I posted to, hopfully, round up a list of Dos and Don't in designing a Portal and or a Portal 2 map. Hopfully this could eventually be useful for reference for begginer mappers out there. Anyone that knows anything that could be helpful may post.
Thank You.
Compiled List So Far
Dos
Do map must use portals
Do optimize with areaportals and hint brushes and use func_viscluster in large open areas
Do make the player feel smarter after a challenge
Do take your time on the level
Do Plan out your level from start to finish
Do Think about what is fun and not fun for the player.
Do Make sure you have a solid idea of what you want to do before you begin mapping.
Do Get other people to play your map
Do Align textures
Do make the level, make sence!
Do make the player think! Challenge them!
Do use placement helpers on shots where the portal needs to be lined up a certain way and the player can't shoot at the right angle.
Do Seal leaks by adjusting surrounding brushes, not by making another brush that juts out and conflicts with surrounding brushes.
Do Use proper entraces and exits, normally elevators or dissassembly chambers of some sort
Do work to the BEST of your ability, never just try.
Do BE ORIGINAL!!
Do LISTEN to the players feedback, even if it isn't positive.
Do include sounds that would make sense for the environment.
Do ALWAYS check for problems
Do ALWAYS optimise
Do give the player clues or indications, but don't make it too easy.
Don'ts
Don't get discouraged
Don't think that visuals aren't important in a puzzle game. You're wrong and your map will look like dog shit.
Don't rely solely on env_projectedtexture for lighting. They don't light the viewmodel.
Don't confuse the player
Don't ever think you are finished detailing your map. You aren't.
Don't use world portals as part of a puzzle. They're annoying. Like, incredibly annoying. Like, I hate maps that think they are neat and innovative.
Don't release your map without having tested it with multiple people. We have a Work In Progress section for a reason.
Don't Make a box and call it fun. Be INVENTIVE!
Don't Expect the white paint to be break proof, USE WISELY!
Don't make a playground map.
Don't make the map impossible!
Don't write anything on the walls with brushes.
Don't Use the carve tool
Don't Use Portal 1 textures (metalwall, checkerboard), especially in conjunction with Portal 2 Textures. It's ugly
Don't Give up
Don't Try to make letters appear while in elevator. It doesn't work
Don't turret spam a level
Don't prop spam either.
Don't put one player in a cage on a coop map, or otherwise lock the players in to roles and not allow them to reverse.
Don't End your map with a cake, a game_text saying "TEH END" and no disconnect
Don't MISALIGN TEXTURES
Don't make a five minute job, take the time and effort to build the level.
Don't expect a perfect puzzle the first time you map, there is ALWAYS somthing to fix.
*Don't ask questions already answered in either the forums or the VDC <<
Don't just take idea out of the game UNLESS you can make somthing completly different from it. (We don't need to see unoriginal repeats)
Don't: make insanely big maps.
Don't: make insanely small maps.
Don't: name your map "MYMAP, MYFIRSTMAP, <NAME>'sMAP or anything else dumb", Give the map a good well thought out name.
Don't: take work that isn't yours.
Don't: make redundant puzzles, Make each one different
Don't: discourage the player by overwhelming them. You know the solution, They don't.
Don't: make the player do the impossible, make sure your maps work first!
