Awesome concept and good puzzles so far.. There is only one problem: I want more!

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

Djinndrache wrote:
Awesome concept and good puzzles so far.. There is only one problem: I want more!

Well said!

lpfreaky90 wrote:
It's actually horribly hard:( If you somehow manage to get it working PLEASE let me know how you did it.

Please?

Sure! How could I resist eyes like that?!

tl;dr: I have no idea how to actually do this
||Making the laser flash is one problem, figuring out which one to flash is another. (There are going to be maps with multiple lasers and flashing all of them is not OK.)
What's not obvious is that the machine doesn't actually know what path the laser takes through the map. The current version uses some trickery to figure out the end point, and puts a damage-sensitive sensor there (the breaking glass sound) to sort-of determine the incoming direction. Then it calculates an offset from that, and that's the destination for the cube. The next version, with all of the special effects, is going to require a completely different approach.

I'll definitely share it with anyone who's interested, if I do figure it out.||

Random wrote:
I liked the "not done yet" factor of the second chamber.

Boss-Wheatley wrote:
Nah...??????????????????????????
?????????????????????????

sicklebrick wrote:
it would be pretty cool [to be able to teleport yourself], but player teleportation opens its self to all sorts of stuck-in-geometry issues. Less of a problem with the cube given that each side is the same length while player is essentially a giant capsule.

That's another very good reason! I hadn't even thought of that.
My primary concern was that the player would get burned by the laser. We wouldn't want our unexpected casualty rate go through the roof like that, now would we?

sicklebrick wrote:
On a side note, forgot to post my blindrun the other day...
[youtube]
Nothing to be terribly proud of, but it's blind nonethless

You did fairly well! It all depends on how long it takes one to see the right solution. I wouldn't call 20 minutes unreasonable at all. But I'm curious how the game allowed you to go behind the angled platform because IIRC that area should be blocked off. Let's see if I can make that happen too.

sicklebrick wrote:
Edit:
Ninja solution!

That is the bane of all laser puzzles. Though it's the first time that I see someone using their own head to prop up the cube

Djinndrache wrote:
[youtube]

Very nice video! I have one question: at around 5:57, were you messing around and looking for bugs, or did you actually expect to find something useful up there? I'm asking because some people commented that they were getting distracted by the scenery, and that area would be a good example of something that should have looked more inaccessible than it does now. I'd love to know your thoughts on this.

Quote:
You will hate yourself for asking this when you find it out probably.

Oh my god!!! It took me over an hour, this was the hardest puzzle i ever had with portal 2. This was the very last thing I would ever thought of....

I hope there will be a lot more maps with this new enrichment.

I love these new elements people have been creating lately.
Maybe a combo map with the 2 cubes connected by the blue bunjee cord, your Sendificator, along with the new Paint gun - LOL.

The maps were pretty basic for an HMW, especially since I well remember your Laser Prisms from Hell and that weird Rube Goldberg machine with the Spheres dropping through and the multipe button presses - THAT WAS A BLAST !!!! Those are now Classics.
I imagine your next map will become a classic Portal 2 with similar difficulty - AND style,

absolutely awesome. perfect balance of difficultly and genius.

HMW wrote:
Very nice video! I have one question: at around 5:57, were you messing around and looking for bugs, or did you actually expect to find something useful up there? I'm asking because some people commented that they were getting distracted by the scenery, and that area would be a good example of something that should have looked more inaccessible than it does now. I'd love to know your thoughts on this.

I couldn't exclude the idea that this area was part of the map. However, it was easy to figure out, so it's not a big deal. And if it would end up as an exploit I'm fine with it, too I checked it because the laser was shootable up there and I would have redirected the laser from up there if I could have been able to get the reflector cube there.

Playerclips are the worst "testing elements" for a ninja

Saw this map and was like:

ChickenMobile wrote:
Giant mammograms! Must play!

...
But in all seriousness this was a great map. The puzzles made me think but not too hard = just right.

5/5 well deserved.

Heh, yeah I was a bit slow to get the laser concept. I accidentally solved the first room without getting it. I didn't really pick up on the laser flash, maybe if you can't get the colour flash thing to work you might just make it flicker a bit more obviously?

Great map though. Looking forward to more.

Beautiful map. Cool new device. Puzzles were easy once I figured out what the device did, although I must admit I was rather dense about the second room. Like others, I wasted a lot of time bashing around trying to access the area above the ceilings, maybe because I've seen so many maps in the "destroyed/overgrown" theme that incorporate "portal sniping" as part of the puzzle. It was a real facepalm moment when I figured out what I needed to do. 3rd room was no problem at all.

Solid 5/5 from me.

Excellent new work from one of the best Portal mappers ever! Never expected anything less from HMW.

It was a real pleassure to discover this new and awesome puzzle element and beta test it. The concept is so creative and it really opens the doors for a wide range of new puzzles, many of them surely very tricky (like in room 2).

The model of the sendificator is really cool in its 2 versions: clean (shown in the "map showcasing thread") and rusty (in the final version into this mappack). And what is more: it works damn perfectly! didn't encounter any bug or imperfection sign...

The first time I watched the first pictures and after played this, I was a bit surprised about the theme chosen, the destroyed, because I'm used to the personal HMW awesome look! but more surprised and fascinated I got after the master's replies about this! more or less something like: "...this is only the beginning... I've got big plans for this thing... the visuals will be step by step turning into a more HMW look..."

I simply CAN'T wait for the rest!!!

10/5 from me!

How do you do this?! Seriously if I even had half of your map-making skill, I'd be quite happy

Djinndrache wrote:
I couldn't exclude the idea that this area was part of the map. However, it was easy to figure out, so it's not a big deal.

Ok, glad to hear that!

chickenmobile wrote:
Giant mammograms! Must play!

2nd mammogram reference!? (after iWork's in the map showcase thread ...)
I'm so glad that I made it so it doesn't teleport (parts of) players, mildly confused or otherwise.
Now please excuse me while I go poke out my mind's eye.

grayarea wrote:
[M]aybe if you can't get the colour flash thing to work you might just make it flicker a bit more obviously?

The short on/off flash is not intentional, but that is a good alternative for if the colour change thing won't work. Thanks for the tip!

josepezdj wrote:
The model of the sendificator is really cool in its 2 versions

There are actually 3 different versions! Clean, dirty and very dirty. The latter two are both in this map; it's easy to spot the difference once you know to look for it.

Xtreger wrote:
How do you do this?! Seriously if I even had half of your map-making skill, I'd be quite happy
[image of Xtreger being happy]

Same as any other skill: lots and lots of mucking around and trying things! And patience. Especially when the cool and intricate thing you built in Hammer explodes in your face when in-game...

HMW wrote:
Xtreger wrote:

How do you do this?! Seriously if I even had half of your map-making skill, I'd be quite happy
[image of Xtreger being happy]

Same as any other skill: lots and lots of mucking around and trying things! And patience. Especially when the cool and intricate thing you built in Hammer explodes in your face when in-game...

Rather image of being depressed after realizing how much ground is to be covered

I played this map yesterday and I was really impressed.
You're quite a good mapper! I pay a lot of attention on the details and I must say your map is really detailed.
Also, great idea. Very interesting concept. Really enjoyed. I will rate it 5!
I did not experienced any bugs, really good!
Have a

I haven't played yet (I'm at work ) but from the videos it looks goddamn brilliant. Love the detail work...

I'll play tonight and rate

HMW wrote:
I have no idea how to actually do this]Making the laser flash is one problem, figuring out which one to flash is another.

I've been working along similar lines recently... trying to alter textures on the fly (that don't come with the specific proxies already).. no joy.. other than attaching an env_beam between the env_laser and the info_placement_helper. But since triggers don't seem to detect any specific part of the portal, and the func_portal_detector only detects stuff placed on it specifically I was left tracing the vector to the rough location of one portal then trying figure out the exit angle and location based on the relative angles and positions. My vector math sucks as it is and having no quaternion classes\functions just made it suckier!
On a brighter note, keeping track of which laser is which is a tad easier... turn them all on in sequence and name any un-named info_placement helpers. They're never deleted, only disabled when the laser is off so you can map out laser\helper pairs fairly easily
Would love to know if you have any progress changing laser color though ^^

HMW wrote:
We wouldn't want our unexpected casualty rate go through the roof like that, now would we?

Lol, never even considered the laser->ass contact.

HMW wrote:
...But I'm curious how the game allowed you to go behind the angled platform because IIRC that area should be blocked off. Let's see if I can make that happen too.

You can actually get kinda far in... If you make a jump from the wall detail, you can get right up the back. There seems to be a mishmash of cube clips and player clips to the point where you can jump onto the back of the mammogram machine and grab a cube placed on the sloping clip. Nothing really game breaking

HMW wrote:
That is the bane of all laser puzzles. Though it's the first time that I see someone using their own head to prop up the cube

Yeah man.. feels like I have a whole new lease of cheatyness. I've gone mobile!

Edit: So all that talk of player teleportation got me thinking...Thought I'd share this
fLR9EKw5t2o

Sicklebrick: You broke science

This element was really interesting and useful.The way you use it with discougrement beam was really clever.

Puzzles was enjoyable and smart.The design of tilted-room and third room was really nice so far.I wait more puzzles with this element.

5/5

Laying out the next one as we type!

sicklebrick wrote:

I've been working along similar lines recently... trying to alter textures on the fly (that don't come with the specific proxies already).. no joy.. other than attaching an env_beam between the env_laser and the info_placement_helper. But since triggers don't seem to detect any specific part of the portal, and the func_portal_detector only detects stuff placed on it specifically I was left tracing the vector to the rough location of one portal then trying figure out the exit angle and location based on the relative angles and positions. My vector math sucks as it is and having no quaternion classes\functions just made it suckier!
On a brighter note, keeping track of which laser is which is a tad easier... turn them all on in sequence and name any un-named info_placement helpers. They're never deleted, only disabled when the laser is off so you can map out laser\helper pairs fairly easily
Would love to know if you have any progress changing laser color though ^^

Sadly, the placement helpers don't work as well with lens cubes. If a beam hits a lens cube, it's placement helper is not updated. Same if it hits a laser target.

I'm planning to do some experiments this weekend. This is the plan so far:

Deploying Aperture Science Propeller-operated head cooling decive in 3... 2... 1...
||- Make an array of env_lasers and get a pointer to each laser's endpoint sprite at map load. (I know this works because it's what the laser system in Try Anything Twice uses.)

• Put the first env_laser at the 'real' laser emitter, wait for the game to update the end point and see what it hits. (I'm afraid that this is going to involve math...)

• If it's a lens cube: put the next position at the emission point of that cube.

• If it's a portal, transform the hit location and angle to the other portal. (logic_measure_movement or more math)

• Deal with all the weird edge cases. (Cube inside portal etc.)

• Put the next env_laser at the calculated position and repeat.

• When we finally hit something that is not a cube or a portal, move the endpoint back 32 units and teleport the cargo there.

• Finally: make all of the env_lasers flash in a nice colour. Yay!

I'm absolutely sure that all of this is going to work without any unforseen problems whatsoever. ||
I'll keep you guys posted on the progress. Or lack thereof.

sicklebrick wrote:
So all that talk of player teleportation got me thinking...Thought I'd share this

Haha that's epic! Good thing that this is just a game, otherwise there would be a pretty hefty bill for all the stuff you just broke
Unfortunately I can't read what you're typing in the console. Did you parent the player to the cube or what?