Valve is now reinstating the accidentally banned Counter-Strike 2 players who were using an anti-lag feature that was installed in with the latest iteration of their graphics processing unit’s drivers.
Counter-Strike 2 compatibility with AMD’s Anti-Lag+ feature was added with the Adrenalin Edition 23.10.1 driver earlier this month. In essence, the feature works with the player’s computer to ensure lower latency and smoother frame syncing, allowing their inputs to be registered even more accurately.
According to AMD, this can “achieve up to 78 per cent faster performance and 54 per cent lower latency in your gaming experiences”. However, Valve was adamant that Anti-Lag+ should not be switched on while someone is playing Counter-Strike 2.
This is resulting from the fact that the feature “[detours] engine dll functions” which triggers a “VAC” ban. “VAC” stands for “Valve Anti-Cheat” and so a ban of this sort affects Valve games like Counter-Strike 2, Dota 2, Team Fortress 2 as well as DayZ, Foxhole, Rust and more.
In the update that was rolled out on October 19, Counter-Strike 2 has “added a startup check for incompatible AMD graphics drivers”. As such, Valve will be “reversing VAC bans for affected players”.
With no knowledge of the number of players who were caught out, it’s difficult to tell how long people will be waiting for their account to be restored. But, fans have made their feelings known about the features that they perceive to be absent from the newest version of the game.
These include the modes Arms Race and Danger Zone, missing commands like “cl_righthand, cl_bob, net_graph” and more, and Steam Workshop maps.
Another player pointed out how these false flags for cheating will have had knock on effects to those who played with them per Counter-Strike 2‘s approach. There was no official word on whether their reputation would be restored too.
In other gaming news, the SIE Sound Team has added the soundtracks of Gravity Rush, Shadow Of The Colossus, Soul Sacrifice and more to Spotify.