Common Faq for Counter-Strike Source

Thanks to Remmiz from the Steam Forums!

Q-I got hit from 2 feet behind me! Whats up with that?
A-Models and hitboxes are not always where you may see them. The server is always seeing different locations than the clients.

Q-Where is my CD-Key! Did I get scammed?!
A-No, you did not. When purchasing games off of Steam you are not given a CD-Key, but rather, the game is "tied" to your Steam account.

Q-How come I bounce off tables and chairs when I walk into them?
A-This is due to the objects being made as prop_physics_multiplayer instead of prop_physics. The multiplayer physics has a "dumbed" down version to create less server stress. A server can run the command
sv_turbophysics 1
to turn off the bumping and allow players to push/collide with objects with the full HL2 physics.

Q-How come when I add lines to config.cfg they are overwritten when I start Steam?
A-Steam overwrites the config.cfg file each time it is started, to execute your own commands at start-up of CS:S, make a file called autoexec.cfg with the commands you want CS:S to execute at startup and put it in the same folder as the config.cfg.

Q-Odd...I can't seem to push the table in cs_italy along with other objects?
A-The physics in the game have been changed from what was seen in certain videos a while ago. A server may enable the ability to push objects by running the command
sv_turbophysics 1

Q-How come I am getting long lag freezes even though I have cable/dsl/T1?
A-This is most likely caused by background applications using the internet, such as firewalls or spyware. Try running a spyware scanner or configuring your firewall to allow Steam ports.

Q-What DirectX level should I run my game at?
A-From Gary McTaggart:
DirectX 7.0 - RADEON 7200, GeForce2 MX, GeForce4 MX (illegal in some leagues)
DirectX 8.0 - GeForce3, GeForce4 Ti, GeForce FX 5200
DirectX 8.1 - RADEON 8500, RADEON 9200, GeForce FX 5700, GeForce FX 5950
DirectX 9.0 - RADEON 9500 and up, RADEON X800, GeForce 6800

Q-What visual difference is there between DirectX modes?
A-DirectX 7.0: No model decals, no detail props, no refective water, no bumpmaps, reduced model level of detail
DirectX 8.0: No local specular on water, no water blending into land, shadows are not as soft
DirectX 8.1: No local reflections on water, no water blending into land, soft shadows
DirectX 9.0: Water reflections, water refraction, smooth shorelines, soft shadows, blended bumpmaps

Q-How can I disable the VGUI menus and go back to the old school buy menus?
A-Using the "old school" text buy menus is not possible in CS:S.

Q-How are other people using arabic and other symbols in their names?
A-They are using the extended character set. To use these symbols, open the Character Map (Start>Run... "charmap"), and select Courier New as the font. Then, just double click on the symbols you would like to use and copy them from the box on the bottom and paste them in CS:S.

Q-My console doesn't work.
A-First check that you have it enabled. Go into Options -> Keyboard -> Advanced -> and check Enable Developers Console. Then use the ` key to open the console.

Q-When I bring up the console with ` and type something the console disappears.
A-This can happen if you have a non-us keyboard layout/input configued in windows. One possibility is after ` type a T, the console will stay open and you can enter commands. Or, you can set your language in windows regional settings to US - English.

Q-How do I change DirectX levels?
A-In your autoexec.cfg put:
"mat_dxlevel 70" for DirectX 7.0
"mat_dxlevel 80" for DirectX 8.0
"mat_dxlevel 81" for DirectX 8.1
"mat_dxlevel 90" for DirectX 9.0
Or in your Launch Options put:
"-dxlevel 70" for DirectX 7.0
"-dxlevel 80" for DirectX 8.0
"-dxlevel 81" for DirectX 8.1
"-dxlevel 95" for DirectX 9.0

Q-What should I set my rates to?
A-Here are some good rates for broadband:
rate = 100000
cl_cmdrate = 100
cl_updaterate = 100

Q-I get crackling sounds, especially in confined areas like hallways and tunnels. I even have a high end sound card (i.e. Audigy) and it happens. How do I fix it?
A-In \Steam\SteamApps\youremail\counter-strike source\cstrike there are some ".cache" files in there. Delete the modelsounds.cache and scene.cache files. CS:S will rebuild these when it is started agian. Also, if you are using digital sound, make sure it is turned on in CSS by setting the variable snd_digital_surround to 1.

Q-How come I have pink/purple all over everything?
A-This is most likely caused by having your AA or AF up too high. Try turning them down to a lower setting. This is also caused by missing textures. If it appears on a custom map, make sure you have all the custom textures installed that came with the map. If it happens on a offical map, verify your GCF files and delete the /Steam/SteamApps/youremail/counter-strike source/materials folder.

Q-There are little white boxes with X's in them at all the light sources. How do I remove them?
A-Open the console and put in r_dopixelvisibility 0. They usually appear when turning on DirectX 7.