A collection of 7 maps I've made over the past few weeks to test various ideas. They are all dead simple...well, I tried to make the last one difficult, but I believe I did it in all the wrong ways (long walks, lots of shuffling between platforms, and some things aren't that visible).

Anyways, each map will lead to the next. There are no elevators, so after completing a chamber, walk past, through, and onward from the exit doors. There are triggers set to change to the next map 3 seconds after you contact them.

Start the sequence with "map testMap_3_movingButton".

Note: [SP] Bits or Pieces was initially part of this, but since I submitted it for the Mapping Contest, it has been omitted. It revisits the moving button and rotating room ideas.

File Name: testmaps.zip
File Size: 41.56 MiB
Click here to download [SP] Test Map Pack

This is one interesting map pack you've created. I liked the continuously moving floor, The controllable on screen laser,the sphere that shot lasers at you and the Gel puzzle best out of it all. Great map VERY unique.

hi, in map 4 you can easly kill all turretys by just portalign ebhind them and go all rambo style - in map 5 i didnt know how i did it - but i killed the laster thing :?

liek the idea very much but still its sort of not very refiened

I've made some changes to map 4 to reduce rambo-effectiveness, but you can still take them all out. I suppose making it so you have to climb up stairs would completely eliminate the issue, but then you wouldn't be able to use the diversity vent to suck them off their feet. I'll take this into consideration later on.

The laser's components were able to be hit from the start in map 5. I forgot to put a protective cover on them until you disable the deathfield.

These issues have been addressed in 1.0.3.

Very creative map. Had to quit in the laser chamber, just can't figure out what to do after getting all the laser cubes. Got bored trying to figure it out, sorry. Still a great map - thanks for creating.

quatrus wrote:
Very creative map. Had to quit in the laser chamber, just can't figure out what to do after getting all the laser cubes. Got bored trying to figure it out, sorry. Still a great map - thanks for creating.

Oh. There's a lit panel behind the deathfields you have to destroy with the laser. Any ideas on how I could make it clearer? Make the light brighter perhaps?

Some great maps here, I particularly enjoyed the large variety of themes in it. My favourite map was the one with the laser on the screen that could be moved around, very clever

However I did have the same issue as quatrus. In the laser chamber I found it quite confusing. I'm not sure about what exactly needs to be done but I found it disorientating in that it was hard to keep track of where about's I was in the room.

Excellent map, probably the best custom map I've played. Very interesting, good ideas, I especially enjoyed the last puzzle (had me struggling for awhile). The aggressive laser is quite annoying (sometimes it knocks you back from a portal or gets you stuck in a corner) maybe if it was a bit slower? All in all excellent map very impressive

Thank you all for your comments and bug reports.

The laser map seems to have the most issues. I've found that running into the laser prevents you from being knocked back and taking damage (but with the death fields, that only gets you so far).

I've slowed the laser down. It's initial speed was 45 degress per second and it has been reduced to 30. I compensated for the laser's speed during development by completing the map using portals and only running/walking when absolutely necessary. It is possible to zip to the other side of the map from the start and that reduces exposure time to the laser.

For the disorientation, I believe the main problem is how the areas between corners look almost identical: white with a half wall. I need to add larger details to differentiate between them because the chairs and debris aren't enough. I have different big details in the black metal, but even my eyes aren't drawn to the dark upper walls and ceiling.

Additionally, I'm trying to rearrange and add props to the corner rooms as they're pretty much mirror images of each other right now.

I'm still not sure how I can make the last part of the laser puzzle more obvious. Perhaps adding two lights on the wall above the panel with the one above the panel on and the other off would help. Not exactly a fan of this because the "off" model of the light acts strangely to light and reflection. Having the off light be on and hanging facing the panel could work. It'd break symmetry and hopefully draw eyes. Hmm...

I haven't committed my changes to the downloads yet.

Version 1.0.4:

1. I've made most of the changes from my previous post (slower laser, added different props to each room, and added the tilted light pointing at the last part of the puzzle).
2. Each map now has a soundscape.
3. The continuously moving floor map now lets players cut the dummy's rope.
4. Some of the spotlights I had for laser lighting were set to 20 in LDR but 200 or 250 in hdr. I've lowered the hdr values by an order of magnitude.

Some really good ideas, I like the rotating room, the tilty floor and the room that builds itself. However, it has some problems. I couldnt figure out what to do in the laser chamber, and in the end noclipped out. In the last chamber, I found it really disorentating that if you die you get a different chamber. Also, i think you need indicator lights on EVERYTHING, as it's really annoying to push a button and then have to look around to see what its done, amd even more annoying when it doesnt seem to have done anything. Also, though this is kinda minor, I was dissappointed that I couldnt get sucked up the pneumatic diversity vent myself

I hated HATED the map with the laser pursuing you. Without knockback from the laser, in noclip, it was at least bearable.

The last chamber was the only one fleshed out enough to be interesting. When I realised what the glass panes and buttons were doing I was quite surprised. I agree with adding indicator strips everywhere there... and some kind of indication of what the buttons near the glass panes do.

Spam Nugget wrote:
I couldnt figure out what to do in the laser chamber, and in the end noclipped out.

I guess I didn't make firing the laser through all relays clear. I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Spam Nugget wrote:
In the last chamber, I found it really disorentating that if you die you get a different chamber.

You mean the last map of pack 2, right?

Spam Nugget wrote:
Also, i think you need indicator lights on EVERYTHING, as it's really annoying to push a button and then have to look around to see what its done, amd even more annoying when it doesnt seem to have done anything.

Some buttons didn't need indicators. Do you mean putting them everywhere in every map or are there particular buttons you are referring to?

Spam Nugget wrote:
Also, though this is kinda minor, I was dissappointed that I couldnt get sucked up the pneumatic diversity vent myself

You can get sucked in indirectly, but it'll either get you stuck or cause physics to freak out. Just let the tiles hit you on their way through the portal. I'm not sure if the player can easily fit in the vactubes anyways. The scene in Portal 2 looked like a modified point_viewcontrol on a track instead of the player actually being there.

Blaizer wrote:
I hated HATED the map with the laser pursuing you. Without knockback from the laser, in noclip, it was at least bearable.

Really? The laser was slowed down enough for players to outrun it by sprinting.

If you are dead set on walking through the entire map, don't run from the laser (it'll keep knocking you back) and use cover. Also, if you run into the laser, you won't be hit (weird bug).

Otherwise, portal across the rooms. That was the whole point of having portalable surfaces everywhere.

Blaizer wrote:
The last chamber was the only one fleshed out enough to be interesting. When I realised what the glass panes and buttons were doing I was quite surprised. I agree with adding indicator strips everywhere there... and some kind of indication of what the buttons near the glass panes do.

I suppose I could add a loud noise when the buttons are pressed to indicate they've stamped their corresponding window's reality onto the player's. The indicator lights in that map will stay as is. I want the player to combine both views in their head and work that way.

Rand0mNumbers wrote:
Spam Nugget wrote:

I couldnt figure out what to do in the laser chamber, and in the end noclipped out.

I guess I didn't make firing the laser through all relays clear. I'm not quite sure how to do that.

Just put 4 tick indicators at the door with each relay lighting up their respective one.

Rand0mNumbers wrote:
Blaizer wrote:

I hated HATED the map with the laser pursuing you. Without knockback from the laser, in noclip, it was at least bearable.

Really? The laser was slowed down enough for players to outrun it by sprinting.

If you are dead set on walking through the entire map, don't run from the laser (it'll keep knocking you back) and use cover. Also, if you run into the laser, you won't be hit (weird bug).

Otherwise, portal across the rooms. That was the whole point of having portalable surfaces everywhere.

Reading this thread, I think my problem was I was actually doing it wrong. I thought I had to get the laser going through the 4 relays while it was pursuing me. Was there some way to stop it pursuing you? If there is... I really think you should make it more clear.

Finally I played your last (actually first) mappack. No problems in here. Some of the ideas are really interesting like the map where you could see everything different when you look through a glass and make it real by pressing a button.

Here are my blindruns on the maps of this mappack:

map 3:
XinMdgR15Vs
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XinMdgR15Vs)

map 4:
2udRLK22UTc
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2udRLK22UTc)

map 6:
je1AsoaM7qI
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=je1AsoaM7qI)

map 7:
Kg8eFAS0ESE
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kg8eFAS0ESE)

map 9:
XGv8ComWnvI
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XGv8ComWnvI)

map 12:
0ip9ofmoMBw
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ip9ofmoMBw)

map 13:
fTMjsVtpq-c
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fTMjsVtpq-c)

Djinndrache wrote:
Finally I played your last (actually first) mappack. No problems in here. Some of the ideas are really interesting like the map where you could see everything different when you look through a glass and make it real by pressing a button.

Here are my blindruns on the maps of this mappack:

You looked a little confused on 3 and 4. Yes, they were that simple. They were my 3rd and 4th maps. I was rushing the maps back then. Less than a day for each. That trend continued for a few others, but the rest took 2-3 days. I kind of wish Bits Or Pieces was more up to par. That, or I submitted 7 instead. 12 and 13 weren't started yet (I think...).

For 3, I was going nuts with the details and actually gave HDR a chance. The included fog presets did the rest as they set hdr values as well as fog. Big thanks to Valve there.

For 4, panels were quite interesting in P2 and I was curious about instances. Solution? Build a whole bunch of panels, slap them into instances of instances, and see what happens.

For 6, I was experimenting with parenting test elements (before I knew about fgd editing and Engine entity support checking). There was supposed to be a platform for the second bounce, but it wasn't necessary when I was testing. Lighting was an issue, but Source isn't big on dynamic lighting. I tried projected textures, but making one reach the end of the room looked weird.

For 7, I did raise the platform a bit and added some player clips to help land the jump. At least it wasn't impossible. Hearing the ambient audio again surprised me. I remember when it didn't have any. It was kind of...empty.

For 9, you missed my recreation of Valve's tear apart wall. Anyways, it was an experiment to see how I could use Diversity Vents. So again, quite simple. Although, you also missed the sequence of the laser cutting itself into the level. I added sparks to announce it, but you had to be at the button to see them (they didn't want to fall far). Something for me to consider next time.

For 12, I probably should have added a visible block to the control panel. I put a blocking brush over it to keep people from killing the laser before disabling the death fields. That conveniently nullified the threat of players getting inside the field area, but seems to make it a bit confusing. I'm glad I slowed the laser down a bit. Perhaps I should have added an incinerator for you to vent your frustration on the core.

For 13, I don't know how to fix world portals blanking out when viewed at ~80 degrees. I think the indicator strip leading to the button in the right window shouldn't be on like that. It's been a while, so I don't remember. Fortunately, as you saw, toggling between windows reruns activation i/o.

where do you put the file?!

I WANA PLAY IT