ebola wrote:
I can post more of the design processes I went through if people want, but that's it for now.

Yes, please! A further discussion of your design processes would be a masterclass in level design, and a great gift to the community. Thank you, and congrats on the contest win!

It was the first map where I had the following situation:
it was 2am and I wanted to finish this map before I go to sleep, the first few chambers have played very smooth, with lots of "aha" moments, great look and fresh ideas (like a an official Valve map ), but then I came into the chamber from the picture above, (I think it was the second last) and stuck in the map about half an hour and I couldn't solve it (perhaps I was too tired or just too stupid^^)
about 3am I went to bed and thought about the solution and after a while suddenly it was like "ahhh, of course!!! " and the next day I tried how I thought and it really worked, that was amazing^^
you should work as a mapper for valve, this map was fantastic

I thoroughly enjoyed the puzzles. I thought they were fairly difficult, actually, but not impossible to solve.

The aesthetics is quite astonishing. Great job, and this map very well deserve the top prize.

And just in my map, I cannot figure out a way to fix the laser receptacle's texture color once it's powered. It should, of course, turn yellow when it's powered. But that does not always happen.

One more thing, I had problem lining up the portals at the chamber in which you have to allow the cube to reach terminal velocity to bowl off the turrets. I think a portal placement helper would be a good idea. I see that you have used placement helper in other areas of the map, but not there.

Either I have got dumber within the last two weeks, or this is not "intermediate difficulty" but rather significantly harder than most of the original Portal 2 puzzles. Also no Portal 2 puzzle had me dying as often as this... But there's nothing wrong about this. The only criticism that I have is that most riddles have only one solution.

Also, @ MonoTon, the thing you are doing between 6:21 and 6:23 in your video is how I did it, too, and it seems to be reproducable, but the thing you are doing between 6:28 and 6:30 is a game of chance, or is there some trick? Because when you are going back, the turrets know you are there and you don't have the advantage of them being in sleep mode. I didn't manage to survive this (so I did it with portals rather than running through the fire).

I managed to run through the turrent fire aswell.

Quote:
The only criticism that I have is that most riddles have only one solution

That's true for most official Portal 2 puzzles. I don't see any problem with that.

And you are not the only one who struggles with the puzzles. These puzzles are significantly harder than the official Valve ones. It took me a long time to solve them, to the point of getting dizzy and a bit frustrated.

These puzzles are very challenging. Those who say they are too easy are either bluffing or geniuses.

On the note of difficulty, I intended it to be around those of advanced chambers, because I thought those did a good job of providing a new experience after one has finished the campaign. I qualified the map as intermediate difficulty and almost wish I didn't. I felt it was intermediate among the custom maps I have played up until the end of development. However, if I was judging by Valve's difficulty scale, this would be slightly harder than the hardest part of the singleplayer campaign.

I tought the 2nd room (faithplates) needed only 1 cube so solved only with 1 easily (flinging myself and a cube into the buttons on the wall), after watched a walkthrough video I realised I skipped a second boxdropper on the left

satchmo wrote:
Quote:

The only criticism that I have is that most riddles have only one solution

That's true for most official Portal 2 puzzles. I don't see any problem with that.

This is not a problem in itself, as long as one has not been spoiled some of the tricks and wants to avoid using them.

I must say, though, that most of the original Valve puzzles involving turrets have multiple solutions.

Keep up the good work!

arvisrend wrote:
satchmo wrote:

Quote:

The only criticism that I have is that most riddles have only one solution

That's true for most official Portal 2 puzzles. I don't see any problem with that.

I must say, though, that most of the original Valve puzzles involving turrets have multiple solutions.

Most sections of this map do actually have multiple solutions.

Room 1
Only 1 solution really, although you can wall-jump in the middle with the light bridge to get through faster.
Room 2 turrets
Only one good solution (accelerate box and launch it) but I am pretty sure you could rush the turrets or make a slow push against wall using the box as a shield.
Room 2 double-button
At least 3 solutions. One is the standard 2box on bridge then step on faith plate. Another is to use 1 box and launch yourself. Third solution is to put boxes on light bridge high up, stand in middle, and place a portal on the floor of the crusher platform, then place the other portal on the floor below you, so you get upstairs without using the faith plate at all.
Room 3 funnel+laser
You can get the second reflector cube out from behind the red laser field using the reverse tractor beam to suck it out. You can also just place a portal on the ceiling here and throw the box straight up through the portal.
Room 4 turrets in hallway
You can cook them with the laser beam, or you can use the faith plate to launch a cube at them, which knocks them over just like in room 2.
Room 4 turrets around button
You can use the laser to burn them or else just use the tractor beam to knock them over.
Room 4 exit
You can use the tractor beam to float over, or you can even just place a portal outside and another inside, then move 3 boxes outside and jump on them to get the final portal high enough to fling over with the faith plate.
There are probably other solutions as well; I just haven't found them myself.

Ruien wrote:
Room 2 turrets
Only one good solution (accelerate box and launch it) but I am pretty sure you could rush the turrets or make a slow push against wall using the box as a shield.

I am pretty sure you can't. I have tried. The cube is not big enough to shield of all of them at the same time.

Ruien wrote:
Room 4 turrets in hallway
You can cook them with the laser beam, or you can use the faith plate to launch a cube at them, which knocks them over just like in room 2.

Interesting, didn't think of it.

Ruien wrote:
Room 4 turrets around button
You can use the laser to burn them or else just use the tractor beam to knock them over.

Video or some details about how you did that? I think I tried that as well, to no avail.

Pleased to say I finally beat this one, after a long time of being stuck in chamber 3! The only thing stopping me was the first laser cube, and the video posted earlier in the thread showed me the one small thing I was doing wrong.

I enjoyed this map, and can certainly see why it won. Congrats!

I used the laser on the turrets in the hallway in room 4, after my first attempt with a cube proved unsuccessful (one was still standing). Also used it on the ones around the button.

arvisrend wrote:
Also, @ MonoTon, the thing you are doing between 6:21 and 6:23 in your video is how I did it, too, and it seems to be reproducable, but the thing you are doing between 6:28 and 6:30 is a game of chance, or is there some trick? Because when you are going back, the turrets know you are there and you don't have the advantage of them being in sleep mode. I didn't manage to survive this (so I did it with portals rather than running through the fire).

Did this several times and I never died

...wow. Words cannot describe how awesome this map is. Really nice job using the announcer for this map as opposed to GLaDOS like most people do... a lot of people don't realize it, but it really helps tie the whole atmosphere together.

Like many have said before me, what I love about this map the most is the constant barrage of "Aha!" moments it brings. I remember vividly in the third section knowing that I had to somehow portal the laser from the main area into the little room, but not knowing how to do it. It made me feel like a total idiot when it finally dawned on me, but to me, that's what good Portal maps are all about, and boy, did you nail it. Several times. (And bowling the turrets over with the cube is one of the most awesome moments I've ever had in a Portal map, including Valve's.)

A well-deserved congrats on winning the contest. Shame the rating scale doesn't go up to six, 'cause boy, you deserve it.

Very well designed map, and visually interesting. I can only echo the comments that this map is a bit more difficult than most, I am no sure intermediate really cuts it. Great job though, very high quality map

This map was amazing! Thanks so much for making it!

About the 'rubble' blocking the lasers in the last room: I didn't find it to be in the way, nor did I need to put a portal on the wall to aim the cube perpendicular to the wall. Instead I stood against the wall and aimed the first box at about a 30 degree angle from the wall back towards the source of the beam, and then I put the second box somewhere next to the rubble to aim it down the hallway and hit the lone actuator. From there the beam was portalled to go through both actuators by the door.

In the walkthrough video above, I noticed in the last room he could shoot a portal across from the funnel while standing on the 'second floor' area. I think you should make that impossible. It makes you think a little harder for the solution that I used.

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:

TlIhcXmBj78
(Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlIhcXmBj78)

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

Thanks for this map. Very funny and complete. After knowing this one is the first place winner map in the contest, and thinking back in all details and possible points the judges took into account for their veredict, is easy to think this was the first place winner. I think it really compiles all elements neecessary and reasons for being voted.

"Linear" or straight solving way puzzles with medium difficulty, for all kinds of players (for all publics). Really well developed in the destroyed aperture theme (very attractive to most of us). Nice environment... very detailed, great atmosphere, illumination and sounds. And I must say overall, a very intelligent use of each portal2 element, and it has all of them: the first chamber with the hard light bridge is very challenging in a first approach, until you finally figure out. The 2 chambers with the lasers and funnel are very clever, not difficult but VERY funny way of envolving these two elements. It is simply perfect custom map on Valve's line.

Regarding the part with the aerial faith plates, I say the same as Damagepy, I was never aware of that second cube! I catapulted myself and the first cube at the same time and that was all! And also, opossite to Omnicoder's pointing, the timing after that for reaching the final door of the chamber and avoiding the crusher was perfect...

And, as a final thought, I clearly remember Lost Chamber Zero! I enjoyed that map a lot. I didn't remember you Ebola as the creator, but I really enjoyed that map! Very funny puzzles and greatly built up man.

Let's see what you bring us next! Thanks for mapping!

cheers

Djinndrache, I've noticed some of your map recordings are fullbright when the map is not. This isn't your fault, it just means you played a map with no lighting before the one with lighting. For future videos, type "mat_fullbright 0" into the console before you play a map.

Groxkiller585 wrote:
Djinndrache, I've noticed some of your map recordings are fullbright when the map is not. This isn't your fault, it just means you played a map with no lighting before the one with lighting. For future videos, type "mat_fullbright 0" into the console before you play a map.

Thank you for that hint, that sounds logical and may fix the issues