If you've played Left4Dead2 then obviously this brings back great memories of the Swamp level ? there's no denying that it has inspired the artwork to some extent, but it's even more impressive that you were able to find the right assets to combine with the theme, edit them, and apply them in the map so it elevates the overall feel and detail even more than it did back when L4D2 was released. I personally think this entry has the most impressive detailwork to bring the level alive. The small grass, rocks and blend textures all fit into one complete picture that feels realistic and comfortable. The water foliage in particular is amazing, and I'm surprised at the readability and clarity the map has, given its amount of flora.
However, it's sad that the map suffers heavily from performance. I'm running a 1050ti and I would be able to comfortably play Anubis or Mustang (and many other entries in the top-10) without problems. Even Cache ran a lot better than Swamp, and that map also has a ton of foliage and swaying. It's a huge bummer, because it drops below 50fps in many places. It's important to hold performance in high regards, because while CS:GO does go with hardware improvements over time, it remains a fact that many people run on a budget when playing Counter-Strike and think of performance as one of the most important factors when choosing to queue in MM or play on dedicated servers.
Therefore I think the most crucial working point for this map is to improve the performance. I could literally not even suggest ONE thing to improve the visual quality at this point, so I think you're safe to go all-in to improve the FPS. I'm not sure what exactly FMpone did to improve Cache over time, but one thing he certainly did was limit the amount of foliage props and replace it for blendtextures or something else, to reduce the overall polycount and drawcalls. Or, combine props to reduce drawcalls. Or reduce the amount of shaders that are being used in one space.
The one and only tiny suggestion that I can think of (visually), is that the text on the crocodile warning signs feels out-of-place. I don't think any realistic warning sign would say something like 'if you wanna be food then please go into the water' ? keep it in tie with the realism of the visuals. Also, while inventive and fun to experiment with, I'm just not a fan of the slowing down in the water thing. It's hindering flow (obviously the point, but still), and just makes me not wanna enter the water, ever. It basically seals a part of the map that could otherwise be used for good fun. It also makes no sense that the water in Swamp would slow you down, but not in Canals... I guess it's something to think about.
As it stands now, though, Swamp would be a deserved third place, almost solely due to the performance issues it is currently facing. Still, it holds up entirely on its own in all the other categories, and I don't see Swamp going anywhere else but the top-3.
Congratulations, and good luck crancking up those frames ?!
