CS2: Train remake is finally here

The long awaited remake of Train turned out to be a complete visual overhaul, in a far more extensive fashion than we initially expected.

Train finally arrives in CS2!

When CS2 was initially announced, back in March 2023, Train was listed as a touchstone map, which meant it was set to get ported over from CS:GO, like Mirage and Dust 2.

As more time passed and the leaks about the imminent return of the classic map started to intensify, the picture became more and more clear. This was actually planned as a full overhaul.

Gameplay wise, the changes will feel significant. Train was always known to be a CT-sided map, with plenty of legendary comebacks happening on said site in pro play.

The current meta in CS2 is rather T-heavy, and so are some of the changes made around the map.

The ladder in Popdog is gone, for instance, CT's that want to flank upper B from said area now need to walk a much longer way to do so.

As for the two bombsites in general, the layout of the Train's has changed quite substantially, too. A-site especially is way more open now and appears to be smaller, with one of the main entries for CT's being closed off.

You can see a nice comparison between Train's final CS:GO version and its initial CS2 version below:

CS2 vs CSGO Train pic.twitter.com/ReZxGIOLnH

— Tradeit (@tradeit_gg) November 14, 2024

As for the future of the maps inside the active duty map pool, we will most likely have to wait and see what Valve elects to after the Shanghai Major, with any shuffle in said 7 map pool likely to happen then.

The top to bottom remake of Train however suggests we will likely see it returning to pro play after more than 3 years, rather sooner than later.

Overpass changes, new community maps

Another map that was already remade for CS2 is Overpass and 7 months after its removal from the active duty rotation, in favor of Dust 2, Valve have made significant changes to the map again.

You can see some of the changes below:

Biggest Overpass changes after the New Update Water mostly removed, A-site changes & Heaven is now opened pic.twitter.com/tpyQ68mctN

— Ozzny (@Ozzny_CS2) November 13, 2024

In terms of maps, Valve also swapped out the community made maps for competitive and wingman. Thera, Mills, Assembly and Memento are gone.

Basalt and Edin have been added to competitive, with Palais and Whistle being added to wingman.

Basalt was already featured in CS:GO's last operation, back in 2021. A beloved community made map then, it is now back in CS2.

As for Edin, the Scotland-based map is completely new and making its debut in CS2. We will see how it fares along the staple and known maps in the game.

Furthermore, Valve released a new "damage prediction" setting that they say could help with shooting feeling "significantly more responsive." This might help players experiencing delayed feedback when shooting. When the setting is on, audio and visual feedback will be played instantly without waiting for confirmation from the server. Apparently though, the setting may also cause false positive feedback.

Complete patch notes

The update is the biggest in terms of map changes in CS2's short history, yet. The full patch notes can be found below:

[DAMAGE PREDICTION]

• Added damage prediction settings. Damage prediction allows clients to immediately play the audio/visual effects of inflicting damage without waiting for confirmation from the server. Damage prediction can make shooting feel significantly more responsive, but comes with the risk of occasionally being wrong (e.g. due to aim punch, tagging, or a death that your client isn't yet aware of).
• Predicted body shot effects (disabled by default), headshot effects (disabled by default), and kill rag dolls (enabled by default) can each be toggled separately.
• Damage prediction is not active when you have high ping.

[ANIMATION]

• Updated the third-person animation that plays when a player is blinded by a flashbang. The animation now accurately represents the player's visibility level, and the pose will only show the player's arm covering their eyes when they are completely blinded.
• Fixed a case where legs weren't animating correctly while taking damage.

[GRAPHICS]

• Added ambient occlusion for first person legs to better ground them in the environment.
• Performance optimizations for molotov and incendiary effects.

[GRENADES]

• Added axis labels to the grenade line-up reticle tick marks.
• The grenade preview camera now shows the result of a jump throw while the jump button is held.

[MAP GUIDES]

• Added a map guide for Train, which demonstrates four simple Terrorist grenade line-ups. To load a map guide, go to Play→Practice and toggle "Load Map Guides" on.
• Added concommands annotation_* which enable the creation, saving, and loading of map guide nodes and files, which are stored in /annotations/.

[MISC]

• New game settings for radar map blending and background opacity.
• Fixed a case where progress from a previously completed Armory Pass would show during activation of a new pass.
• Fixed a regression with Chinese input via the Microsoft Input Methods.
• CSTV now allows setting tv_delay and tv_delay1 to a value smaller than 6 seconds.
• Charm Template number is now available in Charm descriptions.

[MAPS]

Train

• Added Train to Competitive, Casual, and Deathmatch modes.

Community Maps

• Added Basalt and Edin to Competitive, Casual, and Deathmatch modes.
• Added Palais and Whistle to Wingman mode.
• Removed Thera, Mills, Assembly, and Memento from all game modes.

Ancient

• Fixed some lighting errors.
• Fixed some collision gaps.
• Fixed some bad wall bang spots.
• Fixed a stuck spot.

Italy

• Fixed some bad boost spots.

Mirage

• Fixed a pixel peek.

Overpass

• Visual updates to canals area and B-site.
• Rework of heaven drop down mechanics.
• Performance improvements, particularly in canals area and B-site.
• Added a sign that blocks a bad line of sight from long boost to CT spawn.
• Removed small fence at the edge of party/picnic that interfered with visibility to train station.
• Removed some geometry under wrecked truck that looked like player legs.
• Replaced some windows with opaque surfaces in train station to remove bad lines of sight.
• Deleted a tree that interfered with a line of sight.
• Moved one of the crate lids on A-site to block a bad line of sight.
• Removed some lamps that could look like player heads at A-site.
• Removed some trees and objects around park and train station that prevented players from backing into certain useful spaces.
• Removed a chain link fence in alley that made players hard to see.
• Adjustments to fog and decreased the distance at which character models get an increased visibility effect.
• Made shelf in heaven look less like a player.
• Adjusted props and lights in heaven to reduce noise and make players brighter.
• Removed handcart behind barrels at B-site, so players can back into the corner.
• Adjusted collision around barrels for better player movement.
• Added light behind barrels for better player visibility.
• Fixed weird collision on barrel that made for inconsistent wall bangs.
• Fixed bad graffiti rendering at B-site.
• Removed concrete block behind the cement bags at B-site for less awkward player movement.
• Set many smaller props to exclude player movement and grenade bounces.
• Fixed some pixel peeks.
• Small visual updates throughout the map.

Shoots

• Performance improvements in some areas.

This update marks the long-awaited return of a staple map in CS history. Are you excited? Does the new version of Train look appealing to you?