Agent Skins Remain a Problem in CS:GO. Characters Blend in With Surroundings
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive is known for its skins, which can be astronomically expensive. As much as weapon skins remain a cosmetic item, the same cannot be said for some character skins, which are a recurring problem.
- The topic of character skins in CS: GO is back;
- The skins were introduced with Operation Shattered Web in 2019;
- They can provide an unfair advantage in some situations due to the color palette enabling the user to blend into the background.
The Counter-Strike: Global Offensive community is able to forgive Valve executives a lot, standing firmly behind the developers of their favorite shooter. However, that doesn't mean the game's problems go unnoticed. Recently, the topic of skins for the so-called agents, introduced for the first time on the occasion of Operation Shattered Web in 2019, returned in conversations.
Voices criticizing this concept and complaining about the problem of some skins blending in with the background depending on the environment could be heard already back then. After 1 year and a half we check what Valve has done about skins that give an unfair advantage.
Well, as it turns out, not much. Recently, the topic resurfaced on Reddit thanks to user hahathisprettycool, who showed how much of an advantage can still be gained through the skins.
VIDEO: Camper uses skin advantage
The topic of advantage through custom character appearance has been recognized by Valve, but the developers' efforts have so far been only local and ad hoc, such as changing the texture color of popular camping spots and increasing contrast. As it turns out, this is simply not enough. To quote the author of a post on Reddit:
"You cannot simply fix every single spot. It’s a paradox because by “fixing” one spot for ONE skin, you inevitably make it exploitable for another skin with a different color scheme. It’s impossible to nitpick at every single problematic spot."
The issue of skins whose appearance increases our reaction time in CS: GO, where every millisecond counts, remains unresolved for now, especially since agent skins have probably been purchased by thousands of players already. Several ideas have appeared to help resolve this impasse, such as the ability to disable skins or their visibility in ranked games.
Will Valve listen to the voice of the community this time as well? Doubtful. The topic of agent skins has already sparked protests in 2019, and yet Valve persists, opting for ad hoc action.
