The Basics - CS: FAQ - Common CS Questions

In this article, I am attempting to gather all of the common questions made by new CS players, in one area. If you have a question, feel free to E-Mail us at admin[at]counterstrikesourcetips.com

I’m getting owned! Where can I play with people my level?!

This isn’t an easy question to answer. You need to experiment around with different servers until you find something your speed. You need to find a server where you won’t lag, and you won’t get completely dominated by veteran players. To find yourself a server like this, follow these steps:

  1. Open Counter-Strike: Source
  2. Click Find Servers
  3. Click the Internet Tab
  4. Click the Change Filters Button

Input the following parameters:

Feel free to add your location, and even a map you tend to favor. There should be a wide variety of servers for you to choose from. Experiment with them, and find one that suits your needs.

How do I change my nickname?!

This is an easy one, and you can do it two ways:

Option 1

  1. Open Counter-Strike: Source
  2. Click Options
  3. Input your nickname in the Player Name Box

Option 2

  1. Open Counter-Strike: Source
  2. Hit the ~ Key
  3. Type Name “Insert Nickname Here”
  4. Hit the Enter Key

How do I play offline?

  1. Open Counter-Strike: Source
  2. Click Create Server
  3. Go through the tabs and set the options to your liking!

Everyone owns me with the knife!

Either you are lagging, or you aren’t using right click. When knifing, you should basically never use left click. It does a lesser, but faster swipe that does minimal damage. Right click knifing, kills in one hit from behind, and two hits to the front.

How do I join a Clan? How do I start a Clan? What’s up with these Clans?!

A clan is nothing more than a group of people who wear a specific tag in front of their nickname. For Example:

gY . goliath [SL]

gY is the clan name. Most likely an abbreviation.

goliath is the player’s name.

[SL] is a rank in the clan, specified by the clan. These are optional, and are rarely used.

Joining a specific clan can be difficult or ridiculously easy. If it’s just a pub clan, you may just have to play on a regular basis with no showing of skill, or low to minimal skill. Some pub clans base it on KdR (Kill to Death Ratio) or Rank in the server. Being in a pub clan is normally just for fun and can enable you to make friends with a large group of people.

Serious clans, ones who Scrim (5v5 games against other clans), and who are involved in CAL (Cyberathlete Professional League) have a lot higher standards for joining. These clans will hold tryouts, in which you will scrimmage with their team, and they’ll observe how you play and interact with the team.

Starting a clan is easy. Come up with a Clan name and add it to your Player name. That’s it, you’ve started a clan. If you want to become a more established clan, you’ll want to consider doing the following:

  1. Purchase a Public Server
  2. Recruit Friends and Others to Join
  3. Start a Clan Web Site/Forum
  4. Start Scrimmaging
  5. Join CAL

Clan’s can be a lot of fun, but be warned. I’ve seen a lot of clans torn to shreds due to egos, attitudes, and stupidity. CS can be a hostile atmosphere and drama can be created out of anything.

What’s a Blocker? What’s Spray and Pray? What’s a Pub Nub? What’s a Camper?

A blocker is someone who gets in the way of another player causing them to be killed. Here’s a typical scenario:

  1. Player A strafes left to check for the enemy
  2. Player B strafes left along side Player A
  3. Player A is unable to strafe back to cover
  4. Player A gets killed and curses
  5. Player A considers throwing his mouse and keyboard out the window
  6. Player B dies eventually
  7. Player A calls Player B a blocking noob

Spray and Pray is a term for someone who just holds down the fire button, spraying bullets in a random way, and praying that they hit the intended target.

A Pub Nub is someone who is only skilled in public servers. The player using the term most likely plays in CAL, or for a clan that scrims. A skilled form of cooperative Counter-Strike play.

Camper’s are people who consistently sit in one spot for extended periods of time.