Grenades

Counter-Strike has three styles of grenades: HE (explosive), FB (flash) and SG (smoke). In Source, they have all changed, though some more than others.

Frags

Formerly called the HE, the Frag grenade is small and round. Since 1.6, the throw distance / explosion time has been lowered, meaning that it’s harder to throw grenades as far as you can in 1.6.

Additionally, 1.6 had “splash damage” grenades, where the effect of the explosion was felt through walls. If you knew the enemy was on the other side of the doors in Aztec, and threw a grenade against the doors, the explosion would still effect them.

In Source, explosions are stopped by most types of walls. On the sniper nest in Dust, you can get to where the wall is very shallow, throw the grenade on the ramp, duck on the nest/platform, and the grenade will not effect you in the least.

The last change with the Frag grenade is the effect on the HUD (heads up display, your screen). In 1.6, when effected by a grenade the HUD simply shows the arrow direction where the explosion came from, indicating a loss of health. In Source, the grenade will impair your hearing, shake your screen and make it appear blurry for a split second.

Grenades also affect all real world objects. If you throw a grenade into a group where a living player, two dead bodies, a bottle, a barrel, three guns, and a flashbang are lying, it will explode and force them all into opposite directions (exactly as you would expect in a living world). If you get hit dead on with an exploding grenade while alive, it will throw you into the air and away from the explosion.

Flashbangs

In 1.6, flashbangs serve a single purpose – blind your opponent for as long as possible, by landing the FB as close to them as possible. In Source, flashbangs have much more effect, and combined with smokes and frags, create an effect that’s hard to dislike.

When you’re flashed, you are now completely disoriented. Your screen turns white. You lose all sound, aside from a high pitched rattling. That’s right, you can’t even hear yourself being killed.

When you finally start to come to (with a good flash, it can take up to 5 seconds), your screen blurs the last image you had before the flash with your current point of view, almost as if the first impression is burned into your eyes. It starts to fade after another few seconds.

You can turn away from Flashbangs, which has a generally positive effect, limiting the length of the effect (similar to if you were further away). You can't completely block the flashes, aside from hiding behind a taller object that will completely eclipse the view between you and the flash.

In realistic game action, the new flashbangs will be a force to reckon with. In some areas, such as the choke in dust, you can get flashed at any moment, and you almost have one in hand to counter any flash that may come your way. If you don’t slow down your enemy after they flash you, you won’t even hear them fill you with bullets.

Smokes

When CS 1.6 came out, everyone was loving the new smokes, that keep pumping out the hazy grey smoke that actually works. In Source, the new smokes are improved even further.

The smoke they produce is a dark black, and will easily block an entire hallway. AWP’s (or anything with a scope) can’t scope through them. When you’re standing over (or around) a smoke, your screen fades to 100% grey. Tactically, smokes may very well be a completely new tactic – they’re instant walls.

If you want to rush to the right, and make sure you don’t get flanked from the left, throw a smoke. They can’t see through it, any bullets they send through it will be complete guesses, and if they try to run through the smoke you can meet them on the other side – them being partially blinded from the grey effect.

Improved Effectiveness

One thing to note about the new grenades is the new sizes. When you see a grenade fly around the corner, it’s very difficult if not impossible to tell what type it is – especially to discern between a flash and a smoke.

Currently in 1.6, there’s a fairly well known fake – throw a smoke, and rush. When the player you’re going towards gets glimpse of it, they have a tendency to turn around in order to avoid the flash. The only giveaway is the green stripe on the smoke, which many have come to recognize.

In Source, there’s very little distinction between a flash and a smoke, not enough to spot while moving in the air. As the flashbangs are so dangerous, it may be hard to take a chance that it’s a smoke and not turn away. Little tricks like this, then the new smaller size of grenades, and their increased effectiveness may make them more efficient weapons, on both offense and defense.