Big Coop Map - GrandmasterJ
If you are looking for a lengthy cooperative experience with a friend then you could do a lot worse than this map. It may be a bit generic, it is called 'Big Coop Map' after all but the title is accurate and its not bad.
Author: Robootto
Date of release: 2005
Maps in package: 1
Map review of Big Coop Map
(originally posted on SCMapDB)
Here's a map that does exactly as described, this is a big cooperative map. We have our standard Half-Life 1 themed facility walkthrough map but with a bit of a twist.
The first area is a fairly straightforward affair, an outside approach to a door with a ton of turrets around. We start with just mp5s but unlock weapons later. There is a shipping container that will start to spawn underbarrel grenades and a rocket launcher later. The first hint that the map is a bit off is when we get to the big segmented door at the end, and instead of the top sliding up and the bottom sliding down, they both slide to the sides.
There is one section where large parts of the walls were actually doors. Opening one door would rearrange rooms and cut off other paths. It was really interesting going through that when it was full of enemies but later on it was a huge pain to navigate. Most of the time the doors would Z fight when open as well. In the beginning of the map this is also the only place to get the shotgun, new weapons don't always appear in a nice central place, both weapons and ammo are scattered around and players have to collect them all on a respawn.
There was another hallway with a lot of dual retinal scanners. Here is the biggest co-op puzzle in the map. Players use the terminals and walls open up revealing more terminals. Not all puzzles are as straightforward, there were quite a few a times where my teammate and I were completely stumped. We did eventually figure it all out through sheer perseverance. There is one puzzle where players have to access two terminals across the map at the same time. My teammate knew how to do that one but I would never have thought of that. There is another part with a button that displays "that button opens that door!" when pressed, but it still was not apparent what that button did, or what door it was referring to. We also saw that same text show up occasionally later in the map suggesting some trigger shenanigans.
The map fills up with enemies periodically. So do not feel safe spawning in after a death, many times my teammate and I were ambushed and we had to re-fight our way back to wherever we were. The spawn does update at about the halfway point and then again right at the end. This can be very annoying since weapons do not appear at any of these spawns and must be collected around the level.
At one point there is a maze. It could be worse, it is fairly small but I still got lost. There are lots of turrets, tripmines, enemies including some that will spawn in later after players trigger something. The maze does get annoying and its easy to get lost, but the action doesn't necessarily slow down either. We finished it fairly quickly. It took a while to figure out how to leave, which was via a door that opened up on one side of the maze.
One last teleport at the maze and we are on a desert plateau with an apache. The spawn updates here and stays here for the rest of the map, there is only a revolver. The revolver will damage the apache but weapons don't stay after being picked up so dying a lot in a row will lost the revolver for us quickly.
After this area is a lab. My teammate immediately murdered a scientist and swore to me he was evil. Then we went through a big angry red portal and the map ended.
The map had its ups and downs. I found the overall bland Black Mesa look bland but there was interesting level design, especially in the wacky doors, that stood out. There were bad sections I didn't like and lots of back and forth around the level looking for the next area. This is very much a map that demands thorough investigation and patience as well as quick reflexes for when the halls inevitably fill in with more enemies. I think I have just a bit less patience than the map requires, I found the constant backtracking and searching for what button does what to be a waste of time. The need to gather the arsenal back up each time was a burden and the lack of weapons that stay after being picked up makes the issue worse. If it weren't for my teammate I would have given up at the two terminals on opposite sides of the level. But for all the annoying bits I did really enjoy the fast and frantic combat. The weapons and supplies we did manage to get were really good, at one point we were both using rocket launchers to liquefy rooms of human grunts. It's got more ups than downs.
Pros:
- Fun combat
- good weapons, lots of supplies around the map
- interesting doors and door puzzles
Cons:
- moving across areas that have already been cleared can be a hassle
- finding the path of progression is usually very unclear
- spawn points do not have weapons or supplies and updating spawn loses access to some supplies
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