Counter-Strike 2 has been playable for a few months now, but the shooter is still struggling with problems. Now Nvidia drivers are causing problems again because they allow players to even see through smoke.
What kind of unfair advantage is this? On Reddit, Counter-Strike player “GGDropcom_Off” shared a clip in which he uses GeForce Experience to activate a “game filter” that allows him to see better through smoke.
GeForce Experience is a tool for Nvidia graphics cards that, for example, allows you to record clips or display your FPS. With the game filter setting, the Reddit user was able to change the color scheme of CS2.
When he subsequently threw a smoke grenade, he could still clearly see other characters’ silhouettes through the smoke and shoot them accurately – a pretty unfair advantage against anyone who doesn’t have or can’t use this option.
You can see the player’s Reddit clip here:
Smoke grenades lose their usefulness
Why is that bad? In Counter-Strike, smoke grenades play an important tactical role. They block your opponent’s view of you and give you a short window of time in which you can take advantage of your opponents’ lack of view.
CS2 even went one better and improved the smoke compared to CS:GO. It can now be used even more variably, as it disappears for a short time when grenades explode. Additionally, shots can cause small holes in the smoke for a short period of time and it now spreads more easily through rooms.
Counter-Strike 2: Trailer – The New Smoke
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So if players can look through the smoke and see you, that’s a huge tactical advantage. The cover that the smoke can normally offer you is no longer available.
The opposing team’s economy can also benefit if players can see through the smoke due to a game filter, because then they no longer have to use grenades to counter your smoke.
What does the community say about this? In the comments under the clip there is discussion about who is responsible for the problem. A user writes that Nvidia is in trouble. Other users then replied that Valve was to blame: “It’s not Nvidia’s fault, it’s Valve’s fault. If the driver has access to it, cheats can too. You should not render the player if it is not visible.”
Another user writes that Counter-Strike competitor Valorant had a similar problem some time ago. In general, some players trust that Valve will quickly have a solution ready.
However, one user adds that to use game filters in CS2 you have to allow the use of third-party software, which reduces the trust factor.
A trust factor that is too low can lead to you playing with and against players who also have a low trust factor – for example through toxic behavior or many reports of cheating.
Valve can also be very creative when it comes to telling you to behave better. A streamer in DOTA 2 also had to experience this:
Twitch streamer opens a gift in DOTA 2 and is immediately banned: “Are you serious?”