Want to create a challenging map?
Have you ever just thought that the difficulty of your puzzles was too easy?
Here are some simple tricks that will make your map more challenging.
Before you read the rest of this post, please play this map:
http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... d=80421294
I made it as an example of the things I will be talking about here, and I will be adding to it as I add to this post. With this map, you can see the difficulty of the tricks that I am showing here. If you play any part of it and find it too easy, let me know, and I will remove that tip.
Trick #1
If you are making a laser puzzle (one that requires you to connect laser nodes), force the user to put two or more lasers through the same portal, or backtrack the same laser through that portal. People usually assume that the portal will only be used ONCE, and not for multiple purposes.
I sincerely hope that you base this thread in something more than laser puzzle mechanics. Indeed it would help if you state your concept of puzzle difficulty. 
useful tools and stuff here on TWP 
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Double laser mechanics are just annoying. Sorry to burst your bubble.
Hard maps I enjoy involve new or creative ways to use elements which gets the noggin' working.
Rubrica posted a LONG post about tips for aesthetics and good puzzles throughout portal 2. He mentioned something about what you're talking about in the GLaDOS clean section, right under detailing your metal wall, second paragraph. the link is here: mapping-help/on-the-aesthetic-themes-in-portal-2-v0-9-1-t4257.html?hilit=on%20the%20aesthetic%20themes%20of%20portal%202
I didn't play your level. I solved it by looking at the screenshot. Wayyyy too many portal surfaces to make it difficult.
You have to remember, sonny-jim (it's a phrase where I come from), that us lot here at TWP have a very different definition of difficult to the pansies who only picked up Portal 2 again when the new DLC came out.
I would reccomend playing Neco's or Nyrskyrte's Fucking stupid name levels first to get an idea of difficult and fun to play before telling us what to do.
And finally, it is incredibly easy to make a convoluted solution, make a puzzle round it, playtest it a bit and release it and say its too difficult. It is hard to make a map that is reasonably difficult.
So your tricks are going to have to be a little bit more inspiring if you want to impress anyone.
