CS2 has been out for over a month now, and for a lot of people, gunplay feels inconsistent. Especially with the AWP it seemed like shots that would've landed in CS:GO no longer hit in CS2. A possible explanation has been found, since in CS2 you lose accuracy, when you're receiving damage. This wasn't the case in CS:GO.
Counter-Strike 2 has been a major success upon release. With more than 30 million unique users in the first month, the game fulfilled its expectations when it comes to the numbers. The feedback from the community hasn't been so positive, and CS2 has been Valve's worst rated game for the first weeks after release.
One reason is that the gunplay is different from CS:GO. Until recently, it couldn't be described, it just felt off. Thankfully it seems that an explanation regarding the weird gameplay has been found.
CS2: You Become Less Accurate When Taking Damage
When being shot at in CS:GO your accuracy remained as if nothing really happened. This has changed for CS2, as your accuracy will slightly decrease when being shot at. This was found out by Twitter user and YouTuber Ozzny, who shared the following clip on Twitter:
The AWP goes fully innacurate when taking damage in CS2 Even if you have full armor (kev + head), the AWP becomes innacurate when taking damage.You can see the compairason between CSGO & CS2 in the video below, this also explains the popular clip where @G2m0NESY got CS2'd.... pic.twitter.com/h410hNfaUM
— Ozzny (@Ozzny_CS2) October 29, 2023
In the video, you can see that the scope of the AWP remains steady and sharp in CS:GO, whilst it loses some accuracy in CS2. This explains why some of the shots in CS2 aren't connecting in the way they did in CS:GO. The video shows an example of pro player Ilya "m0NESY" Osipov from G2 Esports, who misses an AWP shot because of this.
That's Not The Only Issue With Gunplay
CS2 has been flooded with gunplay issues upon release. Sub-tick problems, hitbox issues, even a Michael Jackson Peek. Whilst the latter is now fixed (but won't be forgotten), the first seems to be an issue that remains with us. At the moment, we think that the servers get de-synchronized sometimes, since the sub-tick might be overwhelming the servers. This isn't only a problem for gunplay but also why the movement is CS2 feels different.
Valve recently did an interview (Valve only does that like every 5 years or so) with PCGamer, saying that sub-tick isn't really the problem source. The hitbox problems were bigger issues for Valve, and they have been (partially at least) been fixed.
The Downfall Of The Big Green
Ozzny's discovery, that doesn't only change the behavior of the AWP but every gun, has brought a discussion with it, if this is a bug or a feature. Some demand that Valve fixes this bug, others like to see this mechanic remaining in the game. If it is a feature and stays in the game, we might experience the slow death of the AWP.
Just recently, CS:GO's GOAT s1mple announced that he takes a break and wants to switch away from the AWP to become a Rifler. In CS2's first Tier-1 LAN tournament, we saw a decrease of 4% in pick-rate for the AWP, from 11% down to 7%.
This isn't only due to the AWP not being as good as it was in CS:GO, but also because of the new format. For CS2, Valve announced the re-introduction of MR12, a format, where the half-time is after 12 rounds. In CS:GO a half ended after 15 rounds. Whilst the change doesn't seem big, for a weapon as expensive as the AWP is, every round that is played less is a nerf.
If the recently found mechanic is actually a bug or a feature is unknown. With Valve's zero-to-none communication-strategy, we might never know it. At least for now, get used to it and blame the game and not your friends or teammates.