Last Updated: September 7, 2025
by Mystyc Cheez & Slade Krowley

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Note: One of the texture artists, Princess who, passed away earlier this year.
She contributed a few edits and created the thank-you banner. Rest in peace.

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This map sat as an idea in the back of my mind for a long time before it finally came together.
I’ve always liked the de_cache design path — from Volcano’s original Source version to FMPONE’s CS:GO rebuild — but as a CS 1.6 player, the options felt thin.

There were some ports and creative takes by mappers like Tatu Eugen and Reydifox.
They worked for what they aimed to do, but the reliance on CS:GO assets never quite matched the look or feel of 1.6.
My view was simple: it could be done differently, in a way that felt more at home in this game. I don’t mean to knock the other two versions. As I’ve said before, they accomplished what they set out to do. But to me, the textures felt off. The best way I can put it: they looked photocopied and pasted onto the map, without much attention to how they fit the game. That’s understandable — scaling down assets never meant for 1.6 is a tough job — but I think with more time spent on that side of things, the result could have been stronger.
I wasn’t interested in just dragging over the old environment or leaning on the CS:GO Chernobyl-style setting. Even the original CSS version might have translated better. But I wanted something else entirely: a version of cache that felt built for 1.6 from the ground up.

In 2017, I talked it over with my friend Mystyc Cheez.
(He’s mapped for Sonic Robo Blast 2, Team Fortress 2, Counter-Strike, CS:GO, and Doom — a little bit of everything.)
That night we sketched the first drafts, and from there the project took shape over the next few years. As for my own mapping background, I’d call myself decent at best. I’ve made maps for CS 1.6, Half-Life DM, Doom, and even Red Alert 2 along with its expansion, Yuri’s Revenge. I can handle the technical side when needed, but my strength has always been in ideas and making things look good. I also had plenty of contacts to help with testing. I won’t pretend I was a big name in the CS 1.6 community, but I did have a solid reputation and a lot of friends from the old competitive days who were willing to lend a hand. Mystyc Cheez, on the other hand, did most of the heavy lifting. He’s got serious talent, and I’d say he deserves the bulk of the credit for this map.

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We weren’t looking for a direct remake.
The aim was to create something that looked and played like it belonged in 1.6.
Two maps we kept coming back to were cs_backalley and de_train from Barking Dog Studios.
Both were simple, readable, and full of smart geometry.

We looked closely at how those maps handled:

• Contrast
  
• Landmarks
  
• Verticality
  
• Flow

From there, we mixed in pieces of de_vertigo, Half-Life, and some of our own ideas and assets.
The result was a blend, but one shaped for 1.6.

One thing I did during development, since the map was city-themed, was simply walk around town. Usually with music in my headphones, just getting some exercise. (Yes, I do touch grass — or in this case, concrete.) While out, I’d look for details that might fit naturally into the world of CS 1.6.

That’s how a lot of ideas made it into the map. The dumpster setup in mid was based on one near Cheez’s old apartment building. The design of the CT spawn train station, same story. Even T spawn — with the bridge and the basketball hoops underneath — came directly from real places.

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John Romero’s design rules gave us a set of guidelines, though we bent them when Counter-Strike’s competitive needs required it.

Some we applied directly:

• Change floor height with texture changes.
  
• Use trim textures for borders and doorways.
  
• Keep textures aligned.
  
• Use contrast — light/dark, open/cramped — to define space.
  
• Landmarks matter; they help players navigate.
  
• Spaces should be revisited to build familiarity.
  
• Add secrets or Easter eggs when possible.

Others, like “if you can see it, you can reach it,” We just didn't use for obvious reasons.

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By then, the big 1.6 leagues were long gone, but scrims carried on.
Our community in GSU, along with others, played nightly. Many of those players tested the map.
They’d been around CPL, CAL, OGL, CEVO, and ESEA.
Their experience helped refine the details — sightlines, timings, balance, and flow.

The base layout from de_cache worked from the start, but their feedback refined it into something smoother and more competitive.

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I hope you enjoy the map.
As Gregory House once said:
["You have three choices in life — be good, get good, or give up."

We tried to get good.

— Slade Krowley

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Authors / Mappers: Mystyc Cheez & Slade Krowley
Texture edits: Princess, ill4death
Inspiration / Assets: cs_backalley, de_train, de_vertigo, Barking Dog Studios, Valve
Playtesters & Community: GSU and members of the CS 1.6 community