14 DAY TRIAL // Counter-Strike: Global Offensive was recently launched on Steam for Linux, and now users have just received the first major update for the game and it includes a few Linux-oriented changes.
The Linux community has been waiting for this title for a long time, but now Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is here and Linux users no longer look with envy at the flurry of changes that are implemented in the latest versions.
Interestingly enough, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive skipped the Beta stage and was made available as a stable title, which is quite unusual for a game of this complexity. Users might be able to notice that even if there are just a few fixes in this release, they are quite important.
What the ruckus is all about
The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive developers have made a number of improvements to the game and they have included some balancing changes, among other things. For example, the Tec-9 side arm has been improved, the Overpass map has been tweaked substantially, and the Matchmaking sessions should now work even better.
This takes us to the Linux-only changes, which are quite consistent and that makes us feel like the game should still be in Beta right now and not promoted as stable. Linux users are now able to connect to community servers and they can download content from there. This is something that people have been complaining about since the official launch, but the issues should be fixed. Also, the stability of the Linux client should be much better and the crashes should no longer happen often.
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive system requirements revealed
"Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS: GO) will expand upon the team-based action gameplay that it pioneered when it was launched 12 years ago. CS: GO features new maps, characters, and weapons and delivers updated versions of the classic CS content (de_dust, etc.). In addition, CS: GO will introduce new gameplay modes, matchmaking, leader boards, and more," is noted on the Steam website.
The developers have also published the Linux requirements for the game. Fortunately, they are not too high and the title seems to be running even on integrated graphics solutions from Intel, although not very well. Users will need at least Ubuntu 12.04, a dual-core processor from Intel or AMD at 2.8 GHz, 4 GB or RAM, nVidia GeForce 8600/9600GT, ATI/AMD Radeon HD2600/3600 (Graphic Drivers: nVidia 310, AMD 12.11), and 8 GB available HDD space.
The game is included in the Valve Complete Pack, which is now sold with a 75% discount. The offer will expire in seven hours.