File Size: 9.99 MB
Downloads: 12938
Rating: (92 votes)
Description
This is the second map in a series that began with 'Sphere of Roundness' last week. Version 2.0 of that map is also included in this release, they also transition into each other to make a loop. This time I decided to focus on a single gameplay element for an entire map rather than trying to use every feature available. The map also follows the loose premise of "What if aperture had tested faith plates in the 1950s?" the default faith plate model stands out a little in the underground, so I went for an alternate appearance, see what you think! I have a feeling it is a little easy, but that is mainly down to the overall design, so my next map will aim to be a bit tougher. Sphere of Roundness: I got a huge amount of good feedback for the first map and made a few changes to fix exploits and also clean up the edges a little now that the full SDK has been released. For a full changelog see the readme! Screenshot: http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/6006 ... 400001.jpg
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5 stars!!! Its awesome great design looks great. loves how it all comes back to setting up to solve the 1st puzzle thats also the one to the exit.. i just started learning the map making tools. i dont even want to imagine what these maps look like in Hammer. i bet it gets confusing as hell and adding lights and changing so many textures and properties. how long do u spend on these maps ? also i assume u used similar tools before or some sort of other map making other than portal games ?
Great and simple map that does not try to do too many things at once. The most challenging part of the puzzle was catching the cube at the end. Overall, it was quite simple to follow while keeping a challenge going.
Also, I enjoyed your take on the "older-style" faith plate.
Here is my more complete review: http://gameolosophy.com/games/action/po ... roundness/
These two maps were very good. I especially loved Old Faithful. Keep up the good work! Can't wait to play more maps from you!
Both of your maps are very nicely done. Please keep them coming. I enjoyed both but preferred the difficulty of Sphere vs Old Faithful. I'd suggest making a harder puzzle next time.
Very nicely done though. I also prefer the 'old Aperture', thanks!
Another perfect map. A little easy, but definitely a fun ride! And those faith plates look amazing. You're certainly one of the best mappers, keep it up!
What can I say? Awesome map(s), could have been in the original game without a problem. Thanks! Hope to see more from you!
EDIT: One tiny little bug I found is that the laser on the second level of 'Sphere of Roundness' didn't start the gel when I aimed with the laser cube on the receiver. The receiver started spinning, but no gel. After I removed the cube and aimed again the gel started to flow though, so it may have been just a weird coincidence and no problem with the map.
I liked them both. The only complaint I have is the fact that
it's incredibly difficult, almost impossible even, to grab the cube out of the Excursion Funnel in Sphere of Roundness v2.0 as I did not have an issue in 1.0. This may be just me.
Another excellent map! These two are probably my favorites to come out since the release of the official tools. Keep up the good work -- the old school faith plates are a great touch, right down to the diesel generators under the hood.
EvilOttoJr wrote:
The only complaint I have is the fact that
it's incredibly difficult, almost impossible even, to grab the cube out of the Excursion Funnel in Sphere of Roundness v2.0 as I did not have an issue in 1.0. This may be just me.
Perhaps there is another way? The box can travel through portals, and you can also move your portals. I'm not trying to be Captain Obvious here, you just need to do both of those things to grab the box much easier.
hey there.
Very nice map again. Really nice mapping and level of details!
Design of your own catapults is very nice.
Love the way of the puzzle solving and the catapults!
video of complete map solving
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Thats exactly the type of map I want to see for co-op! 
Regards
PortalCombat
Forgot to mention that I like how the 1950's faith plates look. Very well designed
To the people saying it is "too easy", I think that is just a part of using Faith Plates. Personally I don't find any exclusively Faith Plate-based puzzle to be particularly challenging.
That said though I really enjoyed the map, and Lobster you seriously know how to nail the 1940's look. I like how you made the "old" Faith Plates look, and the sound of the big engine underneath was really a nice touch. I don't know what your plans are, but when you are finished with these 1940's puzzles you should set them up with actual Transitions and release it as a big map pack.
EDIT
The only thing I would really change (and this goes for Spheres as well) is, when you land on a half wrecked catwalk after doing a fling or from a Faith Plate, you should add and env_shake and the sound of hitting the rickety metal. This was done a few times in the 1940's section of Portal 2 to really great effect, making the entire area seem dilapidated and on the verge of collapse.
Okay, I just saw PortalCombat's solution and realised that I missed a button in the game (the one that drops the box in the room with the timer. I still completed the map with no difficulties, as there is enough time, if you're quick enough, to shift the portals so that you can fly through the gate.
Otherwise, absolutely brilliant map that was really fun to play! The look, as everyone else has said, was nailed pretty much perfectly. Puzzles could have been more challenging, but hell, they still made me think, so great job overall.
I can't echo enough the praise that everyone has been "flinging" your way. The look of the older-style faith plates (and the sound), the execution of 1940's Aperture, the puzzle complexity with enough guidance and hints to see how it should be solved, and the careful construction to avoid exploits and bugs...it's all fantastic. In my opinion, Old Faithful got a bit long, but it still made good progression and I LOVED coming back to the beginning to solve it. I saw that almost immediately when I hit the button, and thought "wow. Good mapper."
Remember how wheatley feels when you solve his first test chamber? I felt exactly the same way while I was solving it!
This is amazing! 2 top maps in a row! Is there a way I can follow you for newer tests?
While I'm going to give mostly criticism here, I should start by saying it was a really great chamber. As was said, you've done a great job with the 1940's style, and I really enjoy that. Now, on to the nitpicking!
I find that many of the best puzzles have the player use the same elements of the chamber multiple times, in different ways. This was done brilliantly in Sphere of Roundness, especially with the funnel being used for at least three different purposes. Old Faithful had more isolated areas, which become easier to solve as a result.
One could break Sphere of Roundness down into a number of smaller, individual puzzles, and most of them are quite simple on their own. It is the combination of many small challenges into a single unified space that makes a truly engaging test chamber (and I think the spherical chambers, aesthetically, lend themselves to this sort of design). It forces the player to observe their surroundings and determine what is useful and what is not, as opposed to having whatever element is needed clearly highlighted at all times.
The premise of Old Faithful is good - having an overall goal to tie everything together. However, I think it could be improved by keeping that goal in sight for the duration of the test, and by having each of the smaller puzzles more clearly show progress towards that goal.
With all that said, your two maps have so far been some of the best I've seen. Because of your obvious talent, I think criticism is often more useful than praise. Keep up the great work!
anthony.j.deschamps wrote:
We need more people who are willing to give this type of excellent criticism. +1 to you.
Another +1 to anthony.j.deschamps' critique.
I had a great time with Old Faithful and revisiting Sphere of Roundness. Nice job fixing those shortcuts.
I did find a new alternate route through SoR 2.0, but I don't know that it needs fixing, not the kind of thing the average player would accidentally find on a first play through.
I'll try to explain it:
You want to get the Tunnel to extend from the angled surface under the box dropper, but first extend the Tunnel from the angled surface above the map start point. As you ride it out you will be able to shoot the other angled surface. Once the Tunnel is in place it will point to a crawl space between the two floors. If you manage to crouch(seems kinda dodgy) then you can get into that crawl space. If you then peek back out into the Tunnel enough you can shoot a portal at the wall on the 2nd floor(next to the 2nd box-drop-button). You have to shoot that portal and get back under in the crawlspace quickly to keep from falling. Then use the crawl space to get over to the broken walkway(where you would normally land from the first big fling). Jump down to the walkway and make another portal connecting to the portal on the 2nd floor. Proceed as normal.
I also found a small time saver on SoR 2.0:
Normally, to get the third cube to you, you would extend the Tunnel from the obvious place and stand on the big button to reverse the Tunnel flow, then wait for the cube to travel across the map in the tunnel before proceeding. Instead you can quickly shoot a portal onto the angled surface under the box dropper just after you jump via the blue goo. Once you land, make the Tunnel extend from there and, once you reverse the flow, the box has a shorter distance to travel before going through its first portal.
I don't have a lot to say about Old Faithful, just that I liked it, but not as well as SoR. I definitely think that if these go into a series of maps then Old Faithful should be the first map so as to preserve the tradition of increasing difficulty.
That was beautiful! Thanks for making this. Especially liked the sense of expanse, many puzzles and small clues.
so smooth gameplay, its easy, but i love your maps, the look and feel is perfekt. keep them coming!! 5/5
Best maps i've played so far,i really felt like playing Valve maps
Keep up the good work 
I like both of your maps, but I'd like to see a much more sophisticated use of the musical queues. it gets monotonous to hear the same small chunk of music for the entire map. you'll note that is not how the music is used in the game.
Absolutely great map, had alot of fun playing it!
One problem i have is when you have to press the button then portal fling into the door before it closes, the door never opens when i press the button, and i had to no-clip past it.
I had to register to post this. Both maps are awesome! What I loved most was Old Faithful; its flow was perfect. I didn't find it too difficult or too easy. The design is brilliant.
My favorite user map for Portal 2 so far.
Nice environment. I love the heights and the surroundings.
But I feel that every posted Map should come with a walkthrough IMO - luckily someone else posted one.
The use of the catapult, while a lot of fun - was overdone a bit to me. It would be nice to have multiple and challenging means of getting from one area to the next. Such as some long jumps with football-size flings. The environement is perfect for that.
And as mentioned - the music is horrible. You have to turn it off or else you go crazy
Overall however - it is a lot of FUN which is the point of it all.
regarding the music, i went and replayed that part of the actual game and noticed that for one thing they have the volume level of it set far lower in relation to other sounds. it's much more subtle. also, the music fades in and out depending on if you are inside or outside a room within a sphere. also, more importantly, the music will change depending on where you are in the puzzle, and notes will be added while you are flying, accomplishing a goal that moves you forward in the progression of solving a puzzle.
I am not sure if it would be trivial or very difficult to implement that in your map, but i'd assume that valve gave you the tools besides just the sound files to pull that off.
Superb job again! And easy is OK - I much prefer it to artificial difficulty (ninja move requirement) that many mappers use.
I really enjoyed this map. Can't find any complaints about it. Just can't wrap my head around how someone can come up with a puzzle that has such good flow on such short notice.
Both of these maps were excellently designed! They truly felt like they could have happened in game, I was thoroughly satisfied with beating them. Now I really want you to turn up the difficulty!
Otherwise nice work on these!
Hey guys, first post. Love the site!
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Very awesome maps! I enjoyed playing both of them.
I did find a pretty huge shortcut in Old Faithful though. You might want to patch this one in the next release.
Keep in mind I recorded the demo right after I found the shortcut, so it's a little sketchy 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1buTN4a3FyU
Keep these old maps comming, they are well designed, clever, and very entertaining. I would even say that you are the one that should be doing the old maps in here. They really look like they were taken from official part of the game.
Good job.
Love it. Feels like an actual old aperture design from portal 2. Nice flow ntio massively hard but thinking required and feels rewarding.
Well I almost missed a button like Thursaz, but then I thought, "this is Portal 2 not one, there will be another button. It's more about thinking in Portal 2 rather than quick fire trial and error portalling" which is the main reason I like Portal 2.
So in short, this one is a perfect single player map. I find no flaw. I would recommend it to my mum.
The map is a little easier than the last map but not too easy and the puzzles are fun to complete, especially when it involves flinging to other parts of the map. Just like the last map, visually it looks just as good as any of the official Valve maps. I can't find any faults with it, so overall it is a really good map. I really look forward to any future maps that you make.
Lobster,
Love the maps. Personally, I appreciate the focus on thought provoking puzzles as opposed to reflex trials. Hope to see many more from you.
Thank you for the time and effort put into these.
I thought it was great. Felt like an official portal 2 puzzle. Not too easy, not too hard, and fun.
I never got to post on "Sphere" but it is by far my favorite map from the Portal 2 community at this point. Old Faithful may not have been as challenging but it did leave me astounded at its scope and creativity of mechanics.
PLZ MAKE MOAR
Loved both maps, very professional and will admit to preferring the Sphere of Roundness. One little thing about Old Faithful, you can get stuck in the section with the two diagonal portal slabs (those ones that you have to send the cube through after) if you just pop through to have a look around because they're a little too high up to jump back through...
Sphere is my favourite community map that I've played so far very satisfying! And not too long. Great job 
I like this two maps. I prefer playing in old aperture, and I prefer playing the map with an open view. The map have both of these features. The puzzles which isn't very difficult make the map more enjoyable! Rate 5/5!
That was 100% the most freaking awesome map ever man!!! Keep making them!!!!
I just made an account just to post this cos I was so pumped over playing it =D
Awesome map! I did a run of the map if you want to watch:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGqZYxyK4EU
I'm simply amazed. These are the two best custom Portal 2 maps I've ever played so far. They're not only visually impressive but also fun. Great job!
Both of these are absolutely amazing. I had to double-check to make sure I didn't load an official level by mistake. The "retro Aperture" style is my favorite, and you nailed it.
If these two haven't been submitted to the Summer Mapping Initiative, they really really should be. [EDIT: One or the other. You can only submit one single-player map. I vote for "Sphere."]
How long have you been creating maps, Lobster?
The original plan was to have the third map ready last weekend, but I have torn it apart about six times trying to get everything right, I hope to have it finished soon and will submit it into the contest.
@bjs0 - I have been messing about with mapping privately since late 1999, though I am usually too shy to release anything.
In one of the tests (the one with the button on the roof) the exit door closed but the button was still active. I now can not open the door (gunna use noclip to go through it)
Screenshot:
http://steamcommunity.com/id/Yoshie_Mas ... tab=public
@YM_Industries - A few people have posted this, however I believe the issue is that I didn't light the area well enough. The door never opens, the shutter rises and allows you to fire a portal into the next room. I will tweak this a little when I get around to an update.
Found a few different ways of solving these maps, here are my demos:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4072938/Demos/l ... eerkat.zip
I'm not sure if you want to leave those in (the glitch solution on Old Faithful is unavoidable, and it's too hard to use it successfully, anyway), but I had a lot of fun figuring this stuff out. I like this series, keep it up! I really mean it when I say that these levels seem professional quality, you could be designing for Valve!
First of all: Great mappack! I really enjoyed it.
I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before but there is a big bug in it to easily skip Old Faithful 1.0. I took the time to film a short video of it. Easy to fix.?
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This video doesn't show much of the map, also the fun is out if you do this. I won't make it a spoiler.
WastedMeerkat wrote:
Found a few different ways of solving these maps, here are my demos:http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4072938/Demos/l ... eerkat.zip
I'm not sure if you want to leave those in (the glitch solution on Old Faithful is unavoidable, and it's too hard to use it successfully, anyway), but I had a lot of fun figuring this stuff out. I like this series, keep it up! I really mean it when I say that these levels seem professional quality, you could be designing for Valve!
Your Sphere_Of_Roundness run had some neat shortcuts, but you do realize that if you put a portal behind you at the start, then one at the funnel, let it carry you forward above the floor, put a portal with the funnel on the floor, then put the actual funnel portal on the slanted surface basically makes it extremely quick to get to the other side, right? Saves you at least 5-10 seconds.
The Old Faithful second demo was fantastic, nice glitches.
Los Fablos wrote:
First of all: Great mappack! I really enjoyed it.I'm not sure if this has been mentioned before but there is a big bug in it to easily skip Old Faithful 1.0. I took the time to film a short video of it. Easy to fix.
This video doesn't show much of the map, also the fun is out if you do this. I won't make it a spoiler.
Oh you son of a gun, that was exactly the type of solution I was going to post. Regardless, I'll attach a .dem file and a video of it when I finish uploading it.
Edit: Alright here's the Old Faithful part in a higher res and with a .dem,
v8zp5fDnsgI
and here's a brand new route for Sphere Of Roundness that I figured out after watching Meerkat's .dem and finding a few tricks of my own. Hope it helps, I'd advise you try not to make the portal I shoot on the left "Stick" to the wall as that's what allows you to do it. I think.
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Pretty great maps, provide a good challenge, and pretty simple to complete.
One question for everyone else though, how do I get Fraps to not be so...laggy and choppy? I've got Portal 2 running in a window, although it is at 1600x1200. Should I drop the resolution and AA/AF down a bit along with the textures to make it smooth?
Crazy.Chicken wrote:
Loved both maps, very professional and will admit to preferring the Sphere of Roundness. One little thing about Old Faithful, you can get stuck in the section with the two diagonal portal slabs (those ones that you have to send the cube through after) if you just pop through to have a look aroundSphere is my favourite community map that I've played so far
You're not stuck there as you can fire a portal on the wall on the left when the diagonal bits are in front of you with the force fields also in view.
Overall, I would say that this is a very easy map. I finished it in under 5 minutes, whereas your first map had me stuck for a lot longer. I really like your style though
Lobster wrote:
The original plan was to have the third map ready last weekend, but I have torn it apart about six times trying to get everything right, I hope to have it finished soon and will submit it into the contest
Come on back, Lobster! Like many of those who posted before, I am really looking forward to your next installment in this series, and wishing you all the best in the Summer Mapping Initiative contest!
Lobster I would just like to say thanks so much for creating these awesome maps!!!! Love playing them & looking forward to more of your creations! Hey when do you start on Portal 3????
PS The 1950s faith plates was a genius move: loved the hum of the motors
soliunasm wrote:
and here's a brand new route for Sphere Of Roundness that I figured out after watching Meerkat's .dem and finding a few tricks of my own. Hope it helps, I'd advise you try not to make the portal I shoot on the left "Stick" to the wall as that's what allows you to do it. I think.
Those are some nice tricks you added there, didn't think about those. Especially the whole excursion funnel skip at the beginning, I didn't think about that at all. Nice job.
soliunasm wrote:
One question for everyone else though, how do I get Fraps to not be so...laggy and choppy? I've got Portal 2 running in a window, although it is at 1600x1200. Should I drop the resolution and AA/AF down a bit along with the textures to make it smooth?
You shouldn't have to use fraps if you know about Source's "startmovie" and "endmovie" commands. Before anything, I would recommend binding "endmovie" to a key. After you have a demo recorded, just type "startmovie [name]", then type "playdemo [demo name]". The recording will automatically begin when the demo begins. After this, just let it run until you want the movie to stop, and then hit the key that you bound "endmovie" to. After this is all done, you should have a bunch of .tga files in "steamapps\common\portal 2\portal2\". Download the program called VirtualDub (here), and open it. Click the first of the .tga files and shift+click the very last. Now go back up, then click and drag the first .tga into the VirtualDub window. This should put every frame of your movie into the program. Now to add audio, go click the "Audio" dropdown at the top, and then click "Audio from other file...". Now go to the same place that your .tga files are, and find the .wav file with a corresponding name. Open it, and then you should have audio to go with all of the frames. Now click the "Video" dropdown, and then click "Frame Rate...". Now click "Change so video and audio durations match". After all this is done, click "File", then "Save as AVI...". Now just sit back and wait for the video to render. Keep in mind that Youtube likes 16:9 aspect ratio videos, so when you are recording, change your resolution to one with a 16:9 aspect ratio. (i.e. 1920x1080, 1280x720) Lower resolution videos take less time to record and render, so I would suggest using 1280x720. You can also add video compression with a codec like Divx or Xvid by clicking "Video" then "Compression...". This will help keep the total memory of the video down, because .tga files are really big. I'm looking into making this work with jpeg files by adding a space and "jpg" at the end of the startmovie command ("startmovie [name] jpg"), but it doesn't record audio at the same time as it does with the default startmovie command. Oh well. Anyway, I hope this helps!
I made these two videos using this method. I used less video compression on the Sphere of Roundness video, so it looks better.
Very Good job. Nice puzzle, atmosphere and use of subtle clues.
Enjoyed both levels.
Wow. Id like to say well done! I didnt really like the portal 2 1950s design however your map changed my views on that and now i really like it. Keep up the good work
looks like what valve would have come up with. nice!!!
i've always loved the old style test chambers... this one is great. keep it up!
Love the old style maps. Well executed faith plate based map - enjoyed it...Thanks for creating.
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:
36Sp-BjC4g8
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Sp-BjC4g8)
Also note the video description for more feedback and my signature for additional project information.
Great map, lots of fun. In that room with the button and the timer on the wall, I didn't see the cube dispenser and was so sure I could do it without the cube.
I managed to glitch myself and a cube through a door, skipping the last puzzle.
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I had an odd bug in area number 5. The button on the ceiling wouldn't open the door. I tried it a bunch of times and it wouldn't work even though it made the press sound. I ended up no clipping to the next area.
I freaking love these two maps!!! I can't wait for the next one! I don't care how easy or hard they are, the environment is amazing! Thanks for making them!
This is the second map in a series that began with 'Sphere of Roundness' last week. Version 2.0 of that map is also included in this release, they also transition into each other to make a loop.
This time I decided to focus on a single gameplay element for an entire map rather than trying to use every feature available.
The map also follows the loose premise of "What if aperture had tested faith plates in the 1950s?" the default faith plate model stands out a little in the underground, so I went for an alternate appearance, see what you think!
I have a feeling it is a little easy, but that is mainly down to the overall design, so my next map will aim to be a bit tougher.
Sphere of Roundness: I got a huge amount of good feedback for the first map and made a few changes to fix exploits and also clean up the edges a little now that the full SDK has been released.
For a full changelog see the readme!
Screenshot: http://img339.imageshack.us/img339/6006 ... 400001.jpg
File Name: lob_old_faithful.zip
File Size: 9.99 MiB
Click here to download Old Faithful