Maps

Maps and everything surrounding them will be quite different in CS2KZ compared to GOKZ. The most important changes include:

• Instead of the original 7 difficulty tiers we now have 10.
• Instead of a "main" course and 0 or more "bonus" courses we will just have "courses".
• Each course will have 4 "filters" applied to it. Each filter consists of a mode, whether teleports are allowed, a tier, and "ranked" status.
• Every submitted record will be stored, independent of filters, but only records that correspond to a "ranked" filter will contribute to a player's overall rank.

Tiers

The new tiering system consists of 10 different tiers:

NOTE

These are best-effort descriptions, not hard rules. They are meant to illustrate the key ideas, not to be interpreted literally.

1. Very Easy - for the average player who has never touched KZ before
2. Easy - you grasp the basics of CS2 movement, like airstrafing and bhopping
3. Medium - you have some KZ experience and are comfortable with the basics
4. Advanced - you are comfortable with strafing, bhopping, surfing, and ladder movement
5. Hard - you have played quite a bit of KZ now and are comfortable combining the above techniques
6. Very Hard - tier 5 but harder
7. Extreme - you can KZ in your sleep and are competing for World Records
8. Death - you have mastered KZ and can complete the most difficult of maps
9. Unfeasible - technically possible, but probably not by humans; reserved for TAS runs
10. Impossible - literally and technically impossible, even with perfect inputs

Unlike in GOKZ, tiers will not be applied to maps anymore, but rather to Filters.

Courses

Each map in CS2KZ consists of one or more "courses." A course is a segment of gameplay defined by a start and an end zone. Unlike GOKZ, CS2KZ eliminates the distinction between "main" and "bonus" courses—there are simply courses.

To have a map approved, mappers must meet a minimum quality standard (not yet defined). To balance creativity with fair competition, CS2KZ introduces the concept of "ranked" filters. This allows for diverse course types:

• High-quality, high-effort courses (formerly "main" courses in GOKZ) designed for competitive play.
• Fun or experimental courses (previously "bonus" courses) that offer more creative gameplay.

For a filter to be ranked, it must:

• Be a tier of 8 or lower.
• Be "reasonable to compete on" (a subjective standard to be further clarified later in development).

Filters

In CS2KZ, each course has a filter which represents a unique combination of mode, teleport settings, difficulty tier, and "ranked" status. Filters create different variations of a course, providing players with distinct challenges and aligning the course with the appropriate difficulty level.

Key Components of a Filter

1. Mode - This defines how the course is played (either CKZ or VNL)
2. Teleport Settings - Whether or not teleports are allowed in the course
3. Tier - Each Filter will have a tier, which indicates the difficulty level of the filter, determined by the course’s complexity and challenge. Filters can range from Tier 1 (Very East) to Tier 10 (Impossible).
4. Ranked Status - This indicates whether the filter is ranked or unranked.

Example Filter

• Map: kz_example_map, course 3
• Mode: CKZ
• Teleport Setting: No teleports
• Tier: 4
• Ranked Status: Ranked

Filters will evolve over time as the skill ceiling of KZ grows and new boundaries are reached. We aim to create a system that allows the community to have input in making changes when needed, while ensuring no data is lost. So go and play what you enjoy!

NOTE

Only records from ranked filters will contribute to a player's overall rank and award points. This ensures a fair competitive environment while giving mappers the freedom to create diverse courses.