Counter Strike - Scripting

CS Scripting guide by ethereal 

Half-Life Counter-Strike Scripting

Welcome to the Counter-Strike scripting guide. This guide is meant for all the people who want to optimize their config and use clever and useful script to enhance their Counter-Strike game. This guide covers the scripting aspect from the very simple and general up to the advanced and specific. You can go as far as you want in this, but if you finish reading the guide you should be able to make your own advanced scripts.

The Scripting Environment

Before we start playing around with the scripting language, it is important to know how to actually enter these scripts and use them in Counter-Strike. The main scripting command processor is the console. When you press the ~ or ` key on your keyboard, it brings down the console and shows you all past commands and happenings in the game. You could consider it the raw text format of everything you do in the game. The console is also used to enter text commands into. All scripts discussed below can be entered straight into the console and used thereafter. However, to prevent you from having to type slabs of text, it is easier to use configs. A config file will be of the format <name>.cfg and placed into your cstrike dir. It can be simply opened with the Windows text file editor, and can be created by making a new text document <name>.txt and changing it to <name>.cfg. Counter-Strike itself uses the file config.cfg to store all the binds, keys and settings. However, since Counter-Strike creates this file and is not able to store elaborate scripts in it, you are advised to make your own config file.

A config file is actually not much more than a list of commands that will be entered into the console. In stead of typing in all the commands in your config one by one, you simply type:

exec <configname>.cfg

into the console, and the console will then execute all the commands in the config file. Alternatively, if you want Half-Life to automatically execute your personal config file on startup, you should add the following command to your command line:

+exec <configname>.cfg

If you have the Half-Life icon on your desktop, right-click it, press properties and edit the “Target” box. It will be something alike to:

D:\games\halflife\halflife.exe –game cstrike. 

Simply add +exec <configname>.cfg to the end and the game will run your config on startup.

Now that you know how to use config files and execute scripting commands into the console, it’s time to get scriptin’!

The Bind and the Alias

We start off with the most basic of scripting commands: the bind and the alias. A bind is a command that links a keypress to a command. If you open your config.cfg in the cstrike directory with the text editor, you will see it starts off with a whole list of binds. All binds are in the same format:

bind “<key>” “<action>”

or, if more actions have to be bound to the same key, the ; can be used to seperate actions:

bind “<key>” “<action1>;<action2>;<action3>;…;<actionx>”

as an example, you could warn teammates about you going to throw a flashbang:

bind “c” “use weapon_flashbang; say_team Watch it! I’m throwing a flashbang!”

The list of keys that can be used to bind actions to, can be found here. It is usually wise to assign the most important binds (the ones you use most often) to key that are easy to reach. All the different actions that can be bound will be described in the next piece of this guide. First, we have to take a look at the alias.

The Alias

An alias is a actually a way of grouping commands under a new name, which allows for more advanced scripting as we will see lateron. This new alias name is also a new command word, which executes all the actions in the bind. The alias is used in the following format:

alias “<aliasname>” “<action1>;<action2>;<action3>;…;<actionx>”

Pretty much the same as a bind, only it allows you to make a new name for it in stead of immediately binding it. The aliasname could be anything you can think of, but two things should be kept in mind. First of all the alias name should be discriptive, so you know by looking at the name, what alias it is and what it is used for. Second, you should never use existing commands or keys for an alias name. The flashbang warning and selection bind as shown above, can be rewritten using the alias command:

alias “select_fb_grenade” “use weapon_flashbang”

alias “give_fb_warning” “say_team Watch it! I’m throwing a flashbang!”

bind “c” “select_fb_grenade; give_fb_warning”

The C key is now bound to execute the select_fb_grenade alias, and then execute the give_fb_warning alias. In this example, it may all seem a bit elaborate since the simple bind works just as well. However, aliasing allows more advanced and comprehensive scripting as we will see lateron.  

The Comment

The last basic scripting command that should be discussed is the comment. You can add comments to your command lines in your config file, by simply adding whatever text you like after two slashes: //. The console ignores all text written after two slashes. For examply, you could comment on the flashbang script:

// This is the flashbang script, which warns my team before throwing a flashbang

alias “select_fb_grenade” “use weapon_flashbang”   
// This part selects the grenade in hand

alias “give_fb_warning” “say_team Watch it! I’m throwing a flashbang!” 
// This part warns the team

bind “c” “select_fb_grenade; give_fb_warning” 
// This part binds the two actions to the C key

The Basic Commands

Every action you do in the game can also be done executing a command in the console. You could actually play Counter-Strike simply by typing commands into the console. It probably wouldn’t get you very far though ;-). What you do have to realise is that every keypress you make in the game can actually be automated. If you find yourself making the same series of keypresses time and time again in the game, then why not automate it? For instance, to buy an MP5 you would press the “buy” key, the “3” key and the “1” key. Why not simply assign one key to buy an MP5 for you? And why not add a kevlar vest, HE grenade and primary ammo to that as well?

All you really need is a list of keys and a list of commands, and your own imagination to link the keys to the commands. The command list provides you with most of the commands used in common scripting. I haven’t added every last video and setting command since the list could go on for ages. The current command list should fulfill all your scripting and automating needs. However, some commands aren’t as simple as your standard say and say_team, and will be discussed below.

The Press/Release command

First of all there is the + and – type command. For instance, the attack command comes as “+attack” and not simply “attack”. Why? Well the + indicates that the following command will be executed at keypress, while it’s – counterpart will be executed at key release. This means that when you press your attack key (most likely mouse button 1), the console executes the +attack command (fire the gun) and when you release the mouse button, the console executes the –attack command (stop firing the gun). The +attack command actually keeps firing until the –attack command is given. Try typing +attack into the console just for fun, you will see that you will remain firing forever! Well until you run out of ammo that is (this doesn’t work with the pistols as they don’t have continuous firing). The same is true for the duck command. If you type +duck in the console, you will remain in crouching position until the –duck command is given.

The Menu Selection commands

Next there is the menuselect and slot10 commands. The menuselect command selects a menu item by toggling the correct number. The command “menuselect 2” selects the 2nd item from the menu. This menu includes teamchoosing menus, buying menus and radio sound menus. The “slot10” command is used to close any menus that are still open. So the script to buy an MP5 would be:

// An MP5 buying script

alias “mp5_buy” “buy; menuselect 3; menuselect 1; slot10”
// Buys MP5 and closes the menu

bind F1 “mp5_buy”  // Binds the script to the F1 key

The Echo command

The third special command type is the “echo” command. This command echoes the text written behind it directly to the console. It is most often used to confirm the loading of a config. You are advised to add something like this to the end of your new config file:

// Confirm Config Loaded

echo <myconfigname>.cfg has been loaded  

The Wait command

The last special command type is the “wait” command. This command forms a delay of one game tick, which is actually a very short period of time. Why wait would you say. Well sometimes a whole line of commands in a row will get a bit clogged up and especially if your connection is a bit laggy, you might find that some commands in your script have been skipped or lost. If your script is malfunctioning, remember to try and put some waits in. They can be considered the ‘oil’ of a script. More waits generally make it run smoother. Waits can also be used to actually put some time in between commands. One can think of a script that plants the C4 bomb (requiring some time to plant the bomb) which says “guarding the bomb” after it has been planted. However, since a wait is a very short time, you are advised to make a longwait, as discribed in the Easy Scripting section below.

Toggle, Cycle and Press/Release Scripts

There are three special types of scripts that can be used to fulfill your advanced scripting needs. They will be discussed below

The Toggle Script

The first is the toggle script. This type of script can be used to switch a certain setting on or off with only assigning one key to it. Pressing it once put the setting on, pressing it again puts the setting off. It can be considered as a switch. The setup for this type of script is quite simple

// Toggle Script

alias “toggle_on” “<command to switch setting on>; alias toggle toggle_off”
// Toggle ON

alias “toggle_off” “<command to switch setting off>; alias toggle toggle_on” 
// Toggle OFF

alias “toggle” “toggle_on” // Initiate the first keypress to be Toggle ON

bind “<key>” “toggle” // Bind a key to the toggle script

Take a look at this script and try to understand it. The key bound to “toggle” will execute the “toggle” alias when pressed. The first time the key is pressed, the toggle alias will in its turn execute the “toggle_on” alias, as Initiated in the script. The toggle_on alias actually executes the desired command, and changes the “toggle” alias to execute the “toggle_off” alias the next time it is used. The next time the key is pressed, the “toggle_off” alias is executed, which itself changes the script to execute the “toggle_on” alias the next time again. The switching script has been made. A common usage for the toggle script is to assign a key to changing the weapon from the right to the left hand and back. This script would look like this:

// Weapon Handedness Toggle Script

alias “handtoggle_right” “setinfo lefthand 0; alias handtoggle handtoggle_left”
// Toggle to Right Hand

alias “handtoggle_left” “setinfo lefthand 1; alias handtoggle handtoggle_right”
// Toggle to Left Hand

alias “handtoggle” “handtoggle_left” // Initiate first keypress to change to left hand

bind “v” “handtoggle” // Bind the V key to the handtoggle Script

The Cycle Script

The next type of script is the cycle script. This script cycles between a range of options and returns to the first option after the last one has been reached. Quite similar to the toggle script, it will look like this:

// Cycle Script

alias “cycleoption1” “<command for option 1>; alias cycle cycleoption2” 
// Command 1 and Cycle to 2

alias “cycleoption2” “<command for option 1>; alias cycle cycleoption3” 
// Command 2 and Cycle to 3

alias “cycleoption3” “<command for option 1>; alias cycle cycleoption4” 
// Command 3 and Cycle to 4

…

alias “cycleoptionx” “<command for option x>; alias cycle cycleoption1”
// Command x and cycle back to 1

alias “cycle” “cycleoption1” // Initiate the Cycle at cycleoption1

bind “<key>” “cycle” // Bind a key to the cycle script

As you can see, a toggle script is actual a cycle script with only 2 options. A common usage for the cycle script is to cycle between the different types of grenades you are holding. It would look like this:

alias “cycle_he” “use weapon_hegrenade; alias grencycle cycle_fb” 
// Select HE and cycle to FB

alias “cycle_fb” “use weapon_flashbang; alias grencycle cycle_sg”
// Select FB and cycle to SG

alias “cycle_sg” “use weapon_smokegrenade; alias grencycle cycle_he”
// Select SG and cycle to HE

alias “grencycle” “cycle_he” // Initiate script to start at selecting HE

bind “g” “grencycle”

The Press/Release Script

The last type of special script is the press/release script. This script is used like the press/release commands in Half-Life (like +attack and +duck). It executes a range of commands on keypress, and executes another range of commands on the release of that same key. It will look like this:

// Press/Release Script

alias “+scriptname” “<command1>;<command2>;…;<commandx>”

alias “-scriptname” “<command2-1>;<command2-2>;…;<command2-x>”

bind “<key>” “+scriptname”

Counter-Strike itself will automatically execute the –scriptname alias when the key is released, preventing you from having to make the link yourself. One of the best press/release scripts I have come upon is the C4 planting script:

// C4 Planting Script

alias “+plant_c4” “weapon_knife; weapon_c4; +duck; wait; +attack; say_team I am planting the bomb!; slot10” // Plant the C4

alias “-plant_c4” “-attack; -duck” // Get up after planting the C4

bind “backspace” “+plant_c4” // Bind a key to the C4 planting script

The script selects the knife first to be sure that you don’t waste any ammo, should the script skip the weapon_c4 selection part. It ducks, places the bomb while the backspace key is held and gives a warning to the team. At key release it gets up again.

Easy Scripting

There are a couple of smaller scripts that make life a bit easier for the scripter. First of all there is the longwait. In stead of having to type wait;wait;wait;wait etc in your scripts, you can alias it to make it all a bit easier:

alias “longwait” “wait; wait; wait; wait; wait”

alias “longerwait” “longwait; longwait; longwait; longwait; longwait”

alias “verylongwait” “longerwait; longerwait; longerwait; longerwait; longerwait”

The average mathematician can see that the verylongwait encompasses 125 waits, which is actually STILL a very short time in-game.

Another time and text saver is the shortening of the menuselect commands:

alias ms1 “menuselect 1”  
alias ms2 “menuselect 2”  
alias ms3 “menuselect 3”  
alias ms4 “menuselect 4”  
alias ms5 “menuselect 5”  
alias ms6 “menuselect 6”  
alias ms7 “menuselect 7”  
alias ms8 “menuselect 8”  
alias ms9 “menuselect 9”  
alias ms0 “menuselect 0”

It’s easier to make buying scripts by just using the ms0-9 commands. Also when closing a menu, you will often find that when you just use the “slot10” command, it will skip it and leave the menu open. To be sure your scripts operate smoothly, use the clmenu alias:

alias clmenu “slot10; wait; slot10; wait; slot10; wait; slot10; wait; slot10; wait; slot10; slot10; slot10; slot10; slot10”

By adding the clmenu command at the end of all menu-using scripts, you are ensured the menu closes after the script has finished. Still not closing? Just put two clmenu commands at the end ;-).

Conclusion

Keylist

Click here for the keylist table 

Commandlist

Click here for the commandlist table