Fade to black arrives in the latest CS:GO update

The latest CS:GO update has arrived and Valve have dropped the ball on the deathcam adding the long awaited (possibly needed?) “Fade to Black” on death.

In CS 1.6 when a player died his camera would go black, rendering him somewhat useless for the remainder of the round, not allowing him to relay any information about his death, where the enemies are, and their potential next move. In CS:GO, however, this feature was only implemented last night with a deathcam “blur” and “fade to black.”

In CS:GO the deathcam played a somewhat crucial role as it allowed dead players to relay the final seconds of information after their deaths to their teammates. Much of this information is listed above, and the opponents also used the deathcam to perhaps relay the incorrect information to the deceased in order to give away false intentions. It was somewhat strategic, but there has been a rallying force behind bringing back the “fade to black” option for competitive CS:GO.

This latest patch is a breakthrough in gameplay, according to Valve, and brings with it a few much needed changes to CS:GO. Aside from the above mentioned change, spectating has become a lot smoother with reduced spectator freeze-time, from five seconds to three. There will also be a fade and blur upon death of a player for spectators, and a more “aggressive” fade and blur for players killed by a headshot. These improvements are crucial to better CS:GO’s spectating experience, a fantastic initiative to ensure longevity for the eSport.

Valve have also added a new cosmetic feature called “Pins” for traders. Pins have in the past been limited to those who purchase them at Majors, but from June 1st you will be able to purchase them online, or via the Steam store, and add them to your physical CS:GO collection.

Shoutcaster Anders Blume with his CS:GO pins on his jacket

Here is the entire changelog for this morning’s patch.

[PINS]

• Added the CS:GO Collectible Pins Series 1 capsule offer that can be purchased in-game.
• As of June 1st, Series 1 Genuine Collectible Pins will be available at WeLoveFine.com

[GAMEPLAY]

• Default spec_freeze_time reduced from 5.0 to 3.0.
• Added fade and blur to deathcam (when mp_forcecamera 1).
• Fade and blur in deathcam are more aggressive when killed with a headshot (when mp_forcecamera 1).

[SPECTATING]

• Improved spectating cameras for de_cache.
• Improved spectating cameras for de_nuke.
• Added convars cl_spec_use_tournament_content_standards and sv_spec_use_tournament_content_standards that allow the client and/or server to prefer official pro player names when available and omit weapon tags for spectators.

[MISC]

• The ‘swap item’ crosshair hint will display the weapon’s original name even if the weapon has been renamed with a name tag.

[WebAPIs]

• Introducing Authentication Codes that allow users to grant to third-party websites and applications access to their Pick’Em and Fantasy games during CS:GO Major Championships.
  • Documentation for websites and application developers is available:
  • Authentication Codes management for users is available:

Last Updated: June 1, 2016