Bounty - GrandmasterJ

 

    This map is a work in progress and may change drastically in the future. That said, it's really only missing a proper game end and everything else looks good and works well.

SCMapDB page

Author: Gruntzz

Date of final release: 2022

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Bounty

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by GrandmasterJ | June 10, 2022 | 5352 characters

    I know this map is a work in progress and when it updates I will revisit this review. The map is a brutally hard search and destroy/assassination mission where one shot will literally kill you, oh and survival mode is on. The first thing we did was turn survival mode right off, the map was playable after that. The respawn timer was very long, I think that is a totally acceptable alternative to survival mode.

    Players start in the street, with a nice looking but eerily empty beach and beach chairs immaculately lined up in columns and rows. Players can swim in the water and drown which gives a custom death announcement, which is a nice touch. Across the street from the beach is the club, looking like a big square building with a single texture applied across it. The sign was nice looking though. In front of the club are two nice looking statues on what look to be granite pedestals, very nice looking. The building next door is also a single texture with a very nicely made sign. It also has some simple balconies and a glass texture for a front door. On the other side of the club is a construction site. Invisible walls block entrances into the site and down alleys.

    The front door of the club is semi-transparent green glass that enemies will instantly kill you through, so don't stand in front of them. Right from the get-go the map hits you with brutality, I don't know how this map is supposed to be played with survival mode on, I definitely think that's the biggest flaw in this map. Without survival mode on it was a careful progression into the building, trying to snipe them with pistols or spray and pray with the mp5, the only other weapon we had was the crowbar, not even a medkit. We only had 30 ammo as well and there is none in the map, I don't understand how we would be able to kill all the enemies with that paltry amount. It's another reason survival mode is so unrealistic.

    The interior walls, not the ceiling or floor, of the club is also pasted in a single texture. The choice of texture is odd too, it's really not pleasant to look at. There was a front desk, with nice breakable computer monitors, and in the next room there is a massive dance floor with flashing colored lights. There is also a bar with breakable bottles and a lot of stools and some other props are pushable. There is a lot of interactivity here.

    The map description says the map is inspired by Hotline Miami, I can totally feel that vibe off it. It also plays a track from Hotline Miami 2, which really adds to the experience. The enemies are bodyguards and some of them are reskinned to be bald dudes in white suits, just like Hotline Miami. The incredible difficulty is also here, much enhanced by first person mode and a 3D world. There are two areas where enemies can kill you from above, through glass, right by the lobby. We ran ahead, shot some guys in the next room which was the dance floor, then got killed form above. Popping your head out a fraction will get it shot, and the glass really helps the enemies with their cover. It's hard, is my point. I personally died 26 times and only one of those was a suicide.

    I don't really mean to complain about the difficulty, I actually really appreciated a Sven map being absolutely brutal. I always thought that was what Sven was for, combat situations requiring human wave tactics, it just gets undercut by survival mode being on. This map reminds me of playing old school Sven and sucking at it. It also seems like there are monster nodes on the map, enemies will fall into patterns and end up in the same places again and again. This makes them predictable but even then you have to shoot them before they shoot you.

    Eventually we kill the last mook, find a scientist cowering behind a barricade, pop him in the head, and we get a mission complete message. The map doesn't end though, going back to the car attempts a transition to a map called something like 'thanksforplaying'.

    The map is brutally hard. I can not imagine playing with survival mode on. Some of the texturing is really nice and there is some good detail here, but there are also places where the texturing is very bad and there is no detail. I enjoyed the atmosphere a lot, the beach was nice, the road was nice, the club was ok, the music was fantastic, I do kind of wish most or all of the enemies would be reskinned to Hotline Miami mooks. I liked ending the map on assassinating a cowering fool but I do wish the map actually ended. Overall, I had a lot of fun, but once again I had to turn off survival mode to have this fun. I think the long respawn timer is an appropriate punishment for death, death is also the only way to resupply as well.

Pros:

• The atmosphere is on point
• the music is great
• despite survival mode being on, there is a longer respawn time, a very reasonable alternative
• there are some nice details, custom models, and lots of breakables to smash

Cons:

• survival mode needs to be turned off
• the buildings had flat textures
• players only have 30 rounds in addition to their full magazines, not enough for a long lifespan
• no map end

Score: 7.5 / 10