Forum | Thinking With Portals

#1 · February 28, 2012, 12:47 am

Rush will be a map pack that focuses on being a step up quality wise from my first map, corridor. At this point, it is very short, but actually ends with an elevator. Let me know of any issues you fin so far. Thanks for playing

Known Issues:
Elevator doesn't end level
Lighting still random

Note: Whenever I try to place a turret in my map, the object says error all over it and wont work correctly. Anyone else come across this issue?

File Name: Rush 1.0.zip
File Size: 458.83 KiB
Click here to download Rush

#2 · March 11, 2012, 2:43 pm

Here is my blind run.

Ylck574rTjI

It is very short and simple.

#3 · March 11, 2012, 6:57 pm

Quote from Kaleido on March 11, 2012, 6:57 pm
Tremer wrote:

Here is my blind run.

Ylck574rTjI

It is very short and simple.

Ouch, 1:30 for a blind run, and half that time was spent looking around and falling in the elevator shaft...

I haven't played it, but based on that video you have a -few- more issues than you list...

I think everyone here has a little bit more of a higher expectation for maps than *shoot portal on low ground* *shoot on wall* *exit room*

These puzzles are way, WAY too easy. They're almost easier than the tutorial levels in the actual game. Some pointers:

-Make more than JUST the surfaces that solve the puzzle white. As is, you can just glance around the room, shoot portals on everything white, and you pretty much have the solution, no thought required whatsoever. (Also, even if you're going for the "clean" look, use more than 2 textures. I know it's WIP but it still kinda feels like you missed the point)

-Make rooms have more than 1 puzzle element to solve. Again, it makes it WAY too easy if there's just 1 thing you need to do per room before you move on, and it's also incredibly unsatisfying to solve if you didn't have to think about how to combine all elements in the room to escape. Again, if there's just one, it's too easy to identify, and thus too easy to solve without much thought involved.

-Your start point is awkward and jarring. Where are we? How did we get in this hallway with "random lighting" as you call it?

-Also to that point; it's much easier and more efficient to just do your lighting right the first time. Throwing in random lights is a nightmare to fix, looks terrible, and dramatically increases your compile times (especially if you forget to delete some when you do your real lighting. the compiler will have to calculate all that crap). At the point your map is right now, just run mat_fullbright until you iron out your puzzle elements properly. Only then can you think about lighting IMO.

Sorry for just talking a bunch of shit, but hopefully this helps you on the right track to not only crush the quality of your previous releases, but release something of good enough quality to impress everyone. Don't give up!

Tremer wrote:

Here is my blind run.

Ylck574rTjI

It is very short and simple.

Ouch, 1:30 for a blind run, and half that time was spent looking around and falling in the elevator shaft...

I haven't played it, but based on that video you have a -few- more issues than you list...

I think everyone here has a little bit more of a higher expectation for maps than *shoot portal on low ground* *shoot on wall* *exit room*

These puzzles are way, WAY too easy. They're almost easier than the tutorial levels in the actual game. Some pointers:

-Make more than JUST the surfaces that solve the puzzle white. As is, you can just glance around the room, shoot portals on everything white, and you pretty much have the solution, no thought required whatsoever. (Also, even if you're going for the "clean" look, use more than 2 textures. I know it's WIP but it still kinda feels like you missed the point)

-Make rooms have more than 1 puzzle element to solve. Again, it makes it WAY too easy if there's just 1 thing you need to do per room before you move on, and it's also incredibly unsatisfying to solve if you didn't have to think about how to combine all elements in the room to escape. Again, if there's just one, it's too easy to identify, and thus too easy to solve without much thought involved.

-Your start point is awkward and jarring. Where are we? How did we get in this hallway with "random lighting" as you call it?

-Also to that point; it's much easier and more efficient to just do your lighting right the first time. Throwing in random lights is a nightmare to fix, looks terrible, and dramatically increases your compile times (especially if you forget to delete some when you do your real lighting. the compiler will have to calculate all that crap). At the point your map is right now, just run mat_fullbright until you iron out your puzzle elements properly. Only then can you think about lighting IMO.

Sorry for just talking a bunch of shit, but hopefully this helps you on the right track to not only crush the quality of your previous releases, but release something of good enough quality to impress everyone. Don't give up!

[WIP] [WIP] Rush