024mb of memory.

    - Mice

    Generally speaking the best pheripals are the ones that feel most comfortable for you.

    Logitech MX 300/310/500/510 configuration

    Logitech mx mice got the best and most accurate engine but their drivers were flawed and that is why most gamers including i prefer to use the Microsoft mice IE 3.0 and intelli 1.1.

    The newest drivers however are a lot better. Go to http://www.logitech.com and download the latest mouseware drivers for the MX300/310/500 or go to this page if you got the MX510 but also download the "Advanced Settings Utility for MouseWare 9.76 and above". Install both programs and go to the mouse settings and make sure you select "disable acceleration in games" and select "none" under acceleration.
    Then go to the advanced utility and make sure you only select the following boxes: "enable game detection", "keep mouse speed", "keep trackball orientation", "MouseWare Implementation" and "speed".
    With these settings your mouse should work properly and you should also have the same sensitivity as you did with for example an IE 3.0.

    - Mouseskates :

    Mouseskates are made mostly made from teflon or other smooth substances. These skates are used to get a better and smoother glide over the mousepad. If you like to play witha very light mouse with almost no friction mouseskates are for you.

    3. Tips and tricks
    - Recoil control

    For a good recoil you’ll need some hardware and some skill. The first thing you’ll need is a good ping, good rates and a constant 100fps. This will register the bullets the best and keep the spray small. The skill is needed to work against the recoil, the best thing to do is go on a server and spray a full clip at the wall and look how the bullets behave, now try spraying again but this time working against the recoil (move your mouse a little lower).

  • SK|HeatoN Colt Spray control and bursting tips
  • SK|HeatoN AK47 Spray control and bursting tips

    - Wallbanging

    Wallbanging is a very important aspect of the game, killing people without them seeing you is the safest way to win a round. Almost every single entity is penetratable in CS, so when you see somebody ducking or strafing behind a wall dont stop shooting, instead try to fire a few burst through the wall and try to guess his position while he is moving.

    To show you some of the most usefull wallbang positions I started the "Wallbanged! series" in which I'll show you the wallbangs for each CPL map:

  • de_dust2 Wallbanged!
  • de_nuke Wallbanged!
  • de_inferno Wallbanged!

    - Steelpad S&S tips

    If you think the surface is to rough always rubb it down with the mouse hard and fast for 1-2 minutes over the area you use the most, that will make it perfect from the start so u dont have play with it to rough as they are when they are brand new. Soap and water before use everyday, make you have the same friction all the time

    - Better Server FPS

    It is well known that the higher your server FPS are the better your registration and lower your ping will be. Linux servers are the best but lots of people run dedicated windows servers cause they are much easier to run. But the main problem is that you'll get higher ping and less server FPS, but there is a very easy way to fix this : run windows media player in the background and the server FPS will be boosted dramaticly.