Welcome Test Subjects,

This is my first map, all the details about my map are located in the readme file within the zip file.

This is Chapter 1: The Escape, where for some reason, you are escaping, I made the map as I was going along, and I thought to make it into a series of events. You are trying to escape an unknown threat you are unaware of. The maps I make arn't meant for the people who need their hand held when doing something, I say this because, basically there are no hints. I don't believe in hints, there are some for simplicity sake, but you are escaping, why would the person you are escaping from, give you hints? If you are confused on what I mean by hints, I mean those blue indicators to tell you what has been activated. It wasn't because I was lazy, It was because I saw it as a challenge where you have to think. Good luck, and please read the readme file, I ask for a favor in there that could really benifit in the next few maps. Thanks

[News Update]: I'm very excited to see that my map has gotten over 500 downloads in such little time. So with that being said, I will be continuing my progress in making more chapters to my 'Inside Mini Story'. Keep a look out for my new map coming out either December or January of 2012! I look foward to see what you guys think of my story of deception...

[Last News Update]: As I mentioned before, I am very surprised to see so many people giving me a chance to show that I can offer something new to the Portal Community. This will be the last update for this forum, as I am nearing the completion of Chapter 2. I can't promise anything, but I should be done with this map within the weekend... depending on if any bugs occur. I would like to again thank you guys for choosing BlackBird Studios.

File Name: SP_TheEscape_v1.rar
File Size: 10.41 MiB
Click here to download Chapter 1: The Escape

Stuck beneath the stairs
2011-11-21_00001 (800x450).jpgBy this point, I was already tired of walking around huge rooms with tiny puzzles. I swear the funnel going up was longer than The Fall going down in the original game, only without a potato to listen to. It's rare that I will quit a map for any reason, but I quit this one because I was trapped and too bored to restart.
You must make your rooms much, much smaller. 2/5 from me.

I too felt daft with the huge test chamber, really wanted to create a more unique way of transition instead of having a door lead you to the next, I finally created a way, but this is only shown in the 'last test chamber'. But thanks very much for the comment and as I said first time making a map, you learn from your mistakes, quite honestly I didn't even expect a 2, I felt I didn't even deserve a number lol.

BlackBird Studios wrote:
quite honestly I didn't even expect a 2, I felt I didn't even deserve a number lol.

The map is at least playable, so it doesn't deserve a 1. I felt bad about panning your map without finishing it, so I went back and recorded a playthrough.http://youtu.be/-w57w-zSU64
I lost the cube in the catapult cascade, and had a hard time rescuing it. This was my third playthrough, and just my second complete one. The first time in the largest room, I had a devil of a time even seeing the portal surfaces, and had to noclip around the room to find the angled one to the exit.
You have much to learn, but if you put as much effort into improving as you did just to create this monster, there is hope.

I also lost the cube......several times.... in the dark.. ended up noclipping past that part and finished. I agree// way too big... you could have accomplished some of the same things with rooms that were much smaller.. playable, and at least thought out.

Well that was OK 3/10 Although on the major catapult thing it was so dark I got lost and ended up noclipping past it and spawning a cube because it didn't fling high enough. Also did you use targets?
Edit: I loved the sideways door

Well it has large rooms though smaller rooms could be better. The puzzles are easy and the neurotoxin timer doesn't work for me.
The lack of light is annoying.

Have potential, just polish it up

I am really liking the comments, I knew when I made this map that there was going to be a big thing about the large rooms with little puzzles. What I did was make a map and just added onto it, there was no planning for each puzzle within Chapter 1. To me, it was more of a 'learning experience' with each new puzzle I made. Towards the end, I got better with the texturing, but as you guys said, there is potential and I am hoping to show you guys that with Chapter 2. Those catapults you guys are talking about, I wanted to create a new idea of an elevator to go up, never took into effect that people would start moving around while going up. You guys talk about the targets for the catapults, I know what they are... I think, but I don't know how to use them. So if anybody can help me with that and also help me with making crushers that would be great. (and please don't give me the wiki site, I tried to read it, I hate the directions, I'm a straight forward kind of person, and I hate jumping through hoops). (another thing, if you could also help me with the lighting that would make my day, I got tired of using those lamps, over and over and over and over again, but I just didn't know how to make a constant light that would fill the whole room without having to worry about dark spots) So again, if you can help me, that would be great. Thanks again you guys.

There's a glass_light instance you could use for light, or you could create your own. After watching KennKong's video, I have mixed feelings about this map.
1) Very creative. I haven't seen many people use fling techniques in their maps. Although the constant catapulting upwards is a bit unrealistic.
2) Lots of empty space; big rooms aren't always a bad thing, but they tend to be a bit too time consuming (ex. long fall with the excursion funnel). But the way you made the big room for the player to fling themselves is (IMO) appropriate.
I would give this map a 3.9 if there was a decimal involved in the rating system.

here's my playtrough: http://www.twitch.tv/bruzag_nl/b/300826198

overall - atmosphere is good, but some of the areas are just to damn big for it to really be enjoyable - not much of hard puzzles either, but overall theres a certain feel to it that i dig - it feels like i need to hurry to get it done and whatnot - not a lot of maps have that sorta feel to them, so thats a huge + - looking forward to future work

I like the idea of an escape map, the title alone drew me in. As everyone has said already however, the puzzles are simple and the rooms are ridiculously huge.

The first thing I noticed about the map was the toxin timer. I was off at breakneck speed to 'escape', but then I had to walk about 4 miles. In a chase situation you want the player to feel under pressure, struggling to complete actions as fast as they can. Walking up a huge corridor is not very exciting.

The huge turret death pit was cool though, just seeing it below added a good level of atmosphere and I was interested again. The middle section wasn't too bad, and I like the huge flings, but then I got stuck under the stairs at the faith plate section, and when I reloaded I kept losing the cube.

The faith plate section is pitch black for me, is it supposed to be that way?

After spawning a cube I realised the neurotoxin must be way over the 4 minutes by now, and I wasn't dead or had any indication i'd 'defeated it', so that was a bit disappointing.

I hope this helps with your next map. if you want to see some cool examples of 'chase' chambers take a look at the end of NYS-4 and 5, they are insanely tense

Yeah, sorry about the turn down Varakir. After making the map I realized, hey the trigger for the nerotoxin only kills the players if they are in the room or if the step in the room when the timer runs out where the nerotoxin is being dispensed at. But I really didn't want to change it because I the end, I felt this map was going to be a complete failure, 'for some reason it is not lol' but I was going to put in a message in the nerotoxin room stating that, "This room will be blocked off in 4 minutes by the nerotoxin halting your escape", but I felt this would be (1). Way to long of a message to have on the screen 'floating around', and (2) players would take to long to read this message warning them to not waste time, but at the same time wasting time reading a message telling them to not waste time. ~.~

[I really appreciate that comment tho.. I have learned that triggers should be spread out through the whole region of the map and not just one, so thanks for that]

When did lights go out of style? Sorry, that just kind of killed it for me. Just some simple lighting would've made it so much better. Straining my eyes to try and find a portalable surface doesn't make it a harder puzzle.

Dear Vixul,

Lights went out of style since the 1820's, were now into candles... You better get with your time period there buddy

[Just Kidding]

When I made this map Vixul, I used my 'Super Computer' aka My Toster Oven of a Laptop... When I ran the map I was in full contrast because I always have my charger plugged in when I get home, which is the only time I have to test the map out and see problems and issues. I say 'full contrast' because when it is off the charger it is set for 'lowest setting' contrast, so I have a longer battery life when not plugged in. Never took into effect that you guys ran your big boxed computers to play this game

It is not like I skipped out on the lights, when I first made that long run way when you get past that long opening that leads down into that pit of turrets... I used to have literally 30 lights hanging on that wall, took them off later because it was to excessive and it made compiling the map much longer... Do understand: I warned you from the first few sentences stating that... "This is my FIRST MAP!!!" I don't think I need say anymore.

Another thing... where did I say that straining your eyes counts as making the puzzle seem harder? If you can give me an exact quote out of my description, you and your friends will earn a 1st class trip to "Perfect Ville", bad news... no such place exists...

But I must thank you though, now when another person fails to read my descriptions, while at the same time saying stuff that was never said, they will be able to look at this post and clearly realize that, I will spend 5 minuites of my life to comment on a message that really has no effect towards me...

But, thank you for that comment, I hope you still play through my map, my lighting has gotten "a bit" better, I'm still learning... I don't spend my life doing this you know... but yes, I do spend my life commenting on meaningless comments.

[Also, if your comment was meant to just inform me in a nice way that I need better lighting skills, then please disregard this whole statement... can't tell if what you wrote was to be informable or 'sassy'. I jump the gun a lot but I love that about myself]

Sorry, it was definitely just informative, I was afraid of that. Tone doesn't carry over text. I completely understand what with this being your first map and all. I just finished my first map a few days ago and it has it's fair share of flaws as well.
Anyways, keep up the good work.
looking forward to your next map.

BlackBird Studios wrote:
Dear Vixul,

Lights went out of style since the 1820's, were now into candles... You better get with your time period there buddy

[Just Kidding]

When I made this map Vixul, I used my 'Super Computer' aka My Toster Oven of a Laptop... When I ran the map I was in full contrast because I always have my charger plugged in when I get home, which is the only time I have to test the map out and see problems and issues. I say 'full contrast' because when it is off the charger it is set for 'lowest setting' contrast, so I have a longer battery life when not plugged in. Never took into effect that you guys ran your big boxed computers to play this game

It is not like I skipped out on the lights, when I first made that long run way when you get past that long opening that leads down into that pit of turrets... I used to have literally 30 lights hanging on that wall, took them off later because it was to excessive and it made compiling the map much longer... Do understand: I warned you from the first few sentences stating that... "This is my FIRST MAP!!!" I don't think I need say anymore.

Another thing... where did I say that straining your eyes counts as making the puzzle seem harder? If you can give me an exact quote out of my description, you and your friends will earn a 1st class trip to "Perfect Ville", bad news... no such place exists...

But I must thank you though, now when another person fails to read my descriptions, while at the same time saying stuff that was never said, they will be able to look at this post and clearly realize that, I will spend 5 minuites of my life to comment on a message that really has no effect towards me...

But, thank you for that comment, I hope you still play through my map, my lighting has gotten "a bit" better, I'm still learning... I don't spend my life doing this you know... but yes, I do spend my life commenting on meaningless comments.

[Also, if your comment was meant to just inform me in a nice way that I need better lighting skills, then please disregard this whole statement... can't tell if what you wrote was to be informable or 'sassy'. I jump the gun a lot but I love that about myself]

You didn't jump the gun, you jumped a freakin' rocket launcher. I had trouble with my first map too (misaligned textures and light emitting from nowhere). It is hard to tell when someone's being sincere or not. But if light is the only serious issue with the map, then I got some good advice: make a prop_static with the glass_light model and stick it 1 unit away from the ceiling (or wall depending on the circumstance) and stick a light entity 16 units from the glass_light. Then just copy and paste the two (glass_light & light) wherever you need more light.

Edit: After reading one of your other comments (the one about 30 lights) I have one more piece of advice. I think the light entity can have the radius of light emitted changed. That way you can make more light emit without having several light entities.

Thanks MasterLagger,

For reposting my whole chapter 1 book
It took up half the page already lol.

I think I have found a better way to improve the light structure of my maps,
I won't need to use 30 lights anymore, now... I'LL USE 1700!!! j/k
We will see if my next map deals with the issue you guys are getting with the lights.

Chapter 2: Is on its way, I got a lot of it done last night... bad news is, I'm probably going to have to stop because I have to finish my College Course within December, so unless I have free time, I won't be able to work on it as much. Sorry if you guys were ready to order some hot wings in celebration of the next map release to be able to eat while playing.

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:

rPzybbYO6rY
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPzybbYO6rY)

Also note the video description for more feedback and my signature for additional project information.

I LOVED IT ! ! 4 of 5

And to Djinndrache - thanks for all your great play-throughs.

Not sure why some people hate huge rooms. To me the large football-stadium-sized rooms and the half-mile shafts added character and a great "feel" to the map. It was an advanture with a lot of movement. Not very hard - so that is one area you could increase on.

The other problem has been mentioned - the faith plates shaft. It was way too dark. I am sure you did that on purpose but you need to see what you are doing to avoid losing the cube as you catapult up. I simply used mat_fulbright 1 for that section, so it was not much of an issue.

I look forward to Chapter 2 - thanks for this.

PCdoc