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PROJECT ZEROPhase 0
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Round protocol · Phase 0

Game mechanics

Long rounds, hidden infected, and a turn whose moment nobody knows. Not even the infected player.

01

The round

Rounds are long.

A round ends only when the humans or the infected have won outright. There is no timer that saves anyone.

Humans winEvery one of the infected is dead.
The infected winEvery human is infected.

Zombies losing HP over time is what keeps a round from running forever.

02

Hidden infected

At the start of a round one or more players are already infected. They look like everybody else. They get a message telling them they are infected. After a random delay, the turn happens. Nobody knows when. Not even the infected player.

  1. 00:00The round begins. One or more players are already infected.
  2. MessageThe infected player finds out. Nobody else does.
  3. ??:??A random delay. Nobody knows how long.
  4. The turnThe active phase of the infection begins. The shop closes.
03

After a bite

  1. The player is infected.
  2. They start slowly losing health.
  3. Every further hit speeds up the bleeding.
  4. The player can try to reach somewhere safe.
  5. Bandages stop the bleeding. A medkit restores and raises HP.Way out: the player stays human
  6. When health runs out, the player becomes a zombie.Way out: the player joins the infected
03 · addendum

Melee for the infected

Zombies use the ordinary CS2 knife mechanics. There is nothing new to learn.

Light attackFast, infects on a hit.
Heavy attackSlower, more damage.
Where it landsDamage depends on the hitbox.
From behindA heavy hit in the back can turn someone instantly — by the ordinary melee rules.
04

The first infected

The strongest of the infected.

  1. aMore health
  2. bLess knockback from bullets
  3. cA stronger jump with a cooldown
  4. dRegains health after infecting people
  5. eStarts losing health fast if it infects nobody for a long time
  6. fOnce it infects someone, that loss slows down sharply

A zombie cannot chase people forever with nothing to show for it. It has to hunt.

05

Weapons

Standard Counter-Strike 2 weapons only.

No custom guns. No new models. Players can find extra ammunition around the map.

06

The economy

1 point of damage = $1

Standard CS2 dollars, no new currencies. The more damage you do to the infected, the more money you get. In-game dollars cannot be bought with real money — not $5,000, not a weapon, not a level.

The shop

Before the active phase of the infection the shop is open almost anywhere: open it, buy what your level allows. Once the infection starts the shop is gone. After that it is only what you managed to buy or find.

  • “Have we still got weapons?”
  • “I have 14 rounds left.”
  • “You cannot buy anything now.”
07

Levelling

One global levelling system. Phase 0 is its opening stretch.

Phase 0 uses only the opening stretch. The ceiling is Level 50. Every level has its own reward: weapons, from the Glock-18 at the first to the M249 at the fiftieth, with medical supplies, coins and site mechanics in between. The shop limit grows through in-game dollars; character models are bought with tokens, which come from three correct coin flips in a row.

A level decides what you can buy, not what you can pick up. A newcomer can pick up even a very powerful weapon dropped by another player. That is where the unexpected stories come from.

Levelling in detail

One levelling system
Phase 0 · Level 1 → 50Beyond that — unknown
Start of the projectUnknown

How EXP adds up

1 EXPInfected a human
2 EXPKilled one of the infected
4 EXPKilled the first infected

EXP is awarded by the game. The site only shows your level and how far the next one is.

100 EXP for the second level, and each one after that costs 20 more. A cell shows the total EXP needed from zero.

What unlocks

Level 1 → Level 50
  1. Level 1монета1
    start
    P2000BatteryEquipment
  2. Level 2монета1
    100 EXP
    USP-SForum: start threadsSite
  3. Level 3монета1
    220 EXP
    BandagesMedicalIdeas: vote and suggestSite
  4. Level 4монета1
    360 EXP
    Nova
  5. Level 5монета2
    520 EXP
    Five-SeveNContests: take partSite
  6. Level 6монета1
    700 EXP
    MedkitMedicalProfile: mottoSite
  7. Level 7монета1
    900 EXP
    P250
  8. Level 8монета1
    1 120 EXP
    Sawed-OffUnit: officerSite
  9. Level 9монета1
    1 360 EXP
    Flashbang
  10. Level 10монета3
    1 620 EXP
    R8 RevolverUnit: dealsSite
  11. Level 11монета1
    1 900 EXP
    Glock-18
  12. Level 12монета1
    2 200 EXP
    Smoke Grenade
  13. Level 13монета1
    2 520 EXP
    Tec-9
  14. Level 14монета1
    2 860 EXP
    Desert Eagle
  15. Level 15монета2
    3 220 EXP
    Decoy Grenade
  16. Level 16монета1
    3 600 EXP
    SSG 08
  17. Level 17монета1
    4 000 EXP
    MAG-7
  18. Level 18монета1
    4 420 EXP
    HE Grenade
  19. Level 19монета1
    4 860 EXP
    Dual Berettas
  20. Level 20монета3
    5 320 EXP
    CZ75-Auto
  21. Level 21монета1
    5 800 EXP
    Molotov
  22. Level 22монета1
    6 300 EXP
    MP5-SD
  23. Level 23монета1
    6 820 EXP
    UMP-45
  24. Level 24монета1
    7 360 EXP
    Incendiary Grenade
  25. Level 25монета2
    7 920 EXP
    MP7
  26. Level 26монета1
    8 500 EXP
    MAC-10
  27. Level 27монета1
    9 100 EXP
    $18,000 limit
  28. Level 28монета1
    9 720 EXP
    MP9
  29. Level 29монета1
    10 360 EXP
    XM1014
  30. Level 30монета3
    11 020 EXP
    $21,000 limit
  31. Level 31монета1
    11 700 EXP
    Galil AR
  32. Level 32монета1
    12 400 EXP
    FAMAS
  33. Level 33монета1
    13 120 EXP
    $24,000 limit
  34. Level 34монета1
    13 860 EXP
    SG 553
  35. Level 35монета2
    14 620 EXP
    AUG
  36. Level 36монета1
    15 400 EXP
    $28,000 limit
  37. Level 37монета1
    16 200 EXP
    G3SG1
  38. Level 38монета1
    17 020 EXP
    M4A1-S
  39. Level 39монета1
    17 860 EXP
    $32,000 limit
  40. Level 40монета3
    18 720 EXP
    AK-47
  41. Level 41монета1
    19 600 EXP
    M4A4
  42. Level 42монета1
    20 500 EXP
    $38,000 limit
  43. Level 43монета1
    21 420 EXP
    SCAR-20
  44. Level 44монета1
    22 360 EXP
    PP-Bizon
  45. Level 45монета2
    23 320 EXP
    $44,000 limit
  46. Level 46монета1
    24 300 EXP
    P90
  47. Level 47монета1
    25 300 EXP
    AWP
  48. Level 48монета1
    26 320 EXP
    $50,000 limit
  49. Level 49монета1
    27 360 EXP
    Negev
  50. Level 50монета10
    28 420 EXP
    M249Phase 0 ceiling

Standard CS2 weapons only, ordered by damage and by how far they knock the infected back, with the last one at the ceiling. Levels without a weapon give grenades, medical supplies, a higher shop limit or a site mechanic. There is a coin at every level: multiples of five give two, multiples of ten give three, and the ceiling gives ten. Hover a coin to see what it is for.

Buying

Only once the level has unlocked it.

Picking up

Any weapon dropped by another player. At any level.

A newcomer can pick up even a very powerful weapon. That is where the unexpected stories come from.

Cannot be bought with real money

Levels, in-game dollars, weapons, any advantage in a fight.

Maps

Places you will recognise

Maps as realistic as we can make them. No laboratories, no bunkers.

The number of players decides the scale of the map.

  • Up to 10 playersVillages, farms, motels, petrol stations, small settlements
  • Up to 30 playersSchools, supermarkets, hospitals, shopping centres
  • More than 30 playersWhole city districts

Weather

Every round picks a time of day and weather at random. The same petrol station in fog and at sunset is two different stories.

  • Fog
  • Rain
  • Thunderstorm
  • Sunset
  • Dawn
  • Night
  • Midday
Official maps

The first maps will appear here.

The best entries in the Map Making challenge go onto the official server. The author’s name stays on the map page for good.

Map Making challenge