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The Frequently Asked Questions
Please refer to this FAQ before sending any mails or C&D letters to my door.
Q: Is this the full version of Counter-Strike?
A: These are only binaries for a rewritten, specific version of Counter-Strike, the mod. It has nothing to do with the CS games of the past 15 years.
Q: Why emulate Counter-Strike 1.5?
A: It was the last release handled by the original CS team. It's the version me and my friends preferred playing (we did not care about the new weapons and that shield they added...) and it's free for Half-Life owners.
Q: Should I have to own Half-Life to play this?
A: In short: Yes. It will run without. Hell, it can even "run" without the CS content. But you certainly will have difficulties connecting to FreeCS servers.
Q: Why do I have to download CS 1.5 manually?
A: Legal reasons, cannot re-distribute them without potentially causing some trouble.
Q: Why is this not using the Half-Life engine?
A: Many reasons. The SDK for that engine does not encourage free and open-source software. Open-sourcing a Half-Life mod is actually against the EULA of that SDK. Making it a QuakeWorld mod means I own all the rights to it, too. Secondly, CS 1.5 does not run on Steam Half-Life. Even if it did, it would only run on Windows.
Q: What does FreeCS mean?
A: Primarily it stands for Free Counter-Strike, as in Free-Software... it can also mean "free" as in free beer because you don't have to pay anything to download FreeCS itself. Some people have also speculated that it's a political message... gotta love synonyms!
Q: Can I connect to Counter-Strike 1.5 servers with this?
A: No.
Q: Can I connect to (anything other than FreeCS) with this?
A: No.
Q: Hey, can I take redistribute this on the PlayStore and make money off of this?
A: You'd be a scumbag if you did. If you want to contribute towards a proper Android version, please do.
Q: What motivated you to do all this?
A: Good memories, love, passion for Counter-Strike. Also as a middle finger to anyone who told me to "do it better" when criticising a new CS game. Besides, x86 will go away eventually. Making CS run on an engine that has already been ported to multiple platforms ensures that we won't have to emulate WON Half-Life to play anymore!
Q: How can I contact you for further questions?
A: E-Mail! Please send it to: marco at icculus dot org