http://forums.thinking.withportals.com/dload.php?action=file&file_id=196

Heya guys, this is my first map ever, so any feedback/criticism is appreciated.
I tried to keep the puzzles original, but you guys tell me what you think anyway.

Just the file in your maps folder and type "map tijit01", but you probably already know how to do that anyway so..

enjoy!

First of all, Welcome to TWP!

Now on to the map.
I understand that this is your first map and I am happy that you have decided to take the plunge into map making, so I will go easy on you.

First of all you should probably align your textures so that they do not abruptly end like they do in some places in your map. You should also try to vary the texture a little, try using the no-portal floor tile texture instead of the wall texture for the floors. and try adding some more detail to make the environment more interesting.

Second make sure that your map makes since. I had a hard time figuring out where to go or what to do in this map. An example would be the pit that if you fall in it you just randomly die. You should place some toxic waste or some other method of identifying that it is dangerous for the player.

Third, again I understand that this is your first map and all but you may want to post your maps initially in the [wip] section to get more feed back on how to improve your map before it is sent out for final release.

Since your new to mapping I suggest that you check out some of the other hl2 mapping community for tutorials about mapping in general. Sites such as http://www.halfwit-2.com and http://www.interlopers.net are a great resource for beginning mappers such as your self.

OK, so what you're saying is the way I design the levels is flawed?

What about the puzzles themselves, because that's mainly what I was focusing on. Did you finish the whole thing?

As from now on, yeah I'll post maps in the wip section first.

No, not the way you design your levels, just that you need to learn to spend more time adding detail as well as making sure that the map makes sense to more people than just you.
I will admit that the farthest I have gotten in your level with out nocliping is the death pit. Let me make sure that I am doing the level according to the way you intended it.
I start off by putting a portal through the hole in the wall in the starting room. then I go into the room with the deep pit. and place a portal on the wall. Then I jump into that portal and while still inside it I shoot across the pit to place a portal on the opposite wall(this is called portal hopping) once I am on the other side I then slowly approach the entrance to the hall then quickly place a portal on the inside of the hall and duck in before the turret can get a lock. I then proceed to duck out go a little ways and then duck back into the portal until I was close enough to the turret to pick it up and knock it over. Now with the cube safely in hand I place it on the button and go across the extended bridge and place a portal through the small hole in the wall. Then I go back to the door that opened in the wall and proceed into the starting room and through the orange portal. once I am here I am a little confused as to what you want me to do? The cube is not tall enough to be placed inside the pit of death and I dont think that the turret would help much. At this point I am assuming that my solution was not the intended solution for this map.
Perhaps you could enlighten me?

nightfire please put that last part of your post in spoiler tags. just incase someone doesn't want to see

tijitdamijit: firstly i would say this is DEFINATLY a work in progress. a "final" map should be polished, look good, have lighting, signage, more than 2 textures. etc etc. now like nightfire i will try to be nice as this is your "first map" but. this thing is... is....> Ricotez wrote:

...is ugly like your sister's butt...

now the puzzles them self were kinda cool. but seriously request to have this thing moved to work in progress. had we downloaded this thing FROM work in progress i doubt we'd even be dawging your textures and such, now we might have mentioned them, but still rather focused on your puzzles instead of ugliness of design.
some notes on THAT (design) as nightfire said. the "random death in pit" thing. needs some sort of sign that its dangereous. also its possible for the player to become screwed cuz if i'm correct you have to use the cube to jump said pit, and if thats the case you can accidently knock the cube into the pit, and have no real way to get it out without reloading a previous save game or starting over aside from that i thought that the puzzles (although not entirely new) were fun, or atleast could be if this thing was polished, my personal favorite was the hallway with the turret and how you either have to carefully portal tunnel behind the turret, or leap frog down the hall into progressively closer portals and just fyi, i have beat the map, and never had to noclip/or anything.

anyway welcome to TWP and you have already contributed more than many of us so you're on your way, keep up the good work, and oh yeah ask to have this thing moved to work in progress

rellikpd wrote:
but seriously request to have this thing moved to work in progress.

Tijit, just ask.

Can we get some images, that will really help alot.

I think you could be a great mapper with some more practise on how to use Hammer like snapping to grid, texturing, lighting etc.

I managed to get up to the last bit where the exit sign was and I assumed you wanted me to jump up onto the raised platform. I couldn't do this without the cube but I couldn't bring the cube through because it was stuck in the death pit. The way I got out of the death pit was by walljumping with the cube, I'm not sure if it's the intended way.

Even though I couldn't finish the last bit there were some good ideas in the map. Well done, keep on mapping.

I finished the map without any cheating, but it was very confusing. I had a hard time figuring out where to go next. Signs and perhaps indicator strips would help a lot and it was far from clear that one was supposed to end the map by pressing the "button". I also had to do much backtracking, because it was easy to do mistakes. Other than that I think everything has beens said. If you can learn to do some polishing I think you can make good and challenging maps. My favorite puzzle was also the turret at the end of the corridor. And thank you for crediting me for the prefab.

Initially, the death pit didn't kill you, you could put a portal on the floor to get back, but then getting back to that point without the cube was annoying. I'll change it back how it was before. I'll probably add another button that moves up a second ramp, so you can get back there reasonably quickly.

Does anyone here think backtracking to solve the puzzles is actually a bad idea? If not, I might use that concept in my future maps as well.

I'm glad people liked my turret puzzle. I would've added another one, but half the community maps I've played is just turret spam, and didn't want to create anything like that.

In the next release, I'll change the textures on the floor as well, and accomodate a few other requests you guys asked for. The fact that my map is ugly and has no lighting etc is coz like I said, I'm completely new to the program, and I was focusing on making the puzzles as unique and intuitive as possible.
So thanks for the feedback everyone!

And one more thing:

Quote:
How did you know my butt is ugly?

~my sister =P

Hey I just wanted to apologize for being so harsh in my first posts. I propably should have waited to post until I had properly beaten you level. As rellikpd pointed out you have already contributed more than many of the people on this forum including my self. I hope that you understand that I was not meaning to degrade your work, in fact when you peal away the visuals this map is quite fun and challenging.

Move'd.

So I played the map, and it's decent for a first. Like everyone else said, keeping consistent is the most important thing. The visuals of this map are... well... yeah. No comment there. Some of the puzzles were pretty interesting... The death pit as you called it needs water (or some other danger). I never actually finished the map though... Portal was running stupidly.

Duffedwaffe wrote:
... I never actually finished the map though... Portal was running stupidly.

LOL! rriiiiiggghhhhhtttt blame it on the program

rellikpd wrote:

LOL! rriiiiiggghhhhhtttt blame it on the program

Enjoy your ban.

Jokes.

Map updated!

-Fixed up most of the textures
-Added 'signs' around the place, giving you hints on what you have to do
-Added a 'door' ramp that appears after you get to what was formerly known as the Death Pit, allowing you to get easily from the orange portal to the former Death Pit
-The Death Pit no longer kills you, you can put a portal on the ground, and get back to the orange portal if you don't make the jump.

@nightfire: dude, don't apologise.. it's true!
I'm saying this coz I hate newbies... and I'm the newbie right now so ... :/

Okay, I'm thinking of creating a 'Portal Hate' map. Who here has played "I wanna be the guy: the movie: the game" ?? Coz it's like... the hardest game in the world and you unfairly die ALL THE TIME. But it doesn't feel unfair coz it's so damned funny!
Who thinks that is a good idea?

if you work really hard, and make it JUST right it could be fun. for me, when a puzzle takes a little thought, but is easily understandable (for someone good at puzzles) but might be complex, even hard, to make work then it can be VERY rewarding. see the advanced chambers and challenges on these maps

same thing with the "challenge" maps on the retail maps.

but this equation is VERY hard to nail down. because if the solution is too vague people will think you are just bad at design. if the solution is hard people will get frustrated and give up. you need to find the point at which it is ALMOST impossible. but make it so that when a person who is good at playing maps gets to that "almost impossible" point they can see that it is in fact ACTUALLY possible and they are like "DAMN IT! ALMOST! goes and plays 1 million more times" especially see pmk#2 on the advanced and challenge maps on the above link.

EDIT: played the updated map. getting better. now you have a choice to make. since you said this was really a map just to test "backtracking as a puzzle element" type thingie... you can now either: Hammer out on this map till it looks good and is "finished" or. you can take what you've learned here, and start a new map with these elements... cuz the game play in this map is ok (better than being crap) it looks looks buggly. so. i think you could work something really good out if you work at it

Duffedwaffe wrote:
Enjoy your ban.
Jokes.

lol.. jokes.. he's got jokes folks... One day on the job and already drunk with power! hits Duffedwaffe over the head with a bag of milk

Nice double post there. -Duffedwaffe

HAY GUSY WUTS GOIN ON IN TIHS THREAD?. -Hober

Uh.. okay then. I'm new to this forum, but it seems like the people here are a lot of fun

Anyways, about my map. I don't think I'll work on this one anymore, I'm a bit terrible with that.

I've started working on two other maps, one is going to be a time-based challenge, where a trigger sets of rising toxic wastey watery stuff, the other is the Portal Hate map I mentioned earlier. The P.H. one is almost finished... and it will be possibly the hardest and freakiest portal map you will ever play. I'll release it when I've finished the boss scene at the end.

Duffedwaffe wrote:
Nice double post there. - Duffedwaffe

I post a new reply whenever i think that my previous reply has been there long enough that most "frequenters" would have read it, or it is on a completely different frame of mind than a previous post. cuz see the problem with "edit post" (as your inserted text proves) is that noone KNOWS a post was edited unless they reread a post a bunch of times from start to finish.. and noone does that. most (i'm sure) just look for the "new post" icon thingies at the main forum page

Hober wrote:
HAY GUSY WUTS GOIN ON IN TIHS THREAD?. -Hober

not much just having a bit of fun with a milkbagdrinker... and watching a bunch of dark texters cluttering up my posts

On Topic: Look forward to your new maps

Great. Just great. The biggest spammers on this forum are the moderators, and they don't even use their own posts to spam...

[tf2class=heavy]I love this forum![/tf2class]