Box Store - Dunkelschwamm

    Let's buy some boxes over at the box store! The buying process actually works, players have to earn score and use that to buy boxes. Stealing is not allowed.

SCMapDB page

Author: w00tguy123

Date of release: 2016

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Box Store

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by dunkelschwamm | April 29, 2023 | 2853 characters

    Box Store is exactly what it says on the tin: a store where you buy boxes. It's like a clicker, but in Sven Co-op. There's an invincible "hostile" scientist outside named "shoot me for money" or something which you do to increase your score, which you then exchange for boxes in the box store.

    The real charm of the map comes from the interactions with the store. The boxes themselves are mostly very Half-Life-cute, tiny versions of the boxes from Half-Life. There's some which are different funny cubes, like a clock cube, or a glass cube, or a meat cube. They have cute names, and are mostly fairly cheap to purchase so the map doesn't get bogged down in the types of wait times endemic of clickers. The prices are listed on the enemy readout when you aim at them, and sometimes the prices themselves are a bit of a gag.

    Players place the boxes on a conveyer belt at the register and check the box out. The cashier is killable, for which there are seemingly no consequences. Breaking boxes in the store has the consequence of the box respawning and the player being charged 10 score "restocking fee". Trying to leave the store with a box without purchasing it makes the store lock and grenades rain from the sky. We totally stole one anyway, because when the doors lock if you drop the box it is already within its trigger, so when you respawn you can simply pull the stolen box out from outside.

    Seeking some purpose, we stacked the boxes to climb the store and found the roof barren and funless. I felt like that was a missed opportunity, but whatever. There are some itchyosaurs behind the cash register we heavily inundated with explosives and bullets. Their names are a joke too.

    Once you buy all the boxes, the map ends. It's a quaint, charming little map. I can see servers having fun with players racing to hoard crates, balancing their time between shooting the scientist and purchasing crates. Cute map, I recommend for your server.

Pros:

• Really solid system for handling the shopping experience fluidly and immersively with error handling
• The map ends when the main objective is complete
• Cute textures and box names
• Fun approach to a clicker in Sven Co-op
• Seems like a wealthspring for emergent gameplay with lots of players
• The anti-theft system is a lot of fun

Cons:

• If you spend just a little while grinding on the scientist, you can sorta just spend the rest of your time lazily shopping and finish the map mechanically and boringly
• Rooftop was a missed opportunity, I tell you
• With two players gameplay got thin before it was over
• The architecture and overall look of the map were pretty plain

Score:

8.6 / 10