Why - GrandmasterJ

 

  Fresh from the Best of Map Showcase list it's a map that was considered top notch 24 years ago. A Black Mesa flavored walkthrough map, does it stand up to modern scrutiny?

SCMapDB page

Author: The-Real-Game

Date of release: 2002

Maps in package: 1

Map review of Why

(originally posted on SCMapDB)

by GrandmasterJ | May 30, 2026 | 2622 characters

    Playing old BOMS maps is so funny, it's 24 years later and there are almost multiple thousands of maps to play. It's an interesting glimpse into what the mapping scene was like way at the very beginning.

    The map is mostly stock textures and models in a facility of some sort that may or may not be Black Mesa. The map is competently done for the most part with some areas looking rough or weird. The kitchen was especially bad because the proportions for the counters and dishes were way off. In the oversized counter were big pieces of meat rotating in a rotisserie and it looks really good, it's an interesting juxtaposition.

    Spawn is a circular room with some doors that don't open and one door that does. There is nothing to indicate which door is locked and which isn't, not even locked door sounds. The core gameplay of the map is to explore a route until we reach the end and destroy an electrical panel. The first time we did this it wasn't apparent the panel was destructible and then when we destroyed it we didn't realize a door opened in spawn. We had to hike all the way back to see what happened. Right at the very end some teleporters open up allowing us to travel back and forth, far too late to make a difference. New weapons appear behind the doors, giving players easy access to the arsenal when they respawn.

    I really can not stand getting shot on map start, that didn't quite happen here but I was staring at a Barnabus that was definitely hostile. When I walked forward he rushed in and started attacking us. About halfway through the map a bunch of enemies appeared around spawn, I was backtracking after destroying our latest panel and my teammate had to face a wave of enemies all alone without the weapons we've collected on the way. Enemies in spawn is not good and it was frustrating for both of us.

    This is one of those maps that I forget immediately after playing it. It's not bad but it really just doesn't stand out. It's got the extremely familiar Black Mesa paint job and lab look down with minor annoyances to rouse us out of our highway hypnosis.

Pros:

• new weapons appearing right outside the doors near spawn was a fantastic design choice
• there were some attempts to give players shortcuts
• some parts of the map look good

Cons:

• enemies do not belong in spawn
• tons of backtracking, the shortcuts open up way too late
• some parts of the map look bad

Score: 5.5 / 10