Sven Co-op Map Reviews

       We have another Carnival map, but I don't think this one is a sequel as the author is unknown. It has some fun rides that work well when they aren't killing players. Beware spawning in the ceiling. SCMapDB page Author: Unknown Date of release: 2002 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Carnival 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 26, 2023 | 2948 characters      Carnival 2 is a map apparently by an unknown author. I guess that means it's not an official, canonical sequel to Carnival by Kune. This map works a bit as a spiritual successor, in that it follows a similar premise. However, this time around the map functions purely as a hangout map and not as a walkthrough action map.      The rides are front-and-center on this map. Though there is a barely functional skee ball game in a cellar beneath a desert butte, just about everything else in this map that cries "carnival" is crying it through jankily constructed carn...

      We have another Carnival map, but I don't think this one is a sequel as the author is unknown. It has some fun rides that work well when they aren't killing players. Beware spawning in the ceiling. SCMapDB page Author: Unknown Date of release: 2002 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Carnival 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 26, 2023 | 2338 characters      This is a fun little map with some carnival rides scattered around. We have a roller coaster thing, one of those centrifugal force spinners, skee-ball, a big arm thing, a dunk tank, and a ferris wheel.      I spawned inside a ceiling. For those of you who don't know, pressing 'L' will unstick the player. This is vital to respawning because of the spawn point above the skee-ball. There is another spawn point on top of a rock wall, the spawn points are very strange in this map.      But after I pressed L and unstuck myself I found all the rides were re...

       It's all fun and games here, except for a short walkthrough section at the end. But besides that there are three different games to play and they all give prizes! Be careful pressing that yellow button though. SCMapDB page Author: Kune Date of release: 1999 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Carnival (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 22, 2023 | 3065 characters      Carnival is an action carnival game map. Players play carnival games which revolve around using weapons, fight aliens by using weapons, roam around in an underground playground, take an underground tram ride, and fight more aliens.      Okay, so let's break things down. Things start with three main games: throw a grenade at a perfect arc through three panes of glass to a target (the most challenging as the grenade bouncing back is most likely to harm the players); throw satchel charges into chutes to explode tiny triggers within; and use mounted snipe...

      It's all fun and games here, except for a short walkthrough section at the end. But besides that there are three different games to play and they all give prizes! Be careful pressing that yellow button though. SCMapDB page Author: Kune Date of release: 1999 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Carnival (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 22, 2023 | 3290 characters      This map is a nice collection of carnival games. There is a shooting gallery with two mounted guns and a collection of red things to shoot. Each red thing destroyed spawns a goody on the ground off to the side of the booth. There is also an invisible wall to prevent players from shooting at the red things. Then we have a game where we drop satchels down some tubes that also unlock some goodies, a dunk tank that we do not seem to be able to interact with, and a booth with three slightly offset holes we have to throw a grenade through. Right in the middle of the area is an e...

       We've been Captured! Now we must escape the prison with the help of Otis and go to Black Mesa I guess? The map is pretty simple and straightfoward with a storyline that screams 'early Sven map'. SCMapDB page Author: pcgamer58 Date of release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Captured (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 22, 2023 | 2742 characters      Captured is a pretty simple and functional walkthrough action map. Players fight from a cell through some wacky N64ish-surreal landscapes against soldiers using some pretty boilerplate weapons.      There isn't much to say here. The map doesn't look great, doing the bare minimum to evoke each environment. The indoor areas benefit best from this, but the more natural environments, as mentioned early, really come across as surreal and wacky. Structures exist with little purpose, with wacky random hazards strewn about. It all serves the function of the gameplay. ...

      We've been Captured! Now we must escape the prison with the help of Otis and go to Black Mesa I guess? The map is pretty simple and straightfoward with a storyline that screams 'early Sven map'. SCMapDB page Author: pcgamer58 Date of release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Captured (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 22, 2023 | 3006 characters      So we are in a jail near Black Mesa, Otis comes over and helps us break out and we go on an adventure to freedom. We start with nothing but a medkit and find a crowbar in the jail cell with us and in the next few rooms we find our first enemy, a human grunt, and a pistol with one magazine.      Then we go to the next room with more enemies and more weapons. Right after this room we get our first respawning enemies, I think there are 15 in total but it was really worrying when we didn't know if they were going to end. Right afterwards we have to go up a ladder and when...

       This is a beautiful map inspired by the famous mod (and map set ported to Sven Co-op) They Hunger. It takes place in a forest filled with derelict buildings, now that I think about it I don't think there is a campfire in this map. SCMapDB page Author: cyberdaemon Date of release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Campfire (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 19, 2023 | 3387 characters      Campfire is a zombie (and occasionally baby garg) walkthrough map wherein players use limited firearms and mostly crowbars to maneuver through a rural forested area. Explore abandoned houses, rock mines, explosive minefields (??????), and forest while being ambushed by suddenly spawned zombies, headcrabs, gonomes, and baby gargs.      There is a curve to campfire. Early on, players have a handgun with very limited ammo and so spend much of their time crowbarring zombies and, unfortunately, gonomes. In worst case scenarios, ...

      This is a beautiful map inspired by the famous mod (and map set ported to Sven Co-op) They Hunger. It takes place in a forest filled with derelict buildings, now that I think about it I don't think there is a campfire in this map. SCMapDB page Author: cyberdaemon Date of release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Campfire (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 19, 2023 | 4517 characters      Campfire is a map inspired by The Hunger that puts us in a wilderness with some dilapidated buildings, a minefield, and eventually into a mine. It has no story and ends abruptly with no real resolution when a player walks into a wall of tofu. But it maintains this really atmospheric gritty forest vibe that works really well. Enemies are tons of zombies with the occasional gonome and baby garg.      My teammate an I spawn inside each other inside a burned out house. This map feels pretty big and the house has rooms bigger than what...

       This map is less of a fun vacation in the wilderness and more of a flat plane where players fight a bunch of enemies. It's short and straightforward with some interior areas later. SCMapDB page Author: Jose Fung Date of release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Camp (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 19, 2023 | 3986 characters      Camp is a walkthrough action map which pits players against HECU while fighting their way from the surface into a science lab to sabotage a big red laser machine. Along the way, things get fucky and players must shoot aliens as well.      Two things struck me almost immediately about this map. First: it's pretty ugly. The outdoor area is big and flat and features a draw distance that many important details (including an enemy apache) hide behind. Indoor areas are better, but only by virtue of cubes of equal quality to that outdoor area more effectively convey indoor areas. Later...

      This map is less of a fun vacation in the wilderness and more of a flat plane where players fight a bunch of enemies. It's short and straightforward with some interior areas later. SCMapDB page Author: Jose Fung Date of release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Camp (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 19, 2023 | 2727 characters      Camp starts us out in a big wide open field with some massive cargo containers with a couple of overly large trucks. We're fenced in but otherwise the map is a flat plane with a skybox. The level is big enough for draw distance to be a problem. There is a helicopter and a swarm of human grunts about.      We spawn with tons of weapons, so my teammate and I were hitting the apache with explosive crossbow bolts and keeping the grunts at bay with uzis, mp5s, and shotguns. Eventually we both die and my teammate gets to spawn farther along in the level where he struggled through with more s...

      Caget is the prototype for another map called CAGED, which if I understand correctly was prototyped in Sven Co-op, made into a mod, and then ported back into Sven Co-op. Regardless of the journey this map has taken, CAGED is now out and is a more complete version of Caget. SCMapDB page Authors: Cayle George, Trempler Date of release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Caget (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 17, 2023 | 2425 characters      Caget is a walkthrough map filled with platforming, scraping for weaponry, and then action. In that order.      Begin the map in a cage, which players must cooperate to solve a puzzle to break out. From there players use a wrench and their longjump while navigating platforming. Players then spend time with low weaponry dealing with zombies, turrets, and soldiers in cramped tunnels. Finally, players take on soldiers and aliens while making use of a full standard ar...

      Caget is the prototype for another map called CAGED, which if I understand correctly was prototyped in Sven Co-op, made into a mod, and then ported back into Sven Co-op. Regardless of the journey this map has taken, CAGED is now out and is a more complete version of Caget. SCMapDB page Authors: Cayle George, Trempler Date of release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Caget (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 17, 2023 | 4044 characters      This map is some sort of beta for another map, which is a conversion of a mod, by the name Caged. I rather liked that map and I can definitely see the evolution of this idea. Although it does have a rough draft's rough edges and since the finished product is released I don't see much of a reason to play this besides study.      Players start out in a jail cell and have to break out via turning a valve that should probably not be in a jail cell. Then we plummet down a ...

    Buro is a prologue to a map series that was never made, which is a shame because it is a beautiful map. The map is very nicely designed bank filled with assassins that ends when players enter the vault. SCMapDB page Author: Alex546 Date of release: 2010 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Buro (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 15, 2023 | 2488 characters      Buro is an action map which takes place in a bank being attacked by special operatives. The players counterattack, intercepting the blackops assassins. Players spawn with random loadouts of useful boilerplate weapons- revolvers or deagles, shotguns or mp5s or m16s or uzis. It adds an annoying bit of spice that makes every spawn awkward.      The map is very form over function. Each room is certainly evocative of a real life location that blackops massns and fassns have been dropped into. Rooms and hallways are often awkward for accommodating multiple playe...

      Buro is a prologue to a map series that was never made, which is a shame because it is a beautiful map. The map is very nicely designed bank filled with assassins that ends when players enter the vault. SCMapDB page Author: Alex546 Date of release: 2010 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Buro (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 15, 2023 | 4747 characters      When my teammate and I first started this map up we both took one look at it and agreed it was beautiful. Then my teammate said "time to give it a bad review!" and I wished upon a star that he was wrong. I haven't decided on a number score yet, but I will say that the map had a lot of good with a little bit of bad.      After a lengthy and cinematic cutscene my teammate and I are dumped outside a bank. He reads the message of the day which informs us of our mission but I don't bother and instead start poking around spawn. One thing that only became appa...

      A walkthrough map that is mostly hallways through various rooms. Enemies spawn in big wads right in front of players and we have to chip away at them with revolvers. SCMapDB page Author: Trempler Date of release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Bunker Fight (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 12, 2023 | 4164 characters      Bunker Fight is a walkthrough action map with one principle: player vs buff npcs in corridor. I wouldn't say the monsters in this map are overpowered to a gross degree (especially with other maps I've played) but I would certainly call them buff. Maybe even "buff AF".      First of all, this map looks pretty nice. You move through corridors painted as various environments, and I didn't really track the narrative of it as we moved, but it catches the usual Black Mesa bunkery affair with some fun lighting at times. The lighting is an issue at other times, but I'll get to that. T...

    A walkthrough map that is mostly hallways through various rooms. Enemies spawn in big wads right in front of players and we have to chip away at them with revolvers. SCMapDB page Author: Trempler Date of release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Bunker Fight (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 12, 2023 | 3983 characters      This is one of those maps where outside the first door is a swarm of enemies. It is a fairly straightforward walkthrough map with lots of enemies with a lot of health. There are some HEV chargers with lots of charge but later in the map there are snipers that kill us in one hit no matter how much armor we have.      We start off by falling through the level in what I think is a pretty cool effect, at least until I started taking fall damage. The spawn area has two health and HEV charger pairs and both have lots of charge to give. My teammate and I had our armor drained very fast and we w...

      A fairly standard horde map, Bunker features a bunker from which players and allies can shoot out a the swarms in relative safety. For some reason weapons are outside the bunker forcing players to brave the ocean of enemies outside. SCMapDB page Author: Halgmor Date of release: 2012 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Bunker (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 12, 2023 | 2266 characters      Bunker is a defense horde map which features a couple fun toys to keep players entertained.      The main setup is a bunker surrounded by open desert which enemy grunts/robogrunts endlessly spawn into. Within the bunker are some friendly grunts and the aforementioned toys. Across from the bunker is a big room full of weapons with a funny secret shooting range.      The toys are a button which opens and closes the bunker door- great for when you want to invite grenades and bullets into your and your team...

      A fairly standard horde map, Bunker features a bunker from which players and allies can shoot out a the swarms in relative safety. For some reason weapons are outside the bunker forcing players to brave the ocean of enemies outside. SCMapDB page Author: Halgmor Date of release: 2012 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Bunker (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 12, 2023 | 3231 characters      True to the name, there is indeed a bunker that players spawn right outside. There are no weapons in the bunker besides an mp5 outside the front door, all the weapons are in a weird boarded up passage to a big room with a ton of weapons and ammo strewn about. Most of the level is a wide field around the bunker that is so big we can see the darkness that is draw distance gnawing at the edges of reality. Grunts of the human, robot, and heavy weapons variety spawn in droves constantly.      There are some friendlies in the bu...

      This map is presented as a platforming map but it actually has quite a bit of combat. The buildings themselves are large and mostly empty boxes with some filled to the brim with a tidal wave of enemies. SCMapDB page Author: HelloTimber Date of release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Building Jumper (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 29, 2023 | 2987 characters      Building Jumper is a Sven Co-op map which combines high-HP enemies, inconsistent equipment, annoying backtracking, the most frustrating possible platforming puzzles with the highest possible stakes, unclear progression, getting attacked in spawn, being sniped before you have any weapons, and bland blocky visuals. About 1/3 of the way through it I lost all patience with it and cheated. If I had not, I would not have completed it. I should have just abandoned it.      This map requires certain equipment for progression, such as barnacles...

      This map is presented as a platforming map but it actually has quite a bit of combat. The buildings themselves are large and mostly empty boxes with some filled to the brim with a tidal wave of enemies. SCMapDB page Author: HelloTimber Date of release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Building Jumper (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 29, 2023 | 3290 characters      This map really seemed like a straight up platforming map but there was a lot of action in it as well. I thought it was a neat approach to the whole platforming game type. It is such a shame that this map was frequently more annoying than fun.      So we start in a room with a some friendly NPCs and the moment we walk into the next room we are assaulted by unarmed male assassins who spin kick us silly. We only have medkits so we run past them up a steep and lengthy spiral rampcase to the top of the tower where we have to jump to anothe...

            Building is a short jaunt through what seems to be some sort of skyscraper filled with human grunts. It's not too difficult and will be over very fast. SCMapDB page Author: Jouko Lehtonen Date of release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Building (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 29, 2023 | 2784 characters      Building is a straight-forward walkthrough map which pits players against HECU in an office building. It begins with players taking heavy opposition in a lobby while using only pistols, the miniguns the players pick off of the HW grunts from that battle will last them the rest of the map as they ascend to the roof. Pressing the button at the roof's door ends the map.      Most of this map is very standard stuff: wipe out HECU which occupy office floors. They're relentless, which makes the initial battle very difficult. However, the immediate upgrade in weapons triviali...

          Building is a short jaunt through what seems to be some sort of skyscraper filled with human grunts. It's not too difficult and will be over very fast. SCMapDB page Author: Jouko Lehtonen Date of release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Building (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 29, 2023 | 2374 characters      This is a fairly standard walkthrough map and it takes place in a sort of bland office environment instead of Black Mesa. It played very straightforward with human grunts filling rooms. At first we have pistols but we eventually pistol two heavy weapons grunts down and take their miniguns which made most of the rest of the map much easier. There were shotguns, revolvers, and uzis around but when I ran out of minigun ammo another heavy weapons grunt appeared and I just got another one. I went from pistol to minigun.      The gameplay is interspersed with sections where we have to...