What if I told you that all Random in the game can be attributed to one cause, Stun? Would you believe me?

First of all, what is Stun? Stun is a feature added in version 1.6 of CS that causes one’s shots to land off the crosshair for a short period after one is hit by a bullet. This effect is proportionate to the power of the gun from which the bullet came, and is lessened by Kevlar armor.

This means that damage over time is no longer a simple function of rate of fire times damage per bullet. If you hit an enemy player at precisely the right time (some milliseconds before he hits you) and you both have the same gun (say mp5 or m4a1) you will hit him once for every time he fires a bullet, right before every bullet he fires. This will stun him right before every bullet he fires, causing every bullet of his to miss. This has serious implications and can best be illustrated with a scenario.

So let’s say you both have silenced colts. Here’s what the exchange looks like:

You fire a bullet – 22 dmg (22 total)
He fires a bullet – 0 dmg (miss due to Stun)
You fire a bullet – 22 dmg (44 total)
He fires a bullet – 0 dmg (miss due to Stun)
You fire a bullet – 22 dmg (66 total)
He fires a bullet – 0 dmg (miss due to Stun)
You fire a bullet – 22 dmg (88 total)
He fires a bullet – 0 dmg (miss due to Stun)
You fire a bullet – 22 dmg (110 total, he dies)

You’ll fire 5 bullets, and hit him for 5 times, doing 22 (silenced) dmg per shot, for 110 dmg total, killing him off. He’ll fire off 4 bullets, and they’ll all miss if his crosshair is on you (since they land off the crosshair.) That means he’ll do 0 damage. All because you fired a millisecond before he did.

“That’s not so bad,” you say. “It just means the person who gets the first hit is guaranteed to win a spamfight, right?”

Guess again bucko. Imagine that this time your opponent gets the first hit, but you fire your bullet sometime after his first bullet, after the stun of his bullet wears off, but before he fires his next bullet. Your bullet lands in the dead center of your crosshair, hitting him a few milliseconds before he fires his second bullet. The same thing as before will happen. Here’s what the exchange will look like:

He fires a bullet – 22 dmg (22 total)
(Stun wears off)
You fire a bullet – 22 dmg (22 total)
He fires a bullet – 0 dmg (miss due to Stun, 22 total)
You fire a bullet – 22 dmg (44 total)
He fires a bullet – 0 dmg (miss due to Stun, 22 total)
You fire a bullet – 22 dmg (66 total)
He fires a bullet – 0 dmg (miss due to Stun 22 total)
You fire a bullet – 22 dmg (88 total)
He fires a bullet – 0 dmg (miss due to Stun, 22 total)
You fire a bullet – 22 dmg (110 total, he dies)

That’s right. You’ll hit him 5 times for 22 damage per shot (110 total.) He’ll fire a bullet which will hit (first bullet of the duel) but the remaining 4 bullets will miss. So he’ll do 22 dmg to you, and you’ll win the fight with 78 health left. Even though he got the first hit.

When you realize how many factors affect Stun, you realize what a randomizing force it becomes. Since a player’s fps affects rate of fire, it also affects Stun. The above scenario assumed both players have the same gun, but when they have different guns it gets much more complicated and therefore even more random. Distance also affects Stun profoundly, because the farther away from an opponent you are, the further away “inaccurate” bullets land from the enemy model. To illustrate this point, imagine that you are very close to your opponent and your crosshair is on the center of his model. Even a shot that lands off the center of the crosshair still has a good chance of hitting him as long as it isn’t way off (and shots that miss due to Stun can be somewhat off OR way off, it’s random!) Now imagine that he is a great distance away. Any shots that aren’t in the dead center of your crosshair will miss entirely.

Most people don’t even realize that Stun is there. They never question the integrity of the game when they spray five bullets into a guy and he has 78 Health afterwards. They cry “OMG F***in’ register my shots, server!!!” I guess one way to solve a problem is to invent a myth that comforts you whenever the frustration occurs. Another way is to simply petition for a fix to the real problem.

So why don’t we part with our psychologically soothing notions that Valve’s Counter-Strike is a perfect game? Why don’t we identify the real culprit behind such nonsense and have it removed from the game? I’ve done the first part for you. The rest is up to you, my readers, and Valve.

GG dude u post to damn much get a life and im not readin all of that i no :)

that's some fruity funny shiet.... hahha... don't stop sam, don't stop what? haha...

thanks LV i liked your post. although i have one question...

what happens when u both shoot before either of your bullets hit the other person?

person A shoots...
person B shoots...
bullet from A hits B...
does bullet from B hit A????

it shouldnt be affected by STUN right??

first, is it possible both people fire quick enough b4 either bullet hits the other person? yes.

i've noticed in the game its impossible to kill each other by shooting each other... someone always wins a gunfight... its always been a major flaw in my opinion.

that would depend on how fast that person reacts and if their bullet hits them and how long after, the "stun" is sooo short it can go either way sometimes