My first released map, it's a pretty straight forward 3 part puzzle. Not a lot of dexterity puzzles, it's mostly a make you think map. I'm also introducing two new elements in this map, my Hardlight Catchers and Hardlight Reflectors. These devices work as switches, activated when a hardlight bridge hits them, and the reflectors do just that, reflect the hardlight bridge off of them. (pictures below) I'm interested to see what people think of them and to get some feed back on their use and appearance as well as the rest of the puzzles and such in my map. I'd love some blind play through videos and any feed back is always appreciated!

Hardlight Catcher Inactive


Hardlight Catcher Active


Hardlight Catcher Unsolved


Hardlight Catcher Solved


Hardlight Relector


Hardlight Reflecting


Hardlight Reflector Puzzle


Hardlight Reflector Puzzle Sovled


File Name: free_thought.rar
File Size: 2.75?MiB
Free Thought

Awesome! I'll give it 5/5 for an extremely polished first map. I solved it in about 30-40 minutes. There was a little more trial and error in the maze than I would normally like, but I really love the new mechanics you've introduced here and I will be inspecting the vmf file to see how you've achieved this.
The appearance of your new elements are just fine in my opinion, however I don't think I needed to fully understand what was going on with them in order to solve the maze. I just treated it as a number of switchable mazes..
Anyway great effort. Looking forward to more.

Nice map. I think I liked the WIP(?) version of chamber 3 with the portal walls inside the maze. In this one the turrets were not much of an obstacle to getting to the end. Still a well done map and it all worked great.
Thanks for creating, enjoyed it.

Very nicely done! My blind playthrough took 1:12:44, most of it spent running back and forth in the mazes. I was also very dense about the fling to the exit. Let me edit out all the trips I took where nothing changed, and then I'll post it.

The structure of the maze is complex enough that it almost completely conceals your new mechanics. Even though this map is a poor demonstration of the concept, I think it has great possibilities. It allows for lightbridge puzzles like laser puzzles with static cubes, only even more flexible.

I think I cheated the maze solution. I put the cube on the button by crouching under the lightbridge. I couldn't walk out the exit after placing the cube, I just walked back through the maze.

The rest of the puzzles were fairly simple, yet there was enough variety and interaction that they weren't weak spots at all.

In the looks department, it was very neatly and cleanly done. My only nitpick is that it was too dark almost everywhere, which hurts my old eyes.

Overall, this is definitely an excellent quality map, but the quantity is lacking. If this map had really showcased the new mechanics, I would have given you a 5, but it's just too short. I know it took me a long time, but if I had been more methodical, it would have taken much less time. 4/5 from me, and I'm looking forward to a map which really shows what you can do with the new lightbridge mechanics..

Agree totally with KennKong about the use of the new mechanic. You could have just as easily created your maze with glass walls that slide up and down (func_door) to reconfigure the maze. Anyway, I think it opens up some interesting possibilities for future maps.

Very nice map! Not too difficult, but the bit with the maze was fun, although I think KennKong and grayarea are right in that it wasn't a great showcase of the new mechanic. It might be better, also, to give the player a better understanding of the lightbridge catchers. Maybe add a small prequel chamber in which the concepts are more clearly laid out without such complicated paths.

That said, though, this map was quite a bit of fun. I cheated on the second maze, however, because (1) I was tired of running through mazes and (2) throwing the cube was easier than figuring out how to get to the button. Then I walked back out through the maze. Is that intended? Anyway, cool map and some good ideas. 5/5

I edited the blind playthrough down to 38:53 by deleting parts where I accomplished nothing. I left in the mistakes, though. Enjoy!
Link: Free Thought blind playthroughEmbedded
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P.S. Although I am not picky about starting and ending maps with elevators, your map must disconnect at the end.

EDIT: On my second playthrough, I encountered a little weirdness. After getting the cube in room 3, I put the lightbridge on the first portal surface and carried the cube into the maze. I quickly bumped into an invisible clip. Facing in the entrance as forward, go forward one, left one and forward one. The clip prevented me from going forward another one. I turned on FRAPS to show you, but I refired the portal, and the problem was gone.

Yea, I agree it's not a good showcase, wasn't really intended to be either, I had been meaning to make them for awhile and this just seemed like a neat way to use them. The clip was probably a result of my method of making the reflectors, and if you really wanna know how I made them, they're just brushes, the switch function actually comes from a func_portal_detector and I made the walls that reflect off the reflectors, they're just brushes. Thanks for playing and thanks for all the feed back so far! the more the better!

I found it pretty damn good.Although the turning everything on to get a cube and then having to turn 1 back off to place the cube seemed a bit overkill as there is nothing indicating what to do.Great job thou

Woohoo, that was a bunch of fun! Not too easy, not too hard, and I loved the maze!

Like a bunch of people have said, it wouldn't have been entirely obvious what was going on with the reflectors and such if you hadn't mentioned it. An aerial view of the situation, migt have made things clearer. But credit where credit's due it must've taken a good long time to lay everything out in a way that didn't get the player stuck all the time! The eureka moment when you realise you've got to hide behind the grate and portal at the closest wall was a nice touch too. Made an otherwise potentially monotonous part of the puzzle a bunch more interesting.

All in all, seems like a well planned, polished map, and I really enjoyed playing it despite thinking I'd hate it the second I saw the gloop and faith plates
Thanks!

My Blindrun:
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Vid should be available 10 mins after post.

Lol, that was an unintended solution =P I'll make note of it and fix that.

The layout process took a couple hours and some graph paper, it was easy enough since this one was such a simple maze.

I've been thinking if enough people like the puzzle I might adapt it to a coop puzzle, one bot in the maze, the other in the floor above looking down through glass to guide them, and make the maze a lot harder than this one, but that's only if I get some good feed back from this one, lol.

Also, I've been wondering, what did ya'll think of my new doors? the square ones that is. I tried to make something that would fit my level without standing out too much.

Heh, which bit was unintended? For once I wasn't feeling cheaty, so it's kinda surprising

I love the idea of a coop version, especially with turrets. Y'know.. just as long as I can get my coop buddy killed a few times The doors were pretty cool too, I spent a while looking at them wondering if they were in the original game. Either way, they fit the theme pretty nicely and there's no player smushing when you stand on them

Yeah I also liked the doors. I assumed they were buried somewhere in the original game and I had missed them, so take that as a compliment.

I'm in agreement with grayarea on the doors. They looked so "right" that I didn't think twice about them. You should make those your signature piece.

=P thank you, I will take it as a compliment. I finally got back into 3D modeling now as well, so in the future my doors won't be made of brushes and have stock textures on them =P

and sickle, the last part where you shot through the grating to the to cube button wasn't intended,You're supposed to have to go back and turn off the first button from that side so as to get through with the closest portalable wall, which was sealed off by the turning wall

I might make and upload a video of my intended solve sometime soon.

Fantastic! Much better now.. fun to play not too mindbending. Loved the maze concept. 5/5

This map was okay, but I had more fun imagining in advance what could have been done with the Hard Light Catchers. The three seperate puzzles tied together nicely, but there are a few unpleasant elements I'd like to point out:

1. The map was overall quite dark, and hallways were excessively long (through big chambers). This is quite common for people's first maps, so don't worry about it too much.
2. The turrets in the mazes seemed... unnecessary, the were almost always blocked off anyway, especially in the second maze.
3. I personally thought that the mazes were too tedious, it was actually quite a drag having to run back and forth... Jut my opinion, though.
4. The Hard Light Catchers are quite a unique concept, they just didn't have a nice introduction. I would suggest adding the room from the screenshots to the beginning of the map, or the beginning of the maze puzzles.
5. Please, for the love of god, add elevators. It's not difficult and it makes the map so much more refined!
6. I would also like to point out the use of func_details. They don't cut so-called visleaves and in your maze the rendering made my computer a very sad panda. Do yeah, try to avoid brushes if not needed. Again, first map, so understandable.

Hmm, looks like I'm a step late on the "Hard Light Cathers".

Nice puzzles. Though, the map looks really dark.

I'm beginning to think my map might be too dark =P

Yea, I'll make a map sometime soon to just do simple straight forward introduction to the HLB Catchers. and I'll put up the instance for them too.

The turrets are in the third section purely to disallow access before obtaining the HLB, they weren't really meant to be in an obstacle to worry about in the map puzzle.

Thanks again for the feed back and keep it comin', lovin' it so far!

Enjoyable map of easy/medium difficulty! Using your new mechanism in an advanced puzzle would make it perfect.
4/5.

5/5 I loved the hard light catchers and the reflectors. I also agree with most of the forum is that you really need to put an intro level in to explain how the catcher and the reflectors work.
The only gripe I can say is that the Maze I hate Mazes! Other than that a great little level.

Thank you!

Hemotem

Great map, absolutely worth playing!

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

I managed to solve this pretty much (I think) as intended. Sorry, I don't have the ability to record (and I really don't think many would enjoy watching me bash around for the hour or so it took me just to solve the mazes).

I agree with others, this was not the best example of the concept, although I think it has potential.

Also, unless I was really stupid and missed something, I was a bit aggravated when I realized I should have (and could have) taken the cube with me from the 1-dot room into the 2-dot room. Since the cube only serves to open the door underneath the socket to get to the button stalk, I think it would have been clearer if the button stalk opened the exit door and left it open instead of just unlocking it so it opens when you approach, only to have it close behind you and stay closed after you walk through. Either that, or have the door work from both sides once you have unlocked it. That way, if you didn't take the cube with you, you could just walk back in there and get it instead of having to fling back into the room.

For me, the mazes were tedious and grueling It's hard to see what's going on when you're having to look through so many light bridges and it's tough to determine what effect the buttons have.

Unlike my brother, KennKong, I didn't have any trouble getting to the exit. I had already figured out what was required before I started on the 3-dot room.

4/5 from me.

i found this map brilliant it was a very good medium level map. make more like this but with a elevator at the end. 20/10.