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Alternative switch functions.

I have been loving the Portal test chamber editor and have been making/playing puzzles all week. But I immediately noticed some limitations with the tool set. Having a need for a few functions that weren't in the editor, I decided to use the tools given to us to "create" the functions I needed. I did this by thinking outside the box... as well as outside the test chamber.

Just to give you an idea of the sort of limitations I am talking about let me give you an example. Let's say you want to have a function that stays on after just one trigger. Sure you could use a podium button and set the timer to 0, but that is the only way to achieve such an effect and podium buttons aren't always ideal. The same is true for timed events. The only way to activate something for a limited time span is to use a podium button. At this rate our chambers will be nothing but podium buttons!

Why Valve declined to allow every trigger element to be timed or active infinitely is anyone's guess. But one thing is for sure there is no other way in the editor to have these sorts of triggers without using podium buttons.

My map Fun with Funnels and Faith Plates (URL at the bottom) includes a section that requires a panel to flip around (revealing a portalable surface) and remain in that position, after a cube is passed through a laser. The problem with this is obvious, once the cube passes the laser completely the laser reactivates and the panel flips back around to the non-portalable side. There is no way to set the laser receiver so that once the laser is blocked once, the trigger stays set forever. There just isn't an option for that.

So I made one.

I present to you, the "Single Trigger Always Active Device" or "STAAD" ...okay the name needs work.

Image Below:
http://i.imgur.com/7zQCu.jpg

It is quite simple, a set of lasers in the test power a light bridge in a hidden room that is outside the official test chamber. A second cube sits in this hidden room on top of a light bridge, over a super button. Check out my example map Alternative Activations (URL at the bottom) if the photos included aren't clear enough for you. The map demonstrates everything I talk about in this post, all in plain site.

It's not the most challenging test chamber but it is informative.

That said, when a cube passes through the lasers as part of the test, the hidden light bridge is momentarily shut off allowing the hidden cube to fall on the hidden super button below, which flips the panel back inside the test chamber. The hidden room is so small that even if the cube moves unexpectedly when it falls, it will always be in contact with the super button. There may be more efficient ways of doing this. But I have tried several iterations and variations and so far only this design is 100% reliable.

In fact the first version of this only had 1 laser and worked only about 80% of the time. The problem with Version 1.0 was the speed at which the cube passes through the laser vs. the speed at which the light bridge shuts itself off, allowing the cube to fall. The bridge was just too slow, the laser passage to quick. For some reason Valve has elected not to let us set the speed for our funnels, thus slowing down the cubes passage was out of the question.

But damn it where there's a will there is a way and my solution was the same solution to most of life's problems.

MORE LASERS!

Adding a cross laser slightly offset increased our reliability to 100%. To make this work the first laser receiver deactivates the second laser emitter as well as the light bridge. The second laser receiver only powers the light bridge. The moment that second emitter goes out the light bridge deactivates. This creates a nice little fail safe that works every time.

I typed up a flow chart diagram below just in case all of that went over your head.

Code: Select all
Laser ---> Receiver ---> Laser ---> Receiver
                 |                        |
                 Light bridge             Light Bridge

All of this is of course hidden from the test subject. To their eyes simply passing a cube through the lasers flips the panel and it magically stays flipped! This is just one example of how you can create a function not officially included in the tool set, using the features available to us.

Here are a few more. Feel free to use them in your own tests.

"Delayed Activation Device" or "DAD" ....Okay that name needs a lot of work.

Image Below:
http://i.imgur.com/c1Ryg.jpg

Podium buttons allow you to set how long you want something remain active, but you cannot tell it how long you want it to wait before activating. There are no delayed responses. This causes a limitation with things like elevators. By default the elevator will rise or fall the moment the test subject steps on it. Attach it to a trigger of some sort and you had better put it within a step or two of the elevator or it will move before you have time to get on it.

Let's say you want to make a puzzle where the player must push a button and then run (or portal) to the elevator before it rises. I do this in Room 3 of "Alternative Activations" my demonstration map. There is no way to achieve this result this without using DAD.

Here is how DAD works.

The button, laser, super button, etc you chose to activate the elevator, panel, gel, etc, that you want delayed, is actually connected to a cube dropper located over an excursion funnel off screen. When activated the cube lands in the excursion funnel and travels along (for as many seconds as you need) before hitting a wall and blocking a laser switch (or pressing a button) that activates the button, thus changing the elevators status. From the players perspective, they are pressing a button and 10 seconds later the elevator is going up just as they reach it.

"Timed Activation Device" or ...never mind you get the idea.

Image Below:
http://i.imgur.com/K5btN.jpg

While podium buttons allow you to time how long you want an activation to last for, you are still limited to podiums, and the podiums themselves are limited to a minimum of 3 seconds and a maximum of 30. While that may be enough for 99% of all test chambers, that 1% requires a solution. As do test makers who want to use something other than a podium button to time activations.

Here is how TAD works.

A carefully laid out laser path is constructed in a hidden room outside the test chamber. The laser receiver should be located at the end of an excursion funnel as pictured above. I do this using a trapped laser redirection cube (in a cage) pointing to the laser receiver to give me a right angle bend. There should also be a cube dropper at the beginning of this path. Alignment is key. At the end of the excursion funnel is a grid that destroys the dropped cube. Make sure your cube dropper is not set to auto spawn a new cube.

When the test subject triggers the event (lets say they fling a cube into a button on the wall to open a door) they will see the door open for as long as you have set it (however long your excursion funnel is) before closing again. In reality the button they triggered drops a cube into the excursion funnel off screen. The cube travels down the funnel blocking the laser the entire way (this opens the door and keeps it open for the duration of the ride) until time is up and the door closes.

Because this does not use a podium button the timed event is silent. No ticking clock sound. This adds an extra element of difficulty to your chamber.

"Pulsing Activation Device" aka PAD.

Image Below:
http://i.imgur.com/uowiC.jpg

In my test chamber "Precision Science: Light Bridge Barrage" (URL at bottom) I use a light bridge to block the players progress. Most chambers would simply include a manner of turning off this bridge as a goal, but not in a Precision Science chamber. Instead the player activates a pulse and the light bridge turns on and off in a predictable pattern requiring the player to pass through at the right moment. You use the same effect on a laser field, emancipation grid, a door way that reveals a turret, etc.

Here is how it works.

The test subject presses a super button. This super button powers an Aperture Science non-stationary scaffold which moves from left to right. As it moves from side to side it blocks and then unblocks a laser emitter mounted to the ceiling/floor which turns on and off the light bridge blockage.

The result is a timed event that must be passed through at the proper moment.

That's all I have for now. I hope this post gets your creative juices flowing and we see some more ideas about how to trick the puzzle creator into letting us do things it wasn't designed to do. I look forward to reading/stealing your ideas.

That said if you found this interesting, funny or informative I would really appreciate it if you played/rated the three maps I currently have hosted in the Workshop. Their names/urls are once again listed below:

Alternative Activation Methods.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... d=71728636

Fun with Funnels and Faith Plates.
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... d=68688247

Precision Science: Light Bridge Barrage
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... d=71222543

Hope you guys enjoy.

-LOTYBOY

Thanks for sharing! Some other guy created some examples as well, I made a thread about it here: puzzle-creator/nice-map-with-logic-examples-for-or-buttons-and-more-t6281.html

be careful with a hell of a lot lasers, they tend to make maps really really laggy. You can also use a funnel and a hard light bridge, that's cheaper :)

You can also use Hammer! :D

My Maps:
[spoiler][SP] Alternate[/spoiler]
Vordwann wrote:
You can also use Hammer! :D

:potd:
This is the best way :D

Isn't it always? :)

Though I must say I like these hidden "machine room" solutions. Very Minecraft-like!
(Note to self: make another Rube Goldberg map)

Sendificate series: Sendificate | A Beam Too Far | Airtime | 302
Other Portal 2 maps: Medusa Glare
Portal 1 maps: Try Anything Twice | Manic Mechanic

The only problem with these kinds of solutions is that the PTI editor adds loads of crazy confusing symbols all over your map, so you'll probably end up putting it into hammer to sort those out anyway. At which point you might as well have just done the logic in there.

---------------------------
My maps: Double Bill / Jam / Oval Window / Gymnasium / Gymnasium Part 2 / Minimalism (collection) / Resolution
All feedback welcome!
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Oh yes, that's true.
Man, I hope Valve thinks of some way to add logic gates to the editor without making it too confusing.

Sendificate series: Sendificate | A Beam Too Far | Airtime | 302
Other Portal 2 maps: Medusa Glare
Portal 1 maps: Try Anything Twice | Manic Mechanic