Forum | Thinking With Portals

#1 · August 5, 2012, 10:56 pm

I spent 1 week working on this map for the Thinking With Portals (https://www.thinking.withportals.com) mapping competition. This is a medium difficulty map set in the reconstructing style. It contains custom voice files and textures. Have fun in this new Aperture adventure with the man known as Al Johnson!

Special thanks to BEARD for providing the solution to one pesky voice file that only wanted to play half of itself.

#supercontest2012 Vordwann

Click here to download [SP] Alternate

My Maps:
[spoiler][SP] Alternate[/spoiler]

#2 · August 6, 2012, 5:21 pm

Nice little puzzle that requires punctuality. Great custom voice work.

I liked the spinning TWP logo in the entrance chamber. DEY DONT STOP.

#3 · August 6, 2012, 8:02 pm

Thanks wstrika! I'm glad you enjoyed my map. And yeah, I worked a lot mastering the voice lines. (It is in fact me speaking)

My Maps:
[spoiler][SP] Alternate[/spoiler]

#4 · August 7, 2012, 12:51 pm

Here is my playthrough:

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#5 · August 8, 2012, 8:48 am

This is my playthrough of this map. In order to not influence the opinion of anyone, I won't say what I think about this map yet. Have fun watching the video and get your own opinion about the map for now

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(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVxDJf40Elg)

#6 · August 9, 2012, 12:53 am

Cheers, that was really satisfying for a small map .. well, short map!
I had a good laugh at the new dialogue too

#7 · August 10, 2012, 11:31 am

My feedback:
Do not read if you are judge!

Spoiler

This was a very nice and clever test chamber. I could really imagine this kind of test chamber being in the official game.

The voice acting was a very personal touch and I thought it was absolutely hilarious. (Though I doubt that Cave Johnson could put his fathers brain in a computer before his.)

The details however were very average and didn't stand out to me because it was a mix between destroyed textures and clean. If you had more panel animations perhaps it would have been more convincing for a fixing chamber.

One thing you could have done better puzzle wise was allow a better position for the player to portal up to the button and angled panel.

?????????????????????????????TWP Releases | My Workshop

#8 · August 10, 2012, 3:01 pm

Quote from BEARD! on August 10, 2012, 3:01 pm
Aestheics
A mix of clean and destoryed that works quite well - the chamber looks as though it lost the ability to repair itself in mid-repair. The ceiling was one of the best looking parts of the map (a shame, as players never look up, right?). There was the gaping hole from which panel supports and ropes dangle down to grab your attention, but I quite liked how the roof tiles were slipping and sliding, sitting at different heights within the roof. All the destruction details are in place.

I think a warm light here and there would have helped the chamber feel decayed. With that said I loved the projected texture casting the broken glass pane's shadows across the room. I'd have stuck a pipe or two in the ceiling hole as well. It's a bit obvious that it's a box on top of the hole - wouldn't it make more sense if the metal was surrounding the whole chamber's ceiling rather than that particular section? One final piece of nitpicking - it would have been nice if the TWP logos were rotating in front of a screen or something rather than just floating in space.

Gameplay and Difficulty
The puzzle was short and figuring out what to do is pretty easy. The execution for me was a little more difficult but not frustratingly so. I was confused about the angled panel: [spoiler]the robotic arms glowed red as if to say 'this is broken and should be flush with the wall' but if that was the case the cube wouldn't bounce into the room behind the fizzler.[/spoiler] After I found the first cube I spent a couple of minutes pondering what to do, and then the answer struck me. I enjoyed the race against time to [spoiler]portal up to the ledge, redirect the bridge out of the angled panel and rush to the floor button.[/spoiler] It took me a few times to get the hang of it though, which meant getting the cube to spawn again which was a bit frustrating. Maybe you could make panels rise out of the slime the first time the cube button is pressed?

No bugs or niggly mapping details stood out to me. I should probably mention Al: he got a laugh or two out of me; it's just a shame there wasn't another test for him to narrate. Thanks for mapping.

Aestheics
A mix of clean and destoryed that works quite well - the chamber looks as though it lost the ability to repair itself in mid-repair. The ceiling was one of the best looking parts of the map (a shame, as players never look up, right?). There was the gaping hole from which panel supports and ropes dangle down to grab your attention, but I quite liked how the roof tiles were slipping and sliding, sitting at different heights within the roof. All the destruction details are in place.

I think a warm light here and there would have helped the chamber feel decayed. With that said I loved the projected texture casting the broken glass pane's shadows across the room. I'd have stuck a pipe or two in the ceiling hole as well. It's a bit obvious that it's a box on top of the hole - wouldn't it make more sense if the metal was surrounding the whole chamber's ceiling rather than that particular section? One final piece of nitpicking - it would have been nice if the TWP logos were rotating in front of a screen or something rather than just floating in space.

Gameplay and Difficulty
The puzzle was short and figuring out what to do is pretty easy. The execution for me was a little more difficult but not frustratingly so. I was confused about the angled panel:

Spoiler

the robotic arms glowed red as if to say 'this is broken and should be flush with the wall' but if that was the case the cube wouldn't bounce into the room behind the fizzler.

After I found the first cube I spent a couple of minutes pondering what to do, and then the answer struck me. I enjoyed the race against time to

Spoiler

portal up to the ledge, redirect the bridge out of the angled panel and rush to the floor button.

It took me a few times to get the hang of it though, which meant getting the cube to spawn again which was a bit frustrating. Maybe you could make panels rise out of the slime the first time the cube button is pressed?

No bugs or niggly mapping details stood out to me. I should probably mention Al: he got a laugh or two out of me; it's just a shame there wasn't another test for him to narrate. Thanks for mapping.

Single Player: The Search For Science
Co-operative: Lightspeed Upstairs Downstairs

#9 · August 10, 2012, 5:00 pm

BEARD! wrote:

No bugs or niggly mapping details stood out to me. I should probably mention Al: he got a laugh or two out of me; it's just a shame there wasn't another test for him to narrate. Thanks for mapping.

I guess you'll have to wait for Alternate 2 then I'll have more than 1 week to make it and there should be multiple test chambers with lots of Al Johnson.

My Maps:
[spoiler][SP] Alternate[/spoiler]

#10 · August 20, 2012, 8:52 am

Nice short map you have there, puzzles were good and loved the AI Johnson.
Here's my blindrun:
Blindrun

Spoiler

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Below is my feedback:
Feedback

Spoiler

-Some parts of AI Johnson's speech was unclear, maybe add subtitles or game_texts?
-Maybe move the angled panel so that the player can still see it when the player is on the bottom level?
-Puzzles were creative, good job! :thumbup:

Overall, I loved it as it was fun and enjoyable.
I'll give it a 4/5. Good map, still can be improved, though.
I hope you make more maps in the future!

Hey look! A guide to making better maps.
Midnight Part 4 coming soon 3022.