Thanks to Remmiz from the Steam Forums!

Q-I got hit from 2 feet behind me! Whats up with that?
A-Models and hitboxes are not always where you may see them. The server is always seeing different locations than the clients.

Q-Where is my CD-Key! Did I get scammed?!
A-No, you did not. When purchasing games off of Steam you are not given a CD-Key, but rather, the game is “tied” to your Steam account.

Q-How come I bounce off tables and chairs when I walk into them?
A-This is due to the objects being made as prop_physics_multiplayer instead of prop_physics. The multiplayer physics has a “dumbed” down version to create less server stress. A server can run the command
sv_turbophysics 1
to turn off the bumping and allow players to push/collide with objects with the full HL2 physics.

Q-How come when I add lines to config.cfg they are overwritten when I start Steam?
A-Steam overwrites the config.cfg file each time it is started, to execute your own commands at start-up of CS:S, make a file called autoexec.cfg with the commands you want CS:S to execute at startup and put it in the same folder as the config.cfg.

Q-Odd…I can’t seem to push the table in cs_italy along with other objects?
A-The physics in the game have been changed from what was seen in certain videos a while ago. A server may enable the ability to push objects by running the command
sv_turbophysics 1

Q-How come I am getting long lag freezes even though I have cable/dsl/T1?
A-This is most likely caused by background applications using the internet, such as firewalls or spyware. Try running a spyware scanner or configuring your firewall to allow Steam ports.

Q-What DirectX level should I run my game at?
A-From Gary McTaggart:
DirectX 7.0 - RADEON 7200, GeForce2 MX, GeForce4 MX (illegal in some leagues)
DirectX 8.0 - GeForce3, GeForce4 Ti, GeForce FX 5200
DirectX 8.1 - RADEON 8500, RADEON 9200, GeForce FX 5700, GeForce FX 5950
DirectX 9.0 - RADEON 9500 and up, RADEON X800, GeForce 6800

Q-What visual difference is there between DirectX modes?
A-DirectX 7.0: No model decals, no detail props, no refective water, no bumpmaps, reduced model level of detail
DirectX 8.0: No local specular on water, no water blending into land, shadows are not as soft
DirectX 8.1: No local reflections on water, no water blending into land, soft shadows
DirectX 9.0: Water reflections, water refraction, smooth shorelines, soft shadows, blended bumpmaps

Q-How can I disable the VGUI menus and go back to the old school buy menus?
A-Using the “old school” text buy menus is not possible in CS:S.

Q-How are other people using arabic and other symbols in their names?
A-They are using the extended character set. To use these symbols, open the Character Map (Start>Run… “charmap”), and select Courier New as the font. Then, just double click on the symbols you would like to use and copy them from the box on the bottom and paste them in CS:S.

Q-My console doesn’t work.
A-First check that you have it enabled. Go into Options -> Keyboard -> Advanced -> and check Enable Developers Console. Then use the ` key to open the console.

Q-When I bring up the console with ` and type something the console disappears.
A-This can happen if you have a non-us keyboard layout/input configued in windows. One possibility is after ` type a T, the console will stay open and you can enter commands. Or, you can set your language in windows regional settings to US - English.

Q-How do I change DirectX levels?
A-In your autoexec.cfg put:
“mat_dxlevel 70″ for DirectX 7.0
“mat_dxlevel 80″ for DirectX 8.0
“mat_dxlevel 81″ for DirectX 8.1
“mat_dxlevel 90″ for DirectX 9.0
Or in your Launch Options put:
“-dxlevel 70″ for DirectX 7.0
“-dxlevel 80″ for DirectX 8.0
“-dxlevel 81″ for DirectX 8.1
“-dxlevel 95″ for DirectX 9.0

Q-What should I set my rates to?
A-Here are some good rates for broadband:
rate = 100000
cl_cmdrate = 100
cl_updaterate = 100

Q-I get crackling sounds, especially in confined areas like hallways and tunnels. I even have a high end sound card (i.e. Audigy) and it happens. How do I fix it?
A-In \Steam\SteamApps\youremail\counter-strike source\cstrike there are some “.cache” files in there. Delete the modelsounds.cache and scene.cache files. CS:S will rebuild these when it is started agian. Also, if you are using digital sound, make sure it is turned on in CSS by setting the variable snd_digital_surround to 1.

Q-How come I have pink/purple all over everything?
A-This is most likely caused by having your AA or AF up too high. Try turning them down to a lower setting. This is also caused by missing textures. If it appears on a custom map, make sure you have all the custom textures installed that came with the map. If it happens on a offical map, verify your GCF files and delete the /Steam/SteamApps/youremail/counter-strike source/materials folder.

Q-There are little white boxes with X’s in them at all the light sources. How do I remove them?
A-Open the console and put in r_dopixelvisibility 0. They usually appear when turning on DirectX 7.

Thanks to Matt from the Steam forums for this tip.

How to disable sound downloads

Are you tired of downloading sounds (i.e. “Headshot”, “Ultra Kill”, “First Blood”, “Mmmmmmonster Kill”, etc.) from CS:S servers? Well, add this cvar to your autoexec.cfg file, and you will not have to download sounds from the server:
Code:

cl_downloadfilter “nosounds”

How do I create an autoexec.cfg file?

1. Open Notepad (Start button >> Programs >> Accessories >> Notepad)
2. Type the above code in the Notepad file.
3. Click File >> Save. In the “Save as type” box select “All Files.” Then type “autoexec.cfg” (without the quotes) as the “File Name”.
4. Save the file to your cfg folder.

Once you have done this how do you know you have done it correctly?
Type “cl_downloadfilter” in the console; then press enter. You should see the following:

• Code:
  cl_downloadfilter
  “cl_downloadfilter” = “nosounds” ( def. “all” )
  archive
  - Determines which files can be downloaded from the server (all, none, nosounds)

If you see that exact code, then you have the cvar set to not download sounds.

There are a few essentials that every PC gamer needs to be at their best, and playing with a team without these essentials can be quite annoying at times when you can see or hear something your team mate cant, and you lose because of it.

Monitor
Any size monitor will do, but for a huge advantage get a widescreen, 16:10 preferably. This gives you about an extra inch (1680×1050) on either side of your screen that regular 4:3 monitors don’t show. This is big, it could mean the difference between winning and losing, dying and living because you can see so much more.

Sound
Again, sound is extremely important, you need a good headset (and headsets only unless you want to induce echoing through voice comms) and soundcard if you want to do well. A good headset means you can identify exactly where the enemy is. Just for a example, on italy once I knew exactly where someone was because he was reloading; he was around two corners from me and up to the right around the second (and it wasn’t exactly a place where you would be up and to the right, so no guesswork there). I got called a wallhacker. A soundcard is also needed to give clearer, crisp sounds and to increase overall system performance by taking the sound calculations off the processor. I currently have this soundcard with this headset which comes to about £55 (you can probably get them at about the same in the US), and they work great together. I get crisp, clear and surround sounds in a headset.

Mouse
You need a good mouse, but mainly you need to be comfortable with it. I’ve gone through two Razer mice and am currently using the Logitech G9 and at the moment it’s great. It’s really comfortable and customizable, its even got weights you can use to change the weight of the mouse. As I said, as long as your are comfortable with it you should be fine. My main point for mice is that you need a mousemat. A good sturdy one at that. I would recommend the Razer eXactMat, it’s made from metal so it doesn’t bend and has a rough side (control) and a smooth side (speed). A mouse mat will make your aim better because you have much more control because of the flat, even surface designed for mice.

This is a more general topic and could probably be applied to most games, but I’m going to focus on CS:S. Defending is a surprisingly complicated aspect of CS:S, when to rotate, where to camp, when to pick etc, in this article I am going to cover a few of these points.

Firsts things first, position
Position is probably the most important part of defending. If the enemy doesn’t know where you are, they can’t aim their grenades or flashes at you, or even just run right past you. However, the important thing about positioning is knowing when to change. For example, If you position yourself to the left of a door one round and manage to kill two or three or more of the enemy, of course they’re going to check there the next time they rush. Depending on how well you did you can go back there again, but remember, if they know you’re there you’ll be an easy target. Also note, if they don’t attack your site they won’t know you changed positions, so if you sit to the left when they rush, go to the right for three rounds where they don’t, don’t think to yourself that they won’t check there.

Know your position
Again, this is very important, and you’ll probably need some help looking around at the different methods of attack and how to defend against them. A lot of camping spots could take a low skilled team out, but if you don’t know how the shadows work you could just give your position away; this can be used to your advantage by baiting the other team out, but in all probability you will get killed. As well as shadows, you need to know the different angles for your positions, for example AWPing up from CT spawn to T spawn on dust2 is probably one of the worst positions to be in because of the fact that they can easily take you out before you even see their arm.

When to rotate
This one brings out a lot of teamwork and you’ll need your calls to be clear and accurate. Always be prepared to rotate to help your team mates. The key when rotating is deciding when to rotate. With experience you’ll become better at figuring out the exact timing (not rotating too late or too early). If your team calls one or two, just prepare yourself for a rotation, but 2 people could easily be used for a decoy. Three or four is a little different, for both only one person of two should rotate, again three or four can be a decoy, but less likely. If four is called the final person can start to rotate but not fully. If all five are called then obviously everyone should rotate. There are a few exceptions to these “guidelines”, mainly to do with the bomb. If you spot the bomber, then get prepared to rotate, if you see the bomber rush then everyone should rotate. Finally, if you manage to kill the bomber, then all your team should set a perimeter around it and camp.

Using grenades defensively
Using grenades and flashbangs are a great way to defend, not only can you stop their rush and give time for your team to rotate, but you can also damage or kill them without even seeing them. Use flashbangs sparingly, you usually have two people on a site, so you should really only be using two flashbangs max, and at separate times. Two flashes are all well and good, but it does nothing beneficial if you throw them at the same time. Grenades are a different story, throwing two grenades at once, often referred to as “double nading”, can ruin a rushing team. Usually when you rush you are close together and in a tight space, using this to your advantage you could throw both your grenades and even kill all of them with little effort.
As I said just then, use your flashbangs sparingly. Sure, you can stop a rush if you use your flashbangs, but on the whole a few seconds of white screen is hardly going to stop them rushing. When they do rush and are committed into rush, that’s when you should flash. You can do it by calling the rush to a team mate and they flash, but you can easily do it yourself. The best way to do it is to just place it on the floor in front of them. As soon as it blows, jump round the corner and spray basically. Or you can aim if you want.

A few final tips
Defending is all about common sense, the other team all using AWPs? Stop complaining and just camp in close-range positions, and vice-versa. Keep comms as quiet as possible, and call as soon as you hear or see anyone. Communication with your team is vital, but too much is too much, keep it strictly on gameplay and any comments can wait until the end of the round. Try not to get yourself killed by pushing or trying to pick as a defender, that’s the attacker’s job, and there’s a reason why they are usually the harder team to play: defending is much easier than attacking. You can have your sights lined up and they all just run into your line of fire.