Portal continues to inspire people to make amazing stuff

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Newsworthy because I always liked the 40's Aperture stuff the most, daily t-shirt site RIPT Apparel is selling an Aperture + Fallout mashup t-shirt today. I've bought from RIPT before, their quality is great.

40's Aperture + Fallout Mashup Shirt via RIPT Apparel

Hello folks,

It's time for a new community roundup!
Because Djinndrache was too busy, you've got to do it with my list!
Roundup is from April 1st up to May 7th.

Singleplayer maps:

When you think of portal you think of portals but even without portals portal can be fun!
Motanum already proved it with his a la tag part 1 which made it to the previous roundup and he's now back for a la tag part two! this map is even more interesting then part one! With cubes, lightbridges and some lovely sceneries!

But there's more fun without portals!
Loo-Kin proved last month that he can make awesome maps without a portal gun and he managed to create another one: Without Portalgun 3: Paint the Conveyor

When you finally manage to pickup that portalgun you might want to get into apperture laboratories:
Testing is the future allows you to enter apperture and discover it's wonders!

Once you're inside you might want to check out the next level:
Advanced Gel 01: Bounce this small map has repulsion gel and lasers combined in a very nice way.

Modern apperture also contains the second map by Toaster and it's a very nice one! This puzzle uses lasers in quite a nice way: second test

If you're in for a challenge with a funnel and some cubes it might be a good idea to check out One week creation by RubyCarbuncIe. He did a wonderful job in only one week!

Once you decided you've seen enough of modern aperture Real Confetti has a really nice surprise for you!

If you then descent to old apperture make sure you don't miss out
Groxkiller's Antiquated Aperture Here you get to play with conversion and repulsion gel.

Once you got away from old aperture and you somehow manage to get lost in a destroyed section of apperture make sure you test the sendificator in HMW's Sendificate! This completely new test element will blow you away!

If you still have a lot of time left and feel like doing more puzzeling in old apperture make sure to visit Wrecked by Motig. It's challenging but really rewarding!

April also saw the release of The Ledge. Neco made a very hard map pack here. Are you able to solve it?

When you feel like you can solve any portal map check out Chander's Chander Test 8 (Angry Conductor) With cube throwing and all kinds of advanced trick this is really a beast to be tamed!

Coop maps:

The first coop map is actually a mappack! Space Gardens by Fluppy is totally worth a play! It has custom textures, voices and lots more!

Another map you should totally check out is Lessons learned this map will absolutely teach you some teamwork!

Once you got the teamwork done Spare map pack Will provide you with a nice new challenge, can you solve these three maps?

Last but not least you should all know that apperture science is all about innovation! Floor plan By Insomnautik is a map with some awesome innovations! Make sure to check that one out.

Have fun with all these maps and see you soon!

I wanted to give a small update regarding upload procedures for puzzle creator maps.

We have setup a new Puzzle Creator download category in the Download Database. Please upload all of your PTI maps there. You should use the "External URL" option and link to your Workshop release URL when doing this. (Don't know how to upload a map? Read here!) This rule supersedes previous decisions to only post maps in the "Pimp your workshop map" thread. You can still post it there; you are not required to upload your PTI map through the DLDB.

This category is for maps created with the PTI Puzzle Creator only. If you made a map in Hammer, but uploaded it to the Workshop, then upload it to the "Singleplayer" category as normal. You can still use the External URL option to link to your Workshop URL.

We have done this to keep PTI created maps and Hammer created maps separate, but also allowing PTI maps to be properly showcased.

We are still enforcing our release quality standards for PTI maps, and we will still remove your PTI created map if it's a low quality release!

This is only a first step towards further integrating the Workshop release platform with ThinkingWithPortals.com. Check back soon for news regarding new upload procedures as we develop more closely with the Workshop.

Feel free to post any questions you might have. Thanks.

EDIT
I also want to take the chance to point out that we do not support piracy, and any discussion or admission of pirating the game will result in an instant and permanent ban. Period. We support Valve, and if you want to participate in our community, you should too.

As I'm sure you all have noticed, things have been busy around here with the release of the Workshop publishing platform and the Puzzle Creator.

We have setup a new discussion board for all Puzzle Creator related questions and discussion. Please try to keep all non-Hammer mapping specific questions and Workshop publishing questions in this board! In the coming days we'll be setting up more concise information - tutorial videos, screenshot threads, and so on.

EDIT 5/10
Long time Source mapper and forum contributor Mr. Happy has started a thread for hacks and protips for the new Puzzle Creator for those who want to get more involved in the technical aspects. It's only 2 pages so far but it's a great thread already. Stop by and add your info as we dissect the puzzle creator and how it works!

Speaking of the Workshop, we are working on setting up a new Workshop frontend to accompany - and ultimately replace - our existing Download Database. We will have lots more information regarding this as things move forward, but basically the idea is to urge all new map releases to be through the Workshop platform. This won't be for a while since, at present, the Workshop platform only supports singleplayer map releases. But looking towards the future, you can expect TWP's new release system to be highly integrated to the Workshop platform.

In the meantime, lpfreaky has setup a "pimp your Workshop release" thread where you can post a link to your new Workshop maps. Also here's a protip: The existing download system lets you specify an external link to a file. You can release your map using this method by using your Workshop release URL in the download's external URL!

I've also gone ahead and upgraded a new batch of members to Community Contributor. For those of you just joining ThinkingWithPortals, our Community Contributors are the purple username members who have in one way or another given back to TWP and the Portal 2 community. Maybe it was a great map release, or maybe it was being helpful here on the boards. Either way - say hi to the new kids on the block!

On a similar subject, it's about that time for another one of Djinndrache's Community Roundups where we highlight the best maps of the past few weeks. Be sure to check back when that hits!

With the new Workshop features, the new board for the puzzle creator, and TWP in general growing as a central part of the Portal 2 community, we are on the lookout for new staff members again. News posters, map reviewers, and other highly active members of the community: If you are interested in helping TWP out, let us know! Go ahead and post here and we'll be taking a look at names.

And finally, here is a video of a kitten trying to intimidate a ball.

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See you next time.