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A 3 part testchamber, fairly difficult. Submitted for the 2011 Summer Mapping Initiative Reuploaded for a "Post-competition" release. By Todarac EDIT: I have revised the map for the "post-contest" release. The map I released for the contest felt a tad unpolished, and incomplete. So i've gone back through the map and changed some things around. I consider this the "Official" release. -Removed the .vmf from the zip file (Sorry guys, it was only for the competition). -Overall lighting is much better -The jumping-tower bit in the 1st test chamber now has actual panels that come out of the wall. -You now HAVE to fling on the jumping-tower in the 1st test chamber. -Observation rooms have been added throughout the chamber. -Chamber 2 has been changed the most -The old world portals have been removed, and new ones added along with a new puzzle in chamber 2. (Its still kind of easy) -Chamber 3 is virtually untouched because it is quite perfect. Readme Contents --------------- Map - sp_tod_Sprunrun Author - Todarac Map entry by Todarac submitted for the 2011 Summer Mapping Initiative Hope you guys over there enjoy playing my map as much as I enjoyed making it Helpers- Stinger - Help with Hammer (even when he didn't want to), Ideas, Playtesting, Supportive Brony Cheetoz2112 - Playtesting Featureless - Playtesting Kobooold(idedu) - Playtesting Cowculus - Playtesting (Sucks at making demos) Bernard Augustus - RESIDENT FAGGOT Aperture Lab Rat- Alot of Playtesting, Ideas Iron Tager - Supportive Brony Zastugueen - Wanted to test but didn't have portal 2 Spartacus - Someone to talk to while making map UnamedDuncan - Playtesting Cheers to everyone at ThinkingWithPortals.com and at Valve also, Love the game guys
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What a warped mind****, fantastic job man! 
Map is like an Escher painting, as to say impossible geometries which leave you dizzy just realising them.
It starts early on, with just a curious trick in a default clean chamber: by the end of it, you see into forever completely taken away. The only drawback is the occasional visual artefact due to the heavy use of worldportals.
Really solid mapping and fun to play, but I have to say that I found the worldportal trick disorienting and frustrating without some indication of what was going on. As much as it might appeal to a niche audience of people who are developing tolerance to 'standard' gameplay and need ever more elaborate and frustrating mechanisms to get their specific 'fix', I think you could take this great idea and make it accessible to more people by providing some sort of visual cue that there is more than meets the eye. I think most people like to have that "Aha!" moment when they put together the puzzle elements, but this one left me feeling more like I was the butt of a practical joke. Just my $0.02.
Well this was really interesting I must say. The above commenter is right saying its like an Escher painting. I was quite confused at first and didn't realize that the areas were linked back on themselves with invisible portals for a while. After I got it I was like "Whoa... this is trippy"
Good experience I must say. However the some of the portals between areas glitch out and don't draw properly... maybe they aren't allowed to "see" each other.
I knew you could hardwire this kind of invisible portal into a map but don't really know how to do so because none of the example maps had it. Well, I'm going to use your map as an example instead =)
4/5
Woha, that was awesome. The impossible geometry of the map make me cry a little, but it wasn't too hard to solve. I'm not sure if i've solved totally legit, especially for that part:
http://cloud.steampowered.com/ugc/594687933137585862/56CCDEB9FAD3904B643C7CE69BD88E4372B00192/
Yes...disorienting. Clever concept for a map - the puzzle wasn't all that hard, the disorientation was what created complexity. An excellent map, not sure if I want to see a more complex puzzle within the rooms, could be fatal.....Well done. Thanks to your team for creating.
How delightful! I agree that the disorientation was the main element of difficulty, but I think that made the puzzle FUN! My one main crit is that you may be using too many world portals, sometimes they bug out and its in places where there are extra ones that are not neccessary for finishing the puzzle.
Also, with the first faith plate, you may want to put the info_target in a shaft above the ceiling since it throws you off.
I'm going to have to say this is my favorite map of the contest so far. The sphere of roundness and the other map that came with that come close, but their overuse of music took those maps down a notch...
I can almost hear Cave saying: In this next test, we will be shooting you with GRAVITY and ANTI-GRAVITY beams. So when you leave the test chamber MAKE SURE you're leaving on the actual floor. That's the one that faces down towards the center of the Earth. The boys down at legal tell me we don't need any more test subjects just flying off into space. --gets the attention of NORAD and we don't need those guys down our throats again either. So remember where the real floors are and if you see too many of yourself in there don't worry that's just the reality bifurcation field we're experimenting with.
I would have also liked for you to take advantage of the world portals more... as in having to do things through them... like shining a beam through in a way that is only possible with world portals, or flings, or whatever else you might think up... I felt truly like you were Eschering me. It was great.
Thanks for the comments and feedback everyone! Glad to see people are enjoying the map ^.^ .
I'm aware of the visual glitch concerning the world portals. It can be confusing, but they pretty much happen at random, and i'm not aware of any fix at the moment unfortunately.. That glitch almost caused me to scrap the whole map, but they don't happen TOO often, so I kept mapping. For the record, once you leave one room and enter another, the previous room's world portals shut off, and new ones turn on. This is for optimization, and it works quite well. Noclip around for proof =P.
To address Gadzillar, it's hard to explain world portals without using custom sounds or textures for signs, which were forbidden in this competition. I do plan to make more testchambers like this, because I love the concept of bending rooms mixed with puzzles as well. In the future, i'll add indicators that point out world portals and their functions to make it slightly less confusing. IMO, I think the confusing world portals is what gives this map its charm.
As for infernet89, no that is not how you solve it, but that is VERY clever. I will not fix that in later versions just because it's a sneaky way to solve the chamber. I chuckled when I did it ingame as well. You actually solve it like this http://i.imgur.com/l8JTR.jpg
iamafractal, I was actually writing this post when you posted that. I seriously had to stand up and take a break, that's how hard I was laughing at that cave bit. Fking hilarious. Thanks for the feedback, I will definitely be making more maps like this. I had a lot of plans for this map, but got slapped by the deadline.
Thanks for playing the map everyone =) Feel free to link it to friends who have Portal 2 also, spread it around!
i'm available (to try) and make any cave johnson impersonation recordings if you like...
This was aaaawesome! What I really liked was that it was the first time since the first game that I had a "whoah, what? there are two of me? aaah what the fuck my head hurts" moment. Really! Great job!
The use of worldportals in this map is excellent! I first didn't noticed that strangeness but it was a big "Wow" after I found it out. The tests are medium difficult, hat to think a bit, mainly because of the worldportals and their requirement in the test.
Good testchamber design. Some details were not perfect (I'm perfectionist, so I watch at every face of a brush an its texture). Some visual glitches caused by the worldportals in combination with normal portals. Its more a game problem, but its able to avoid them sometimes with another map design.
I really do have to say that I'd like to see more use of world portals... it is very strange, I have to admit, that after years of being used to portals with orange and blue oval windows, it is disconcerting to see such quiet little nonchalant portals right there in doorways and open entrances. As a matter of a fact I remember back to 2007, when a friend first played portal and he saw for the first time, a portal leading into "another room" which was really just the room he was already in... he kept going through over and over, without ever quite getting the fact that he was just looping in the same room, until he had done it for at least 15 minutes. For some reason, even though my brain understands portals when i make them, these other ones weren't going to the same spot in the brain at least for a few minutes. it was strange. I bet it can be even more strange... I look forward to it.
Awesome!
In the first chamber it didn't take long for me to realize the geometry was all wacky, but it did take a minute to figure out just how the rooms fit together.
Also got to say,
I didn't like the very first part, climbing the shaft. It seems like I kept getting pulled into the middle of the shaft even if I put the floor portal off center to be closer to the button side of the shaft. Then I'd have to adjust over to be able to hit the buttons. I don't know if the shaft could be narrower, or just remove some invisible force that pulls you to center, but it could be a cool puzzle element with some tweaking.
The second chamber was too quick/easy. I literally solved it before I fully took in the environment just by doing what seemed obvious. I started messing around and before I had decided what my goal was I was hearing the mechanical whir of the exit being revealed.
I agree, the last chamber was a mind-f***. I'm going to have to play that part again just to see what really happened there. Whatever it was, it was great.
Overall, good solid puzzles, and very descent mapping. Hopefully you can work out a way to fix the graphical issues that come with the use of so many world portals.
EDIT: I just replayed the whole map and did that first shaft part much more easily. I think it still needs work, since it was frustrating the first time.
Replaying the second chamber I realized that there seems to be some unused elements. First, maybe I solved it wrong, but I did it without ever reversing the Funnel direction. Also there seems to be no need whatsoever for the world portals in chamber 2. Perhaps they help to tie chamber 2 in with 1 and 3, but they don't have any role in the puzzle or it's solution that I'm aware of.
I still like chamber 3 a lot.
You could cut down on worldportals significantly. Especially in the final chamber, there were dozens only needed for moving through the chambers in different ways. These inevitably ended up artifacting, and felt almost like "Worldportals everywhere! Arent i clever?"
Adair, I have to admit, I took quite a risk putting that bouncy-shaft in at the beginning. It was a new and sort of weird concept, but my playtesting friends all seemed to enjoy it so it stayed. I was thinking of having panels that sprung up from the wall, but the animation actually took too long and the player would hit the panel before they could put a portal on it. I just stuck with the panels that slide out from the wall instead.
There is a reason that part 2 is easy. It's because part 2 used to be hard. Ridiculously hard. Playtesters said it was so difficult to the point where it wasn't fun, so I made it much easier. The box dropper used to drop 3 cubes at a time, and you had to get them onto 3 buttons, instead of one. You had to get all 3 into the excursion funnel and through both world portals and finally onto the buttons.. It was a mess.. And yeah, I agree the worldportals AND the reversal buttons are pointless in part 2, they were just remnants from the harder bit.
LeSwordfish, in the final chamber, there are 3 world portals. All 3 are needed to get to the exit. If I removed worldportals, this would just be a normal map!
EDIT: Oh by the way guys, i'm already working on part 2 of the map, here are some screenshots
http://i.imgur.com/rgWnH.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/hHKGr.jpg
Lighting sucks in 1st pic, but rocks in 2nd one. Still a WiP
Wow. You should have called this map sp_I'm_going_to_have_sex_with_your_brain_now, and you should call your sequel sp_but_I'll_buy_you_breakfast_in_the_morning_ok?
I had toyed with the idea of making a labyrinth style map, but now I don't need to because you did all my work for me! Thanks! I'll just be taking the credit from here if you don't mind. Ok, kidding of course, but wow, really nice work. I agree with previous posts that you should trim down the amount of world portals in the second chamber, or make use of them. It's not worth the glitchiness if it doesn't add to the puzzle. It also picks away at immersion. I would also consider changing the slide out panels in the shaft to STAY slid out after you press the button, because it was just tedious having to do that 8 times in order to get it right.
That hurt my mind, I walked through the world portals thinking for like 2 minutes that it was just one huge giant room. And then I looked back and it hit me, reminded me of the infinite staircase in Mario 64.
Now that's what I call a fucking Portal map dayammmmmmn!
Ratboy wrote:
Wow. You should have called this map sp_I'm_going_to_have_sex_with_your_brain_now, and you should call your sequel sp_but_I'll_buy_you_breakfast_in_the_morning_ok?
Also, the map is so intense, the victory screen was my desktop. Seriously, it crashed my game when I walked into the elevator. Not sure if that's supposed to happen...
Quite possibly the most inventive use of world portals as a testing element I've yet seen. They make sense (in whatever way they CAN "make sense"... 
) and add to the puzzle. The gravity-swap in the last chamber was probably my favorite part - that's something I'd love to see in more maps; a gravity changing system that looks good, functions properly, and is there for a reason other than just because it can be - this one is clearly meant to mess with your head, and it succeeds. Makes me think of Mario Galaxy looking back on it.
Other thoughts:
-Some of your world portals show up white for me ... I tried turning up my settings, among other things, but couldn't get the ones the funnel takes you through in the last room to show up correctly.
-The cube in the second area wouldn't stay on the button. It actually floated off a couple of times, without the funnel's help. 
I had to keep re-seating it with the funnel, but never quite got it right. It eventually stayed long enough for me to get through to the next room at least. I watched it at one point, it was actually squirming on the button, like it was trying to crawl off... bizarre.
-As I said, the gravity-changing room was one of the best things I've seen in any Portal 2 map - or any Source map, for that matter. Gravity shifting has been a dream for so long, and now we can see that it's possible thanks to world portals.
One of my favorite maps now. This mind-screwing setup of world portals could almost qualify as its own testing element.
I definitely want to see more of this sort of thing!
Todarac, I would love to take a look at this alternate "hard mode" which maddened the betatesters. Possibly after the contest ends, if rules don't allow it.
Excellent map, I've only played about 10 of the maps on here but this is by far the best and it's hard to imagine a better one.
Heres a preview of the first chamber of part 2, with the secret room hehe
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnIzMrMXHKo
Yes. PONIES EVERYWHEREE!
Enigmaphase wrote:
...
Also, the map is so intense, the victory screen was my desktop. Seriously, it crashed my game when I walked into the elevator. Not sure if that's supposed to happen...
Haha...yeah, Portal 2 crashed for me as well.
Regarding the gameplay, I can't imagine I could say anything more than a parrot, at this point.
I immensely enjoyed the gravity-swap (especially rewarding once I understood what all was going on in the Escher-staircase-of-a-room).
Unfortunately for me, my computer is on the lower end of the spectrum, so I saw a lot of white, but it isn't anything that the "figuring it out" didn't make up for...(obviously would have been more "immersive" without the white, but it seems difficult to fix).
Well done.
I hope this map ends up winning or being spotlighted at least.
I was wowed by 3 things:
1) the "Shaft from Hell" - very diabolical. I kept wondering and still am wondering why the floor covers the bottom button repeatedly. I did not realize at first that I wasbouncing higher with the first button press - then I saw the 2nd button below and realized that was the first button - sheesh.
2) the World Portals (where did that name come from ? They seem more like "doorway portals" ). At first I thought you had 20 duplicate rooms interconnected - HAHAHA. Then I began NoClipping and flying around and when I went up high and looked down . . there were no extra rooms. How sneaky !!
3) the last chamber was a hoot. I didn't know if I was up or down. In retrospect I wonder what would happen if you went up via the faith plate and then tried to stay with the entire thing flipped and NoClip back to the other rooms. Would they be upside down ??
Your new concepts could be used extensively to create an entire "Portal 3". They aren't just tricks - they add an entire realms of possibilities, making it a completely different game.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A few wild ideas I have had - some may be impossible :
make a map with long, complex tunnels that you have to crouch to get through - complete with multiple turns (like a maze), small flings, dead guys, etc. Just like those shows on "Secret Passageways" on the History channel that have been so popular
add long interconnected downward shaft drops where you end up bouncing off of slightly angled surfaces to steep to stand on - so you have to continually re-orientate as you fall to just barely reach the mouth of the next shaft, The angled surfaces could be slicked with propulsion gel to make the ride down faster
a slide - any slide - with no walking necessary. Possible ? I do not know. I would think that a steep slide would work. But I have never seen one
make a seesaw with a cube on one end and you jump down on the other end of the board to propel the cube somewhere. Or even better, you stand on one end, hit a button, and a falling Safe slams down on the other end to send you sailing
make a map with complex upper attic areas to get to secret places - I am sick of thoise tempting open metal frames in the ceiling with tubes, plants, stairs, etyc that are nothing but a fake little area
Lastly - actual Game enhancements:
change the Physics to allow the player to be upside down - so you could make Loop-the-Loops with Propulsion Gel
allow Maps that are entirely Outdoors - I played one that started and ended outdoors (forgot the name) but you had to go inside very quickly so that only 10% was outside
That's just a few . . .
there were some maze maps posted on here over the years... once you add portals, and cannot see where the heck you are or which way you're going.... it can get really hairy really fast.
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:
yD4rulWasS4
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yD4rulWasS4)
Also note the video description for more feedback and my signature for additional project information.
Is it up or down... or frontwards or sidewards... or back or forwards... Dizzy
Great job btw
I liked this map, even the vertical shaft. I had a great "aha!" moment when I first realized that world portals were involved. I was wondering how to get back "down" to the main room when suddenly I was already there.
One non-bug question: why did you use this world portal?
Non-portal graphical glitches
Using the elevator crashed my game as well. I hope there wasn't a secret surprise or something.
Man this is good map! Firstly, very well design, and secondly, how nice and interesting ideas! When I finished the map I was like: What the hell happened?!!!
Hey guys! Back from my break of mapping, just thought i'd update you guys with sp_Tod_Sprunrun2!
It will be a 3 part chamber, just like 1. I have part 1 and 2 pretty much complete, but am lacking ideas for a 3rd chamber. I have some ideas but none really work too well puzzle and gameplay-wise.
If anyone has an idea, please share! If I end up using it, i'll give you credit for that part of the map. Also, the more detail, the better.
Heres some pics of the new chambers
part 1
http://i.imgur.com/2RBwg.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/RkLbI.jpg // thats all the same laser!
http://i.imgur.com/XA1Xm.jpg // chamber twisting madness
part 2 (The wall textures will get MUCH better, theyre just placeholder textures atm. They will end up looking like the walls in part 1)
http://i.imgur.com/JYSLS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/HW1WD.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/KeWrX.jpg
Enjoy the pics. Leave some comments on what you think. Also, I have a youtube account, it's http://www.youtube.com/user/TheTodarac. Also feel free to email me at [email protected],
or just add me on steam - Faunt77 
-Todarac
Best use of world portals I've seen so far. It made what was a fairly easy puzzle much more interesting to play. Maybe I'm so inobservant that I wasn't confused by some visual incongruity, but chamber 2 practically solved itself. Despite the ease of solution, this map goes on my favorites list. Also, despite the lack of extras that I usually require to give a 5, the very elegant use of world portals in this earns it anyway.
A 3 part testchamber, fairly difficult.
Submitted for the 2011 Summer Mapping Initiative
Reuploaded for a "Post-competition" release.
By Todarac
EDIT: I have revised the map for the "post-contest" release. The map I released for the contest felt a tad unpolished, and incomplete. So i've gone back through the map and changed some things around.
I consider this the "Official" release.
-Removed the .vmf from the zip file (Sorry guys, it was only for the competition).
-Overall lighting is much better
-The jumping-tower bit in the 1st test chamber now has actual panels that come out of the wall.
-You now HAVE to fling on the jumping-tower in the 1st test chamber.
-Observation rooms have been added throughout the chamber.
-Chamber 2 has been changed the most
-The old world portals have been removed, and new ones added along with a new puzzle in chamber 2. (Its still kind of easy)
-Chamber 3 is virtually untouched because it is quite perfect.
Readme Contents
---------------
Map - sp_tod_Sprunrun
Author - Todarac
Map entry by Todarac submitted for the 2011 Summer Mapping Initiative
Hope you guys over there enjoy playing my map as much as I enjoyed making it
Helpers-
Stinger - Help with Hammer (even when he didn't want to), Ideas, Playtesting, Supportive Brony
Cheetoz2112 - Playtesting
Featureless - Playtesting
Kobooold(idedu) - Playtesting
Cowculus - Playtesting (Sucks at making demos)
Bernard Augustus - RESIDENT FAGGOT
Aperture Lab Rat- Alot of Playtesting, Ideas
Iron Tager - Supportive Brony
Zastugueen - Wanted to test but didn't have portal 2
Spartacus - Someone to talk to while making map
UnamedDuncan - Playtesting
Cheers to everyone at ThinkingWithPortals.com and at Valve also, Love the game guys
File Name: Sp_Tod_Sprunrun.zip
File Size: 2.29 MiB
Click here to download sp_tod_Sprunrun