Counter-Strike: Source (also known as CS: Source or simply CS:S) is a multiplayer, team-based tactical first-person shooter, developed by Valve and Turtle Rock Studios. It is a remake of Counter-Strike, the 1999 modification of Half-Life. Built on the Source engine, the game was released in 2004 along with Half-Life 2.

Similar to the original version, Counter-Strike: Source games involve a team of counter-terrorists facing off against a team of terrorists in a series of rounds. Each round is won by either completing a mission (such as detonating a bomb or rescuing hostages) or by eliminating all members of the opposing team.

Gameplay

Counter-Strike: Source gameplay differs from other multiplayer first person shooters (often called "deathmatches"). Most prevalently, rather than "respawning" immediately after being killed, Counter-Strike players have only one chance per round, and, if killed, must wait until the next round to continue playing.

Weapons and equipment

Whereas in other games players are able to collect a wide arsenal of weapons (such as in the Unreal Tournament series of games), CS:S players must purchase a specific set of equipment and weapons at the start of each round. Each team spawns in a "buy zone", which is the only area of the map where items and weapons can be purchased. A small amount of money is allocated to each player at the start of the game, and further funds can be accrued by completing certain tasks during the round (such as killing an enemy or being on the team who wins the round). This is totaled at the end of each round, and available at the start of the following round. Players can also lose money by killing teammates or hostages.

Furthermore, there are limits imposed as to how many items a player can hold at once. Each player may hold at most one main weapon, one sidearm, a knife, 1 high explosive grenade, 2 flashbangs and other equipment (such as defusal kits, body armor, or night vision goggles). Also, no player may accumulate more than $16000.

Communication

In addition to providing in-game voice communication between players on a team, CS: Source also provides three sets of messages that can be broadcast to teammates, which are usable even if the player does not have a microphone. These messages allow team members to issue orders or parlay helpful information (for instance, if an enemy has been spotted). The menus are accessible through a combination of bindable keys and number keys.

Tactics

CS: Source is more of a tactical-shooter than deathmatch-style games, such as the Quake and Unreal Tournament series, but it does not put as much emphasis on tactics as other titles such as the Rainbow Six series. Players can devise their own strategies, either through the radio communication, in-game talk, or through external programs such as Teamspeak or Ventrilo, which are often used in clan matches.

Purchasable equipment such as flashbang and smoke grenades can be used to create cover or distract the enemy, and the teams can split into smaller squads and take different routes through the maps.

The Prodigy (or just Prodigy) are an English band. Their music consists of various styles ranging from rave, hardcore techno and industrial in the early 1990s to alternative rock and bigbeat with punk vocal elements in later times. The current band members include Liam Howlett (composer/keyboards), Keith Flint (dancer/vocalist) and Maxim (MC/vocalist). Leeroy Thornhill (dancer/very occasional live keyboards) was a member of the band from 1990 to 2000, as well was a female dancer/vocalist called Sharky who left the band during their early period. The Prodigy first emerged on the underground rave scene in the early 1990s, and have since then achieved immense popularity and worldwide renown. Some of their most popular songs include "Charly", "Out of Space", "Smack My Bitch Up", "Voodoo People", "No Good (Start the Dance)", "Breathe" and "Firestarter".

Beginnings

The Prodigy began with an initial 10-track demo by Liam Howlett, put together on a Roland W-30 sequencer keyboard in Essex, England. XL Recordings picked up the demo and an initial 12" pressing of What Evil Lurks was released in February 1991. There are some few thousand bootlegs of this release; it should have "the exchange" carved in the vinyl around the center of the single. The Prodigy's name was a moniker Liam had chosen as a tribute to his first analogue synthesiser, the Moog Prodigy.

The Prodigy's first public performance (with Howlett augmented by dancers Keith Flint and Leeroy Thornhill) was at the Four Aces in Dalston, London. Charly released six months later, became a huge hit in the rave scene at the time, catapulting the band into the wider public consciousness for the first time. The Kaos Theory compilation of contemporary hardcore tracks also contained the Prodigy Track "G Force (Energy Flow)":

The name changed from "The Prodigy" to "Prodigy" between Music for the Jilted Generation and The Fat of the Land in 1996 and back again with the release of Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned in 2004. This was only done to fit the changing logos, according to Liam Howlett.

The Prodigy have sold more than 16,000,000 records worldwide. The British Phonographic Industry sales: 2,200,000+ albums, 1,400,000+ singles.

Current members:

Liam Howlett – keyboards, programming (1990 - present)
Keith Flint – Dancer, Vocalist (1990 - present)
Maxim – MC, Vocalist (1990 - present)

Development

The Prodigy are a difficult band to classify, because they have developed significantly with time. Each of their albums represents a distinct stage in the band's musical development. From their initial inception as a psychedelic rave band with scene staples such as "Your Love" and "Out of Space", to the much more mainstream dance of "No Good", to the rock-oriented "Their Law" to punk tracks such as the L7 cover "Fuel My Fire" in more recent years, the Prodigy continue to innovate and surprise. The Prodigy have had the ability over the years to appeal to widely varying cross-sections of music fans; from the purist dance festival Creamfields, to the more general appeal of T In The Park, to the heavy metal oriented Download Festival.

Because of their broad appeal to fans across several genres, The Prodigy have been described as "A rock band that plays dance music"

http://www.theprodigy.com/ - Official Website