Counter Strike: Global Offensive received its first update of the 2021 year and the players are not happy.
The contentious issue about the January 7 update has been Valve’s decision to remove bots from the classic competitive and wingman game modes.
Release Notes for today are up. Among other things, bots are no longer granted to teams in Competitive matches. Full notes are here: https://t.co/seG0oTAY1E
— CS:GO (@CSGO) January 8, 2021
Previously, kicked and disconnected players would be replaced by bots. According to the new update, this will no longer be the case. The only time a bot joins a competitive game will be as a placeholder in the case of an entire team leaving the game.
Bots have been a topic of discussion in the CS:GO community for sometime now. However, most of the conversations revolved around improving the AI system, not its removal. This came as a shocking decision which has left many players baffled and infuriated.
One of the community members who made his concerns public has been CS:GO YouTuber Anomally. He already has a video up on his YouTube slamming Valve’s decision. The video has collected over 200k views in just a few hours.
[Related: CS:GO’s Dec. 17 Update]
Valve hasn’t commented on the community feedback so far. Fans can see the full list of the patch notes for the January 7 update below:
GAMEPLAY
- When a player disconnects or is kicked in classic competitive and wingman modes, they will no longer be replaced by a bot. If the entire other team leaves, one bot will be left on the other team, idling in spawn.
- Fixed bots not navigating properly in Warmup arenas.
VIEW MODELS
- Reduced size of SWAT sleeves matching all existing models.
MISC
- Fixed a crash in Windows dedicated server when “version” command is issued.
- Pings no longer move when walked over by characters, and will no longer highlight weapons in competitive matches.
- Adjusted Retakes clip areas in Mirage and Train
PERFECT WORLD
- Accounts that completed government identity verification have been upgraded to CS:GO Prime Account Status for Steam China.
MAPS
Ancient
- Further optimizations
- Fixed some clipping bugs
Cache
- Fixed a pixel-gap in the Cargo containers in T-Spawn (Thanks to the perceptive individual that reported it to 3kliksphilip!)
- Fixed Cargo containers not having their proper colors.
- Fixed bomb explosions being visible above the A site. (Thanks markman2575!)
Engage
- Removed several boost spots
- Added stairs in the garage for better rotation flow
- Breakable glass ceiling around A-site and Mid. Smokes and flashes can now be used on A-site
- Removed “office” area on mid
- Added ladder on A upper CT side
- Both entrances of the hut are now wider for better player traffic flow between A-site and Mid
- Lowered A upper and bridge to make entire bombsite more readable
- Removed several awkward angles on A-site
- Removed excessive areas on A-site
- Removed clutter on A-site
- Better FPS around the whole map
Guard
- Widened inner part of connector
- Reduced size of restaurant corner
- Adjusted tarp positions on truck to eliminate some angles
- Lowered half-wall at stairs
- Adjusted timings by pushing CT spawns back a bit
- Shifted crates next to tower further towards pit
- Enhanced visibility for various long range angles
- Removed electric box next to bikes
- Reduced amount of breakable glass at shop
- Blocked angle from CT boost to pit
- Increased size of ladder hole
- Added location names
- Fixed players being able to see into the tower area when boosted at dumpster (u/ReVoLTimE)
- Fixed some Z-fighting and intersecting geo (Thanks Joaokaka1998)
- Fixed various visible nodraw textures (Thanks Joaokaka1998, Fnugz, u/TheSpudd, u/ReVoLTimE)
- Fixed various bomb stuck spots (Thanks Joaokaka1998)
- Fixed player stuck spot on street (Kerluck)
- Clipping adjustments throughout the map (Thanks Joaokaka1998, u/ReVoLTimE, Kerluck)
- Minor visual adjustments and enhancements
Featured Image Courtesy of Valve
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