Sven Co-op Map Reviews

       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

      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

       These Barneys do not attack, even if they did they can not hurt players. This is an old map back when Sven Co-op worked differently and Barneys could hurt the player, so the main gimmick of this map can no longer be realized. SCMapDB page Author: Keen Date of final release: 2000 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Barney Attack (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 28, 2022 | 1785 characters by dunkelschwamm | July 28, 2022 | 1542 characters      Barney Attack is a map with a bunch of Barneys in it, and as one can only expect, they sure do attack. The ground is a grate, around you are crates, ammo among the freight, Barneys throwing hate. Retaliate, or don't. Barneys can't damage players anymore because Sven Co-op updates often carelessly break balancing in existing maps apparently. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯      The players have a bunch of weapons. Snarks don't do shit, but grenades'll clear the Barneys out. There's a platform, a drop into a bottomless pit. It&

      These Barneys do not attack, even if they did they can not hurt players. This is an old map back when Sven Co-op worked differently and Barneys could hurt the player, so the main gimmick of this map can no longer be realized. SCMapDB page Author: Keen Date of final release: 2000 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Barney Attack (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 28, 2022 | 1785 characters      This map is a room with some destructible barrels (some float in midair), some basic sandbag barricades and military crates, and Barneys. There are grenades, HEV batteries, snarks, and some ammo on the crates. After a little while the first wave of Barneys spawns in. They are not hostile and they actually can not hurt players. Snarks do not target them and are completely useless in this map. According to the comments it seems like friendly Barneys used to be able to damage players and that was changed in later versions of Sven Co-op.      It should be noted that the floor is

       Assault the other end of the map! This map has a very simple layout, spawn on one end of the map, fight to the objective on the other side of the map.  SCMapDB page Author: Medlam Date of final release: 2000 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Assault (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 28, 2022 | 3203 characters      Assault is a pretty dumb fun not very pretty map. In harsher words, assault is a fun map that is dumb and kinda ugly. But, within, I think there's a lot of fun to be had.      The main conceit of assault is that the players assault a base that infinitely vomits grunts, and is heavily fortified with turrets, rescue a scientist with more HP and resurrections than Jesus, and take him back to base. To aid in accomplishing this, players are given a ton of weapons, lots of supplies along the way, some friendly Barneys, and a bunch of mounted turrets. The mounted turrets are great, gibbing grunts left and right with heavy bullets or explosives- and nei

      Assault the other end of the map! This map has a very simple layout, spawn on one end of the map, fight to the objective on the other side of the map.  SCMapDB page Author: Medlam Date of final release: 2000 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Assault (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 26, 2022 | 4664 characters      This is not a map without a point where players just kill enemy after enemy forever. There is a scientist with 1000 health locked in a cage directly across from spawn between two red doors that dump human grunts out.      So when I first spawned in I inspected an elaborate wall texture and noticed that some parts of the wall were offset from others, huh. Then I went through a door with a slightly misaligned texture that was like two feet thick with 'Freeman' written over it. It didn't Z-fight, but it did sink into the wall and disappear completely. I looked up and saw that the sign was it's own block taking up half the doorframe and th

       I don't really know what secrets I was supposed to find, but this map can sure be a place. Hallways, doors that aren't doors but breakable walls instead, and some other random stuff can all be found here. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Punk Secret Place (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 28, 2022 | 4393 characters     What can I say? Robootto does it again. Act I.      Punk Secret Place is a map about the secret place and the punks who find it. You'd need to be a punk, you see, for only punks take the time it takes to break through the breakable doors which permeate the first act of this 5-act play. Breakable doors, at least 100 of them I'm sure, all lead up to a boss door or sorts. There is a glass security door which takes, gosh, just so much to destroy. It's in a pretty cramped area, and bless robootto he gives an area up near spawn and the ammo respawners where people can fire

      I don't really know what secrets I was supposed to find, but this map can sure be a place. Hallways, doors that aren't doors but breakable walls instead, and some other random stuff can all be found here. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2003 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Punk Secret Place (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 28, 2022 | 4554 characters      This map will crash your game. I'm somewhat spoiling the punchline, but I think this is very important to know up front. Falling into the green goo at the end of the map will crash the game with a "Sv_HullPointContent: bad node number". Knowing what I do about the author, Robootto, I think this is entirely intentional. Edit 8/8/2022: Shortly after this review the crash was fixed, the crash was not intentional.      The map starts off strong with a very nice equipment room, but the rest of the map is a hallway. There are a few branches to this hallway but before The

       Artifact is a custom map converted to Sven from Team Fortress Classic. It's a hard as nails platforming map that has me questioning if there is an important change in player movement across games that makes the map harder than it should be. SCMapDB page Original map author: Kami Conversion authors: AdamR Date of original mod release: 2003 Date of final Sven Map release: 2020 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Artifact (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by dunkelschwamm | July 24, 2022 | 4815 characters      Artifact is a map that, much like the hidden temples in Indiana Jones, hides peril lurking beneath great beauty. The foliage, the textures for the stone reliefs, the models for the key objects, the waterfalls and giant trees- they all look fantastic. But within, trap brushes swiftly kill players and require hard jumps back to spawn and the backtracking that comes with that.      Let me just be up front: I didn't beat a single one of these puzzles wherein death was a threat

      Artifact is a custom map converted to Sven from Team Fortress Classic. It's a hard as nails platforming map that has me questioning if there is an important change in player movement across games that makes the map harder than it should be. SCMapDB page Original map author: Kami Conversion authors: AdamR Date of original mod release: 2003 Date of final Sven Map release: 2020 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Artifact (originally posted on SCMapDB)  by GrandmasterJ | July 24, 2022 | 8431 characters      I feel like every part of this map is engineered to be the most absolute bullshit. This is one of those maps where five minutes into playing it I look at the time limit, see that we have 70 minutes left, and think to myself "we're not going to beat this". My teammate and I used noclip the entire map, there was not one section that we did not cheat to get through. This map was originally made for Team Fortress Classic, I have to think to myself, is there some moveme

       This map is not a sequel. There is another map just called 'army' that has nothing to do with this map, I think the '4' refers to the version number. The map uses default textures and is one long hallway. SCMapDB page Author: Wildcat Date of final release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Army 4 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 24, 2022 | 4589 characters      Army 4 is a walkthrough map of impressive length and unimpressive mostly everything else. For much of the map you are pitted against soldiers, though at times it throws in aliens where convenient. Players subvert these enemies by shooting them with the lots of guns the map gives them. Players can dominate simple corridor-style open battlefields with convenient concrete walls with ease. Tanks are no match for players as they chuck grenades and counter-strike the tanks' supporting black ops snipers. Even shock troopers, dropped from the air as though conjured by the very spirit o

      This map is not a sequel. There is another map just called 'army' that has nothing to do with this map, I think the '4' refers to the version number. The map uses default textures and is one long hallway. SCMapDB page Author: Wildcat Date of final release: 2004 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Army 4 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 24, 2022 | 4116 characters      Army 4 is a boxy walkthrough map. The map consists of long hallways with simple, boxy architecture and enemies spawn in clumps as players proceed through the level. There was also a a point where we had to cheat to progress.      The map stats off with players at one end of a long outdoor cliff hallway, with grenades and mp5s. For some reason the mp5 has the m16 model so it can throw off veteran Sven players. the uzi has the mp5 model, its all very confusing. Enemies spawn in clumps right in front of the player, they seem to be positioned to get one or two behind players as well. Mor

       This map only has one room, or two if you count unreachable rooms, with a giant pyramid and a bunch of weapons and ammo scattered around. The only enemies are zombies that fall out of the sky forever. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2006 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Red Pyramide (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 21, 2022 | 2455 characters      Robootto does it again. red-pyramide is a baffling experiential digital space. Players may arm themselves as they find themselves encased with a red pyramid(e?) within a large silo of some sort, shallow liquid permeating the featureless base of it. A suspended walkway surrounds the very tip of the pyramid(e?) and extend bridges to meet in a circle around said tip. Up above, a shaft to the outside world directly above the pyramid(e?)'s tip drops freshly spawned zombies down into the tip. Players can use weapons from the surrounding area to combat these zombies if they wish. Maybe this works

      This map only has one room, or two if you count unreachable rooms, with a giant pyramid and a bunch of weapons and ammo scattered around. The only enemies are zombies that fall out of the sky forever. SCMapDB page Author: Robootto Date of final release: 2006 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Red Pyramide (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 21, 2022 | 2335 characters      There is a red pyramid. Like many of the author's (the author is Robootto) other maps this one is avant garde, strange, and somewhat poorly put together. It has an area that players can't reach, clashing textures not meant to be on walls, and true to the map description there is an unsettling sound playing in the background at all times.      The map layout itself is a large room dominated by a red pyramid in the middle. Players spawn on top of a walkway that goes around the perimeter of the room and has a bridge in the middle to a platform on top of the red pyramid. Zombies fall down fro

       The second map of Ascii Art is not quite a sequel and not quite a remake. The whole gameplay flow has been changed and a new area has been added, not to mention the whole map is now at night. SCMapDB page Author: enuze Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ascii Art 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by dunkelschwamm | July 21, 2022 | 3539 characters      Ascii Art 2 is a map in Japanese that I cannot understand. However, with some patience, I *can* beat it.      Ascii Art 1 was a charming map marred by a pretty unfun gameplay loop. Ascii Art 2 is a map that I also think is very charming and has a pretty unfun gameplay lop for totally different reasons. However, I do think this is an improvement and with lots of players the problems I have with this map really would melt away. Let's discuss.      First off, if you liked the style of Ascii Art 1, you'll really like the style of Ascii Art 2. Basically the same locations but at night. Very little new co

      The second map of Ascii Art is not quite a sequel and not quite a remake. The whole gameplay flow has been changed and a new area has been added, not to mention the whole map is now at night. SCMapDB page Author: enuze Date of final release: 2008 Maps in package: 1 Map review of Ascii Art 2 (originally posted on SCMapDB) by GrandmasterJ | July 21, 2022 | 3147 characters      This map is a lot like the first, the description says it is a nighttime version but that is not the whole truth. A lot of the map is the same architecture, but the spawn point and sequence of events is all different plus there is a new area and some new enemies. The terrible elevator is still there but now players have to deal with it at the end of the map and it is a lot more palatable now. But hey, there is only one elevator instead of two! That's big progress!      Players start in underground cells, this was about halfway through the first map. There are uboa zombies with tons of health and powerful

       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