Sven Co-op Map Reviews

       Released officially in the Sven Co-op 4 release, this map claims to have leaks. The name is a non-sequitur, as the main point of the map is to retrieve the scroll of wisdom. SCMapDB page Author: Skacky Date of final release: 2011 Maps in package: 1 Map review of It Has Leaks (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 15, 2022 | 3300 characters      It Has Leaks was an old favorite of mine back in the Sven Co-op 4.0 days. Of course, those days are long ago, and we've come a long way. Does It Has Leaks hold up?      The first thing you'll notice about IHL is its striking style. It has a decidedly Quake/Hexen 2 feel to it, and takes place entirely in dingy Eldritch libraries. Everything from the red skybox to the lighting is fantastic throughout the map, and the visuals hold up even after all these years.      The enemies you'll be fighting throughout are alien controllers, pit drones, voltigores, and a ...

      Released officially in the Sven Co-op 4 release, this map claims to have leaks. The name is a non-sequitur, as the main point of the map is to retrieve the scroll of wisdom. SCMapDB page Author: Skacky Date of final release: 2011 Maps in package: 1 Map review of It Has Leaks (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 16, 2022 | 4471 characters      I played It Has Leaks years ago back when it was a map included in SC4. I don't remember much of it or how I felt about it then. But now that I've played it again it is solidly all right.      Before I even get into the map itself I want to talk about the textures. The whole map takes place in a library and there are some interesting textures used for the library shelves. There are jars of weird liquids, scrolls, and of course books. The lighting is very moody and really sells the fantasy medieval library vibe the map has. The architecture is somewhat alien and reminiscent of Qu...

       The author of this map appears to apologize for making each of his maps. I found this very interesting and I just had to experience BingusMaster's maps to see for myself. SCMapDB page Author: BingusMaster Date of final release: 2020 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Castle Map (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 16, 2022 | 2574 characters      I'd like to preface this review by saying that, in the description the author of this map seems to be apologizing for making a map. I hope they continue making maps, because I truly think that, as a beginner mapper, BingusMaster shows great potential.      Castle Map is a short action offensive map wherein players swiftly overthrow a castle. The castle comes complete with a moat which traps the player until they commit suicide, some weird flag or something to the side of the castle with a canopy tarp wrapped around it. Attacking that triggers a grunt ambush to teleport i...

      The author of this map appears to apologize for making each of his maps. I found this very interesting and I just had to experience BingusMaster's maps to see for myself. SCMapDB page Author: BingusMaster Date of final release: 2020 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Castle Map (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 16, 2022 | 3454 characters      When I read in the map description 'sorry for making another map' I just had to see what this map was all about. I played the author's only other (at the time that this was written) map on scmapdb Act of Bingus, the map description for that map promised it would be his last map. I've never played anything where the author was apologetic for making it up front like this.      The map starts off in front of a castle. The map design is very blocky and simplistic. The floor texture inside the castle does not look like it was made to be tiled, the whole thing was clearly a single te...

       In the map description the author promises this is the last map he'll ever make. I don't know what the story behind that is, but I just had to experience it for myself. SCMapDB page Author: BingusMaster Date of final release: 2020 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Act Of Bingus (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 16, 2021 | 2117 characters      Act of Bingus is a charming little arcadey map clearly made for a handful of gags that doesn't overstay its welcome. Two rival shops face one another. The players are given ludicrous weaponry right out the gate with very quickly respawning ammo for a great time. High HP enemies spawn in in waves to battle.      Two players running around hammering high HP enemies with SAWs containing way too much ammo is the most satisfying tedium can get, but tedious it does get before its short runtime is complete. Thanks in part to the overly simplistic arena layout, battling enemies...

      In the map description the author promises this is the last map he'll ever make. I don't know what the story behind that is, but I just had to experience it for myself. SCMapDB page Author: BingusMaster Date of final release: 2020 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Act Of Bingus (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 16, 2022 | 2988 characters      I don't know why, but I had high hopes going into this map. It wasn't as good as I had hoped, but I will say it was better than my teammate thought it was going to be.      Players start in front of the Bingus store. I don't really know what a bingus is, but apparently it is some sort of meme. That's the problem with meme maps, the ever shifting meme landscape pushed this map into comedic irrelevancy fast. It also references an ancient meme from before the word meme was pushed into pop culture, my teammate had to explain it to me before I slowly realized that I had experienced...

       Acopz is a simple two map series where players must destroy a generator that powers the Xen invasion and then kill a boss in the second map.  SCMapDB page Author: matman Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Acopz (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 16, 2022 | 2233 characters      Acopz is a couple of little maps which feel like fun little beginner maps. You can tell there's a lot of budding ideas and concepts under the surface, but the maps are ultimately unambitious and timid in execution.      For the most part you simply move through lazily lit, blocky rooms with an overabundance of ammo and supplies. Rooms often feel bizarrely proportioned, with an oddly claustrophobic vibe to some of them.      The first map features a moment of unnecessary backtracking which ultimately turns out to just be a straight march back to spawn, then through a couple rooms, right into...

      Acopz is a simple two map series where players must destroy a generator that powers the Xen invasion and then kill a boss in the second map.  SCMapDB page Author: matman Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 2 Map review of Acopz (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 16, 2022 | 2233 characters      Acopz is a very short amateurish attempt at making a map series. There are no major problems in the map design except maybe some destructible objects necessary for progression not being obvious enough.      Players spawn in a room filled with weapons and ammo, and with double health and HEV chargers on the wall. It felt great starting the map with 100 HEV and full ammo.      The map design is rudimentary and simple. The rooms were bland and uninteresting. The enemies were placed in weird ways. The first combat in the map has players going down a ladder and pressing a button to open a door. On the ...

       Surface Run is a map where players must run to the surface. It's a conversion from a standalone mod that takes place in Black Mesa. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: noSICK Conversion authors: Outerbeast Date of original mod release: 2011 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Surface Run (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | January 16, 2022 | 3530 characters      Surface Run is a Half-Life mod with some really novel ideas. I didn't play it but from what I can tell it has a lot of differences from its original version and this conversion, which I understand takes many liberties with the stories, monsters, and items. So, as such, I'm going to review it as its own thing.      Surface Run is a Sven Co-op mod with some really novel ideas. It takes the player into an underground facility run by a malicious science organization trying to make more resonance cascades. Well- OH NO- they d...

      Surface Run is a map where players must run to the surface. It's a conversion from a standalone mod that takes place in Black Mesa. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: noSICK Conversion authors: Outerbeast Date of original mod release: 2011 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Surface Run (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | January 16, 2022 | 3918 characters      The objective of the map is simple, run to the surface. Players spawn at the elevator to the surface and are told their first objective is to find a medkit. If players use the elevator they get a message saying it needs a keycard. This first part has players wandering around with no weapons. The map is fairly linear until player get to a grate that breaks underneath their feet plunging them down into a portal to Xen.      This is where the map starts having some issues. My teammate died during this fall to Xen and I don't know ...

       Access Point is a standalone mod converted to work in Sven Co-op. The whole goal of the map is to escape from Black Mesa. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: Dr. Orange Conversion authors: Mikk Date of original mod release: 2018 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Access Point (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | January 16, 2022 | 4920 characters      Access Point is a singleplayer mod that I have never played by (the, I'm presuming, mysterious) Dr Orange. Access Point for Sven Co-op is a port of that singleplayer mod by mikk. And boy, what a port it is.      Access Point is a fast-paced singleplayer map which acts as a vertical slice of all of the action in the first half-dozen-or-so chapters of Half-Life. There are headcrabs, houndeyes, barnacles, vortigaunts, and grunts battled through fast and satisfying mini-battles throughout the exploration of the locale. Said locale is o...

      Access Point is a standalone mod converted to work in Sven Co-op. The whole goal of the map is to escape from Black Mesa. SCMapDB page Original mod authors: Dr. Orange Conversion authors: Mikk Date of original mod release: 2018 Date of final Sven Map release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Access Point (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | January 16, 2022 | 3376 characters      This map I another port of a stand alone Half-Life mod. Unlike most other ports of mods this one is very short. At the beginning of the map it gives players a vote on a hard or medium difficulty. It's so short that my teammate and I played the map twice, on both difficulties.      The first problem with the map is that since it's a port of a singleplayer mod there is a shortage of ammo. There are only two underbarrel grenades for the M16 in the whole level and not much M16 ammo either. Shotgun and magnum rounds were plentiful, but seemed ...

       Maps that attempt to recreate a sport are fighting an uphill battle. Ball physics are simply nonexistent. The ball in this map is a pushable ashtray. SCMapDB page Author: acehigh Date of final release: 2005 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ace Football (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 16, 2022 | 2925 characters      ace-football is a goof-off map which takes place in a soccer field complete with an ash tray to use as the soccer ball. It's pretty simple to play. There's no automatic reset after a point is scored, and points being scored are counted in the moment only by a text notification of a team scoring a goal and nothing else. In addition to this, there is also an admin room with buttons to move brushes across the field, catching and squishing players. Player spawns are in a red or blue team locker room, so delineating teams is as easy as leaving it to spawn order.      Where this map goes somewhat off...

      Maps that attempt to recreate a sport are fighting an uphill battle. Ball physics are simply nonexistent. The ball in this map is a pushable ashtray. SCMapDB page Author: acehigh Date of final release: 2005 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ace Football (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 22, 2022 | 2638 characters      I never expected a working football map in Sven Co-op. But I had hoped for something fun. I don't think this map delivered fun.      I spawned in the red locker room. For some reason the red locker room has another room filled with friendly enemies. There was a Big Momma, Shock Trooper, two soldiers, one of the npcs had the skin of the floater, an enemy cut from Half-Life, and some others. These NPCs did nothing but leave the room and get in the way of the players. The blue locker room does not have this menagerie of useless barriers.      Outside of the locker rooms is the football (so...

       Jump Fall is a map with one spot where you jump and then fall. The rest of the map is a somewhat broken jumble of things. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2005 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Jump Fall (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 15, 2022 | 1583 characters      I don't even know what to say about Robootto's maps anymore. They just unfold and unfold and unfold just enough for you to believe there's going to be a light at the end of the tunnel, but it's always just confusion and disappointment.      This map is no different.      After a series of confusing events whose events seem untied to one another, mostly involving finding out which spawn room you appeared in at different ends of the map, other times involving finding hordes of enemies. Sometimes you find big troves of ammo.      After aimlessly wandering there's nothing much left to this map. I r...

      Jump Fall is a map with one spot where you jump and then fall. The rest of the map is a somewhat broken jumble of things. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2005 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Jump Fall (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 15, 2022 | 3215 characters      Whenever I play maps made by Robootto I get one of two distinct feelings. One feeling is 'this is absolute garbage' and the other feeling, which this map gave me, is 'this map is made to piss me off'.      I downloaded the Big Robootto map pack which means I got not only this map, but two earlier versions of this map as well. So I got to see behind the curtain of this map, just a bit. There is a lot going on, there are a lot of rooms, and I have no clue how to get to any of them.      The map starts in one of two places, either a room with a load of weapons, a glass plug in the floor, a glass window, and a door. Or ...

       You may notice there is no 'In Prison 1' on the Sven Co-op map database. The first and third map in this series is included separately in Robootto's Big Map Pack. Both of these maps are different, and worse, versions of this map. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2001 Maps in package: 1 Map review of In Prison 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 15, 2021 | 3169 characters      Robootto strikes again. If you're familiar with Robootto, you know that means we're going to be groaning!      In Prison is a map made out of inconveniences glues together by contempt. At multiple points in this map I felt like Robootto was making a fool of me by my somehow deciding to continue playing this may through.      The first trial of patience and woe is the prison cell within which the players begin this map. It's a standard cell lazily blocked out to house furniture reminiscent of a small s...

      You may notice there is no 'In Prison 1' on the Sven Co-op map database. The first and third map in this series is included separately in Robootto's Big Map Pack. Both of these maps are different, and worse, versions of this map. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2001 Maps in package: 1 Map review of In Prison 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 15, 2022 | 2613 characters      This map starts out the player in a jail cell with a cabinet holding nothing, a light switch that plunges the room into darkness, snarks, and a counter with far, far too much health. The player must spend an eternity wailing on the counter in order to break it and then go through the vent to freedom. There are Barneys here but they do nothing. It's also important to mention that the one source of snarks here in the spawn are the only weapons present on the map and if you want more snarks you're out of luck.      Outside th...

       This is a map based on Everquest, something I have zero experience with. At the very least the map is dripping in fantasy aesthetic, from the level design to the custom models, the map reminds me of playing Dungeons and Dragons. SCMapDB page Author: Sword666 Date of final release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Nagafens Lair (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | January 15, 2022 | 4306 characters      Man what the fuck did I just play?      Nagafen's lair is an incredibly unambitious attempt at a very ambitious idea. Teleporter-based class selection informs which kind of character you'll be, though the icon of the helmet gives the player a crowbar, a wrench, a pistol, and a medkit, all of which are pretty crucial to proceeding. My teammate chose different classes but seemed constantly hurting for utility.      The actual gameplay starts confusingly with a lava flow scene devoid of scale or grandeu...

      This is a map based on Everquest, something I have zero experience with. At the very least the map is dripping in fantasy aesthetic, from the level design to the custom models, the map reminds me of playing Dungeons and Dragons. SCMapDB page Author: Sword666 Date of final release: 2021 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Nagafens Lair (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | January 15, 2022 | 4195 characters      The screenshots for this map look very promising. I had really high hopes for this map and I was disappointed. Now, to be fair, apparently this is the mappers first map. For somebody's first map ever, it could definitely be worse.      Overall, the map is short. It starts the player off in an area with some NPCs with custom models in a corner that my teammate killed immediately. I don't really know what was going on with those. On the other side of the room are holes with symbols above them. This map is based on Everquest...