Counter-Strike: Source

Counter-Strike: Source (also known as CS: Source or simply CS:S) is a multiplayer, team-based tactical first-person shooter, developed by Valve and Turtle Rock Studios. It is a remake of Counter-Strike, the 1999 modification of Half-Life. Built on the Source engine, the game was released in 2004 along with Half-Life 2.
Similar to the original version, Counter-Strike: Source games involve a team of counter-terrorists facing off against a team of terrorists in a series of rounds. Each round is won by either completing a mission (such as detonating a bomb or rescuing hostages) or by eliminating all members of the opposing team.


History:

In 2004, original Counter-Strike developers Minh Le and Jess Cliffe, along with members of Valve and the Day of Defeat team, brought Counter-Strike into the Source engine as an obvious choice for the multiplayer component of Half-Life 2. The game was first rolled out to cyber-cafe owners, and then selected beta-testers a week later, before going gold on October 7, 2004, when it was officially released and available through Steam (Valve's online content delivery system).
Early screenshot of CS: Source
Pre-loading of Counter-Strike: Source to cybercafe owners (as part of the Cyber Cafe program) began on 9 August 2004, being released for play two days later. Vouchers for the pre-release game were available with the purchase of ATI Radeon video cards and with Counter Strike: Condition Zero; the pre-load for these users began on 16 August 2004, with the game again becoming available two days later.
The game was also bundled along with Half-Life 2 on Steam, and was sold along with the boxed retail version of that game. It is currently available in the Source Multiplayer Pack. In the physical retail form, it is either available with Half-Life 2 or in a Counter-Strike branded box that mirrors the contents of the Source Multiplayer Pack. In essence, one can either choose between the Half-Life 2 story game or Day of Defeat: Source when purchasing the game through retail.
Only days after the initial cyber-cafe release Valve began what would become the first in their long line of updates for CS: Source. By the time of its official release almost two months later, Valve had eliminated numerous bugs and added several updates and patches.
The betas and official release versions shipped with only two player models (one per team) - the "Phoenix Connexion" terrorist (a member of the fictional Phoenix Faction) and the Seal Team 6 counter-terrorist. Being an early version, the player models were low quality and out of proportion, giving rise to being commonly described as having "peanut-heads". Valve released several successive versions of the two original characters.
The "short" Phoenix Connexion model
Around Christmas 2005, an update was released for CS: Source, adding two new player models - the GIGN and Guerilla. This was followed by the addition of the Leet and SAS player models on March 1, 2006, and the GSG9 and Arctic models on April 12, 2006. The Midwest Militia and Spetsnaz characters from Condition Zero have not been brought into CS: Source.
Changes from Counter-Strike to CS: Source include the improvements inherent to the Source engine (such as better graphics and physics), as well as updated models, animations, maps, sounds, and some small gameplay changes.


Weapons and Equipment:

Whereas in other games players are able to collect a wide arsenal of weapons (such as in the Unreal Tournament series of games), CS:S players must purchase a specific set of equipment and weapons at the start of each round. Each team spawns in a "buy zone", which is the only area of the map where items and weapons can be purchased. A small amount of money is allocated to each player at the start of the game, and further funds can be accrued by completing certain tasks during the round (such as killing an enemy or being on the team who wins the round). This is totaled at the end of each round, and available at the start of the following round. Players can also lose money by killing teammates or hostages.
Furthermore, there are limits imposed as to how many items a player can hold at once. Each player may hold at most one main weapon and one sidearm, plus a small number of grenades and other equipment (such as defusal kits, body armor, or night vision goggles). Also, no player may accrue more than $16000.
Counter-Strike: Source features the same weapons as Counter-Strike:

Pistols: USP, Glock, Desert Eagle, P228, dual Beretta .40s. and the FN 5-7.

Shotguns: Benelli M3 Super 90, and XM1014.

Sub-Machine Guns: MP5 navy, Steyr TMP, P90, MAC-10, and the UMP.

Rifles: Galil, FAMAS, AK-47, SG-552, M4A1, Steyr AUG, Scout, AWP, G3-SG1, and the SG-550.

Machine Gun: Minimi Para