A small sized map with emphasis on laser redirection based on Wheatley's chambers.

1.1 changes:
Finished all critical elements.
Added more detail.

0.5 changes:
Removed final puzzle.
Redesigned cube 3 puzzle.
Change some areas.
Added details.

0.2 changes:
Fixed monster box area so it can't be retrieved using the faith plate.
Fixed panel for switch 3 being spawned open.
Removed rotating laser and button. It's now static. (added more white walls for a new solution)

[url]http://i51.tinypic.com/2dhzcyh.jpg[/url]

File Name: PMK_6.rar
File Size: 6.94 MiB
Click here to download [SP] PMK 6

Okay, this map is very pretty.
Two things though is that you can fall in the hole from which the laser holder comes out and can't get out and when you activate the glass panels at the back room you can see they're not attached to a wall or anything really...

Also, I think I've done everything not as intended (or maybe that's how you do some of these thing?):
I didn't even use the glass panels the first time, you can just place one cube on the hardlight bridge and then get to the button using the bridge.

I didn't activate the funnel at first to get the frankencube - I activated the faith plate that sends you straight up and then used portals in the pit to navigate myself closer to the platform which holds the cube.

I'm not sure how I was supposed to activate the funnel, but you could use just one refraction cube by aiming the laser right before it goes in the portal and aim it almost at 90 degrees so it hits the laser receiver on the wall.

Once I had the 3 reflecting cubes and the frankencube I had no idea how to both open the exit doors and make the lift go down and then back up, so what I did was use portals and one cube to open the doors and then just made a tower from the other 3 cubes and then jumped up there...(demo here)

Also, there was no exit lift?

But still, I had fun trying to figure out what to do next, it's a pretty nonlinear puzzle (or as much as it can get), even if I didn't do some things as intended.

Was this the intended solution?




Seriously though, it shows that you know how to make maps, but those diagonal lasers make a mess. You don't know where the laser will end up until you spam all absurd combinations possible - Monkey Island style. Also, that rotating box looks a bit rustic (glass?) and could use water below.

I didn't use the button in the center of the room, which rotates the laser. What was that supposed to be for? I guess i solved the rest of the test as it was intended, was pretty fun

@xdiesp -- There's a really awesome intended solution for that 4th laser catcher. I'll be the first to admit it took me 20 minutes to find it though.

This is my favorite map that I have played so far. For once, a map that's non-trivial! That's what makes it fun. 5/5 from me.

Thank you very much guys for your prompt comments. They've been really helpful. I had noticed the early solution to getting the monster box by directing a laser diagonally through the pit floor as xdiesp shows. I'm not sure whether to leave this in or not as it's quite tricky. I've uploaded a demo file for the intended solution for v0.1b and I've just released v0.2b which fixes many of the issues mentioned.

Thanks again guys and I'm really glad you enjoyed my map

There is one shortcut in the end(though, i don't know what to do without the shortcut XP i can't solve the very last step)
anyway, shortcut is, i used one cube and the portals to redirect the laser into the door-opener
and i used the other 3 cubes to climb the way up
this can obviously be solved easily by making the floor a little big higher
but then i don't know how to solve it XP

regarding xdiesp's solution, I would leave it in since (in my opinion) it's even less intuitive than the intended solution (which i believe is to redirect laser to cube on light bridge button, which redirects through light bridge portal and up next to the 4th catcher, with final cube sitting on the light bridge catching the beam coming through the portal.)

As for the ending, I personally think it's kind of anti-climactic (it's too easy compared to catcher #4 and doesn't require any new tricks). How about rearranging it to require 3 cubes; something like this?

alternate ending


It's a little (not much) more difficult than the current solution of (1) redirect beam to catcher and (2) block other beam with box on light bridge, but would connect the two unrelated pieces together.

Just a random thought.

xdiesp wrote:
Was this the intended solution?

Nice find but it wasn't no. Ruien's quote below shows exactly how it was intended

Ruien wrote:
intended solution (which i believe is to redirect laser to cube on light bridge button, which redirects through light bridge portal and up next to the 4th catcher, with final cube sitting on the light bridge catching the beam coming through the portal.)

Ruien wrote:
As for the ending, I personally think it's kind of anti-climactic

You know, I very nearly included a puzzle where the cube had to be spun so it faces up but dismissed it as being too hard. Using the cubes like you've shown is brillient though and your right it very nicely ties the lift laser and door catcher together. I'll move the catcher back a bit or redesign the area a tad so that it's not possible to complete it my way however I would feel like I'm cheating if I use your idea for the contest so I have to ask for your permission and I'm more than happy to use my current idea.

Just wanna ask two questions before I get cracking on with it anyway and thats:
How difficult are people finding the map and also if anyone prefers the old rotating laser as opposed to the now static one.

Thanks again guys. I forgot how incredibly helpful poeple are on this site

Regarding using this idea -- that's totally fine with me. You don't even have to ask.

As for "how hard the map is" -- I thought this was one of the harder maps I have played. For me, that is welcome and refreshing, because I typically blow through these maps, spending less time thinking about the map then I do carrying out the actions to solve it. xdiesp is the same, as are a number of other members of these boards.

In my opinion, custom maps should be directed toward people who have already completed the built-in Portal 2 content, so they should be familiar enough with everything grasp the concepts needed to solve these puzzles.

That said, if I gave this to someone unfamiliar with Portal 1 and had only played the first two chapters of Portal 2, they would find it annoying, frustrating, and lacking in "action".

As for the rotating laser -- I thought it was cool. The problem with it was that I didn't even realize that the rotating laser rotated until the 4th laser catcher. First, you actually don't need the rotating laser for any of the laser catchers. Second, you put the button in a weird out-of-the-way place so I never noticed it.

The cool thing about the rotating laser is that it might make your puzzle "easier" by giving it more solutions, but not necessarily make it more trivial. When you allow multiple equally-complex solutions, you reduce frustration because when someone gets a brilliant idea, it's more likely to work. If people feel completely shoeboxed into your intended solution, it makes it too frustrating. I think the rotating laser gives you the opportunity to add more (even unintended) non-trivial solutions to the map, while at the same time retaining the complexity necessary to keep people from burning right through it, being bored all the way through.

Just my thoughts.

first play-through video: http://www.xfire.com/video/47e8a1/

If I might ask: what is the intended solution to the last part?

This map is really nice and a bit tricky aswell (with the 4th laser connection)! Good job 5/5

Ruien wrote:
Regarding using this idea -- that's totally fine with me. You don't even have to ask.

Cheers dude but unfortunatly I tried many combinations and couldn't couldn't find one that worked well. Rotating cubes on a light bridge proved a little difficult.

Ruien wrote:
As for the rotating laser -- I thought it was cool. The problem with it was that I didn't even realize that the rotating laser rotated until the 4th laser catcher. First, you actually don't need the rotating laser for any of the laser catchers. Second, you put the button in a weird out-of-the-way place so I never noticed it.

I removed this too unfortunatly because it added complexity that wasn't really needed imo. I'm gutted though cos I really wanted it to work.
I redesigned cube 3's puzzle cos the old one sucked a bit really lol.

Anyway shouldn't be too far off a final release thank god.

Thanks again Ruien and thank you everyone for helping me out. Last round of testing to iron out any issues and I should have this puppy ready for the deadline

RockeTeK wrote:
If I might ask: what is the intended solution to the last part?

This map is really nice and a bit tricky aswell (with the 4th laser connection)! Good job 5/5

Cheers dude. I'm really glad you liked it. I removed the last bit now in 0.5 but you had to use the light bridge from across the level to place the monster box in front of laser near the exit. Then use the other 2 remaining reflecto's to direct a beam into the bottom catcher near the lift. Remove the light bridge and the laser activates the lift.

I tried the contest version: very well fixed and smoothed, looks like an AAA map now.

I wouldn't have recognized it without the turning black box with the laser. Gameplay's slick and logical to a fault, but the music encourages you on. It can still be hard, but mainly for 2 lowly reasons: that fling requires reflexes (hard on my touchpad); the wide amount of white panels promotes experimenting, until you're basically sandboxing.

Very good map!!

In my opinion, the "Normal way" playthrough solving this map: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D7a7O-KfD8

Got up to the funnel all right, but I can't for the life of me figure out how to get a cube up there to keep it on.
I enjoyed it mostly up to that point, although there were parts where I felt like I may not be using exactly the right solution. For example, when I was activating the first faith plate, I ended up simply jumping and shoving the cube up onto the raised platform I needed to redirect the laser from. It would have been more elegant to use the light bridge to get there, but since I would have needed to use the cube to turn the bridge on, it was out of the question.

Edit: Just watched the video linked above for how to get the cube to the funnel. Sneaky, that.

A few shortcuts I found (0:41 and 1:11):

IQHLPp3Tr54

I also had problems with how to activate the funnel when u got all 3 cubes. This is how i did it.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4250/portal2pmk6.png

Watched the video on how to catch the cube when ur flying up there after i did my solution.

mbruck wrote:
A few shortcuts I found (0:41 and 1:11):

IQHLPp3Tr54

taidaishar wrote:
I also had problems with how to activate the funnel when u got all 3 cubes. This is how i did it.

http://img204.imageshack.us/img204/4250/portal2pmk6.png

Watched the video on how to catch the cube when ur flying up there after i did my solution.

Nice. those were some sneaky solutions that I havn't noticed before. I'm gonna let all those solutions fly tho as I like unintended solutions so long as they are harder to find than the intended ones. Saying that tho the final puzzle of catching the cube from the bridge while mid catapult is a bit rubbish tbh and many people had problems with that. When I release the update it'll have many fixes in place to make the map more well rounded and less of a pain in the ass. I will keep most these uninteneded solutions in tho cos they seem like good ways to solve it.
Anyway if you want a new challenge I'm in the process of making a video showing my least portals attempt. So far I've got it down to 7 portals.

EDIT: just finished the video

GqYVJtQW2go

I'm playing custom maps and record my first time of playing them. So the run is not perfect and may not use only intended ways, but maybe it can let you see how other people may understand the map or you could just enjoy someone playing this map for entertainment.
Anyways, here is the recording:

BF6pD-MisMg
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BF6pD-MisMg)

Also note the video description for more feedback and my signature for additional project information.

mazk1985 wrote:
So far I've got it down to 7 portals.

I've got it down to 5, but it's a total cheat. Just reportal at the exit and you're done. No lasers, flings or cubes involved. Absolutely no fun, either.

I'll admit my skills are too weak to do those firing portals in mid-air to get the flings you need, so I reportaled to get those done. I'll have to try playing the game with a mouse (I use a PS3 controller on my PC.) It seems to me that one could be a lot more precise that way. I've tried it with my trackball, and it's even worse than with a joystick. As it is, I can't even get my reticule on one portal fast enough, let alone two. And I run like a drunken sailor (which strangely enough is faster than walking straight, if you stagger fast enough!)

Enough about me , now about the map ! Even though it's beyond my skill level, I loved it. This is the kind of map that forces one to up their game, both in mind and body. Even though it took me forever to solve, it was so well conceived that I wouldn't quit.

PMK 6 is on "Community Spotlight" not without reason, certainly one of the best custom maps ever. I enjoyed this test a lot, sure thing my rate is 5/Excellent, and I don't see why it is still marked [WIP] - it is final A+.

PMK 6

xypQghWBV7E

I've been going through the community spotlight maps (from old to new) and this is my favorite so far. It was really a brain teaser. My only complaint would be that I wasn't really sure I had done it the intended way. When I finished the map I had to come to this thread to find out that I had apparently done it as intended. I still can't really complain about that though since the difficult solution is one of the things that made it so great. A+ for the music too. 5/5!
Edit:On another note,Wheatley was creeping me out just kind of there staring at me the whole time

Good map enough but the last laser catcher was too tricky to figure out myself (had to watch a walkthrough). I would never have thought of that solution.

I finished, but not regular way... some bug or error of game. I not run even 4th catapult. 2ed catapult was still turn on I have no idea how I done this.

dJneezJerhY

Oh hi,

nice map indeed, always enjoy Wheatly looking at you, gives a little extra to the map Anyway nice laser puzzle, nice map !

Thanks for playing you say; Thanks for creating it I'd say !

I am very impressed by this map.

It's exploitable! If there are shortcuts that require pro skills/imagination (like in mbrucks video) they should be allowed. I managed to save 2 portals by using cube throwing. Nothing is more boring than forced intended linear solution.

It tests your deduction skills. You cannot solve final 3-cube design (took me 8 minutes) without "I need light-bridge to place cube at required height and I need laser on that height so I have to redirect laser through the same portal as light-bridge, and to do that my last remaining cube has to both push light-bridge press-plate and redirect laser beam" conclusion.

The jump where you have to catch cube from light-bridge was grande finale of those puzzles.

5/5!