The ThinkingWithPortals Map Showcasing Thread
Some computers have interesting screensavers.
2012-06-18_00002.jpgA proper view of the office cubicles.
2012-06-18_00003.jpgA room that links to other rooms. Now that I observe closer, I can see "it" though the door window.
I was hoping to get back into the habit of making Wheatley styled chambers. So I found one of my old maps that was never released (because it's too simple) and edited the environment.
Larger image: http://steamcommunity.com/id/RubyCarbun ... 5695457591
Any thoughts? I'd really like to start getting back into this style, and I;m hoping to make some more Secondary Fire maps with it as well.
You're looking at my personal version of a scrapped idea called a Hover Turret. It floats and rotates to track the player. However, I'm trying to figure out how to make a prop_dynamic continuously looking at the player similar to how GLaDOS and Wheatley (Boss) do in-game.
It consists of two turrets connected to an "angry bomb" personality core with two cameras tracking the player and a portal gun that may become a "laser gun." The laser gun could be used against the Hover Turret using portals to destroy the turrets, although I still haven't worked out all the kinks which is why it is still in a glass casing.
This is an enemy that players would not want to take lightly compared to the regular turrets.
@Sprowl those look interesting, that first one looks like another map I've played before revolving around Reflection Gel. Can't wait to see them. 
RubyCarbuncIe wrote:
@Sprowl those look interesting, that first one looks like another map I've played before revolving around Reflection Gel. Can't wait to see them.
It's the same. Because of the positive feedback I'm making a longer version.
So are all of the test chambers going to revolve around Reflection Gel? Or will it just be the one chamber?


Man, antequated Portal 1 is looking pretty good, too bad you stopped. Though I don't suppose I can blame ya'.
RubyCarbuncIe wrote
Any thoughts? I'd really like to start getting back into this style, and I;m hoping to make some more Secondary Fire maps with it as well.
Okay RC, this is getting rediculous. I am not even slightly exaggerating when I say I am really really yealous of your artstyle and aesthetic design skills. Sure, a lot of things look a lot better with warm lighting, partly because it seems more cheerfull, but the work you do, especially on Secondary Fire, is amazing. I don't even care if the tests are simple, I wish I could pull that off. 
Keep it up!
Another Bad Pun wrote

Hard to follow up that last screenshot but this is also looking really neat. The rails with the custom Personality Construct look cool. If those are fully functional that would be great! 
MasterLagger wrote
You're looking at my personal version of a scrapped idea called a Hover Turret. It floats and rotates to track the player. However, I'm trying to figure out how to make a prop_dynamic continuously looking at the player similar to how GLaDOS and Wheatley (Boss) do in-game.
Damn, that shit is creepy ML! About looking at the player, though, I thought there was something like the func_tank, but that appears to not be the thing I thought it was, and only available in HL2... There is something for it, though it doesn't quite work like Glados and Wheatly I think. Good luck with that monster. 
Sprowl wrote
Room #1
Room #2
Room #4
Cool, I didn't know Reflective Gel was even remotely manageable or working. I'll look out for that, haven't played the original. But in that last screenshot, how exactly did you make those semi-broken turrets? Maybe a noob question, but I never did know how to do that.
Manually configure the model?
Well, that was a long post. Okay, off to work people, finish those artpieces. 
Sprowl wrote:
The first three are about the gel. Chamber 4,5 and 6 are about a completely different new element.
Completely new element huh? I love new testing elements! I'm getting excited just thinking about it. 
FourthReaper wrote:
RubyCarbuncIe wrote
Any thoughts? I'd really like to start getting back into this style, and I;m hoping to make some more Secondary Fire maps with it as well.
Okay RC, this is getting rediculous. I am not even slightly exaggerating when I say I am really really yealous of your artstyle and aesthetic design skills. Sure, a lot of things look a lot better with warm lighting, partly because it seems more cheerfull, but the work you do, especially on Secondary Fire, is amazing. I don't even care if the tests are simple, I wish I could pull that off.Keep it up!
Thanks for the input!
I'm glad you like the design of the chambers even if they are simple. I hope to release this map with a more "advanced" Conversion Gel chamber following it up. Conversion Gel is just so difficult to make test chambers with, especially when making them with one Portal only available.
RubyCarbuncIe wrote:
@MasterLagger Wow, that actually looks like it could be deadly. Congrats, you've succeeded in making a new enemy actually look threatening. Not very many people can pull that off.
Maybe I should post pictures of other enemies I've made.
If I can get this this working properly, I'll try to make it into an instance and upload it to this site so other people can use it.
Edit: So far so good. I got the laser to work and I was able to burn the turrets off the angry core. Getting the core to track the player is the final step, although the turrets will remain stationary while the core rotates (I don't want to make this too difficult for players and I learn that turrets can't have parents, sad isn't it?).
sp_ml_offices0000.jpg I changed the model shooting the laser to make it look like the device was part of the angry core. I think it's the device Wheatley was on when traveling on the rails.1a you make use a func_tanc to rotate the core around and also look up and down.
1b name it tank_core
1c parent the core model to tank_core.
2a make a func_tank that rotates only around.
2b name it tank_body
2c Parent everything else onto it.
also, Cant you use a logic_auto to: [OnMapSpawn (turrets) SetParent tank_body] ?
CamBen wrote:
unbelievably epic. The player tracking:1a you make use a func_tanc to rotate the core around and also look up and down.
1b name it tank_core
1c parent the core model to tank_core.
2a make a func_tank that rotates only around.
2b name it tank_body
2c Parent everything else onto it.also, Cant you use a logic_auto to: [OnMapSpawn (turrets) SetParent tank_body] ?
Turrets won't parent to anything, but he CAN make them stop by telling them to stop physics motions (it's a prop_physics input but it works for turrets). This would keep them in place and make them still function.
Also, how can I parent something like a game_ui? I want to use the field-of-view tracking, but it needs to move with a cube. And it needs to be co-op compatible, so I can't use trigger_looks.
