Ball Maze
by Orange · Uploaded Jun 07, 2011
File Size: 2.68 MB
Downloads: 2560
Rating: (50 votes)
Description
I only had about 4 days to work on this, but hopefully I removed most of the bugs and it works. Ball maze, faith plates and a new concept for laser and excursion funnel.
Comments
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I have to be honest but I wasn't expecting much by the dull name and the vague description. I only downloaded this because I was making something similar to a ball maze so I wanted to see what someone else's take was on it and this map just really impressed me. I loved how much it felt like Portal 1 while taking full advantage of the Portal 2 concepts. Definitely some of the most original use of all of the concepts here. The only thing that I found was that I got stuck on the camera in the corner (towards the middle of the level) and I had to noclip out. Use some clip brushes to keep the play from getting stuck. Also, your exit elevator didn't work. Other than that, I'd love to see you make some more maps.
Definitely would like to see more of this kind of thing. The laser puzzle in the first room was a refreshing break from the usual sort of laser puzzles.
Only two things didn't work: the indicator lights for the button controlling the laser in the second area and the exit elevator. Not huge problems though, the map was really fun. 
The final elevator is stucked with me inside ._.
The first puzzle, with the ball, took me three times with the correct laser sequence to make the ball reach the exit (random physics, is always that.)
By the way, it was very nice playing through it!
It had some clever puzzles, but it wasn't visually pleasing. Some misaligned textures and at times, it just didn't look good. This map is very good for a beta, but it is far from being done.
In other words, you have a working puzzle, not to easy, but not too hard. But you could have spent more time on the design so it is more visually pleasing.
I wouldn't shoot the map down for a handful misalignments in the panels maze otherwise fully animated. Someone should take notes instead on the cleverness and entertainment of the puzzles. Personally I only disliked the first, monotone B&W rooms.
See if you can fix those couple shortcomings (check the dotted lines), then it will be a-ok.
thought this was a really clever map good use of animation to really give the feeling that this may be a lost chamber with another test subject...well done! I only had one problem and that was the exit elevator did not work...it lowered and the door opened but did not close and end the lvl. Other than that good job!
I found it pretty good. The puzzles were kind of simple and short (I got them all the first time) but I quite liked the intro with the door and the guy, like you had been drugged, pulled off the streets and thrown in there.
I did quite like the first puzzle, although fairly straightforward it was fun to solve. Of coruse i'm a little biased against this map because I used the same idea of using a funnel to push a cube through beams to affect the timing of openings (I was soooo hoping noone else would think of that)
3.5/5
Sweet idea, I love what you did with this map! Minor bugs here and there, but didn't really affect playability. You can run in and out of the first elevator and make it leave you behind, haha.
Cool map! Very funny and mostly creative!
I found a little bug though: I got stuck in the second room where glados camera is located, in the moment I got near enough to look through the grid and discovered the companion cube and redirecting one... I couldn't move at all from that corner, like trapped by the camera, and I had to re-load the map. Very good first game with the ball, and very nice puzzle the latest labyrinth room with the redirecting cube activating the panels in one direction and then in the oppossite direction.
Thanks for being there creating for us, the players
Amazing map. And very visually pleasing. You really captured the look Portal 1 Aperture in my opinion. The puzzles were fun and not too challenging yet not dead giveaways. And that man...creepy!
I tip my hat to you sir. I only wish maps even looked as good as this.
While not the most visually aesthetic map I've seen, the creatively built puzzles more than make up for it. One thing I would change is the portalable surface just below the grate which you use to get back if you fail in the last maze. When I first saw it, I thought that I had to portal down there for something, distracting me from the main elements of the chamber, so perhaps it shouldn't be directly visible from above. Other than that, and a few other errors people have already mentioned, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
I started playing custom maps and record me playing them. It's neither a perfect run nor do I have to have solved the map in the way it's meant to solve it. I play the maps "blind", that means I've never been in them before and play them for the very first time. I also give a little feedback for the map in the video description.
Maybe you are interested in the fact, that I played your map: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9EtrbO4Bjlc
Very cool, I had some ideas for a cube maze, but I don't have time to make maps. 
I think there's a lot more potentially fun puzzles to be done in the ball/cube maze theme. Please make some more.
The broken exit elevator has been mentioned, but also the sky-box is visible in the glass above and below that elevator. I would have liked to see some kind of ending that follows up on that opening sequence.
Excellent map - if there are any graphical glitches/imperfections, I certainly didn't notice them. It's the substance that makes a truly great map, so enhancing the style would just be a bonus.
Good, clearly structured puzzles which minimise frustration but maintain challenge. Animations are a great touch, keeps it interesting and helps accentuate the important bits.
Thanks for a most enjoyable contribution!
Peem
Your map is missing cubemaps.
The exit elevator didn't work for me, but I'm not sure if that's because I put the Companion Cube in there with me.
What was up with the opening?
The first puzzle with the ball didn't really amaze me; the idea is neat, but it's pretty un-Portal to try and make another game within the game. The second puzzle was amazingly simple. But I really enjoyed the third puzzle quite a lot. Not a lot of use of portals, but I liked the use of the excursion funnel + laser as a timing mechanism.
I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this map. It was refreshing, not too difficult, crisply built (never mind the glitchy rushed ending) and a good example of how to use those symbols that don't really have any self evident meaning. You use them to correlate one thing with another, not just throw them in there and hope the player figures it out (like another map I won't mention here). There wasn't a whole lot of thinking with portals unfortunately. But I feel like a more developed and difficult version of this concept could make for an interesting mod of its own.
msleeper wrote:
Your map is missing cubemaps.The exit elevator didn't work for me, but I'm not sure if that's because I put the Companion Cube in there with me.
What was up with the opening?
The first puzzle with the ball didn't really amaze me; the idea is neat, but it's pretty un-Portal to try and make another game within the game. The second puzzle was amazingly simple. But I really enjoyed the third puzzle quite a lot. Not a lot of use of portals, but I liked the use of the excursion funnel + laser as a timing mechanism.
I know the elevator exit doesn't work, I was trying to fix it frantically when time ran out. No, the companion cube serves no purpose other than to be beautiful. I was going to put in a reward room opening when you brought it all the way through, but again no time.
The opening was just an idea I had, just like the mysterious presence of GLaDOS watching over you in Portal. I really wanted to mimic that. If you watch the observation room in the second puzzle, you can see him observing you as well. I dunno, I thought it was a nice unique touch.
I love minigames, and like the opening I implemented it because I thought the idea was cool and it would add uniqueness to my map.
club wrote:
Amazing map. And very visually pleasing. You really captured the look Portal 1 Aperture in my opinion. The puzzles were fun and not too challenging yet not dead giveaways. And that man...creepy!I tip my hat to you sir. I only wish maps even looked as good as this.
Mhmm! I was initially going to make it a wrecked and deteriorated map like most in Portal 2, but I found myself nostalgia-ing about the first Portal too much to stick to it.
quatrus wrote:
4 days eh, very nice.. thanks for creating.
You've very, very welcome. ^_^
Two of those four days were all-nighters, as well!
Skerik wrote:
What is the companion cube for?
I found it but did not use it to finish the map.
It wasn't intended to be used to complete any objectives, I just thought it would be a nice touch. Also (again) I planned to give the player a reward room for bringing it through but didn't have the time.
Adair wrote:
Very cool, I had some ideas for a cube maze, but I don't have time to make maps.I think there's a lot more potentially fun puzzles to be done in the ball/cube maze theme. Please make some more.
The broken exit elevator has been mentioned, but also the sky-box is visible in the glass above and below that elevator. I would have liked to see some kind of ending that follows up on that opening sequence.
I think after all the feedback I'll work on some more maps, thank you.
I actually did want an ending sequence to match the opening, involving a direct confrontation with the creepy guy, but yeah- four days. xD Really wish I was home when this contest started.
Ratboy wrote:
I must say I thoroughly enjoyed this map. It was refreshing, not too difficult, crisply built (never mind the glitchy rushed ending) and a good example of how to use those symbols that don't really have any self evident meaning. You use them to correlate one thing with another, not just throw them in there and hope the player figures it out (like another map I won't mention here). There wasn't a whole lot of thinking with portals unfortunately. But I feel like a more developed and difficult version of this concept could make for an interesting mod of its own.
Thank you! The symbols were a last minute thing I had to resort to, because I really didn't want to spend the effort connecting all the receptors with dotted lines. I may be planning to make a mod, but I probably won't get very far.
Once again (this is probably getting tiresome) thank you to everyone for your feedback, positive and negative, on my map! I never imagined I would get two pages of posts and several videos. I think I'll make some more, the pleasure has been all mine.
I had a lot of fun, I would agree with alot of what sleeper said. Your map has some flaws, but I think otherwise has some awesome ideas. This is the kind of map that while it may not be a spectacular example of P2 mapping and puzzle design is a spectacular example of the creativity of the author and is very memorable.
Great puzzle, although the second room was a LITTLE bit too easy, and a couple of the textures were out of place in some areas. Also, I can't go to bed now without checking my window first O_o
Awesome level! I like the concept of maze-testing.
One thing I noticed though that did not work was at the end, the elevator did not take me up and then screen change to the standard "End of Testing" screen.
Oh! The other thing is is that I can get underneath the glass testing area with all the panel arms, not sure if that is suppose to be allowed, (though the whole net view area I think indicates that it is suppose to...) but I thought I might as well mention just in case.
Though I did like the secret Companion Cube stash, very nice.
Hello Orange!
I am pleased to announce that I will be doing a commentary / gameplay of your map and will be putting it on youtube shortly (It is currently publishing)
Go to: http://www.youtube.com/user/Pricee123?feature=mhee to see the video later today, and subscribe if you wish to view more int he furutre and a co-op play through (valve one) with my friend all videos will have commentary
Cheers,
Pricee
also, I got stuck on a camera in the second chamber, where i could see behind the grate.
Simple puzzles, but interesting enough design to make them fun. Note to self: fix elevator, so you can add this to beginner's playlist. 3/5 from me.
I only had about 4 days to work on this, but hopefully I removed most of the bugs and it works.
Ball maze, faith plates and a new concept for laser and excursion funnel.
File Name: BallMaze.zip
File Size: 2.68 MiB
Click here to download [SP] Ball Maze