Backtracking
Dear ThinkingWithPortals community,
What is your consensus on backtracking in custom Portal maps? Good? Bad? Reasons?
Well, like most things it all depends on how well its done.
Many chambers require some backtracking to some extent, and for pretty much all the maps posted here it has worked out well enough. If backtracking is needed in the map, I'd hope there was something new in the areas where you are returning to, or a specific need to go back to previous rooms in order to advance in the current puzzle.
Good:
Returning to a previous chamber, with a new way to solve the same chamber, or to complete solving the chamber (maybe you have a cube now, or some platform is different...)
Needing to return to a previous chamber to complete a later chamber (maybe theres a high ledge you need to fling yourself in a later chamber, or just some portable wall)
Bad:
Advance 4 chambers ahead, then a door opens back at the beginning that you simply need to run to with no extra puzzle solving in-between.
Making a person solve the same chamber many times for whatever reason in the exact same way, especially a puzzle that could result in death (I can deal with solving some deadly puzzle twice, but I don't want to solve some hard puzzle that kills me often more than that in one run-through)
All that said, in general, I'm fine with backtracking, and even enjoy it sometimes just try and make sure it adds something to the map (puzzle-wise)
I did this in my puzzle, for a fling method, but I kept it short, and didn't have the player backtrack a major distance.
The goal was to get over a gap but had no where to gain momentum, so the player needed to go to a previous area to fall down a pit and place a portal to gain momentum.
In total iots always fun, but only if done correctly, and not utterly confusing.
generally i think backtracking is bad, as i have the opinion on "once a rooms past, you've done that puzzle."
However, i do accept that backtracking one room generally ok, as that generally can be included to involve the puzzle.
You just keep on trying till you run out of cake!?
Long meaningless backtracking is BAD!
But it would be cool to have a map with the same starting and ending elevator, as long as there's a major change in the map on the way back, say rotating everything 180 degrees making every puzzle on the way back upside-down. 
Back tracking is great, if used correctly. I let the valve developer wiki do my arguement for me:
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki ... _design%29
That's not quite the kind of backtrack mentioned here, though... I get a feeling this thread is more like, three rooms into the chamber you find you're completely stuck with no way to proceed until you realize that what you need is way back in room 1 which you completed 20 minutes ago.
wel actually I think that this:
is pretty open.
but going back to a chamber you did 20 minutes ago is probably not a good idea unless you weave it in well and it suprises the player that they end up back there rather then having them clueless as to what to do so they backtrack to see if they missed something
Agreed, the question as stated is a bit fuzzy, but I don't generally think of situations like "The path you want to follow is currently locked, so go over there to unlock it" as backtracking.