Canal - Dunkelschwamm

    There are a lot of maps out there where players have to deal with infinitely spawning enemies. This map is yet another one of those but it has a pretty good layout. There is no end to this map.

SCMapDB page

Author: Socrates

Date of final release: 2000

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Canal

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by dunkelschwamm | October 27, 2022 | 2728 characters

    Canal is an arena map for Sven Co-op. In it, you can expect to battle headcrabs, houndeyes, vortigaunts, bullsquids, and occasional grunts as they endlessly respawn. To this end, players are armed with a simple but satisfying boilerplate arsenal of an MP5, shotgun, and magnum. During gameplay we never found ourselves running out of ammo, despite being crafty enough to stay alive quite often.

    There is a modest moat which surrounds a central arena platform- I presume this is the titular "canal". Falling into this water presents the player with the threat of many leeches, as well as the headcrabs, houndeyes, and occasional bullsquids which tumble in during battle.

    Above and away from this platform is a suspended walkway, upon which soldiers respawn to fire down upon weary players. While most alien enemies spawn from portals, the soldiers reappear from a door at the end of the suspended walkway. The door is blocked by an aggressively thicc player clip, but seeing behind it, when it briefly opens for respawning grunts, you can spot a single miniturret in the ceiling. My teammate and I immediately decided that destroying the miniturret was our objective. After killing grunts to provoke their respawn from the doorway, and destroying the miniturret, we figured the best of the map was behind us and set it down.

    I think canal is a success in simple and fun arena design. It's nothing to look at, certainly, but simple brutalist design is no stranger in Half-Life, and in a time when games like Marathon and Duke Nukem 3D were in more recent memory such brutalist architecture was likely a successful stylistic execution rather than an oversight. That said, the lighting is rather flat, which results in a rather boring brutalist scene. Still, while not visually stunning, it isn't so uninteresting as to be appalling and everything is lain out in a functional way which serves the combat. I really can't complain.

    I recommend this if you're into arena fighting. The map ends whenever the timer runs out. It's very simple, but I think simple can be effective. Lots of opportunities for fun kills and silly situations compacted into a very simple arena.

Pros:

• Lots of varied combat vectors in a deceptively simple package
• Good, balanced arsenal with lots of ammo for continuous gameplay
• Fun opportunities for self-made objectives
• Respawning enemies are not obnoxious and present distinct challenges

Cons:

• Map doesn't really fill out its time limit super well
• Visually boring

Score: 7 / 10