Valve takes tough action against Snap Tap and removes jump bindings in CS2

As part of these measures, restrictions were introduced on the use of scripts and hardware that allow players to partially automate their movement in the game.

Developers against automation

Valve has published a blog in which it expressed its attitude to the use of hardware functions of keyboards and scripts that allow players to partially automate their movement. In recent months, these issues have become relevant in the community after the release of Snap Tap and SOCD functions on Razer and Wooting keyboards, respectively.

These two keyboard features, along with scripts known as “null binds,” effectively eliminated the need to coordinate multiple keystrokes during a counter-strike by automatically prioritizing the last keystroke. This goes against Valve's idea of what is acceptable in Counter-Strike, and players using these features will be removed from matches on official servers.

Valve emphasized that developing coordination and reaction has always been key to mastering Counter-Strike. However, recently, some hardware features have blurred the line between manual command input and automation, so Valve has decided to clearly define what is acceptable in the game.

The ban on automation

The developers have indicated that they will no longer allow automation through scripts or hardware that bypasses basic coordination skills. The changes will initially only apply on official Valve servers, where players suspected of using automation to perform multiple actions from a single game input may be excluded from the match.

In order to avoid “accidental violations,” Valve has also disabled in-game bindings that include more than one movement and/or attack command. In addition to the already mentioned null binds, this also applies to various jump binds that have become common in both professional and amateur play.

Valve urged players who have keyboards with input automation functions to disable these functions before playing on official servers.

Impact on the professional scene

These changes came just two days before the start of the qualifying tournaments for the Major in Shanghai. They are expected to have a significant impact on the professional scene, as keyboards with these features have been rapidly adopted by professional players since their release this summer. In response, Valve has also removed jump bindings that allowed for various complex actions to be performed with maximum accuracy, leaving very little time for players to adapt to the changes.