Sven Co-op Map Reviews

    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 follow up to Svencoop 1, the sequel continues showing off things that can be done with Sven maps. Be warned, the map can be rendered unwinnable if you aren't paying attention. SCMapDB page Author: Sven Viking Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Svencoop 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 17, 2022 | 9968 characters      200 map special wooooo      Sven Coop 2 is the continuation of Sven Coop. It's a mostly linear walkthrough map with a couple puzzles, some combat, a crazy action setpiece at the end, and some wacky design decisions. Here I'll discuss them.      So, what is Sven Coop 2 trying to do with its design? I think it's trying to experiment- show interesting things that can be done in Sven Coop and spur creativity. Design is problem solving, and Sven Coop seeks very much to solve the problem of "How do we broaden what coop gameplay can be when applied to Half-Life's sensibilities?" Sven Coop 2

      The follow up to Svencoop 1, the sequel continues showing off things that can be done with Sven maps. Be warned, the map can be rendered unwinnable if you aren't paying attention. SCMapDB page Author: Sven Viking Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Svencoop 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 17, 2022 | 7913 characters      I couldn't really give an honest review of the first map in this series. It was really a demonstration and a bar setter for the rest of the maps for Sven Co-op. To be honest, I didn't much like it, but I'm spoiled with over 20 years of not only improved mapping resources but also fewer limits and more functionality of the engine. Svencoop2 comes right on the heels of the first map, just one year later. It keeps on demonstrating gameplay mechanics and has very fun cutscenes but it definitely wears on me a lot more than the first game.      The map starts off where the last one ended, a flooded room. T

       This map is based off the very popular anime Attack on Titan. The Chinese name for the anime is Jinji de Juren, which is where the name of the map comes from. SCMapDB page Author: Dr.Abc Date of final release: 2014 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Juren (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 10, 2022 | 3511 characters      Juren is a defense map styled after the hit Japanese animanga Attack on Titan! I have never seen/read the inspiration for this map, so I'll move forward with my review just assuming this is a perfect representation of the source material.      So, much like in the hit japanimanga Attack on Titan, people defend the village wall from hideous naked freaks of all sizes who lumber around like drunken toddlers waiting to be immediately rendered to goo by a well-placed wack on the back on the neck with a metal rod. The defender swing this rod while swinging themselves using a complicated system of pulleys (a barnacle) which sails straight through

      This map is based off the very popular anime Attack on Titan. The Chinese name for the anime is Jinji de Juren, which is where the name of the map comes from. SCMapDB page Author: Dr.Abc Date of final release: 2014 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Juren (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 10, 2022 | 3203 characters      This map is a great attempt at making Attack on Titan into a Sven Co-op experience, but unfortunately I just don't think this is the engine for killing titans like they do in the anime, chiefly rappelling around like spiderman with big swords slicing them up. Players are given the barnacles to do this but the hitbox just never seems to land for me. I think I have gotten a headshot or two with the barnacle and that will insta-gib the titans but really the whole mechanic is finicky at best, it never looks like the barnacle tongue hits them and it often goes right through a massive head and drags me through the titan to the wall behind it. I do

       Apprehension is a map that looks like Black Mesa but the story is about terrorists capturing scientists. There are also aliens here so if you ignore the story completely this map plays like yet another Black Mesa map. SCMapDB page Author: HeAdCrAb KILLA Date of final release: 2005 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Apprehension (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 5, 2022 | 6095 characters      Apprehension is the name of this map from HeAdCrAb KILLA. Despite the festive name, Apprehension is what I would consider to be a very straight-forward walkthrough action walkthrough map with a typical Black Mesa style. Specifically, the map focuses on grand fire fights between players, ally soldiers, and various enemy factions. Within the map you find yourself fighting grunts, robogrunts, robogrunt gargantuas, and Race X as your primary foes. You face these with an MP5, a shotgun, a handgun, grenades, and later a 357, a rocket launcher, and if you play your cards right qu

      Apprehension is a map that looks like Black Mesa but the story is about terrorists capturing scientists. There are also aliens here so if you ignore the story completely this map plays like yet another Black Mesa map. SCMapDB page Author: HeAdCrAb KILLA Date of final release: 2005 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Apprehension (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 5, 2022 | 5000 characters      I played the first half of this map quite a few times, there was a door that we just couldn't seem to open. But we revisited the map and tried again and it seems the map opens via a computer console in a security office. I know I've used that console many times in the past, why did it work now suddenly? I restarted the map and did some testing. You have to hit the button three times to open the door. Granted, there are three red lights that switch to green when you use it, but also I didn't notice that until my fourth playthrough of the map and only after I was s

       There are a lot of really cool and interesting things done in this map that are not found in other maps like having an open world, player classes, and non-linear objectives. Some mechanics work better than others but it all comes together to make a truly unique map. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of final release: 2020 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Search N Destroy (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 8, 2022 | 6589 characters      Search n Destroy is an objective based control point map which takes place in a desert-y setting reminiscent of Counter Strike's Dust maps with Opposing Forces grunts as the main enemies. To complete the map the players must plant C4 on several enemy weapons caches, find weapons throughout the map and return them to the base, conquer and defend 4 control points, and finally defend the spawn base from an enemy attack. During the offense portion of this you must also contend with grunts being dropped off by respawning Osprey

      There are a lot of really cool and interesting things done in this map that are not found in other maps like having an open world, player classes, and non-linear objectives. Some mechanics work better than others but it all comes together to make a truly unique map. SCMapDB page Author: Hezus Date of final release: 2020 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Search N Destroy (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 9, 2022 | 5763 characters      I like the idea of this map. Players start in a military base on the outskirts of a large middle eastern town. There are 6 piles of crates to destroy and four areas you have to capture. The gameplay is a scavenger hunt to find the objectives and also the four unlockable weapons.      When the map first starts out players spawn in a room with instructions and difficulty voting buttons. Any difficulty higher than the lowest has a cap on respawns and let me say I can not imagine playing this map without infinite respawns. There is

       Abandoned is an official map included in the Sven Co-op 4 and 5 releases. The map takes place in an abandoned section of Black Mesa during the events of Half-Life. SCMapDB page Author: Nih Date of final release: 2017 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Abandoned (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 1, 2021 | 4124 characters      Abandoned is a fairly decent action walkthrough map that's made for more players than I played with, and it shows. The map has a very loose and flowy progression which is somewhat refreshing at times, somewhat bumbling at others. The brutalist, industrial setting is convincing, but also stands to issue with many doors of differing importance often being lined up one after the other next to one another without much to distinguish them other than their position in the order.      Much of the map is made up of mostly well paced action sequences. It begins a bit rough at first for the arsenal given, but as the player's arsenal opens

      Abandoned is an official map included in the Sven Co-op 4 and 5 releases. The map takes place in an abandoned section of Black Mesa during the events of Half-Life. SCMapDB page Author: Nih Date of final release: 2017 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Abandoned (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 1, 2022 | 2330 characters      I haven't played many official Sven maps except for Toon Run, I had high hopes for this map. While the first half was going ok, the second half with the countdown really lost me.      The map is a scavenger hunt with shortcuts to the main spawn area opening up as you progress. This works really well for the most part, there are some areas that can get a little confusing but after shortcuts open up things get much easier to navigate.      Enemies come suddenly and in large numbers. This is definitely a map that needs quite a few players. The sudden barrages can and do overwhelm small groups of players. Luckily there are some great weap

    Finally, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has come to Sven Co-op! I am amazed at how close this map is to the actual Zelda game. It's definitely very janky, but it's more faithful to the original game than it has any right to be. SCMapDB page Author: w00tguy123 Date of final release: 2012 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Zelda OOT Conversion (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | December 1, 2021 | 5473 characters      The Zelda Ocarina of Time Conversion for Sven Coop is what it says on the tin executed better than I would have ever expected. Do I think it works? Almost! Do I think I'll be playing again? Probably not if I can help it.      The conversion covers the section of Ocarina of Time that would have been on a shareware disc if the game ever had one: the beginning village, and the Deku Tree. As an added bonus, the Lost Woods are around if you want to go get lost in them. The mod covers up to the first boss, Gohma- or at least I've heard, as m

      Finally, The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time has come to Sven Co-op! I am amazed at how close this map is to the actual Zelda game. It's definitely very janky, but it's more faithful to the original game than it has any right to be. SCMapDB page Author: w00tguy123 Date of final release: 2012 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Zelda OOT Conversion (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | November 30, 2021 | 5694 characters      This map is incredibly neat. The conversion is very faithful to the original. You need a sword and shield to progress to the Deku Tree, all the NPCs are here, the buildings have interiors, the enemies are here and work well. It's just all incredibly impressive.      I'm not going to get into why the map is great, it's Legend of Zelda recreated as faithfully as possible. I'm astounded by how close it is to the original, I really did not expect this level of quality from this map. Instead I'm going to complain about the pro

      Inflight is a small map with a simple concept. Players spawn in a destructible plane and alien controllers surround the plane and attack the players, damaging the plane in the process. Defend the plane until time runs out. SCMapDB page Author: Unknown Date of final release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Inflight (originally posted on SCMapDB)   by dunkelschwamm | November 28, 2021 | 2643 characters      Defend a destructible plane from an alien onslaught for as long as you can!      What a map. I feel like this was created with the goal of defending the plane as an after-thought to a destructible brushwork plane being made for shits and giggles. You know, I respect that. I have nothing but love for somebody deciding to make a fun toy and then deciding at the last minute to turn it into a game.      Unfortunately, the game itself isn't great. The destructible brushes of the plane are in wildly varying proportions, so attacks from enemies have an insane variety of conse

      Inflight is a small map with a simple concept. Players spawn in a destructible plane and alien controllers surround the plane and attack the players, damaging the plane in the process. Defend the plane until time runs out. SCMapDB page Author: Unknown Date of final release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Inflight (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | November 28, 2021 | 1166 characters      I had no expectations going in and all of them were met. This map is a fun little gimmick where the entire level is destructible and you have to survive and protect the airplane.      It was a little frustrating at first but then we started to experiment with climbing outside the plane and blowing out windows and it we got really into it. My teammate found the winning strategy, suicide immediately and stay dead and the alien controllers won't shoot at you. I'm reviewing this as I play, laying dead on the floor watching the timer count up. The game lasts for 8 minutes.

      1742 is a historically themed map complete with redcoats vs. . . .some other army, I don't remember. The map looks great but unfortunately does not seem to work properly. SCMapDB page Author: Sence Date of final release: 2011 Maps in package: 1 Map review of 1742 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | November 27, 2021 | 1824 characters     I'm really not sure what to say about this one. On the outside, it looks like an ambitious map: there are custom models, the map opens on a cutscene, there is a clear attempt to create a unique mod atmosphere and style all to itself, and there is a fairly impressive battle setup which plays out with varying levels of success.     As my friend and I attempted to play, one of us has a gun and the other did not- this made little difference, as he was unable to fire the weapon anyway. The battle commenced and we were separated by an invisible wall from the action. A wave of bluecoats overran the redcoats. After this action grind