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considerable amount of damage. The 5.7mm when used in the P90 is very promising, and may someday replace all 9mm rounds in service.


E - .50 Caliber AE (Action Express)
1-3 Desert Eagle .50 AE (Nighthawk)

A specialized .50 Caliber round for the Desert Eagle pistol, this is NOT the same as the .50 Caliber BMG (Browning Machine Gun) round used by
Antiaircraft guns and the Barret .50 Cal Sniper Rifle. Nonetheless, it is without a doubt the most powerful handgun round developed to date, and is considered illegal in many countries and many states of the
United States.


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8 -- Other Equipment
====================

Guns alone are not your only tools in the fight for or against
Terrorism. There are also many other pieces of equipment necessary to your well-being as well as devices that can change the course of combat in your favor...


8-1 Kevlar Armour
COST: $650

This is the standard Medium-Level waist-length Kevlar body armour with solid plate inserts used by most Counterterrorist and SWAT operatives in the field, and is designed to stop most pistol rounds and a certain level of SMG fire.

Kevlar is not like old plate or flak armour. Rather, it consists of many layers of plastic coating and foam padding designed to act like a trampoline, catching a bullet and spreading its kinetic energy around the vest, thus preventing it from hitting the body. Of course, rifle rounds and the new 5.7mm rounds have a sharp, tapered tip designed to rip through Kevlar and cause serious damage, so most Kevlar armor have solid 'Strike Plates' inserted that can help absorb anything short of a pointblank hit from a rifle round.

Kevlar was developed as a lighter and more comfortable alternative to the Flak Vest. Flak Vests are vests with steel or titanium inserts designed to deflect most small-arms fire, and were in use from as old as the Civil War up to the Vietnam era. The major complaint with Flak vests was that they were heavy and uncomfortable, especially in the hot jungle/swamp conditions of Vietnam. Kevlar still acts an encumbrance, but not nearly as uncomfortable or heavy as old-fashioned Flak armour.

POINT: Except for the L337 Crew and Arctic Avengers Terrorist Skins, all of the player skins of CS have the Kevlar Vest illustrated. In CS, even when hit by a rifle round, Kevlar still provides some protection, but not much. Still, it's best to wear it as it provides a measure of protection against most pistols and SMGs in combat.


8-2 Kevlar Armour with Helmet
COST: $1000

This is the same as the Kevlar armour above, plus the addition of the
Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT) Kevlar helmet that is standard for U.S. Troops. The PASGT helmet is slightly tougher than the
Kevlar vest since it is Kevlar molded around a hard helmet shape (Vests have to be flexible for one to move in, but a human skull is fixed). A rifle round can still penetrate it, but only when direct on; this helmet will still deflect a shot slightly at an angle.

It's a little-known, but very odd, fact that when the PASGT Helmet was developed, many Army and Marine Corps personnel didn't like it, even though it was lighter, more comfortable, and generally better at deflecting small arms. The main reason was that unlike the old 'Steel
Pot', you can't cook food in a plastic helmet. This practice (of using helmets for cooking) has been around since World War I, and eventually changed in the mid to late 1980's, as the new non-cook MRE (Meals Ready to Eat) Rations became widespread among military forces.

US Troops have nicknamed this the "Fritz" Helmet due to its similarity in design to German Stormtrooper helmets of World War II. This was another reason for the US Military's dislike. The PASGT thus had to also fight off the negative impressions such a design hinted at.

POINT: The PASGT helmet is the one seen on the GSG-9 skin. The REAL
GSG-9 uses a protec helmet, but in the same colors as those shown in
CS. Many CS players eschew the helmet to save cash since many of the higher-powered weaponry can still kill with a headshot. This should not be an excuse, since equipping the helmet in CQB can mean the difference between life and death at such ranges with SMGs or pistols.

For the record, the hemlet seen on the SEAL skin is a matte-black colored Protec helmet. It's a light polymer helmet normally used by athletes and sportsmen to absorb small impacts. AFAIK unlike the PASGT, it is NOT designed to deflect small-arms fire.


8-3 XM-82 Flashbang
COST: $200

It's a little known fact, but the British SAS were the first to develop the Flashbang, though blinding explosive devices have been in use long before modern times. Also known as a Stun or Concussion Grenade, its primary use is to stun or temporarily disable a terrorist without actually harming them; a very important point if the terrorist is holding a hostage or if it is desired to take the terrorist alive.

Flashbangs live up to their name; upon exploding, they impair vision and hearing alike with a blinding flash of light and a painfully loud blast.
The air pressure from the blast can disrupt a person's eardrums, and likewise their balancing organs. This is what really causes terrorists to be stunned;the disruption of your sense of balance will keep you from reacting normally to an attack.

The blinding flash of the blast itself impairs vision. At close enough range and cramped quarters, the concussive blast of the grenade can knock out a person. For Real-life CTs, these are far more useful than normal grenades.

POINT: In CS, Flashbangs can blind vision, turning your view white for anywhere between 2-5 seconds. Unlike the real Flashbangs (or those in
Rainbow Six for that matter), they do not completely impair your hearing (though there is a slight ringing sound), a vital point to remember when you're firing blind. Another thing to remember is that it affects both teams, so one must take care not to blind himself or teammates with their own Flashbangs. Sadly, this is something that a lot of players, newbie or otherwise, fail to consider.

You can carry 2 Flashbangs at a time in CS, which is important since many of the wiser players know to shield their vision behind an obstacle when a grenade is thrown their way. Toss one, then immediately prep another. Again, take care not to blind yourself or your teammates when doing this.

TACTICS: Learn to 'Breach and Bang' properly (See OTHER FAQ, below).
Practice your throwing angle religiously. When in doubt and NO teammates are in the room, flashbang. Listen for anyone panic-firing after being flashed. Works best if the enemy is NOT expecting it, such as a dark corner, ESPECIALLY if he's wearing NVGs.


8-4 HE Grenade
COST: $300

The HE (High Explosive) Grenade or Fragmentation (Frag) Grenade is the most common indirect weapon of attack among troops. CTs only use these in situations wherein there are few to no civilians or hostages and are pinned down by enemy firepower. It is standard operating procedure (SOP) for room clearing to toss in either a Flashbang or HE grenade in before entering, in order to stun or injure opponents hiding inside.

The grenade seen in CS is of a canister shape. Normal HE Grenades (such as the standard US army-issue M61 and M67 Defensive) are spherical- shaped or oblong-shaped for better throwing and area explosion.
Canister-shape grenades are either smoke or flashbangs.

POINT: Players prefer this grenade to all others simply because of its damaging capability. Still, many players get careless with it, often tossing it haphazardly into areas without checking first. Ideally, HE grenades should be thrown only into areas where enemies are confirmed, otherwise it is useless. Personally, I use Flashbangs more than HEs, but
HEs work better in trying to flush out campers in the shadows. Use HEs wisely since you can only carry one at any time.

TACTICS: Learn to 'Breach and Bang' properly. Practice your throwing angle, to avoid an accidental bounce-back (HE's, unlike Flashbangs, can kill you). Remember that on some servers, Friendly Fire Off does not apply to HE grenades.


8-5 Smoke Grenade
COST: $300

There are two purposes of Smoke Grenades in real life: One is to provide cover for an escaping unit and mask them from enemy fire. The other is as a signal for other team members to regroup in that direction.

POINT: 9 out of 10 CS players find this weapon useless. This is because the smoke is not as thick as they would like it, or as fast as they would like. For blinding purposes, they would rather use Flashbangs. But
Smoke Grenades work best indoors or in enclosed spaces wherein the smoke builds up, and it makes for a good way to avoid snipers.

But the best way to use them is to confuse your opponents in closed and already-dark spaces. In cs_mansion as a Terrorist, I once herded all 4 hostages to one dark corner of the house. I then ran out to take potshots at the remaining 2 CTs nearby, before running into the hallways. After grabbing their attention, I then tossed a Smoke Grenade as they followed. The result was chaos; the beleaguered CTs ended up emptying their M4A1s into the hostages while at the same time providing me with two picture-perfect, no-brainer headshots. Unfortunately, the smoke in the game does not go high enough into the sky to work as an efficient signal system.

TACTICS: Use smoke to cloud enemy sniper's vision. Has a more lasting effect than flashbangs, and NVGs can't see through them. However, there are certain settings in CS that can make smoke nearly transparent and therefore useless.


8-6 Defuse Kit [Counter-Terrorist Only]
COST: $200

This kit speeds up the disarming of explosives. As a set, it has a full complement of electronic and diagnostic equipment as well as the proper tools in order to safely and efficiently defuse a bomb.

POINT: Many CS players ignore this mostly since it isn't necessary to defuse a bomb with the Defuse Kit. However, the time needed to defuse a bomb is cut in half when using this piece of equipment, so I believe at least one CT member should carry one, just in case.


8-7 Night Vision
COST: $1250

The Night Vision system works on low-light amplification. It takes in what little light is available and intensifies it. The result is a greenish-looking view of the world, but it is better than going completely blind in many situations. Early versions of this system were first developed in the latter years of World War II as vehicle or weapon mounted bulky scopes. Since they were initially developed to use even the faint light of stars at night, this device was once called the
'Starlight Scope' when mounted on rifles.

These devices do have many drawbacks. The greenish tinge is unavoidable due to the low-light nature of the device, making it hard to distinguish detail at certain distances. The other, more serious, drawback is that a sudden bright flash of light is capable of shorting out the system and blinding the wearer temporarily.

POINT: Although Half-Life is known for its dark corners and areas, most of Counter-Strike's locations are not completely and absolutely dark enough to warrant the use of NVGs. The only map location wherein the NV
Goggles are of any use would be in cs_mansion's darkest corridor (the pitch-black hallway on the second floor). Even then, there are easier, cost-free ways to view the surroundings than with the goggles, and the greenish tinge is occasionally an eyesore.


Knife
ALTERNATE FIRE BUTTON: Overhead Stab

In reality, most CT units don't use a knife. Many of the CQB situations that they find themselves in do not lend much to hand-to-hand combat, and in fact, it's avoided as much as possible. Only in certain and rare situations are knives used, and those are in situations wherein a suppressed gun is not effective or usable in the given situation, which is highly rare.

POINT: The knife in CS actually comes from the knife used in the Half-
Life: Opposing Force expansion pack (which in turn replaced the crowbar