Starting out in CS:GO: The first ten hours

The move to make CS:GO free-to-play should have removed all barriers to entry from the game. However, the games long history, extreme learning curve and generally protective and snobbish player base could turn even the most adept FPS player turn away. This guide aims to assist people starting out and give them the guidance that I wish I had when I first picked up the game over 5 years ago. Even those who have had some experience in the game may find some of the following resources, tips and tricks of use.

Upon starting the game for the first time you will, most likely, be deafened by the drums of the Counter Strike soundtrack. This will lead you nicely to the options page, where we make our first important decisions. The following advice is, of course, very dependent on your system and what it can support. If you have experience with competitive gaming or previous Counter Strike titles you will know the importance of FPS (Frames per Second) - configure your settings with the goal of achieving the highest and most stable FPS you can. There are many ways to measure FPS, but i would recommend using Steam’s FPS counter and Mr. uLLeticaL's benchmark map which can be found here. Full instructions on how to use this tool can be found on the workshop page.

For a very loose guideline on what kind of things you should be looking to alter, I have included my settings below.

Aim to squeeze out as much FPS you can, whilst retaining some graphical fidelity to be able to pick out enemies in areas.  If you have a high refresh rate monitor, ensure that your FPS is comfortably above the refresh rate of the monitor. To ensure that the monitor is set up correctly and you are pumping out the hertz that you have paid for, enable the console and press the tilde (˜) key, type mat_info and read through the information it passes back. Whilst in game, enable net graph with ‘net_graph 1’ to give a quick FPS and ping readout. The size/position of this can be changed if it is bothersome, a useful guide for configuring these changes here.

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Now that you are playing on a stable platform, the next topic is sensitivity. This is a big topic within itself, with everyone having their own opinions and arguing their own points on the effectiveness of having a higher or lower sensitivity. I will leave it with you, the reader, to decide on the best for you. However, I can provide some tips:

• Ensure that you can comfortably perform mouse movements between 180 and 360 degrees on your mouse mat without strain.
• Ensure that you can make precise mouse movements as well as large swipes
• Allow a few hours of game time before adjusting sensitivity- muscle memory needs time to develop.
• If you need some ballpark figures to adjust yourself, a great list is curated at prosettings.com

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Now that the out of game settings are taken care of, we can move to within the server. For your first few hours of Counter Strike: Global Offensive you will be forced to play Arms Race and Deathmatch. You should not think of this as a restriction, but an opportunity to gain as much experience with the different guns and dynamics at play. It will soon become clear that only certain weapons are routinely used, namely the AK-47, M4A4/M4a1-s and the AWP. It would be useful to invest time in using these guns now, as they will be a mainstay within your future playing time.  Don’t worry if you feel overwhelmed by the game at this stage, by the time you gain the XP needed to progress through the ranks enough to get into Valve’s ‘Matchmaking’ system, you will have gained enough confidence in the gun play and the map layout to enable a worthwhile and fulfilling experience. I would strongly suggest playing your first few matchmaking games with four other friends, as playing with members of the community can lead to language barriers, ragers, smurfs or trolls.

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Don’t be disheartened if the learning curve seems insurmountable, there are thousands of resources online ready for you! The most important thing within the first 10 hours is to find the game interesting, exciting and fun to play. If this is true for you, then you will soon find success in your matches. Pinpoint the areas of the game that you do not feel comfortable with and focus directly on them, for example:

• If you feel your movement is clunky or uncomfortable, try Surf or KZ maps.
• If the weapon spray patterns are giving you problems, try the recoil master community map here.
• If you feel your standing accuracy is weak, try the aim_botz map on the workshop

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