Counter-Strike: Condition Zero Deleted Scenes

Counter-Strike: Condition Zero Deleted Scenes

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Accessing the hidden Nightmare difficulty
By 入人λ³Vicגスℵ
Learn how to access the hidden Nightmare or "Very Hard" difficulty in CS: Condition Zero: Deleted Scenes; or what the developers considered the true Counter-Strike experience.
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What is Nightmare difficulty, and how do I access it?
The developers of Counter-Strike: Condition Zero: Deleted Scenes at Ritual Entertainment (who worked on the game from August 2002 to June 2003) left in the game a secret hidden difficulty, known simply as "skill 0". It was compared by a developer, Reid "BrushBaron" Kimball', to the Nightmare mode from DOOM. He also referred to it as "Nuckin' Futs".

This is the highest difficulty in the game, and which the developers considered to be a true Counter-Strike-like experience which replicated the intensity and difficulty of real online CS play.

When Deleted Scenes was finally launched with Condition Zero in Nightmare difficulty is not available from any in-game menu, however it can be accessed by:
  • opening the developer console using the tilde (~) key to the left of your "1" key
  • and typing the expression "skill 0" without the quotation marks into the console.

You must do this just after you have loaded into a map, since the game forces you to choose between Easy, Medium and Hard from the World Map. You can check that Nightmare is enabled simply by typing "skill" in the console, and the game should reply back with the expression: skill is "0"

Once you activate "skill 0", it is added to the internal player configuration file and persists through all save games, game restarts and maploads. So if you finish a mission, Nightmare mode will still be active in the next one.

The Nightmare difficulty results in higher damage from enemies. This means more damage will go through your armor, and that your armor will be more quickly destroyed by incoming damage - so you will need to conserve your health and your armor vest much more than before.

In addition, enemies appear to react more quickly and are more aggressive. Even the first mission, Recoil, is now extremely difficult right from the beginning. 3 terrorists can bring you down to 0 HP in the first area.

In the humble opinion of the author, this difficulty mode is the true way to play Deleted Scenes as the game is now actually challenging, and strategy, resource management and tactics become much more meaningful - and feels as difficult as the actual Counter-Strike game.
Sources
  • Reid "BrushBaron" Kimball's reply to a thread on the Ritualistic community forums: http://www.ritualistic.com/forums/showthread.php?t=11629
  • Thanks to the CS Wiki and the contributors' research for first discovering the original post.
  • The thumbnail picture for this guide comes from the Ritualistic screenshot gallery for Condition Zero.
21 Comments
入人λ³Vicגスℵ  [author] 20 Nov, 2024 @ 2:45am 
Thanks for sharing. I think you are probably right. I will edit this guide so it is accurate.
Carbonek 20 Nov, 2024 @ 2:42am 
I tested on maps by changing diffuculties. Every hit dealt fixed amount of damage despite difficulty levels. In hard difficulties it might feelt like enemies do more damage in reality they layed shots accurately. Not sure about snipers.
入人λ³Vicגスℵ  [author] 20 Nov, 2024 @ 2:33am 
Thanks Carbonek. Did you check the game files to identify it only changes their accuracy?

Please let me know and I can correct the guide (and credit you for the correction).
Carbonek 20 Nov, 2024 @ 2:29am 
Yes. Reading all of it sounds like it gives colossal changes. In reality difficulty level only affects accuracy of enemies. Their reaction and damage are same. Deleted scenes better as fast action shooter with good scenes. Imagine playing pursuit mission where you instead of quick actions move slowly to peek enemies one by one every corner: peak FPS expierience zoomers never gonnna understand. The game literally lacks enemy mobility in term of maps areas. Gearbox's condition zero much more convinient.
A dude 14 Feb, 2024 @ 3:04pm 
what is this dude below me talking about
Rabbit 3 Jun, 2023 @ 12:54am 
lets gooooooooo

you poor zoomer kids never gonna know what it was like to play this game when it was the peak of FPS experience
Bogda 25 May, 2023 @ 11:50pm 
Sounds like a reason to replay
Copa Pistão 1 Jul, 2022 @ 11:57am 
LOL, i would never know about that! Now i want WarOwl to play on this difficulty for him to flex his skills XD
Kamui 22 May, 2022 @ 1:50pm 
YES, exactly what i needed. Thank you.
李明同学 3 Mar, 2022 @ 1:11am 
这难度实在可怕:steamsad: