MAP IS RELEASED! GO HERE TO DOWNLOAD: Fighting Entropy

This is a map made in the reconstucting and bts themes. I feel that the map is almost complete, but I'm a bit worried about the file size and the entdata which is very full (over 200%). The map runs well for me, but if others have problems with it I might need to split it in two parts. I also think the map needs some more playtesting before I can release it.

changelog

beta2
-changed last button in final test so it's easier to complete the test properly
-minor fixes

beta3
-removed some hallways and added more dialogue
-increased details in bts area
-more minor fixes

File Name: fighting_entropy_pak_b3.zip
File Size: 24.57 MiB
Click here to download Fighting Entropy

I didn't notice any problems, but I'm not sure I finished it as intended. Were you supposed to use the camera to turn off the lightbridge in the last room? That was the only way I could see how to get past it to the exit. In general, I thought the puzzles were a little easy for my taste, but they did get harder as you progressed. I had no problems with lag. And I didn't come across any obvious map-breaking shortcuts.

You were right about not finishing it the intended way. You should use the non-reflective cube to block the laser, then move it by portals to the button. I'll just fix it so you can't go around the solution.

I thought about trying your ending, but the liklihood of getting the cube into that cube button was so low that I figured that there must be another way. I would suggest making the button a standard floor button. The chance of getting a cube to fling perfectly into a cube button is pretty low and is way out of line with the difficulty of the rest of your map. I'll play your map again tomorrow to check this, but you might want to think of an alternative ending.

Actually, I've made a mechanism so that a cube will (almost) always hit the button when it's supposed to. I only used a cube button to avoid confusion with standing on the button, but if this causes even more cofusion I could change the button to a regular one.

I'm not sure the mechanism is working correctly: I tried this about 20 times and it went in and stayed there twice (oddly, it worked on the very first try and I thought I was going to have to eat my words). I saw that you had a place marked out for the portal, but there didn't seem to be any placement helper on that panel. The choice is yours, of course, but you might want to test this element a bit more.

This is the one of the elements I have had the most problems with. I thought I fixed it but it doesn't seem like it works after all. I'm going to change that part a lot now, it definetly needs to work better.

The map is now updated so the issues you have told me about are fixed. I think it needs some more playtestning before I can release it though.

That worked well. I noticed that you had a fling helper on one of the panels in the next to last room. I suppose it's needed to prevent unnecessary deaths, but it's a little unnerving if you go through it to retrieve the cube later. I also noticed that the lightboard at the beginning said this was the first of 12 levels. Is that right?

I think I know which panel you mean. I might fix that in a later update, or when I release the map. About the numbers...you might see that the second lightboard says 9/23. You can see it as GlaDOS moving you from one test track to another with different numbers. It's got nothing to do with the sequence of chambers. I'm a pretty slow mapper, so a 12 chamber map pack might take years for me to complete.

I played you map and liked some parts of it.
The beginning is really nice, like the shadows and the falling panels. The puzzle was also good. Then there came the BTS area and that's the part I didn't like the most.
There is no point to let the player go trough the offices "forever". You should cut some hallways or let GlaDOS speak somme lines, otherwise it's the most boring part of the map.
The moment I reached the top of the beginning of the BTS area was confusing: I didn't know where to fling. I tried to reach the catwalk left of me three times with no luck and then I saw thast little white wall I had to use. Maybe you can remove / destroy the catwalk and put some attracting things near the wall.
The second puzzle was also good. Besides from the cubebutton I realized that the floor has a ceiling texture (if I'm not wrong).

When you put some more details in the BTS area, cut some hallways and change the texture everything's fine .

I think I'll cut some of the hallways, I only have to figure out which ones so I don't break important stuff. I thought it might be hard to spot the white wall in the BTS area, but I'll find a way to make it stick out.

I've now updated the map. I've fixed most of the things mentioned (not the floor texture in chamber 2 since it already was a floor texture - it just looks similar to a ceiling texure).
I hope that I can release the map soon, I just need to adapt it for steam workshop. I hope there are no more serious issues but if you find any, please let me know.