Deth - Dunkelschwamm

  


    Deth is a very early Half-Life mod made in 1999. The map description states this is the author's first map and it shows. It's also got a highly topical picture of Bill Clinton with Monica Lewinsky.

SCMapDB page

Original mod authors: DETH

Conversion authors: w00tguy123

Date of original mod release: 1999

Date of final Sven Map release: 2019

Maps in package: 2

Map review of Deth

(originally posted on SCMapDB) 

by dunkelschwamm | December 30, 2021 | 1860 characters

    Deth is a very early map for Sven and apparently the first by its author. I wouldn't go as far as to say that it isn't obvious from the result that this map is by a beginner, but I will say that for a beginner's map it's not terrible. Worth playing, though? Well, let's hash that out.

    The map begins with a series of rooms which are oddly proportioned and lightly sprinkled with some push-over enemies. Poor brushwork and misaligned textures barely convey a real world environment. It's usually fairly clear what a room is supposed to be, but props are made out of hovering glowing shapes and chunks of brush which don't connect to the environment. There's also a lewd portrayal of Monica Lewinsky and Bill Clinton, for that topical late 90's humor.

    The progression of the map is meandering and fairly boring. Eventually you come to a room full of grunts, kill them, open a door and proceed to deth2. This map is a very brief battle and then a janky platforming task which is shockingly simple to pull off. Then the map is over.

    If you run a server full of really weird gonzo shit, I would recommend this map over, say, the frustrating works of Robootto. This map is actually playable from beginning to end. It is, however, over in fewer than 10 minutes with even just a couple competent players. It's an oddity, but probably not enough to make playing it very worthwhile.

Pros:

  • It's a functional couple of maps
  • The platforming challenge in the second map is interesting. Not great, but interesting.
  • There's a feverdream quality to the mapping.

Cons:

  • It's a beginner map and has the quality and care of a beginner map.

Score: 4.5 / 10

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