We know already that chicken in CS:GO make a difference.
It’s just a matter of understanding by HOW much, and whether we think it’s making CS:GO
unplayable or not.
Do we see these descendants of dinosaurs as adorable avians, or infuriating fowl?
Firstly, can they obscure your vision?
Well, yes.
Of course they can.
Most of the time they’re too short and small to have much of an effect but from certain
spots, like this bit on Inferno, they can mess stuff up for players.
They’ve done this in proper matches already, as you can see here!
This alone can have an impact on the round being played.
I’ll let you come to your own conclusions about how game breaking this is.
It’s time to investigate what else they can do.
Most of the time they’re just randomly wandering about.
But they also have a panic mode that can give away important information regarding a player’s
whereabouts.
What causes them to run off in a panic?
It appears that getting close to them isn’t enough!
You can crouch, walk or even run through these scrawny little things and they don’t give
a DAMN.
Which did surprise me, since I SWEAR they’ve alerted me to enemies in the past.
But I think I know what it could be.
The moment you fire a shot, they LOSE THEIR MINDS!
They go into a panicked state, which they remain in until they get a certain distance
away from you again.
That distance is somewhere between 128 and 192 units- 2-3 crates widths away.
Or between 9 and 14 bananas.
And when I say ‘fire a shot’, it doesn’t have to be from a gun.
A knife does the same thing- but ONLY with the primary fire!
Just remember this the next time you’re absent-mindedly flailing your knife about.
This could explain those situations where they appear to give away a person’s position,
had they startled the chicken which then runs off to where an enemy is waiting.
Which made me think: does the activation distance vary depending on the weapon used?
No.
Any weapon fired, knife stabbed, or grenade thrown, will alert the chicken from the same
distance of 71 bananas… or 1000 units for you metric folk.
This transforms chicken from pretty little peckers into crazy colossal cocks that potentially
serve as an early-warning system for the other team to use to discover your whereabouts.
Well, there is an exception to this.
The USP-S and M4A1-S, when equipped with a suppressor, don’t alert chicken, no matter
how close you fire from, or at them.
But take the suppressor off….
AND THEY PANIC!
If ever you needed it, this is irrefutable proof that taking the suppressor off makes
the weapons inferior.
It CAN startle chicken, and CAN give your position away.
Jumping also sets them off.
But unlike the rest of the triggers, this only works if there’s a clear line of sight
between you and the chicken.
And only if you’re within 192 units.
And even there’s only like, a 50-50 chance that it’ll scare them into running.
A bit annoying really as it’s somewhat inconsistent, and isn’t tied with distance or time between
jumps or anything else I can think of.
If anybody would like to test this out to get a more accurate result then be my guest.
What about decoys?
I’ve already said that throwing these things alerts them.
But what about the gunshots created by them?
Chicken don’t care about these.
They know the difference between a real gun and a decoy, AND SO SHOULD YOU.
Okay, I think that’s enough about what sets them off.
What about blocking?
Well, they don’t block people, which I guess would be the most annoying thing.
They don’t block weapons, either.
In fact they teleport a bit themselves to stand on top of them which is kind of cute.
The bomb doesn’t seem to be affected either.
THANK GOD.
But what about grenades?
Can they change the trajectory?
Time to boot up a custom map.
Nope, they don’t influence the first throw, even though it SOUNDS as though grenades bounce
off them.
Their end point remains identical.
And…
it doesn’t block a second bounce either.
Because I know that sometimes, grenades behave differently once they’ve bounced already.
I didn’t test third but can’t be bothered.
I’m happy to say that chicken don’t influence any sort of grenade.
But one thing they CAN block are doors.
If you try to open and a chicken is on the other side, it will open the opposite way
to normal.
And if they’re both sides…
Perhaps the most worrying thing is that they do block bullets.
And by how much varied as well.
Sometimes it would reduce it by 30%.
Other times it would stop the bullet completely!
It really is concerning and can substantially change the outcome of a round.
Here’s an example of it happening in a match already!
Wall banging in CS:GO is good.
But Chicken Banging?
No.
Just…
no.
Obscuring one’s vision can be frustrating enough, even if it is easily remedied.
But reducing the damage dealt from a direct hit?
That can change the outcome of the round!
But before you decide they should be sent to the slaughter-house, stop.
Look at them.
How can you remain mad at them?
I remember Counter-Strike Source.
That game didn’t have any chicken in!
You think it’s any coincidence the game’s now dead?!
I jest.
But back then, I was aware of their existence in the older CS 1.6.
And you know what?
I was JEALOUS.
I liked how the older game seemed more fun and playful with its features.
Its mod-origin allowed for lots of silly details that a professional games studio wouldn’t
bother with.
The insta-kill lightning strike on Aztec may have been a little too far.
But I doubt we heard any complaints about the chicken!
And now, here we are, with these things back in the game, happily roaming the battlegrounds
of Global Offensive.
And I believe the game is better for it, once Valve tweak them to stop them from doubling
up as body-armour.
And I can’t wait until somebody thinks up a practical use for the ‘chicken, follow
me!’
command.
As like, a diversion.
Or something.
Come on… you’ve got to agree.
Even the most hardened killers have a soft-spot for chicken.