CS:GO SDK coming 3 months after release

[ad_hominem]

New site on the block The Verge has some details on when we can expect to see the SDK for Valve's update to the Counter-Strike series.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive's software development kit, which allows players to create and edit the title's catalog of multiplayer maps, is currently planned to launch three months after the game's release.

Valve's Gabe Newell confirmed the timetable during a recent interview on the podcast Seven Day Cooldown, which will be published later this afternoon. The modding tools, which have been a staple in the Counter-Strike series since its inception, will be created by Valve software engineer Mike Durand, who has worked on developing SDKs for the company's modding community since 2006.

You can read the rest of the article aver at The Verge, and listen to the full podcast (which also features pertinent Ricochet 2 news!) over at Seven Day Cooldown.

[ScarT]

Imagine if Valve someday decides to release a SDK that isn't broken, and a new engine for modders. Yeah I can't either.

[Epifire]

Imagine if Valve someday decides to release a SDK that isn't broken, and a new engine for modders. Yeah I can't either.

Maybe Mike has learned more over the years about the issues the community faces with the SDK. Really I think if they quit the "duck tape" version layering, then I think they will have gained some thing in stability.

@ Ad, thanks for posting on the interview at the Seven Day Cooldown. Was a very interesting session to say the least.

[Welsh Mullet]

Going on the information, I'd say it'll be authoring tools again. They are a curse on us modders.

[ScarT]

Of course it will. Its very unlikely that Valve will ever make a source code release that's not from Half-Life * (ASW excluded).

[Epifire]

Of course it will. Its very unlikely that Valve will ever make a source code release that's not from Half-Life * (ASW excluded).

Gabe had said himself in a interview a while back that he has been tempted to just start from scratch with a whole new code. Only thing that stops him from doing that, so he said was that Source is solid and that it is hard to cut path for new engine (in paraphrased terms of course).

There are a lot of things to be re-written and optimized, which is a lot of work when their current engine still serves them well. I would predict that we will see a large upgrade of some sort within the next four to five years. Whether it be a steady chain of additional upgrades, or a big overhaul that may include huge revisions.

So in a ending note, it is their engine and they use it as they need. I am just thankful to get a part of it for mods, even if it is old.

[Luck]

"3 months after" in Valve Time? That will be like next year... optimistic speaking

[Gary]

Of course it will. Its very unlikely that Valve will ever make a source code release that's not from Half-Life * (ASW excluded).

I still fear that EP3 won't come with a real SDK either.


I'm still hoping for the CS:GO SDK being a real one, but I'm not holding my breath. It's just in the past games they have referred to "authoring tools", now they are saying "SDK". Which is the only reason I have any hope for it. That and a past (real)SDK developer is working on it.

[Jordash]

I'm more interested in how they will incorporate custom maps with steam workshop, it's all well and good if individuals can download maps, but unless there is some sort of system to sync the maps with servers along with a method of choosing a custom level over the default map cycle, I can't see why I should even decide to make a map for GO instead of something like Portal, where there is a probably a larger audience.

Perhaps a lobby system? Anyone know if Valve has plans to add one?

EDIT: With proper integration, Steam Workshop could probably provide feedback statistics for maps, like team win ratios, number of servers running the map, popularity over time, kill/death heat-maps, places where people camp. I would much prefer any of those over new tools (not that new tools aren't needed), but these sort of features aren't found in any other game as far as I know.

[Sathor]

So ... I guess I won't have to rush finishing my map.

[Gary]

You probably won't need their SDK. You could just find entity names and values by dissecting stock maps. And use Portal2 compile tools(vrad,vbsp,vvis).

Unless of course, they did some major changes to the BSP format.

[ScarT]

Gabe had said himself in a interview a while back that he has been tempted to just start from scratch with a whole new code. Only thing that stops him from doing that, so he said was that Source is solid and that it is hard to cut path for new engine (in paraphrased terms of course).

There are a lot of things to be re-written and optimized, which is a lot of work when their current engine still serves them well. I would predict that we will see a large upgrade of some sort within the next four to five years. Whether it be a steady chain of additional upgrades, or a big overhaul that may include huge revisions.

So in a ending note, it is their engine and they use it as they need. I am just thankful to get a part of it for mods, even if it is old.

Could you link me this interview? I don't recall reading it.

I still fear that EP3 won't come with a real SDK either.


I'm still hoping for the CS:GO SDK being a real one, but I'm not holding my breath. It's just in the past games they have referred to "authoring tools", now they are saying "SDK". Which is the only reason I have any hope for it. That and a past (real)SDK developer is working on it.

I wouldn't be surprised if this happened, but I'd still be disappointed as fuck. Valve have already said the SDK they're releasing for CS:GO is going to be the kind of SDK they released with CS:S. A support guy said SDK, but it was later stated authoring tools was the real thing.

I wouldn't want to mod CS:GO anyway, people would spend way too much time removing the CS:GO setup, and you'd see a billion kiddie mods that's a direct clone with one change.

[Gary]

[...]Valve have already said the SDK they're releasing for CS:GO is going to be the kind of SDK they released with CS:S. A support guy said SDK, but it was later stated authoring tools was the real thing.

Oh, I was unaware of that confirmation.

I wouldn't want to mod CS:GO anyway, people would spend way too much time removing the CS:GO setup, and you'd see a billion kiddie mods that's a direct clone with one change.

I still want to mod it. It's engine branch is quite nice.

[cra0kalo]

I want those god dam DMX tools and the flowmap tools Valve uses! Also would be nice to see some src_content

[ScarT]

I really hope they're releasing a Source SDK Base 2012 at some point, or a proper SDK after Half-Life 3 (episode three?). Hopefully the media will ask proper questions once they announce something!

I simply can't give up on Source, no matter how much it hurts me