Filling out a gameplay style?
Hey guys, it's my first time here, and I'm pretty excited to see what's been made so far. I have a couple maps on my 'make' list, some of which are for portal. I'm trying to incorporate some new puzzle mechanics into these maps so it won't feel like you've been there before. Of course, some foundation mechanics will be there, but I'm trying to implement some new ones 
So far, all I have is a screenshot of a test level I've done (yes, it's fullbright, yes I want to save on compile times) https://dl.dropbox.com/u/4058811/testch ... ex0000.jpg
Basically, the spawn is on top of the tower, and the player has to hop from square to square, not touching the ground (is there any entity setup I can use to see if the player touches the ground and send an input if they do?) The goal is to polish this arena so the player doesn't have to hit the ground, and to challenge their reflexes more then thinking skills in between puzzles. I'm planning to put some portal cleansers in between the squares (they should be between the tall posts coming up to the roof of the map..) but I can't seem to get them to work. I just cntrl+t'd them anyways, without any flags checked. A cleanser IS a triggered brush entity though? Anyways, I'd really appreciate any feedback you can give me, but beware this map takes the backseat to my current projects over at tf2maps.net 
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Trigger_hurt
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki ... l_cleanser
Try searching on the valve developer wiki before asking on a forum. They can have relevant tutorials.
env_player_surface_trigger will alert you when the $surfaceprop the player is on changes. For example it would alert you when the player was on concrete or metal, or on in the sand or the air. trigger_portal_cleanser starts on but isn't visible until you place the portal_cleaner particle system with it. (It also has enable and disabled inputs)
A big trigger_multiple all over the floor with only 'Applies to players' checked.
As for the portal cleansers, just don't give the player the ASHPD until you're ready. Or use a func_noportal_volume and some bumf about why the gun won't work there.