Demo Files Don't Track All Grenade Data
CSGO demo files contain data on when grenades a thrown, explode, when their effects start, and when their effects end. However, the flashbangs lack unique id's to link all these events. It appears that other grenades are more coherently tracked. However, I want to know which flashbang caused which blindness.
One technique to deduplicate grenades is based on timing and player who threw the flashbang. A player can only throw one flashbang at a time. So, if I know the order in which each player threw flashbangs, I can link events based on per-player order. The first explosion, effect start, and effect end are all for the first grenade thrown by a player.
The problem with this technique is that it relies on a constant flash length. Other games modify fuse length based on game state, like whether the flash bounced. I need to show that CSGO flashbangs have a constant fuse length in order to use my per-player timing deduplication technique.
Video Demonstrates Constant Fuse Length
I measured fuse length in the above video. I define fuse length as time from when the grenade object first appears on the screen until the first frame when the screen becomes white. I measured the time by importing the screen recording into Adobe Premiere Pro and adding a timecode relative to the start of each clip. The video shows that the flashbang always has a fuse length of 1.40 seconds, regardless of the flashbang's game state (like throw type, velocity, or bouncing off a wall).
The third flashbang (short throw without a bounce) deviates by 0.01 seconds. It has a fuse length of 1.39. I consider this within reasonable experimental error.
Request For Feedback
If you have questions or comments about this analysis, please email me at durst@stanford.edu.