CS2 update addresses sub-tick feedback, syncs bullet spread

Valve have addressed one of the most prominent issues in CS2 with their latest update.

A new update to Counter-Strike 2 arrived just ahead of day two of CS Asia Championships, and players and the community alike are rejoicing on social media.

The update has addressed the visual and audio feedback from sub-tick input, synchronized server and client-sided spread, adjusted matchmaking queues, and adjusted audio.

Feedback from sub-tick input has been a sticking point in the discussion of why CS2 feels worse than CS:GO, despite sub-tick offering far more accurate registration of shots and inputs. It was discovered that when players shot, although the bullet was registered upon clicking (more accurate input), the audio and visual feedback of the shot didn't register until the next frame (poor feedback leading to a feeling of worse registry).

Visual and audio feedback has now been adjusted by Valve to play on the following frame to address that issue, and bullet spread has also been aligned between the client and server to further help visual feedback in-game.

Parties of four can also now queue for matchmaking, but can no longer kick the solo fifth player on their team. A number of audio improvements and changes were also made, and the height of the box on A site was lowered to match that of CS:GO.

Check out the complete patch notes below:

[ GAMEPLAY ]
- The visual and audio feedback from sub-tick input—such as movement acceleration and muzzle flashes—will now always render on the next frame
- Random numbers used for shooting spread are now synchronized between clients and servers by default. This makes tracers and decals match their server-authoritative trajectories more closely. Note: Spread has been synchronized on Valve official servers since 10/14
- Fixed a bug where pressing a movement key immediately after jumping resulted in an inconsistent jump height

[ MATCHMAKING ]
- Parties of four are now able to queue for Premier mode
- Added vote-kick immunity for solo players who get matched on the same team with a party of four players
- Adjusted the algorithm for re-establishing CS Rating after a period of inactivity in Premier mode

[ AUDIO ]
- Reduced the maximum audible distance of grenade bounce sounds
- Improved occlusion filter quality
- Addressed issue where sometimes headshot dink sounds playing as feedback for the attacker could be mistaken for incoming damage
- Lowered volume of sound for headshot damage with no armor from a victims perspective to bring it inline with volume of other headshot sounds
- Changed jump land sounds to have the same maximum audible distance as footstep sounds
- Changed volume falloff curve of jump landing sounds to better convey distance
- Improved molotov extinguish effects to sound better when multiple are playing at once
- Brought back spark sound feedback when bomb defuse is cut short due to player spinning
- Fixed issue where at very close proximity, a victims death groan could be mistaken as coming from the attacker
Fixed a case where unsilenced m4a1-s did not have any distant gunfire sounds

[ MAPS ]
Mirage:
- Fixed clipping on bench in palace
- Lowered the height of box on A site to match CS:GO

[ EFFECTS ]
- Improved performance of blood effects at close range
- Improved bomb light visibility from back of bomb
- Reduced muzzle flash during quickswitch from scoped rifles
- Reduced the strength of the kill streak HUD effect after five kills

[ CSTV ]
- Added setting "tv_record_immediate" to control when CSTV demo file will start recording content. If the setting is enabled then content will start at the moment when tv_record is executed on the server. If the setting is disabled then content will start recording from tv_delay earlier
- CSTV demos can now be recorded without delayed CSTV spectating enabled. Requires setting "tv_record_immediate 1" and executing "tv_record" at the moment when recording should start

[ MISC ]
- Adjusted wear values of some stickers to better match CS:GO
- Fixed a bug with workshop tools that would prevent light_environment from baking static shadows in some circumstances
- Improved quality of 'Performance' HDR rendering mode
- Enabling the upload of workshop maps for Wingman mode