Office

Office(cs_office), known as the Office Complex in Counter-Strike, is the official map for Hostage Rescue mode.

History of creation

The first mention of Office occurred back in the distant Counter-Strike Beta 7.0, which was released back in 2000. And after that, this particular card has never missed a new version of the game. Because of this, Office can be found on:

Counter-Strike Beta
Counter-Strike
Counter-Strike Xbox Edition
Counter-Strike: Condition Zero
Counter-Strike: Source
Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
Counter-Strike 2

And during all this time, the following studios and individuals have worked on this map:

Alexander Manilov
Ritual Entertainment
Turtle Rock Studios
Hidden Path Entertainment
Valve Corporation

Moreover, in each version of the map, geometrically it changed quite a lot. New passages and exits appeared and much more. But the map that we can now see in CS2 is ported from CS:GO. The new version of the game simply changed the lighting and new textures.

Review

The events on the map take place in winter inside an office building, surrounded by parking lots and outdoor courtyards. The counter-terrorist (CT) spawn area is located inside the parking garage, while the terrorists are stationed in the office areas. Counter-terrorists have the opportunity to enter the office through the main entrance, rear passage or glass window openings. Near their starting point there are premises adapted for performing sniper tasks. There is also a rear area and a corridor behind the parking lot that leads to the office space. This route is connected to the main passage and leads directly to the place where the terrorists appear.

The main access is in the form of a small staircase that leads to passages. Nearby there is another office space equipped with many windows. A long corridor leads to the location where the terrorists appeared, where two hostages are being held. Near this point is a demonstration room with two other hostages and a storage area. In the Global Offensive version, one of the storage areas was converted into a compact kitchen.

Official description

Counter-Terrorists: Enter the office building and rescue the hostages. Eliminate terrorists without endangering hostages.

Terrorists: Prevent the rescue of hostages by counter-terrorists.

Other notes: There are 4 hostages in this mission.

More history

The Office map has established itself as one of the most famous locations for hostage rescue missions and has been redesigned several times, four times in total.

In the 7.0 beta, office space was owned by a variety of organizations, including Prodigy Inc. and the Bizzy Blaster union. They were decorated with numerous works of art, massive computers and magazines. Instead of the usual small passage between the corridors, a ventilation system was provided.

The counter-terrorist spawn location was located outside of the garage, with a significant portion of the garage and backyard missing in this version. Instead, a narrow corridor just outside the main entrance was proposed, leading to the rear of the building. Another extension of the building was added to include the President's office, as opposed to an extended corridor.

In beta version 7.1, the map was enriched with the sounds of footsteps on snow, replacing the previous sounds of footsteps on concrete.

Counter-Strike 1.0 features minor changes from Valve Corporation aimed at improving the visuals and clarity of the map. Weather conditions and lighting were modified. Expanding the garage and adding a backyard were noticeable changes.

The presidential office and adjacent hallway were removed, and the garage was given additional space. The ventilation shafts and the passage leading to the rear were eliminated. A staircase has appeared under one of the windows in the front office, and the easter egg behind the breakable wall in the warehouse has been changed.

The most noticeable change from version 1.6 was the presence of a heavy door at the main entrance that could only be opened from the inside, as well as similar doors separating the front offices from the hallways. In addition, the garage and the small passage to the back hallway were not connected to each other.

In Counter-Strike versions 1.1 - 1.6, the blast doors seen in version 1.0 were removed and the garage was connected to the rear tunnel.

Changes have been made to Counter-Strike: Condition Zero, known as cs_office_cz, including more realistic textures, a modified visible light projector, different colored carpets, pictures with captions, the removal of APCs in the front and backyard, a new snow sprite, and no magazines on tables

The garage door in the CT spawn area is now automated, allowing bots to pass through, and making noise. Additionally, the maximum number of players who can play on this map has been increased to 32 players at a time.

In Counter-Strike: Source, changes included updated textures, an updated garage, number 52375 above the main entrance, several elements (file cabinets, trash cans, computers, small tables, etc.) becoming physics-based models, modified projections, paintings and pictures with captions turned into small framed images, as well as a smaller, more modern microwave. The bathroom will make flushing sounds when approaching. APCs in the outer areas of the map have been removed.

The interior of the office building is also slightly different from the old maps.

Physics-based models, especially file cabinets, are often used by campers to slow down counter-terrorists by using them to block doors around the projector room.

There is a snowman in the backyard of the office complex as an Easter egg. While he cannot be damaged by a knife, his head can be destroyed by several bullets and his arms can be shot off. The head can also be detached by jumping on it and it will fall, but the hat will remain in the air. The lower body cannot be destroyed, even if nearby grenades are detonated.

Counter-Strike: Global Offensive has seen significant changes to the Office map. Movable items that were previously abused by players are now made static, making them impossible to move.

The CT spawn area features one wall converted into an enclosed tunnel with a SWAT van parked behind it. In the terrorist spawn room, the name of the office complex is written on the wall - "Central South Office Park". Also added notice on the back path and stairs, revealing that the complex includes insurance companies, with the office being owned by "Shepard Mortgage Company". Part of the warehouse was converted into a dining room. The map textures have been updated again and graphical improvements have been made to cs_office. Additional items have been added, and with a rework of the hostage rescue scenario, some hostages now spawn randomly, and one can spawn in a side hallway and/or the cafeteria.

But with the advent of CS2, the game slightly changed some sounds, and also added new light sources.

Interesting Facts

And now it’s time to talk about interesting facts and Easter eggs of the Office card.

This information about the Office map in Counter-Strike shows the fun details and hidden elements added by the developers that make the game more fun and interesting for players: