My second map. It's a co-op puzzle this time that probably requires some time to solve. Any remarks would be very welcome as i do not have that much expirience yet so feel free to give me seome feedback in the comment section.

The installation instructions are put in the rar file itself, but they are the same as the ones for most other co-op maps.

Good luck and have fun!

Videos featuring Square of Lah (spoilers!):

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LIDUaM7zRtY

gdX-ayP-Rtg

//Changes///
1.1:
-Added some player clipping walls to prevent you from solving the map in an unintended way.
-Made some small changes to prevent confusion
1.2:
-Added an introduction text
-Added a custom test sign in the beginning of the map
1.3 (version no longer available):
-The test chamber sign is now no longer portalable
1.4 (version not working):
-Changed the height of some walls in order to prevent exploiting
1.5
-Renamed the file in order to prevent a bug where some users might download an outdaterd version

File Name: Square of Lah 1.5.zip
File Size: 3.55?MiB
Square of Lah

Very nice map. Well designed. It took me and my partner a while to figure out how to get the cube over to the final part. I did get the cube back to the start little room by throwing it over the wall, not sure if that was intended? Also, the way my partner set up the laser was with the tunnel, and only just about seeing a space to place a portal (on the opposite side of the laser catcher). Was there any need for the white wall in the little room where the jump pad is? We didn't use it.

Lostprophetpunk wrote:
Very nice map. Well designed. It took me and my partner a while to figure out how to get the cube over to the final part. I did get the cube back to the start little room by throwing it over the wall, not sure if that was intended? Also, the way my partner set up the laser was with the tunnel, and only just about seeing a space to place a portal (on the opposite side of the laser catcher). Was there any need for the white wall in the little room where the jump pad is? We didn't use it.

I'm glad you liked the map, but you solved it in a very 'original' way . Throwing the cube over the wall wasn't the only solution. What i meant the players to do was using the faith plate in the room on the left. One person would then jump and place 2 portals in mid-air for his partner. The partner would then use those 2 temporary portals to move to another room without walking trough the emancipation grid.

I don't really get the way you redirected the laser to the catcher. I meant to only make it possible to make it possible by placing 2 portals in the room with the laser in it and letting your partner guide 'the laser that shines from room 4 into room 1' to the room with the faith plate with a portal. You were only supposed to use the tractor beam to bring the cube from room 1 to room 4.

The main puzzle element in this map is using the faith plate to escort your partner to another room, so i don't think i made it well if you guys managed to complete the test withput it . Also, how log did it take?

Thanks for playing

It took us about 30 mins. We did try the main puzzle element, but me and my partner aren't that ninja'ish.

Lostprophetpunk wrote:
It took us about 30 mins. We did try the main puzzle element, but me and my partner aren't that ninja'ish.

But can you please explain me how you brought the laser to the catcher? Because I don't really get it and I would really like to fix that issue . I've tried to find it my self but i got no clue of how to solve it another way

Here is how we did it...

Once we had the cube in the exit room, I placed a portal above and to the side of the laser so it shoots across the room. Then my partner shoots a portal in the first room on the lower wall, then one on the upper one. She went in between the two portals and jumped up and down to shoot a portal to the excursion funnel whilst in between them.

With a little tweaking of the placement of the portal, my partner shot a portal over the side opposite the catcher, then just placed a portal where the laser was aimed in the first room, went through and adjusted the portal. Then it was just a simple push of a button to let her through to the exit

Lostprophetpunk wrote:
Here is how we did it...

Once we had the cube in the exit room, I placed a portal above and to the side of the laser so it shoots across the room. Then my partner shoots a portal in the first room on the lower wall, then one on the upper one. She went in between the two portals and jumped up and down to shoot a portal to the excursion funnel whilst in between them.

With a little tweaking of the placement of the portal, my partner shot a portal over the side opposite the catcher, then just placed a portal where the laser was aimed in the first room, went through and adjusted the portal. Then it was just a simple push of a button to let her through to the exit

Hehe that's awesome youre not supposed to do that though. Ill fix it soon so it's no longer possible. Yhaks for the help

Well... the solutions we ended up doing sure didn't feel like the intended solutions, even if they were. Similar to some of the previous comments, We used cube flinging, which apparently wasn't needed. Portaling twice while in mid-air and having your partner going through the temporary portal also felt a bit weird, although that apparently was intended. And then I also made two portals right at the beginning so that I could get myself through the first door without the partner having to press the button, I doubt this was intended since it was barely possible for me to get through.

Playthrough:
LIDUaM7zRtY

Now look at your playthrough Salamandra, me and my partner did over-complicate it a bit.

Salamandra wrote:
Well... the solutions we ended up doing sure didn't feel like the intended solutions, even if they were. Similar to some of the previous comments, We used cube flinging, which apparently wasn't needed. Portaling twice while in mid-air and having your partner going through the temporary portal also felt a bit weird, although that apparently was intended. And then I also made two portals right at the beginning so that I could get myself through the first door without the partner having to press the button, I doubt this was intended since it was barely possible for me to get through.

Throwing the cubeswas one of the possible solutions, but there also was another one:placing the two portals while in mid-air like you did at 12:10 in your video ald letting your partner pick up the cube trough them and transport it to the first room. This is also what you should have done instead of what you did at 08:15, but your solution was also quite original . It's no longer possible, though. Is it right that you have played the 1.0 version of the map? Because right now there hes been an update which prevents you from going trough the door yourself without a partner pressing the button.

Also, thanks for reviewing this map in a very nice video

Hard map based on strictly logical puzzles, difficulty in particular is like defusing a bomb: all over the place and prone to deadly spikes, requiring to start over. For nasty it may be (the air portaling), we found it sound even when the deaths\backtracking involved for those "reboots" were growing exponentially sour. Style was as functional as necessary, no objections there.

Bugs: when opened, the panel-bridges seem to have odd hit detection around (try opening the one at the start, then approach it by sliding on the wall to the left); those invisible walls were really a nuisance. Specifically:

- Above the black structure at the beginning, which has no purpose now: was it done to prevent accessing the funnel easily? Because you still can, by either throwing the cube or jumping on it (imho, just have players jump on the thing);
- Around the hole at the beginning where the funnel passes through: I imagine it being there to prevent players to pass through, but a red laser field would require no dealings with the invisible.

xdiesp wrote:
Hard map based on strictly logical puzzles, difficulty in particular is like defusing a bomb: all over the place and prone to deadly spikes, requiring to start over. For nasty it may be (the air portaling), we found it sound even when the deaths\backtracking involved for those "reboots" were growing exponentially sour. Style was as functional as necessary, no objections there.

Bugs: when opened, the panel-bridges seem to have odd hit detection around (try opening the one at the start, then approach it by sliding on the wall to the left); those invisible walls were really a nuisance. Specifically:

• Above the black structure at the beginning, which has no purpose now: was it done to prevent accessing the funnel easily? Because you still can, by either throwing the cube or jumping on it (imho, just have players jump on the thing);
• Around the hole at the beginning where the funnel passes through: I imagine it being there to prevent players to pass through, but a red laser field would require no dealings with the invisible.

The black structure was meant to prevent pressing button 1 and running trough the door yourself. So is the invisible wall you are talking about. When you approach the door from the left you are usually trying to do that. It seemed like the best solution to me.

It is fine if you access the funnel, but the player clip wall in the hole should indeed prevent players from flying to the fourth room.

Ill try out your idea with the laser as wall, thanks for the feedback!

Invisible walls and bumps is not the way.

You don't want people to jump on the black structure? Make it high enough for the normal jump not to work, or the panel door faster. Because as it is, everyone will try to discover what's on top since it's right there. As for the invisible hit zone around the panels: something this rough I would have never expected to be a fix, really bad stuff. Again, either speed up the panels or remove that white wall.

Played your Map yesterday...

We "accidently" found another way to skip the "Air-Portal-Solution"

How we got the Cube in the First Room:
I tool the left path, my friend the right path.
My partner opened the Door 2 and I took the Cube with me.
I put the cube down near the corner before the last room, jumped on the Cube and jumped a little bit on the cube to snipe on the top white Surface of the first room.
Then my partner opened the door again.
I shot my second portal into the side and went through.

How we got the Funnel into the First Room:
I replaced my First-Room Portal to the Bottom right surface. My partner shot 1 portal to the Left bottom surface and one to the Top. Jumped through the portal and sniped a portal onto the Funnelsurface as he left the top Portal. (Sometimes he even jumped onto the Invisible Cube-Throw-Avoid-Wall.) Then he went through the Portal inside the Funnelroom to replace the Portal and aquire the Funnel.

How we got the Cube into the Last Room:
The Funnelpartner took my still existing Portal inside the Catapult-Room.
After that I went the right path. My partner opened the Door 3 and I proceeded to the last Room to Catch he cube. After that it wasn't that hard to deal with the laser becouse my partner allready hat an active portal in the First room and allready stood in the left Room.

Domathan wrote:
Played your Map yesterday...

We "accidently" found another way to skip the "Air-Portal-Solution"

...

Thanks a lot i'm patching those problems atm and i'll release a new version of the map soon. Man, you all are inventive... or my map is just very broken :p

There is a mirrored texture for the tick in the latest version. Also, we still solved it by throwing the cube and getting the funnel through not jumping. We only jumped for portals twice in the level.

My brother and I played this splitscreen on a PC with PS3 controllers (emulating XBox 360s), and found it quite difficult. Firing portals while flying is very difficult to do with a controller; it is an order of magnitude more difficult than with a mouse.

It is so difficult for us, in fact, that we had to use the ex fu flying glitch to solve it. We probably placed portals in the same places as the intended solution, perhaps in a different order.

We know there are a bunch of pimply-faced kiddies with ninja reflexes who would like to tell us to stop whining. We appreciate that some people want to make maps to challenge even the most skillful players. Just say so in the description so we ham-fisted old farts don't spend three hours trying to solve a map before resorting to cheats just to get through it.

I'm hoping that someday soon Valve will update the PS3 version to accommodate custom maps. However, if and when they do, a map like this one will be nearly unplayable for most players. We don't know whether you tested this map playing with a gamepad or not. If you did and you still found it playable, then bless your fast-twitch self.

Overall, we liked the puzzle design. It was just too difficult for us to execute the maneuvers required. That doesn't mean it's a bad map; it does mean that we think not many people will enjoy playing it.

We give it a 4/5, since it's not your fault we can't play well enough.

KennKong wrote:
We know there are a bunch of pimply-faced kiddies with ninja reflexes who would like to tell us to stop whining.

He, these aren't the Steam forums! What stopped you is the joypad, see if you can switch one player to mouse & keyboard next time.

Playing with keyboard + mouse is really the intended way. It really shouldn't be expected that custom maps are appropriately difficult with controllers given that they're PC-exclusive, without difficulty settings and almost no one here would use controllers.

Besides which, while I can appreciate that doing the map with a controller is difficult (I am absolutely terrible at aiming with a controller), this map is really far from one of the worst offenders regarding reflex & aiming requirements (see chamber 2 of Secleratus).

KennKong wrote:
My brother and I played this splitscreen on a PC with PS3 controllers (emulating XBox 360s), and found it quite difficult. Firing portals while flying is very difficult to do with a controller; it is an order of magnitude more difficult than with a mouse.

It is so difficult for us, in fact, that we had to use the ex fu flying glitch to solve it. We probably placed portals in the same places as the intended solution, perhaps in a different order.

We know there are a bunch of pimply-faced kiddies with ninja reflexes who would like to tell us to stop whining. We appreciate that some people want to make maps to challenge even the most skillful players. Just say so in the description so we ham-fisted old farts don't spend three hours trying to solve a map before resorting to cheats just to get through it.

I'm hoping that someday soon Valve will update the PS3 version to accommodate custom maps. However, if and when they do, a map like this one will be nearly unplayable for most players. We don't know whether you tested this map playing with a gamepad or not. If you did and you still found it playable, then bless your fast-twitch self.

Overall, we liked the puzzle design. It was just too difficult for us to execute the maneuvers required. That doesn't mean it's a bad map; it does mean that we think not many people will enjoy playing it.

We give it a 4/5, since it's not your fault we can't play well enough.

Thanks for your feedback, but the map was indeed meant to be played with keyboard and mouse because you can only play it on a computer. I know you can use gamepads on a computer as well, but I don't think that's very commonly done.
IMO there are certain things (like the fling thing) that you can barely do with a controller, but make the map much more fun when playing with keyboard+mouse, which most people use. I also think that the main way to play first-person perspective games is not with a PS3 controller, so I didn't really consider trying it with one. But if there are indeed so many people using it, i'll mention it in the description like you sayd.

Is my method of getting the excursion funnel part of the intended solution?

Lostprophetpunk wrote:
Is my method of getting the excursion funnel part of the intended solution?

The trick with connecting distant parts of the level with portals, is to catapult Blue and have him shoot quickly from above. This way you can bring the cube from left to center, and Orange from right to center (bringing the funnel).

xdiesp wrote:
The trick with connecting distant parts of the level with portals, is to catapult Blue and have him shoot quickly from above. This way you can bring the cube from left to center, and Orange from right to center (bringing the funnel).

I knew that already, as I mentioned it in my updated solution earlier on in the thread.

The reason I was asking about it being the intended solution, was because in the starting room, if you place a portal on one of the panels at the player level, then place another on the one above these two. This means that you can then just walk halfway through the portal at the player level, jump up and down to reach the bit of wall for the excursion funnel, and with some portal adjustment on that bit of wall above the player, you can stick the cube in the tunnel.

Then all you have to do is to get your partner into the room with the jump pad, and then have them shoot a portal in that room, then fling and create a portal on either bit of wall in that first room. Then just press both buttons to allow you both through, then get your partner to walk through into the final room and grab the cube. Then it's straightforward from there.

No flinging required to gain access to the excursion funnel for the cube.

That's a lot of things "just" to do. We too crowbarred our way through the map on our first go, but indeed the intended solution is smoother.

We just finished this map - very good - thought provoking - and needed strict cooperation with your partner. Great work - 5 cakes for you. Keep them coming!

i don't think this was intendedused faith plate to get on top of map and walk around, killed self to drop box into end room.

historyboi wrote:
i don't think this was intendedused faith plate to get on top of map and walk around, killed self to drop box into end room.

How did you do that? Thought i made it so that the faith plate launches you without giving you air control 0.o

"LostprophetpunkThe reason I was asking about it being the intended solution, was because in the starting room, if you place a portal on one of the panels at the player level, then place another on the one above these two. This means that you can then just walk halfway through the portal at the player level, jump up and down to reach the bit of wall for the excursion funnel, and with some portal adjustment on that bit of wall above the player, you can stick the cube in the tunnel.[/quote wrote:

Which version did you play? Because i think i've fixed that in the latest version, or is it still possible?

JonVD wrote:
Which version did you play? Because i think i've fixed that in the latest version, or is it still possible?

It was 1.3, as I wanted to see if it had been fixed. I take it with the 1.4 version you have fixed it?

Hi, me and a friend found quite a few bugs in your map (Which was really great though.)
DON'T WATCH THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnjOI3T13dw

Good map all the way. Keep going and fix those nasty bugs

Los Fablos wrote:
Hi, me and a friend found quite a few bugs in your map (Which was really great though.)
DON'T WATCH THIS IF YOU DON'T WANT SPOILERS.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RnjOI3T13dw

Good map all the way. Keep going and fix those nasty bugs

Thanks a lot thought I made the glitch to access the funnel without jumping impossible, i'll fix that.
For the other 2 things: You're supposed to redirect the laser the way you did, there is no other way. As soon as it gets to the reciever, the level is quasi complete (the door stays open). The laser also turns off automatically as you might have noticed. Because this was a bit unclear first, I tried to clarify this by adding "beep-levelclear" sounds as soon as the laser touches the reciever.
Cube throwing was also not prevented because it is actually more effort than the default solution and because I personally like throwing cubes cuz it is pro .

Thanks for making this video, it helped me a lot!

Good map, got me thinking for a while but we managed to figure it out

I can't download newer versions of your maps. I just keep getting version 1.0 no matter what version i choose in the drop down menu. This is probably a forum issue as it happens to other maps too.

I don't know but maybe you should rename the files (with version number) prior to uploading.

a2912871 wrote:
Good map, got me thinking for a while but we managed to figure it out

I can't download newer versions of your maps. I just keep getting version 1.0 no matter what version i choose in the drop down menu. This is probably a forum issue as it happens to other maps too.

I don't know but maybe you should rename the files (with version number) prior to uploading.

Ow 0.o never seen that before... Is it only with my maps, and is it with all of them?

Not the best looking map, could put a lot more work into the looks; however, I really enjoyed the puzzle.

P.S. When uploading new versions of the map. Make sure you change the name of the RAR file, and you have "Replace the following release with the new file" selected. That way, there aren't any problems with people downloading old versions.

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:

pp8Z-_ig63E
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pp8Z-_ig63E)

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