i need advice - i want to improve
I've been a huge fan of Portal 2 since it came out and when the level designer came out, I made a lot of levels.
At first they were very simple, and in hindsight way too easy. So then I decided, to make my levels into giant complex labyrinth chambers. Realizing that the difficulty on these levels was not the actual requirement of skill, but just annoying and time consuming, I scrapped those.
I started playing levels by Romb, Geneosis, Elfarmerino, Leo, Mevious, etc. and they really opened my eyes. At first, even their easiest levels were way too hard for me, but then I learned a lot of concepts such as funnel pulling, reversing funnels to hold cubes, lightbridge hopping, infinite falling, sustaining momentum, etc. At first I implemented all of them in my level design, but it lacked the togetherness of many great levels I've seen, so that once those concepts were understood, the levels felt very empty.
After playing their levels (and levels from other people), I changed my perception of a good level from large long and complex, to simple and minimalist (but still challenging).
I want to make levels like that, but I always have difficulty. To those who make great levels, how do make them. Do you start with the exit and work your way backwards? Do you start at the beginning and improvise? Do you always know what concept you will use or does it naturally just happen when you discover it midway into making the chamber?
If someone has a video of them making a level, I'd like to see it.
Thanks for the help guys.
Level building is a creative process, so I'm not sure how helpful you'll find a video. If you look at the levels you've described you'll see that many are based on a single trick with a single mechanic, such as Dread by Mevious. The level is built around the cube, light bridge, and piston platform, with other supporting elements that are necessary to make the puzzle work. Often these can be used to enforce some sort of objective, like how in a few of his maps the goal is to bring a light bridge to the beginning and use it to cross a pit to reach the end. To create these puzzles isolate a concept, and then add what is needed to turn it into a proper test chamber.
Here is an example of such a chamber: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... =114266092
I am so happy to someone getting it 
The minimalistic style of mapping is great, and I will tell you how I create my maps in that fashion
Personally I start with the entrance, and sometimes plop an exit someplace in the map. I choose 1-3 elements I will be using(The fewer the better, never more than 4). I try to start with just one really, then I add more as the puzzle builds. The key is to reuse elements. like as soon as you have access to two elements, create an obstacle that can only be conquered by using both of those elements. it is also awesome if you can do this by not adding new space to the chamber, or build upwards. Puzzles seem really well built if they use the same room for multiple puzzles, and the elements are reused multiple times for various new puzzles.
I hope this helps a bit (I also I hope you understand what I'm saying, I ramble sometimes)
To make a good puzzle, I usually manage to think up first what kind of puzzle it's going to be, let's say, a puzzle with a specific element. Then you think of small concepts that could be part of the puzzle with that element and adding other small concepts to that same puzzle, and in the end, it will come out as a big concept. When you make the puzzle, decide where the exit and entrance will be and try to remove extra unnecessary things like extra cubes when you can use the same cube. Also remove glitch prevention you don't actually need if there is.
Glitches are just an alternative solution. I hate when people put clip or invisible fizzlers in order to deter their solution to the player.
To me; puzzle maps should be all about experimenting and coming up with unique concepts which the player can have fun with. The only map I'm not too overly proud of is Chickentest_2.
Here's my process:
- Brainstorm and think of ideas in the shower!
- Write it down (not while in the shower)
- Draw possible concepts ON PAPER
- Quick draft in Hammer (because most times I use things you cant make in the PTI)
- Play, test, refine! (repeat)
Sometimes I have found out a main concept by fiddling with the engine and other entities which I used while making scripts for HL2DM. There are more entities than funnels, bridges, panels and lasers!