Some level problems
If you don't have a portal gun, most of the surfaces should be white. That's always a good thing to do.
[Released] Power Interference
[Released] Rust and Dust (Spotlight Map!)
[Released] Multiportal
yah rooms look better in white... then use warm lights.... and you shouldn't leave all the lighting to those lightstrips, although that is a good plan to start with for style purposes
I'm really glad to see someone building a map from scratch instead of using the PTI especially someone new 
Okay, so I put some white walls in my map, and the lighting is great now, but I have a new problem: the map crashes if you step forward. I'm not sure why. Anyone have any idea why? https://dl.dropbox.com/u/26851686/h_s_area1.bsp
Really strange.I decompiled your map using BSPSource and did a default compile without any changes.. and it worked. I don't know why,maybe decompiler somehow messed with the map or something,but it's strange.
Could you attach your vmf file,so i'll check if it works?
Sure, it's attached now. Really strange indeed... I hope this helps you find out what's wrong. :/
There is something weird near the observation window on the left. You can freely walk around the room as long as you don't look at that window, but as soon as you look at it, the game crashes.
I also just decompiled it and I don't see any of the props (desk, chair, monitor) in the decompiled version of the map, so one of those may be it.
Other Portal 2 maps: Medusa Glare
Portal 1 maps: Try Anything Twice | Manic Mechanic
Looks like i found the cause of trouble.For some reason you used prop_detail's for props in the observation room.Replacing them with prop_static's should fix the problem.
Oh. I didn't realize prop_static existed. lol. Thanks! Now I can keep the props in the room.
EDIT: Okay, I have a new problem now. I'm using an instance for my level's entry door, but I can't figure out how to make it open. The instance is named Door 1, and if I pass "Open" to it as an input, the door opens...but you can't walk through it. I'm assuming this is because, as the wiki says, the instances use areaportals. So, my question is: how the heck do I make this work correctly? The instance I'm using is portal_entry_door_black. I'd use the door prop instead of an instance, but something tells me I should use this instance for consistency's sake since the door here looksdifferent than the prop door...
If you want a normal door instance, you should use this one:
- Code: Select all
instances/door/door_entities/door_ents.vmf
You can use the prop_testchamber_door as-is, but the instance has some nice benefits, like the aforementioned areaportal.
The portal doors you're currently using, actually work like portals, in that they connect two different places in the map. You need to place these in pairs and connect them somehow. (I forget how exactly.)
Note that the normal door instance doesn't come with a surrounding circular wall piece, so you have to build that yourself.
(Or just swipe one from one of the "frame_*" instances in "instances/door/portal_door_entities".)
Other Portal 2 maps: Medusa Glare
Portal 1 maps: Try Anything Twice | Manic Mechanic
I realized after posting this that the doors I saw in the included multiplayer map coop_doors weren't instances at all, and used the prop door I used to begin with, so I switched back to using that. The door frame, though, was a HUGE problem for me, so I just ripped it out of the multiplayer map even though it looks horrible...
So, tell me, what advantages does the instance have over a normal testchamber door prop?