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Showing posts with the label 6.5/10

Sveney Christmas - GrandmasterJ

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      There are not a whole lot of options for Christmas themed Sven maps. Step into the shoes of Santa and drop presents (grenades) down the chimneys of the good children. SCMapDB page Authors: CubicVirtuoso Date of release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Sveney Christmas (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | December 17, 2023 | 1642 characters      Well it's that time of year again, at least it was when I wrote this, and that means it's time for Christmas. This fun holiday map has us riding around in Saint Nick's little cart thing and delivering presents to the children, and by that I mean grenades. The map description says it was made in only two hours and the result is a very short and fun map.      When we were almost at the end of blowing these poor children to kingdom come my teammate suddenly realized that we weren't getting any score for this, I feel like that would have been a big improvement and give the map more of a reason to exist besides

Choose - GrandmasterJ

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      This is a variety map, walk through a teleporter to be dropped off in a fun room. There is an arena, control room, maze, armory, crusher, and a very saucy place. SCMapDB page Author: halo4life Date of release: 2006 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Choose (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 9, 2023 | 1452 characters      The simply named Choose is a sort of variety map where players start in a room with teleporters to various attractions. We have a room labelled Crusher, OMG Free Pr0n, Control Room, Arena, Maze, and Armory. There was also a dancing gonome.      The Crusher room has some buttons that trigger traps to kill scientists. They kind of just run around and it can be tough to actually get them into the traps. There is also a conveyor that dumps scientists into a spike. The promise of free pornography is worth it and players should definitely check it out. The control room is a bit of gameplay to access a menu of sorts for the level, the arena is a fight p

Cemetery - GrandmasterJ

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      Here is another horde map, this one taking place in the eponymous cemetery with the stated goal of grinding experience for XP mod. The map certainly does feel like a grind. SCMapDB page Author: GForce Date of release: 2010 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Cemetery (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 1, 2023 | 2011 characters      This map is meant to farm experience for XP mod if the map description is accurate. I guess for that it works well. The map is a big cemetery full of infinitely spawning zombies. We get shotguns and lots of ammo and we start with full armor so in the rare instance we do get hit we take almost no damage.      The map looks pretty good, but it does have some chunky and blocky parts. It also uses a lot of models that looks pretty good, but totally give away that they are models in both lighting and look. At one point my teammate pointed out a shovel in a blocky chunk of dirt, it was a well done shovel but I could tell it was brushwork beca

Carnival - GrandmasterJ

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      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 egon gun with lots of ammo

Shopping Centre - Dunkelschwamm

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      This map is sort of a mall, we have a big building with stores, bars, and some sort of storage area. There's a locked door players must find their way behind but beyond that the map is light on interaction and focuses more on exploration. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto, RNG, Poka Date of release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Shopping Centre (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | April 1, 2023 | 2901 characters      Shopping Centre seems to be a shopping mall including some vaguely interesting shops from the likes of Robootto, RNG, and Poka, including the Sushi Shop from Poka and Robootto's collab Indojapan, and some of the stuff from RNG and Robootto's collab Metal Bar.      For the most part, it's just for walking around. I think there's an interesting sense of discovery, as you find yourself hopping off from high places to find your way around. However, aside from one secretive tunnel which leads to unlocking an only somewhat i

Lab Flee - GrandmasterJ

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      Rise up brother, and let us flee this lab! Players are regular human beings trapped in a laboratory and trying to escape. We fight what I assume are our fellow prisoners to escape. SCMapDB page Author: eMTeG Date of release: 2002 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Lab Flee (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | March 19, 2023 | 2966 characters      In Labflee we flee a lab. There isn't a story attached so I like to assume we're aliens, but not xen aliens since they are out sole enemy. The map is a walkthrough map with a central hub providing access to the different areas. Doors to new areas open up as we clear other areas out.      Players spawn inside the spawn exit sprites, it can be disorienting. There is a table with an mp5 and one magazine for it, shotgun and one box of shells, and crossbow with one magazine. I sucked it all up in front of my teammate's eyes and since the weapons don't stay he had to wait for them all of that to respawn b

Black Facility 2 - GrandmasterJ

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      We return to the dark pigmented facility, the first map we were a bystander and now we get to be soldiers. Visually it looks like Black Mesa but there is not a lot that the two maps have in common. SCMapDB page Author: Agamemnon Date of release:2003 Maps in package:1 Map review of Black Facility 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | March 11, 2023 | 4083 characters      This is the second installment of the Black Facility series that takes place somewhere that looks just like Black Mesa in which we fight aliens. In the first map we escaped the facility, but now we are back, starting from outside and working our way in.      Right in the first area we had some issues. We start off in a outdoor cliff hallway, my teammate jumps on a crate and onto a cactus then onto the cliff wall giving him a view out of the map. We spawn with no weapons so we start looking around. We find a friendly human grunt that explains out mission parameters and tells us we get weapons a

Holodeck - GrandmasterJ

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      Welcome to the Holodeck, a map where players can run around an arena while other players spawn monsters in. I'm guessing it's based off the holodeck in Star Trek but I don't remember the that show ever making the holodeck look like this. SCMapDB page Author: Shnuh Date of release:2004 Maps in package:1 Map review of Holodeck (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | March 4, 2023 | 2802 characters      I played the beta of this map and it was not bad, it looked pretty bad and weapon selection was terrible but the arena combat was fun. Some of these problems even got fixed in this version!      The map is now lit properly and that is already a huge improvement. The arena in unchanged, a pit in the center of the map with some short towers and bridges. There is a ladder up top to an area with buttons overlooking the combat zone that can spawn monsters, weapons, explosions, water, whatever. The buttons are still fairly vague and there are new additions from

Biodome - Dunkelschwamm

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    This is an early version of another map called Holodeck. I recommend skipping this and going straight to that map. But it does have a separate entry on the map database so here is a separate review. SCMapDB page Author: Shnuh Date of release:2002 Maps in package:1 Map review of Biodome (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | March 4, 2023 | 3380 characters      Biodome is a sandbox map for Sven Co-op, wherein an arena comprised of a flat square area adored with turret towers with bridges between them set the stage for players to toy with the tools of Sven Co-op.      This map is split up into two parts. The first is the arena. The arena is where players spawn, and it's where the action is focused. Players can use a ladder to exit the arena, but until they do that they are IN the arena. Depending on the whims of the players who climbed the ladder, the arena may be peaceful, populated with allies, full of weapons, full of enemies, raining missiles, underwater

BB Rock Shelter - GrandmasterJ

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      This mission has two separate maps, the first one players must take and defend an area. The second map is more of a typical walkthrough map where players clear hallways and reach an objective to end the map. SCMapDB page Author: Buschbaum Date of final release: 2022 Maps in package: 2 Map review of BB Rock Shelter (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | December 10, 2022 | 6775 characters      This series is broken up into two, maybe eventually three, maps. The first map is an attack and defend style of map, we rush a well fortified position and take it, then we defend that position from waves of enemies. The second map is a very mazey tunnel and vent heavy underground complex shootout. I much prefer the second map over the first and the overall length of the series compared to how much of it I enjoyed doesn't make a very appealing ratio.      The first map starts with us in a sort of well stocked supply room. I say kind of well stocked because there was a ton of amm

Big Room Guy 2 - Dunkelschwamm

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       This map is a nightclub that is locked up tight unless somebody goes through the secret way in and mans the ticket booth. The map has a dance floor with limited music mixing and a few other things. SCMapDB page Author: Unknown Date of final release: 2002 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Big Room Guy 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | October 27, 2022 | 3454 characters      Big Room Guy 2 is a party server map, complete with secret VIP passages and a barrier to entry to ensure exclusivity.      The map is a very simple club. Players enter into a queue at a gate and a person behind a ticket booth opens and closes it for them. This does have to a player operating the booth from the other side, and the inside of the booth is only accessible from the admin room, so knowledge on how to enter the secret admin room from the waiting area is necessary before the map can really begin. So, I'm going to disclose that here- there is a secret non-tangible wall you can walk

Big Room Guy 2 - GrandmasterJ

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      This map is a nightclub that is locked up tight unless somebody goes through the secret way in and mans the ticket booth. The map has a dance floor with limited music mixing and a few other things. SCMapDB page Author: Unknown Date of final release: 2002 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Big Room Guy 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | October 22, 2022 | 3464 characters     This map looks fun, we start up and spawn in a small red room. Just inside the door is a line for a ticket booth, we can't jump over the ropes or the gate, we are trapped. So I go to the comments to see what's up and here is BlueSpark to the rescue. I can't explain it any better so I'm just going to copy and paste the whole thing right here: "..It's just rather exclusive! Club goers can only be admitted by the person inside the ticket booth. The booth can only be accessed from the admin room - how do you get into the admin room? Well, in this map not all walls are as soli

Resident Evil 2 Mini Game - GrandmasterJ

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      Take a break from the other Resident Evil maps where you explore a mansion maze. Fight never ending enemies on the streets and explore to find new areas and secrets. SCMapDB page Author: mrfranswa Date of final release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Resident Evil 2 Mini Game (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | October 16, 2022 | 3193 characters      I'm a big fan of Resident Evil, but I've been a bit down on Resident Evil Sven maps. I'm doing my best to like them I really am. Unlike the others, this map is not a linear walkthrough map but instead a never ending horde map with some fun objectives scattered around the map. It's probably my favorite Resident Evil themed Sven Co-op map so far.      Players spawn in a tiny room with a lady named "Kill me to end the map", a nearby hole drops players into a three way choice of spawn points around the main map. There is also the wrench here which is reskinned to be a chainsaw, that's fun

Base Attack - GrandmasterJ

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      Converted from a standalone mod of the same name, this map series takes players to an underground base that looks suspiciously like Black Mesa to liquidate some obsolete personnel. There is only one map here and it has its ups and downs. SCMapDB page Original map author: DAVLevels Conversion author: Outerbeast Date of original mod release: 1999 Date of final Sven Map release: 2019 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Base Attack (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | October 1, 2022 | 5749 characters      The story behind this map is invading a top secret research facility in the very classy Area 69 and killing everybody inside due to some vague clandestine reasons. Since it was originally a singleplayer mod ported over to Sven Co-op it has survival mode on by default, like all mod ports seem to have.      The map starts off and its looking a little blocky. This is to be expected, the original mod was released in 1999, there is a lot of effort put into level details but th

Barnacle Flight 2 - Dunkelschwamm

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       Barnacle Flight 2 is a map based around a quirk of barnacle grappling your fellow player, causing everybody to fly (glitch around) in the air. This is a sequel to a map that doesn't exist, the other Barnacle Flight map was made after this one and is unrelated even though it is the same concept. SCMapDB page Author: Naigel Date of final release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Barnacle Flight 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | September 24, 2022 | 2251 characters      Barnacle Flight 2 is a map that shows off a silly Barnacle Glitch that makes players fly around. It's hard to do with a few players, and can't speak much to how well the glitch works with a bunch of players. But, I'm not really here to review the glitch, I'm here to review the map itself.      The map is a huge rectangular prism where players can fall a great distance to the bottom, without fall damage, then take a central teleporter back to where we spawn- the top of a fly

Barnacle Flight - Dunkelschwamm

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       Barnacle Flight is a map based on a quirk of barnacle grappling your fellow player, causing everybody to fly (glitch around) in the air. On the map database it lists the author as g1l but in the map the author is listed as Venomys. Also, there is a map titled 'Barnacle Flight 2' that preceded this map, this map comes after number 2, it's all very confusing. SCMapDB page Author: g1l Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Barnacle Flight (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | September 22, 2022 | 2144 characters      Barnacle Flight is a gimmick map where players use the barnacle on one another to zip around in the sky above an island. The sky is full of bubbly cloud sprites and some silly looking giant squares of scrolling cloud textures. The island itself is a nice jagged chunk of island in the water (the water does not extend far beyond the coast before hitting skybox) and features both a teleporter to the spawn area and a central la

Mystic Radar - GrandmasterJ

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      Welcome to a land of dark and grainy textures, emphasis on grainy. This is a short and spooky map where players must explore a decrepit facility while dealing with hostile creatures. SCMapDB page Author: RNG Date of final release: 2010 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Mystic Radar (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | September 17, 2022 | 3865 characters      Mystic Radar is a very dark and atmospheric map, it's got fog restricting view distance and constant background music always setting the mood. Most of the gameplay is hunting for keys, valves to turn, destructible panels, or whatever else is needed to progress. Zombies show up and are generally very annoying.      When the map starts my eye is drawn to the textures. Pretty much every surface texture is grainy, lke the world is made out of static. Most everything is a dull metallic color, ranging from rust brown to not-yet-rusty dirty grey. With how dark the map is this can make the map seem mazey and confusing

Backattack - Dunkelschwamm

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      Just another average Black Mesa themed walkthrough map. Backattack is a small collection of Black Mesa themed areas with some heavy combat sprinkled around. SCMapDB page Author: Sust Date of final release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Backattack (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | September 10, 2022 | 2139 characters      BackAttack is an action map featuring lots of spawning enemies and some weapons in some interesting environments which mostly encourage players to spawn at doors and floor firepower into the next room before proceeding forward.      First players are tasked with clearing out a hallway to a garage, a vent from there to a beautiful room which respawns grenades as you fight a helipad full of soldiers, then aliens, then aliens and soldiers. Then you crawl into the next area where you fight a room full of soldiers and another room with soldiers and aliens and then an outdoor area full of soldiers and then the map is over. It's pretty short,

Resident Evil: Directors Cut - GrandmasterJ

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      This is the second and probably final Resident Evil map made by James Smith, following his previous map, Aftermath. The map is very similar to the first, keeping with a recreation of the Resident Evil mansion, but it is very much improved. SCMapDB page Author: James Smith Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Resident Evil: Directors Cut (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | September 3, 2022 | 3173 characters      The second map available in the series of Resident Evil maps made by the author, James Smith. it is unclear if this series has anything to do with the other Resident Evil maps made by a different author but it is definitely an improvement over the first one. It still leans heavily on the long and twisty hallway element though.      The map still only loosely resembles the layout of any Resident Evil game but it looks much better. The main hall treats players to some nice looking windows with rain effects behind them, it set the mood ri

Ascii Art - GrandmasterJ

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       ASCII refers to the American Standard Code for Imformation Interchange, a system that supports text on digital platforms. The entire map is textured in white with black text. SCMapDB page Author: enuze Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ascii Art (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 16, 2022 | 4369 characters      I remember playing this map way back in the day, probably in 2008 when it came out. I remember riding the longest elevator of my life with two of my buddies. One of them jumps on my head and due to a quirk in the engine I immediately explode followed by me rage quitting because there was no way I was riding the elevator again. Well I've played it again all these years later and that elevator ride has not improved in the slightest.      So ascii art is a map made out of ascii art. For those who don't know what ascii art is, ascii is a character encoding standard, which is fancy talk for how computers handle text. The wh