Forum | Thinking With Portals

#1 · November 14, 2007, 8:29 pm

3 weeks in the making, here is my first ever released level for Portal. A level with some rather unique and difficult challenges that force you to think differently as opposed to having lightning reflexes.

The map takes place in a standard test chamber, assuming that Glados doesn't attempt to kill you and that you just continued through the test chambers.

Looking for a lot of constructive criticisms on my very first released map so I can make some better ones down the line. Tell me what you think! Thanks.

Edit:
Please Note: This level has been played through and completed dozens of times by 3 different people including myself.
The feeling of having cheated or exploited the map is generally intended for some parts of the map.

My puzzles are specifically designed for players who feel they are capable of completing difficult (but logical) puzzles with as few obvious hints as possible. This usually leads to puzzles in which the only possible solution is to apparently "exploit" the map, as such the case in the last test chamber for this map.

I like my girls like I like my cars, I like them fast, I like them automatic, and I know I'm in trouble if I reach down and feel a stick.

#2 · November 14, 2007, 8:40 pm

Download link and screenshots please.

#3 · November 14, 2007, 8:48 pm

Link: dload.php?action=file&file_id=94

"Games are made out of smaller games ? turtles all the way down, until you hit the game that is so trivial and stupid it isn?t deserving of the name." --Raph Koster

#4 · November 14, 2007, 9:33 pm

Finished map. Nicely done.

I had no real problems this map. It looked nice, it had interesting yet challenging chambers.

The only thing that I had a sort of problem with, was the final chamber. And I'm pretty sure I did it wrong. To a point where I'm not sure you could fix it.

Spoiler

So I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get the WCC past the emancipation, so it can hold the door open.
What I ended up doing, was...think differently. I used my beloved companion cube, and set it against the door on an angle. When the I pushed the door button, the door open, and the cube fell flat - into the path of the door. When I left the button, there was enough space for me to hop through. However, I didn't want to leave my cube behind, so I just shot a portal through the crack, and brought my cube with me. Too bad it was emancipated.

I'm pretty sure I missed something rather significant in that room, as I couldn't figure out any other solution to it. Unless I did it right, in which case I think you need to give more direction to that solution.

#5 · November 14, 2007, 10:29 pm

Lorithad wrote:

Finished map. Nicely done.

I had no real problems this map. It looked nice, it had interesting yet challenging chambers.

The only thing that I had a sort of problem with, was the final chamber. And I'm pretty sure I did it wrong. To a point where I'm not sure you could fix it.

Spoiler

So I couldn't for the life of me figure out how to get the WCC past the emancipation, so it can hold the door open.
What I ended up doing, was...think differently. I used my beloved companion cube, and set it against the door on an angle. When the I pushed the door button, the door open, and the cube fell flat - into the path of the door. When I left the button, there was enough space for me to hop through. However, I didn't want to leave my cube behind, so I just shot a portal through the crack, and brought my cube with me. Too bad it was emancipated.

I'm pretty sure I missed something rather significant in that room, as I couldn't figure out any other solution to it. Unless I did it right, in which case I think you need to give more direction to that solution.

You did the last puzzle EXACTLY how it was supposed to be done.

Note:

Spoiler

The idea behind that puzzle was to make the room appear as if it was designed for a different puzzle, but because it was incomplete, you had to solve it a unique way by thinking differently about the challenge. The piece of wall sitting against the actual wall, beside the door, is perfectly angled so that the cube can be sat down on the wall at an angle, then picked back up to be propped against the door.

Edit:
I updated the map so that the last chamber has some hints as to what you should do.

I like my girls like I like my cars, I like them fast, I like them automatic, and I know I'm in trouble if I reach down and feel a stick.

#6 · November 14, 2007, 11:08 pm

I did it a lot differently... using the companion cube a lot more than just leaving it on the same button.

#7 · November 14, 2007, 11:32 pm

yeah thats the solution I was going to attempt before I came on and read it but it just seemed like too much work to try for something that I have never remotely seen done before in any map.

#8 · November 14, 2007, 11:36 pm

Astro wrote:

yeah thats the solution I was going to attempt before I came on and read it but it just seemed like too much work to try for something that I have never remotely seen done before in any map.

Aware and still respecting that I asked for critique, would you say that's a compliment (not being done before) or not. It could be taken both ways. :wink:

I tried to make my puzzles as unique as I could, and this experience right here showed that maybe with the original ideas, I should give more hints as to how they're done. I'll do that next time. :thumbup:

I like my girls like I like my cars, I like them fast, I like them automatic, and I know I'm in trouble if I reach down and feel a stick.

#9 · November 14, 2007, 11:38 pm

I thought it was great, one thing you could do... is in an unfinished area before that puzzle... have a door jammed open with an object, maybe a cube but it doesn't have to be... that could put the idea in peoples heads faster

[insert visually obtrusive graphic or witty comment here]

#10 · November 14, 2007, 11:56 pm

Just played it again after the updates.

While I don't think the clues that you've provided will immediatly give away the solution, I think it will definatly help. So that should be good enough.

One thing I forgot to mention. In the first room,

Spoiler

Where you have the one cube, and the two buttons. You have a redundant button. The one where can you portal to, you don't actually need. I'm assuming that button is supposed to be so that you can fling the box onto the other button. But really, you can just hold the cube and jump. Sort of tossing the cube onto the button.

Then there's the fact that you can actually get unto that button by putting a portal on the wall close to it, and jumping over.

[Released] Cassata Chamber 01