Sven Co-op: Pleasing Taste, Some Monsterism

Like Sven Co-op? Want to ensure that it keeps going, and give the people who make it happen something for their trouble? Well, why not use our donation system.

The idea is that we continue our toil to supply the game at no cost, and you have the ability to give a few dollars or so to the Sven Co-op team if you like what you get. This will primarily be used to pay for hosting and domain fees, development servers, etc. Anything left over will partly be used as rewards for team members, giving us more reason to continue work to make the game better, and partly on things that benefit the game and community.

To reward donors for supporting the game, we've created a few bonuses for them. If you donate $5 you'll get the Electrified Crowbar, and if you donate $8 or more you'll get both the Electric Crowbar and the Gilded Uzi/s. There's even been a not-so-secret bonus feature since Sven Co-op v4.0! None of these are available to non-donators, except in offline games. (Note: All amounts are in US dollars) (Note 2: The weapon models shown below are outdated and look much better now.)

With the Electrified Crowbar, the player character figures out a way of connecting the crowbar to the HEV suit's battery power (alt-fire toggles the connection), causing arcs of electricity to pulse around its surface. The crowbar then does double damage, but takes a bit of battery power per hit. Sparks fly when the crowbar hits a wall, and all-new sounds are used. It even works with custom models (e.g. swords).

The Gilded Uzi/s are slightly more powerful than normal and replace the normal Uzis. However, there's an option to switch to the normal, black skin, if you'd like a change (without losing the extra damage).

How this works: Once you send your donation, you will be given instructions on checking your unique Steam ID (not your CD key. Steam IDs are used for identification purposes on servers). Send this back, and we'll hardcode your ID into Sven Co-op itself. Then you'll automatically get the bonus features in the next released version of the game, and all future versions. The game can actually connect to an online server to retrieve the latest donator list, so you will most likely get the features before the next game release. The normal players will see you running about with blue lightning zapping about your crowbar, and turn green with envy (their player models actually turn green - we coded it in! ---- just kidding) ;)

How to donate: If you have a credit card or PayPal account, you go to PayPal's page, fill in your information and the amount to donate, and PayPal arranges things straight away. It's secure and encrypted, and only PayPal (a company owned by eBay) ever gets hold of your credit card information.

To donate, use one of the links below. Many thanks to everyone who supports the game!! We seriously would never have come this far without you.

Kids, if you haven't asked your parents' permission: naughty naughty, but Sven forgives you.
(This is a joke. Kids, ask your parents first!!)

Click Here for full instructions.

Once you've filled out the fields and clicked "Continue", you're taken to a second page where you have to enter a valid E-mail address.

$5 is the minimum that will gain you a bonus feature (electric crowbar).

Yes.

I do not live in the USA, how can I find out how much US$8 is in my currency?

Check XE.com for an online currency converter.

If I donate, when do I get the bonus features?

An online list of donators can be updated at any time, so you will be given access to the features as soon as possible. Your ID will also be hardcoded into the game as soon as the next version of Sven Co-op is released.

I have more than one copy of Half-Life/Counter-Strike Retail/Blue Shift/Day of Defeat Retail, can I get the features for more than one Steam account without donating extra?

If you have an extra account (owned by you) that you wish to add the features to, or such, this shouldn't be a problem.

Do donators get the gilded Uzis/Electrified Crowbar at the beginning of all maps (even when other players don't get normal Uzis/crowbars)?

The gold Uzis replace the normal Uzis, and the electrified Crowbar is an additional option to the normal crowbar. So if you don't get a crowbar or Uzi/s at the start of a map, you will have to pick them up from somewhere.

What if I don't like the look of the gold Uzi skin?

There is an option to disable this without losing the extra damage. Look in the Command Menu under Settings/Donor Options.

I can't, or don't want to, donate. Is there any other way that I may get the bonus features?

You will be able to use the features offline and in LAN games, but if you wish to use the features online, you will need to donate. However, people who contribute content included in the game tend to be given the donator features as well.

What if a donator distributes the bonus files to everyone?

There are no bonus files, so they can't be distributed. The system works by the server code comparing your unique ID to a list, so you can only get the bonuses if your ID is on the list.

Could people get the bonus features through hacking?

While it might be possible to hack the server .dll to give yourself the features, even if it was done, it would only affect things while you were running your own server. On anyone else's server, things would be the same as ever. If someone tried to hack into Steam to change their ID, they would have Valve to deal with.

Are donations refundable?

As it would cost us money to do so, we cannot offer refunds on standard donations. However if special circumstances are involved, e.g. an accidental double payment, please e-mail me and I'll see what I can do.

I don't believe an electrified crowbar, gilded Uzis that are slightly more powerful, and a secret bonus feature are worth the $8. Why should I pay you for them?

Your donation is not a purchase -- the money will be used to make the game better. The bonus features are purely a thank-you for supporting the game.

Can I get more features if I donate more than $8?

While donations above the recommended $8 are much appreciated, we do not offer any additional bonus features. This is not negotiable, so please don't ask for extras.

Are you planning to add in extra bonus features in the future?

A secret bonus feature might have been added in Sven Co-op v4.0. Shh! Don't tell anyone :).

Don't you feel this is unfair for some players who cannot donate, and so deal less damage?

First of all, Sven Co-op is a coop game where all players are on the same side. If someone kills an Alien Grunt in less Uzi shots than his teammates, he's helping the other players, because they are all on the same side. This is unlike other games where the players are competing against each other. Secondly, we have also made sure that the donation features are balanced. For example, the electric crowbar deals double the damage, but takes away armour points with every successful hit that you make. As for the extra damage dealt by the Uzis, a non-donating player who can aim straight is still going to do considerably better than a donating player who couldn't hit a barn door. Neither the Electric crowbar nor Gilded Uzis will make a huge difference to gameplay, they're just cool :).