CS-Nation

Covering the future of Counter-Strike
insurgency mod
article: insurgency mod
A highly anticipated modification for the Source engine was released the other day. Yes, I'm obviously talking about the Insurgency Mod, a "modern infantry combat" modification that borrows elements from a number of games already out on the market.

I won't get into extreme detail on this evaluation, but I will try to provide some detail on what needs fixed. With that said, let's hop right into my lovely list of dislikes, likes, and other thoughts.

Dislikes
Disconnects and Game Crashes - Maybe I'm alone in this one (and based on what I've seen in IRC, I'm not), but can anybody tell me why my game essentially lags out every 15 minutes of playing? It may not happen every 15 minutes on the dot, but this is a rough guess.

The sight in the screen to the left is something you may want to get used to. I don't believe I have made it through a full map instance yet. Yes, I've made it through a few rounds, but this doesn't leave a very good impression when I can't stay connected for a game. I've tested CS: Source to make sure it wasn't my connection and was able to play multiple rounds and multiple map loads on a couple of servers without being disconnected once.

I mentioned that in addition to the disconnects, there are game crashes. Yet again, I've noticed this being a fairly common occurrence amongst players. It should be noted, that a patch is already in the works that may address this problem. More on this later.


Leaning While Strafing - Where is it? I don't know about you guys, but I'm certain I'm able to lean to the left or the right and walk with a side step. Without simple character control of this nature, you're removed from the game. It doesn't feel natural as you fine tune your character's position just to lean out. Precious seconds can be wasted, seconds that could have been used to spot the enemy that was watching you screw around getting into position.

Unlimited Sprint - How many of you here can sprint nonstop while carrying many pounds of military equipment on your person? Yes, I know the people portrayed in the game have been trained to sprint distances, but they have limits and this needs to be reflected in the game. Limit the sprint time and enforce a max time limit that you can sprint at a time.

For instance, if a max sprint time of 5 seconds is set, then make sure the player cannot sprint again immediately after. Provide a "sprint penalty" by having your character gasp for breath. Perhaps this is just my experience with Red Orchestra shining through, but if you want realism, this is something that needs to be added.

Player Animations - There are times where I noticed the third person models will be "walking" but their steps do not move at the same speed their model is traversing the terrain. They "move" faster than their feet indicate they should. From what I have seen of the running and sprinting animations, they appear alright.

I have also noticed that there is no third person animation for players throwing grenades. I'm not sure if this is tied into a bug where you cannot sprint while throwing a grenade (unless you like not being able to do anything until you die and respawn) or not.


Iron Sights Obstructing View - Iron sights should be in every game. I love them, I really do, but only if done right. When you bring up the iron sights, most of the weapons in the game will obstruct a good portion of your view. This can be rectified by either moving the player's view back slightly from the iron sight view, or blurring the back portion of the iron sights (ala: Day of Defeat: Source). Just as a small point of reference, there were two Insurgent players hidden behind the area of the raised weapon, and this weapon really isn't the worst offender.

Along the same vein, the iron sight views while observing teammates between spawns seem a little off. They sometimes don't appear centered on the screen, but the most noticeable offender comes from the sniper. Maybe this is a design feature, but I somehow doubt it. When observing a person playing the sniper class, any time they look through the scope in first person, there is no magnification. In fact, the exact opposite occurs and the view through the scope makes objects appear further away.