This guide will help setup some very handy settings that Counter-Strike:Source has for advanced users. I thought I would write an article just to give those of you who play CSS the MUST DO tips and tweaks for the game. This guide may be updated in the future so keep an eye on it from time to time.
Enabling the Console
Before you can do anything in this guide you will need to enable the console. It will allow you to manually edit settings by typing in CVAR (Console Variable) commands.
- Launch Counter-Strike:Source.
- Open the Options menu.
- Click on the Keyboard tab.
- Click on the Advanced button near the bottom of the Options box.
- Put a check mark in the box beside "Enable Developer Console (~)".
- Now you will be able to open the console by pushing the ~ key on the keyboard.
Rates
Raising rates will make CSS run smoother and shot accuracy will 'feel' better. It is highly recommended to raise your data rates in CSS to get the best playing experience. You must have a high speed Internet connection to make use of these rates, also make sure you have the correct connection speed set in the Steam Client before changing the values below.
Here is a list of the commands that you can type into the console:
rate
Controls the overall bandwidth to the server. Default is 10000.
This is usually capped on the server side at either 30000 or 20000 depending on the servers setup. I recommend setting it to 30000 because the server will automatically limit the rate to a lower number if needed.
Example: rate 30000
cl_cmdrate
Max number of packets per second you are sending to server (out). Default is 30.
This can be raised to 100. Depending on what server you are playing in you may need to lower this rate if the connection isn't very good and you are getting loss or choke.
Example: cl_cmdrate 100
cl_updaterate
Number of packets per second you are requesting from the server (in). Default is 20.
This can be raised to 100 as well. Depending on what server you are playing in you may need to lower this rate if the connection isn't very good and you are getting loss or choke.
Example: cl_updaterate 100
Net Graph
Type 'net_graph 3' in console to display it on the screen. You can also use the numbers 2 and 1 to display the graph with more information, but 3 is the preferred way. Net_graph shows the connection information between the server and your computer. It is the best way to tell if there is a connection problem and monitor your fps.
FPS: Frames Per Second. The higher this number the better. Higher numbers mean smoother video performance.
Ping: The time it takes for a packet of information to travel round-trip from your computer to the server and back. Lower is better.
In: Data coming from the server.
Out: Data going to the server.
Loss: Packets lost due to network problems. These problems can be caused by your computer, the server you are connected to or anywhere in between. Don't bother trying to solve Choke problem if you have a Loss problem.
Choke: If you have choke that means the server is wanting to send you information but cannot. There can be many reasons for choke but most of the time decreasing the cl_updaterate and cl_cmdrate can help resolve the problem.
Net Graph Placement
Depending on your screen size or personal preference you may want to change the location of the net_graph. To do this just use the following numbers:
1 = right side of screen
2 = middle of screen
3 = left side of screen
4 and larger = custom distance from left side of screen. (recommended)
Changing the Crosshair
The ability to change your crosshair properties can also be done using CVARs. Some of these settings are available in the main game options as well.
cl_crosshairusealpha - Enables crosshair transparency.
cl_crosshairalpha 200 - Amount of transparency.
cl_crosshaircolor - Colors range from 0 through 4 (green, red, blue, yellow)
cl_crosshairscale - This is a very helpful code, with it you can set the size of the crosshair so that it fits your screen and playing style.
Example: I have a 20" wide-screen monitor and I play CSS at 1680x1050. I find that the cross-hair works best for me at size 1600.
