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Showing posts with the label Hezus

Central Assault - Dunkelschwamm

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       This is a very good example of a walkthrough map, it's got lots of action and changes up the gameplay just enough to keep from being repetitive. It is very old though and uses a lot of the standard Half-Life assets. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of release: 2002 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Central Assault (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 20, 2023 | 3411 characters      Central Assault is on BOMS and I can see why. It's funny- looking back on it I just remember some really funny looking proportions, artifacts of mapping from two decades before I sit and write this now. But really, my sentiment throughout is that this is a really good looking map. Some gorgeous natural environments, some fun lab equipment, lots of varied environments- some goofy, but most of it very striking.      I think that a lot of Central Assault has that disarming quality. Players spawn in a teleporter station that teleports, thankfully, directly into the armory of the sc

Central Assault - GrandmasterJ

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      This is a very good example of a walkthrough map, it's got lots of action and changes up the gameplay just enough to keep from being repetitive. It is very old though and uses a lot of the standard Half-Life assets. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of release: 2002 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Central Assault (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 20, 2023 | 4244 characters      This is a pretty old map, over two decades old at the time of this writing, and if the Best of Map Showcase tag means anything then people thought it was pretty good. I think so too, it's a good map and it is a really good example of a fairly straightforward walkthrough map.      The story is that we are clearing aliens out from an ordinance facility, the first enemies we fight are HECU so I don't get it but whatever. This is told to us via exposition dump game text in a briefing room, after which we go through a teleporter, press a button to go through a door, and finally pi

Case Closed - Dunkelschwamm

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       Case Closed is one of the many singleplayer Half-Life mods ported over to Sven Co-op. We go around and see all the familiar sights around Black Mesa, especially the sewers, and eventually we are able to get out. SCMapDB page Original map author: EraSerx Conversion author: Hezus Date of original mod release: 2001 Date of final Sven Map release: 2005 Maps in package: 10 Map review of Case Closed (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | July 9, 2023 | 3163 characters      Case Closed is a conversion of a singleplayer mod called Case Closed. Play a singleplayer walkthrough which journeys players through funky testing labs, maintenance rooms, sewers, funky testing labs, maintenance rooms, and sewers!      Most of what is on display is standard Half-Life action stuff, but it plays decently well in Sven Co-op. I'd say I think some maps could stand to be stitched together for the sake of this, as they often end right after grabbing some HEV or equipment. This leads to some

Case Closed - GrandmasterJ

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      Case Closed is one of the many singleplayer Half-Life mods ported over to Sven Co-op. We go around and see all the familiar sights around Black Mesa, especially the sewers, and eventually we are able to get out. SCMapDB page Original map author: EraSerx Conversion author: Hezus Date of original mod release: 2001 Date of final Sven Map release: 2005 Maps in package: 10 Map review of Case Closed (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | July 9, 2023 | 4977 characters      We return back to Black Mesa once again in a port of a single player mod that puts us in the shoes of a janitor. We wander through familiar sights, mostly sewers, fight familiar enemies and eventually we hit a cutscene of our extraction and the map just kind of lingers there forcing me to end the map manually.      As soon as we start the map I notice something, I am lagging. My teammate doesn't have the same problem and I am hosting, it gets better in some rooms and worse in others so it is very obvio

Bridge 2k - Dunkelschwamm

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      The 2k version of Bridge (both were made in 2001) is lengthier with a whole complex to be explored after the bridge section. It is much more in line with traditional walkthrough maps and has far less respawning enemies. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Bridge 2k (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 21, 2023 | 3420 characters      Bridge 2k is a sequel or reimagining of sorts of Bridge, which is a map that I think wasn't terribly good. Bridge 2k honors that by also not being terribly good, and I'll go into why I think that here.      Bridge 2k's design philosophy is thus: take an obtusely long path to a blocky, flatly lit chamber, and then become inundated with respawning grunts until you are no longer inundated by respawning grunts.      I've gone to great lengths to describe what I think is bad about fighting respawning grunts in this fashion before, so I'll keep it contained to thi

Bridge 2k - GrandmasterJ

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      The 2k version of Bridge (both were made in 2001) is lengthier with a whole complex to be explored after the bridge section. It is much more in line with traditional walkthrough maps and has far less respawning enemies. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of release: 2018 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Bridge 2k (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 21, 2023 | 3166 characters      So I played Bridge which was a bridge with a bajillion respawning enemies and a paucity of ammo. The sequel/remake promised more, but did it deliver?      So my teammate spawns above, on top of the bridge, and I spawn under the bridge. This split up of spawn points really hampers any attempt we make at cooperating against the respawning grunts. While my teammate struggles with respawning human grunts and an apache up top I am throwing myself against about six turrets with respawning grunts below. It takes a while but I get the turrets down and eventually the grunts stop spawning an

Bridge - Dunkelschwamm

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    The map is a bridge covered in turrets and infinitely repsawning human grunts. There is a target at the far end we have to shoot in order to end the map. That's about it for the map description. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of release: 2001 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Bridge (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | May 18, 2023 | 4227 characters      Bridge follows the same simple conventions which gave us the Icon of Sin bossfight in Doom 2 back in the '90s: make a target you must shoot at an inconvenient angle, and guard that angle with infinitely respawning enemies. Ladies and gentlemen: Bridge.      The Bridge features a high road and a low road: both are inundated by turrets and respawning grunts. The low road has some unobvious routes to the higher route, but offers many more advantageous points from which players can deftly remove the turrets from the equation (the only enemies which do not respawn). The players on the topside have a harde

Bridge - GrandmasterJ

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      The map is a bridge covered in turrets and infinitely repsawning human grunts. There is a target at the far end we have to shoot in order to end the map. That's about it for the map description. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of release: 2001 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Bridge (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | May 18, 2023 | 3065 characters      The goal of Bridge is to cross the bridge. A whole swarm of human grunts, a plethora of turrets both sentry and ceiling mounted, and an apache stand in our way and all but the turrets respawn endlessly. Players have a shotgun and mp5 in addition to standard crowbar, glock, and medkit. It's a simple concept that I spent about 30 seconds in before deciding it sucked and turning cheats on.      I first spawn in and I am getting shot. The map has an upper part where we cross the top of the bridge and a lower part where we can climb up some rocks to the other side. Enemies waltz right into spawn to shoot p

Ragemap 2012 - Dunkelschwamm

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      I'm so angry! Because of this map! Because it is a RAGE map! We return to the collaborative community series with the 2012 edition, more rage and more map. SCMapDB page Authors: Nih, Puchi, Protector, RNG, JPolito, JaF, Tuesday's Avenger, StreamFox, CubicVirtuoso, Aurora, Prinzmetal, Zombiner, Mutant, Maiten, Hezus, Dynamite, Keen, Walter, g1l, AzShadow, Silencer, Zorbos, El Gringo (Due to the number of authors and the page tag limit of 20, not all authors are tagged) Date of release:2007 Maps in package:1 Map review of Ragemap 2012 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | February 26, 2023 | 5410 characters      Ragemap 2012 is the 2012 Ragemap compilation map for Sven Co-op. Like Ragemap before it, this is a heavy collaboration between many mappers, quilting together several vignettes of varying quality and style. Most of them follow a fairly linear action focus, but there are also lots of visual setpieces and puzzles mixed in.      Given the nature

Ragemap 2012 - GrandmasterJ

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      I'm so angry! Because of this map! Because it is a RAGE map! We return to the collaborative community series with the 2012 edition, more rage and more map. SCMapDB page Authors: Nih, Puchi, Protector, RNG, JPolito, JaF, Tuesday's Avenger, StreamFox, CubicVirtuoso, Aurora, Prinzmetal, Zombiner, Mutant, Maiten, Hezus, Dynamite, Keen, Walter, g1l, AzShadow, Silencer, Zorbos, El Gringo (Due to the number of authors and the page tag limit of 20, not all authors are tagged) Date of release:2007 Maps in package:1 Map review of Ragemap 2012 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | February 26, 2023 | 4641 characters      More rage in more map. This iteration of the community made ragemaps once again has an incredible diversity of gameplay, architecture, sounds, themes, and everything else. I would even say its got a bit more rage than the original too. So much stuff that it comes in two maps instead of the original's one.      This map is much like the other rage

Ragemap - Dunkelschwamm

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      Do you like to rage? The Ragemap is a community driven effort where many authors contribute parts of a map. The result is a crazy patchwork of different ideas with something new to see around every corner. SCMapDB page Author: A1win, Archanor, cold_blood3d, Crapaccino, cyberdaemon, Dred_furst, Dynamite, El Gringo, Fourth Letter, Frostbite, BlueFeena, g1l, Hezus, JPolito, Killer12137, Mr. Mazur, Nih, Police L.T., cSMG, Puchi, Qwerty, SharkMan, Silencer, Slay, The_6th_Monkey, WAR_Nuker (Due to the number of authors and the page tag limit of 20, not all authors are tagged) Date of release:2007 Maps in package:1 Map review of Ragemap (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | February 26, 2023 | 3266 characters      Ragemap is an action walkthrough map for Sven Co-op comprised of multiple one-hour map segments stitched together by various authors. Does it work?      The bread and butter of this map is standard Sven Co-op action walkthrough affair- crowbar, wrench, m

Ragemap - GrandmasterJ

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      Do you like to rage? The Ragemap is a community driven effort where many authors contribute parts of a map. The result is a crazy patchwork of different ideas with something new to see around every corner. SCMapDB page Authors: A1win, Archanor, cold_blood3d, Crapaccino, cyberdaemon, Dred_furst, Dynamite, El Gringo, Fourth Letter, Frostbite, BlueFeena, g1l, Hezus, JPolito, Killer12137, Mr. Mazur, Nih, Police L.T., cSMG, Puchi, Qwerty, SharkMan, Silencer, Slay, The_6th_Monkey, WAR_Nuker (Due to the number of authors and the page tag limit of 20, not all authors are tagged) Date of release:2007 Maps in package:1 Map review of Ragemap (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | February 26, 2023 | 3839 characters      I've never played a ragemap before this so I was pretty excited. It went more or less like I expected, a wild shifting landscape with all sorts of stuff to see and do. Every room offered something new.      I suppose the 'rage' part of this map is du

The Community Map Project - Dunkelschwamm

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      Featuring 15 authors, 7 years of development (or 12 depending on how you define 'development time'), and 7 individual maps, The Community Map Project is a beast of a map set. Somewhat unrelated, but this post taught me that Blogger has limits to how many labels a post can have, a max of 20, when I was tagging this post I was forced to leave out 'series' and 'Black Mesa'. SCMapDB page Authors: al_peggio, Amckern, Aurora, BMT, Dan200, eMTeG, Fortune2, Hezus, Koelzk, Morgan, Nih, PD-KC, Penguin, The_6th_monkey, The-Real-Game (Due to the number of authors and the page tag limit of 20, not all authors are tagged) Date of final release: 2009, updated version 2015 Maps in package: 7 Map review of The Community Map Project (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | August 14, 2022 | 11013 characters      The Community Map Project is a series of maps for Sven Co-op. They play as a mostly walkthrough set which features lots of action, some interesting set pi

The Community Map Project - GrandmasterJ

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    Featuring 15 authors, 7 years of development (or 12 depending on how you define 'development time'), and 7 individual maps, The Community Map Project is a beast of a map set. Somewhat unrelated, but this post taught me that Blogger has limits to how many labels a post can have, a max of 20, when I was tagging this post I was forced to leave out 'series' and 'Black Mesa'. SCMapDB page Authors: al_peggio, Amckern, Aurora, BMT, Dan200, eMTeG, Fortune2, Hezus, Koelzk, Morgan, Nih, PD-KC, Penguin, The_6th_monkey, The-Real-Game (Due to the number of authors and the page tag limit of 20, not all authors are tagged) Date of final release: 2009, updated version 2015 Maps in package: 7 Map review of The Community Map Project (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | August 14, 2022 | 6073 characters      This is an interesting map pack and presents somewhat of a problem to review. It's got about 15 authors and according to the map description it did not ha

The Void - Dunkelschwamm

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       I am not a fan of jumping puzzles, but this map does it right. There is nothing too crazy and I was able to complete the whole course thanks to the quality of life features like checkpoints and the color coding. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of The Void (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 18, 2022 | 4401 characters      The Void is a map that I'm very nostalgic for, so factor that in while reading this review. I remember playing this back in the day with an internet connection so slow I couldn't platform worth a damn, but I loved it anyway. Looking back, is it still as fun as I remember?      The Void's conceit is minimalism: color-coded grid-tile floors serve simple functions, from launching the player to hurting the player to being ladders to being water to being the next spawn point. These simple tools are used in an escalating series of platforming challenges that, on their face, seem very

The Void - GrandmasterJ

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      I am not a fan of jumping puzzles, but this map does it right. There is nothing too crazy and I was able to complete the whole course thanks to the quality of life features like checkpoints and the color coding. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of final release: 2007 Maps in package: 1 Map review of The Void (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 18, 2022 | 3098 characters      So first off, I am not a fan of platforming in first person. This whole map is a lot of platforming. I did manage to have a lot of fun though.      There are some really smart design choices like the color scheme, you may have to read the map description for an explanation on the colors. The colors actually remind me a lot of Portal, both minimalist and evocative while also being extremely practical. The map looks great, as the title suggests, the whole thing floats in a void. The undersides of platforms are null textured so so it is hard to see the next area.      The jumps themselves aren&#

Garg House - Dunkelschwamm

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       There are quite a few maps centered around the gargantua, this particular map has tons of enemies in it yet the gargantua gets all the credit. Players go through teleporters and end up in a big room full of enemies. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of final release: 2001 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Garg House (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | April 24, 2022 | 2320 characters      Garghouse2k is an endless combat map starring a garg, a warehouse (technically a house), an escalating series of events which makes combat more and more complex and intense. First you have a garg running around, then you have bullsquids, then the HECU invade, and then vortigaunts and alien grunts join in the fray- needless to say, things get pretty crazy.      Players spawn in a separated balcony where they can lord over the battle with mutual impunity. However, after jogging through a teleporter the players are thrust into the action on the ground level with the garg. All around the