Frogger - Dunkelschwamm
Old school classic Frogger, hop across the freeway and a river to reach some buttons, press them all to go to the next round. Any misstep and you will die horribly.
Author: LentoMan
Date of release: 2004
Maps in package: 1
Map review of Frogger
(originally posted on SCMapDB)
Frogger is a 3-tiered arcade "puzzle" "skill" game map for Sven Co-op.
The setup is simple: run past 4 lanes of speeding cars, reach the dock, then jump across 4 lanes of giant logs in quick-kill water to 4 button alcoves. Hit the button, get killed, start over, hit all the buttons, end the round. The next round is more complicated: the second round adds invincible turrets which the players must distract using the hivehand- really creative! The third round adds an RPG to explode the turrets, shortly followed by a crossbow to sniperfight snipers who appear in the button alcoves. With that completed, the map gives 3 minutes before ending.
There are two secrets as well: there is a vending machine which can be broken to reveal a strobing anime chamber of migrane/seizures. The second is a vent in the quick-kill water which leads up to a second floor in the building which houses the button alcoves, wherein there are anime babes for viewing (which are easily viewable via the crossbow from outside anyway). I like the discovery method of the vending machine secret, but hate the secret. I like the anime babe building secret, but hate the discovery method.
The map itself is brushed fine. The environment is convincing enough, and I think information is conveyed well enough (though my stoner-ass got confused at the hivehand part despite an on-screen text explaining what to do). The cars are a pain in the ass, and I hate them, and I think they're awful, and frankly they lagged on our lan server. The logs are very funny looking for "logs", though it would have helped if more of their shape were visible beneath the overly opaque water, and I think the logs' more practical shape for platforming is preferred to something that read more as a log. Aside from those comments, though, pretty solid visuals.
I think the gameplay was pretty frustrating overall, in large part due to the cars. I think this is a map wherein the concept of surviving is quickly disregarded in favor of throwing one's self endlessly at the goal until roulette allows for a success. The cars appear so fast and so randomly that players must begin every journey with a 4-chamber game of Russian roulette crossing their lanes. The snipers hone in on the players and there is little cover given. It feels a lot like skill is of little value. The only place where it comes in particular use is the logs. The logs are an A+ puzzle. The rest is kind of frustrating.
It's probably great when you have dozens of people throwing themselves into the lanes, beating the map through brute force. With only a few people, it's pretty rough. Take that as the recommendation.
Pros:
- Simple concept which builds upon itself in interesting ways
- This is, indeed, Frogger
- Has secrets
- Hivehand puzzle was interesting
- Logs were good platforming
Cons:
- Cars made every attempt at the map awful
- The sniper battle was ill-conceived
- The secrets are kinda bad
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