No, you cannot obtain a vac ban for removing CS GO files.
No, you cannot obtain a vac ban for removing CS GO files.
I was watching a live stream where the streamer didn’t have any smoke effects in CS GO. When I asked why, he mentioned removing the smoke textures from the game files. Can someone get a vac ban for doing that? I reported him on Twitch and YouTube, but does he still qualify for a vac for this action?
That's essentially against the rules, though removing the files won't fix it—the issue is likely with the textures.
It really varies. If a VPK is in his mods folder and strips the smoke, it won't work. But if he altered the VPK itself, you might be able to.
The game will start, but attempting a community server will trigger an error. You'll be redirected to the launch menu, and the system will require file revalidation upon exiting.
IIRC VAC scans for additional applications on your machine, such as game files that shouldn’t be active due to a mod. Updating a texture file could make detection more difficult, though it might still be identified.
I've experienced updates before where the game would sometimes fail to install properly, leaving certain textures absent—like bottles or random map items. He mentioned it was intentional, though I’m not sure if that’s a change.