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Showing posts with the label playable solo

Retrohunt - Dunkelschwamm

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      This map is not just Duck Hunt, it also has a Frogger section as well. Snipe aliens out of the air on one side of the map and dodge fast cars in another. SCMapDB page Author: LentoMan Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Retrohunt (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | February 4, 2023 | 2940 characters      Retrohunt is a map for Sven Co-op which aims to provide two minigames based on classic retro games Duck Hunt and Frogger.      Players begin in a stylish lobby which is Duck Hunt on one side and Frogger on the other, each with a teleporter leading to their respective game. It's an intuitive lobby and shows right away what kind of attraction you're in for. That said, unaware that Frogger would be the featured game, I took the Frogger environment to possibly be Hogan's Alley, which I consider a more comparable pairing for Duck Hunt.      The Frogger minigame is a bit chaotic, but not impossible to master. Players must cross fo

Retrohunt - GrandmasterJ

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    This map is not just Duck Hunt, it also has a Frogger section as well. Snipe aliens out of the air on one side of the map and dodge fast cars in another. SCMapDB page Author: LentoMan Date of release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Retrohunt (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | February 4, 2023 | 2792 characters      Retrohunt is not only a version of Duck Hunt remade for Sven Co-op, but it is also Frogger. Player start off in a room that is half dark alley and half bright NES hunting ground each with a teleporter.      In the Frogger side of things players are dropped onto a narrow sidewalk with four lanes of fast cars speeding by. When I first went through my teammate telefragged me by using the teleporter right behind me, so watch out for that. Actually crossing the road is an ordeal, as the cars are fast, deadly, and don't appear in an easily timed intervals as their speeds can change.      Getting across the road (and the floating platforms, thi

BBQWITTEHBEAR - Dunkelschwamm

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       Are you ready to barbecue with the bear? There is a story about a zoo being closed due to Covid but the gameplay is all about shopping in the supermarket down the road. The map is very British and has a lot of jokes and references about being British. SCMapDB page Author: Captain Scarlet Date of final release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of BBQWITTEHBEAR (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | October 6, 2022 | 4427 characters BBQ Wit Teh Bear is a creative comedy shopping simulator map for Sven Co-op. There's a sense of British humor in it that I'm not entirely familiar with, with lots of seemingly local memes and sensibilities. Despite not really connecting with any of that as an American, it's still very charming, creative, full of character, and fun.      The basic conceit is that you're trying to have a barbeque, but need to go shopping for ingredients. Players hop into func_vehicle buses (which work great, btw), arrive at a super market (wh

BBQWITTEHBEAR - GrandmasterJ

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      Are you ready to barbecue with the bear? There is a story about a zoo being closed due to Covid but the gameplay is all about shopping in the supermarket down the road. The map is very British and has a lot of jokes and references about being British. SCMapDB page Author: Captain Scarlet Date of final release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of BBQWITTEHBEAR (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | October 6, 2022 | 6874 characters      Well that certainly was something. This map contains no combat and instead focuses on running errands at a supermarket. There is a whole story about a zoo and some anime girls that have voice acting and large illustrations that float in mid-air. I don't get any of that, it all feels like a bunch of in jokes from a forum or group of friends. It's still a great experience even if I don't understand everything.      Players start off in a room with three doors. One could almost believe this is a generic and uninspired map from

Sneed's Feed & Seed - Dunkelschwamm

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       Remember the Simpsons episode about tomacco? Well this map is based on the store where Homer went to buy tobacco and tomato seeds in that one episode. SCMapDB page Original map author: Garfield (super163) Conversion authors: Zorik Date of original mod release: 2022 Date of final Sven Map release: 2022 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Sneed's Seed & Feed (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | July 28, 2022 | 2591 characters      Sneed's Seed n' Feed is a map converted to Sven Co-op which meticulously recreates its eponymous farming supply shop from The Simpsons and holds a couple fun easter eggs.      First off, this is easily one of the most meticulously brushed maps I've seen in Goldsrc. There's lots of individually crafted store items, farm props, tiny distant details over the mountains- each with defining characteristics baked into the brush detail, like pill bottles with caps, or a pitchfork with individually brushed tines. Doors have cyli

Sneed's Seed & Feed - GrandmasterJ

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      Remember the Simpsons episode about tomacco? Well this map is based on the store where Homer went to buy tobacco and tomato seeds in that one episode. SCMapDB page Original map author: Garfield (super163) Conversion authors: Zorik Date of original mod release: 2022 Date of final Sven Map release: 2022 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Sneed's Seed & Feed (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | July 28, 2022 | 3214 characters      Sneed's Feed and Seed (Formerly Chuck's) is a location from the Simpsons, it's a store nearby the old Simpson Farm and pictures of two locals can be found by jumping out of the map and walking around the big noob box.      The map itself doesn't have much to do, but it does have a lot to look at. There is an NPC (not really Barney although the model is based off of him) that kind of wanders around the front and a scientist manning the register. Neither can be killed. The store has a lot of brushwork commodities on the she

Ascii Art - Dunkelschwamm

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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 dunkelschwamm | July 16, 2022 | 3329 characters      Ascii Art is a map in Japanese that I cannot understand. However, with some patience, I *can* beat it.      Ascii Art is a map that I presume is full of humorous content, but unfortunately for myself the humor is meant for another culture altogether. I'm sure it's very funny in the appropriate context, but I cannot say anything about the textual jokes or contextual humor. What I can say is that the map has a very stylish monochromatic style and very fun cartoony characters. The environment is very charmingly crafted around representing an ascii world in a way that isn't invasive or overwhelming, but just very tast

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

rrrrrrrrr - Dunkelschwamm

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       There are nine r's. This is a very short map that feels more like a tech demo than anything else. Players fly through arches, throw grenades in holes, and make a face spin, and that's it. SCMapDB page Author: CryoKeen (aka Keen) Date of final release: Unknown Maps in package: 1 Map review of rrrrrrrrr (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | June 19, 2022 | 2261 characters      rrrrrrrrr is a map credited on this site to CryoKeen, though Keen's profile does not display this as one of his maps. I'm not entirely sure how to categorize it. It's perhaps a joke map, but the joke is so esoteric I don't know how to interpret it. It's like a Meredith Monk performance- I'll just be reviewing it very technically, as I concede I don't quite understand it.      After three brief puzzles, the map ends. Two of the puzzles involve images of people I don't know in a context I don't understand. I shot the first image, and after my teammate pre

rrrrrrrrr - GrandmasterJ

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      There are nine r's. This is a very short map that feels more like a tech demo than anything else. Players fly through arches, throw grenades in holes, and make a face spin, and that's it. SCMapDB page Author: CryoKeen (aka Keen) Date of final release: Unknown Maps in package: 1 Map review of rrrrrrrrr (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | June 19, 2022 | 1475 characters      This is a very short map, seemingly unfinished and very light on details. Other than knowing there are nine r's all I can say is that the map starts in a sewer, players activate a sign to get a Stargate SG-1 jumpscare before being launched through a bunch of arches and into a weird alien room with water and grenades. In the wall here are holes, throw the grenades in to reveal a teleport. The teleporter will cause players to telefrag so watch out. After the teleporter press two buttons to make the lady's face spin, it will explode so watch out again. Then at the end the map ends with

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&#

Arcade - Dunkelschwamm

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       Arcade feels more like an experiment than a full fledged map, but it recreates classic arcade games in Sven very well. There is also a jumping puzzle for those who get tired of the arcade machines. SCMapDB page Author: w00tguy123 Date of final release: 2016 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arcade (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | April 8, 2022 | 3058 characters      Arcade is an incredibly brilliant showcase of map entity magic at work. Play Tron Cycles, Pac-Man, Pong (1p or 2p), Snake, or a lolfunny TF2 meme. These machines sit in a very plain, paneled environment without much else to look at. But, what else do you need? You walk up, press a button, and then use your player input controls to play arcade classics. It's free old games in your free Sven Co-op. What's not to like?      If I had to have any complaint, it would be that when a player starts a game, they are locked in until the game they've initiated ends. This is particularly troublesome wi

Arcade - GrandmasterJ

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      Arcade feels more like an experiment than a full fledged map, but it recreates classic arcade games in Sven very well. There is also a jumping puzzle for those who get tired of the arcade machines. SCMapDB page Author: w00tguy123 Date of final release: 2016 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Arcade (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | April 8, 2022 | 3318 characters      This map is exactly what it says in the title, an Arcade. The arcade machines include two player tron, pac-man, one or two player pong, and snake. The fact that all of the arcade machines work near perfectly is just amazing. They even have scoreboards that will announce the high score for that machine. The map also has some nice music to go along with the arcade atmosphere. The level is small and half empty, but the arcade machines are the main attraction and they are impressive.      The map description says that some of his arcade machines are in some of Keen's maps, I actually experienced these m

5 Ways to Die - Dunkelschwamm

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       This map is a series of rooms with two doors to choose. One path leads to death and the other leads to the next room. There are 5 rooms. SCMapDB Page Original mod authors: The Hunter Conversion authors: CubicVirtuoso Date of original mod release: 2005 Date of final Sven Map release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of 5 Ways to Die (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | December 4, 2021 | 1514 characters      I'm not sure I understood the intent of this level. I think it was like, you had a coin-flip chance each room to die depending on your choice. I just happened to choose right each time and survived to the end- left, left, right, left- then you throw a grenade at a barney surrounded by trip mines, jump behind a blast shield, and the level is over. That was the extent of my experience. I believe my friend who made different choices than the ones I made as I went forward was killed by level geometry or something.      Was very short, very fast. I don't hav

5 Ways to Die - GrandmasterJ

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      This map is a series of rooms with two doors to choose. One path leads to death and the other leads to the next room. There are 5 rooms. SCMapDB Page Original mod authors: The Hunter Conversion authors: CubicVirtuoso Date of original mod release: 2005 Date of final Sven Map release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of 5 Ways to Die (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | December 4, 2021 | 1171 characters      The idea behind this map is not very good. You have a series of five binary choices (left or right) and choosing wrong kills you. The map description is accurate, it's pure luck, unless you go left, left, right, left, right, then you've cheated to the end. The puzzle at the end is throwing a grenade at Barney.      Overall, I didn't like it. Living or dying is arbitrary and the final puzzle is finding a way to detonate explosives, something Half-life and Sven players should know how to do at this point. The map ends after that and I ended up in the ca

Adventure 1 - Dunkelschwamm

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       Looking at the screenshots one can easily think this map is just a bad remake of the first Mario game. That is exactly what it is, a poor recreation of a side scrolling level in a first person shooter. SCMapDB page Author: Sultan William Date of final release: 2010 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Adventure 1 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | February 5, 2022 | 2236 characters      Adventure is a map by Sultan William. At the time of writing this review his biography simply reads "Lulz." on this page.      Adventure is a remake of level 1-1 from Super Mario Bros. The players begin in a spawn room with lots of ammo for the pistol you'll have moving forward. The side-view world exists in a large, open skybox room which you can easily fall off the sides of and die. Goombas are replaced by headcrabs and turtles are replaced by zombies. Mushrooms and coins are replaced by nothing because they aren't there. There's ? blocks but they don't seem

Adventure 1 - GrandmasterJ

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      Looking at the screenshots one can easily think this map is just a bad remake of the first Mario game. That is exactly what it is, a poor recreation of a side scrolling level in a first person shooter. SCMapDB page Author: Sultan William Date of final release: 2010 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Adventure 1 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | February 5, 2022 | 1704 characters      Adventure 1 is a bad remake of the first Mario level. Gordon can't jump as high as Mario so most of the platforms are unreachable without player stacks or cheats. Thankfully there is room to go around most of these obstacles, otherwise the pipes would block the players' paths and the map would be unwinnable. Watch out though, you can fall off the sides of the map and you will die. The enemies are annoying headcrabs. The map ends after players pass the flag.      There is the original Mario music in this map. It speeds up at one point, I thought that meant the map had a time limit

Ressya no Tabi - The Train Travel - Dunkelschwamm

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       The author of this map has made Sven famous with his or her other map, Pizza ya San. This map is very similar in style, the gameplay is completely changed so that players can take a nice sightseeing tour around Japan travelling by train. SCMapDB page Author: takedeppo.50cal Date of final release: 2019 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ressya no tabi - The Train Travel - (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 30, 2022 | 5636 characters      Ressya no tabi - The Train Travel - is a relaxing set of vignettes which make heavy use of custom scripting and some very appealing textures and models to create a vacation train tour. Throughout the adventure the players partake in multiple vacation-like activities, such as visiting a scenic overlook by a shopping district, climbing a castle under renovation, performing community service at a lake, making pottery, and visiting two temples. At each location there is some kind of activity to be performed, and often a run-in wi

Ressya no Tabi - The Train Travel - GrandmasterJ

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      The author of this map has made Sven famous with his or her other map, Pizza ya San. This map is very similar in style, the gameplay is completely changed so that players can take a nice sightseeing tour around Japan travelling by train. SCMapDB page Author: takedeppo.50cal Date of final release: 2019 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ressya no tabi - The Train Travel - (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 30, 2022 | 8977 characters      This map is great. The entire premise is that the players are taking a train trip to various locales There is a train station at the start of the map where players board the train, then players are teleported onto the train, already in motion, and get to explore all the cars. The first stop is some market in a downtown area, the second stop is a Japanese castle, then a pond, a pottery studio, a giant buddha statue, and finally a temple, for a total of six stops. Throughout the map players use cell phones to take pictures to rea