News
Community Roundup: Valentine's Day
Grab your companion cube because love is in the air! It's Valentine's Day and everyone is in love with everyone else! But how does GLaDOS express her love for Chell? That's right, more tests to go through! Unfortunately there is not too much love for Atlas and P-Body this time because there is a lack of released cooperative maps lately.
Anyways, time to get to the tests! Ready? GO!
Singleplayer
Chronologic by marKiu
This map is quite difficult and beginners should not bother trying to solve this. But if you feel like going for a challenge in these lovely days, you may want to give Chronologic by marKiu a try. Do not forget to think out of the box within this map or you may get lost!
Volleygel by Loo-Kin
There are only a few maps out there where you have no portal gun and to be honest, most of them are not really good. But in Volleygel it's different: You will probably have a great time in this map even without a portalgun! At some points you will have buttons to open portals, so you're not totally out of portals. Can you think with portals even without a portalgun?
cube, buttons and one portal by lpfreaky90
While you get no portalgun at all in Volleygel's map, you have a one-portal-portalgun within this map by lpfreaky90. You will have to think different here as the other portal can be set by button and it does not fizzle when you go through an emanicpation grid. Want some fun with a one-portal-portalgun? Here you go!
DaMaGepy's P2 map #3 by DaMaGepy
DaMaGepy is a long-time member of the community and he has already brought you two maps for Portal 2. Now he released his third map for you! This map seems to be shorter than his previous maps but the quality became even better. Wanna play an awesome map with an original concept? Then don't miss this one!
Portal Stories Mel: Past Power by Andy, James, lpfreaky90, Moth & TheCakeIsASpy
Some people of our community got together to work on a big mod for Portal 2 which will feature many new levels! While the mod is not yet released, they made it to release a demo of their mod which gives you a little teaser of what's coming up with the mod. This demo has only one level, but you can get an idea of how lovely and complex they are. If you want to get excited about the new mod, play the demo to know what's coming in near future!
Somewhere Underground 3 by eladiozro
eladiozro is working on his own little campaign since quite some time and now he released the third part of it. He is getting getting better with every part of the campaign that he releases. However, his campaign is not focusing on very challenging puzzles, but if you like puzzles which are easier than the average, you may want to give it a try!
Cooperative
Gelocity Stage 2 by Raidix
You may already know Raidix' map Gelocity, now he released a new stage of the same concept! I must admit that I'm personally not really a fan of racing maps, but I loved Gelocity and the second stage is even better! If you are curious about what kind of racing map this is, check out the trailer Raidix posted into his map's description.
This roundup covers maps from the end of January up to Valentine's Day.
New Spotlight, Roundup, and Staff Member
Next up is the newest Community Roundup, written by Djinndrache. In addition, we'd like to formally welcome Djinndrache to the TWP staff as our newest moderator in addition to being our community writer and we hope you'll do the same. On, then, to the roundup!
### Djinndrache's Community Roundup: Year's Start to January 27[-ish]
Test subjects!
What's all new and exciting? The new products of our great community members! There have been only a few cooperative maps lately but therefore we got many very good singleplayer maps for you to test and solve.
Only 3 out of 52 weeks of this year have passed so far and we already got so many amazing maps! How can testsubjects not be full of pleasant anticipation for the rest of this year after this great start into 2012?
But let's hold on for a minute and praise the best maps that have been released in this year so far!
Singleplayer
Withdrawal Symptoms by silic
You may have noticed some WIP releases by silic before, now he wrapped those (and some more) maps up to a little mappack! While playing the maps from this mappack you may feel like d?j?-vu sometimes, as some of the maps have to be crossed multiple times. But everytime you face them again, they got some changes to make them harder. Can you make it?
Deja vu by SLOOGOVS
Talking of d?j?-vu, SLOOGOVS just created a map with the name 'deja vu'! You'll have to solve puzzles in here which - as you may have guessed - will start over slightly different after you solved them. But have you finished this map after you solved the puzzles twice? Come in and find out!
Levitation by Idolon
Idolon is a long-time member of this community since many years. Now look at what he brought to you lately: A decent Portal 2 map with an original concept! Within the chambers of this map you can use funnels and lasers together in a slightly different way than you may be used to.
Chander Test 7 (Two Towers) by pm_Chander
You may already know the series of maps by Chander, now it's time for another masterpiece he created. As usual his maps are pretty difficult and you may need quite some time to figure out how to solve some parts of this map. But if you like challenging maps and you got enough time, there should be nothing to hold you back from playing this map!
arc_reznor by deltaalphanova
I hope you don't get confused when playing this map made by deltaalphanova. In this map you'll have to think with worldportals and use them in clever ways. Don't let this map confuse you if you happen to see yourself walking around when you face the worldportals!
Middle Map by Blackrat
Sweet, short and simple - that pretty much sums up this map by Blackrat. However, a map being short and simple does not have to mean it's bad. There was put quite some love into detail for this map and especially people who don't like difficult maps will like to give this map a play.
sp_custom by Sejievan
When you play this map you will find yourself sneaking through the facilities of Aperture Science. On your trip through the facilities you will cross several puzzle chambers which have to be solved in order to continue. Some of the puzzles may require some cleverness in order to solve them, so prove how clever you are!
Fun with Funnels by Patches34
Do you know this? You enter a funnel, lean back and wait for the funnel to bring you to your destination. Not with Patches34! He decided to speed up the funnels and find acompletely new way on how you could use them. Have you always wondered why there is 'Fun' in the word 'Funnel'? Play this map to find out!
sp_fr_lasers_01_advanced by FourthReaper
Missing laser puzzles so far? Let's talk about a map which totally focuses on laser. Depending on your experience with laser puzzles this map may be challenging for you. However, don't give up and you should find a solution for this!
Laser Encounters by Wanderer2021
Wanderer2021 created a laser map for you, too! In his map description he says: "The name says it all, and when you walk through those doors, you'll understand." - and actually there is not much more to say than you should really give this map a try!
Cooperative
Lightspeed by BEARD!
Which test elements do you expect to see in this map when you read the map name? Propulsion gel and a hard-light surface? This already sounds fun, but all that wrapped into a coop map even doubles the fun you can have in this map! Find a brave testsubject that is willing to be your partner on this speedy cooperative mission!
Abgrund by Chikorita
So close and yet so far away. You and your partner start quite next to the departure elevators, but you can not reach it both at the same time right away. Instead you have to band together your powers to solve some cooperative puzzles and maybe you'll find a way to reach the exit together.
Community Roundup: Year's End
### Djinndrache's Community Roundup: Mid-November to Year's End
Test subjects!
The year 2011 has come to an end and how could we celebrate the end of that year better than with another roundup to point out the best maps that have recently been released? But don't worry if you haven't played these maps within the year 2011, it's never too late to test yourself and the maps that our amazing community created for us!
Also I hope you have successfully survived <Holiday Name Here> and wish you a Happy New Year and hope that we will have many more tests to go through in this new year!
But before we are getting too far into the new year now, let's have a look back to the last part of 2011 to see which outstanding maps have been released before the year 2011 ended!
Singleplayer
Test Map Pack 3 by Rand0mNumbers
Rand0mNumbers created something very special for the community: a map pack of (currently) 7 maps! But they are not just maps, each of them is very unique and features some interesting concepts and ideas. You will be given new game elements and awesome minigames to play with. There are only two things which are really sure to say at this point: Firstly Rand0mNumbers is a great scripter and secondly you will require to think very different here!
Underground Hustle by Vixul
This is an above-average complex underground-themed map featuring several unique puzzle chambers made by a new community member named Vixul. Some parts of the map are pretty difficult and the map may take you some time to find a way to solve it. Don't halloo till you're out of the wood!
After Math by chimera201
Speaking of someone's first map, let's mention After Math as someone else's first map. This clean-themed map observed by Wheatley consists of several puzzle rooms that you'll be lead through. Even though this map is visually not as detailed as some others are this map is a feast for the eyes and got some really good ideas in it which are just waiting to be explored by more players!
A better Bradd by LittleLui
It's been more than three months since LittleLui released The Bradd. Now he released a new map, taking the concept of "climb to the top" again. If you're a friend of eastereggs, you may be able to find the optional companion cube within this map.
Obvervating by beecake
beecake already released tons of maps, but now he created a little masterpiece that deserves a closer look at it. In this map you just escaped from Glados and make your way out of the halls. During the play you'll have severall flashbacks that keep creeping your mind from all the testing. If you like to be frightened and play a decent map, then this is like just made for you.
12 Angry Tests by CaretCaret
Awesome things are awesome, aren't they? So is this mappack! While playing this mappack you will travel through different parts of Aperture Laboratories and have to solve tests with pretty much all of the test elements that were introduced in Portal 2. All the mappack is designed with great attention to detail. If Portal 2 hadn't it's own completed story this could absolutely be an official DLC by Valve, the quality is just that amazing. And that's not it, no! In the end of this mappack you will even find a custom bossfight. For Portal fans this is a must-play!
1943 by dinnesch
So close and yet so far. In this map you can see the exit right from the start, but it shall take you some time to finally reach it. This map titled 1943 is the first release of dinnesch and makes use of - who might have guessed - the old theme of Aperture maps. Within this map you'll have to use the given kinds of gel to reach the next layer and finally the exit. This map is not only a very good first release, it's also an amazing start to become one of the more respected mappers within our mapping community. Let's see what he serves us next!
1971 by The_Rabbit42
28 years later you will find yourself in a map by The_Rabbit42. Like in 1943, you'll have to use the different gels in 1971 in order to complete your task. If you enjoy flinging yourself criss-cross over the map with the use of gels, then you shouldn't miss this one! However, even though the names and styles of the maps 1943 and 1971 are very similar, I don't think that the maps are related.
Weighted Wonderland by p0rtalplayer
As you may have noticed, we just had <Holiday Name Here>. For this event p0rtalplayer worked out a very delicious map. It's not very difficult to solve these puzzles, but the map is amazing! If you did not happen to play this map before <Holiday Name Here>, then you should at least give it a play now and see how amazingly this map is made of. Is there a better way to say "Merry <Holiday Name Here>" than giving you this map to play?
Cooperative
Four Rooms by DieHARD34
DieHARD34 created a pretty complex map for cooperative play. As you may guess this map consists of four rooms with different puzzles, each one is more difficult than the others. You and your partner in science will need to be clever, agile and patient in order to complete these courses.
Impetuosity by Nyskrte
You may remember Nyskrte, he already brought you his amazing singleplayer mappack NYS-5. Now he released an amazing coop map which is huge and full of puzzles to explore! But be warned: in the map description Nyskrte describes the difficulty with "Nyskrte-esque" and that's exactly what it is. He defined his own kind of difficulty, somewhere next to difficult. This map comes with it's own hub, however it's still only one map, so you can't start now and continue later. You'll have to explore different puzzle chambers and then always return to the hub to get to the next chambers and finally to the exit. If you plan to play this great map you should take several hours of time. However, the time is worth it though!
Community Roundups Have a New Writer!
Djinndrache's Community Roundup: October 20th-November 17th
Singleplayer
Seven Gates, Devil's Chamber and Beamchain by jonatan
Following Quadro, Beamtrap and Enigma, jonatan continues making very difficult maps "for hardcore portal players", as he describes them. His maps require the player to think outside the box and use the given elements in ways you may never have used them before. The meanest element of his maps are probably the emancipation grids as they are wherever you don't want them to be. If you plan to play his maps make sure you got lots of time for that!
Chander Test 5 and Chander Test 6 by Chander
Speaking of difficult maps, Chander also has a series to continue. His maps are not as evil as jonatan's maps, but they also require the player to think different and invest some time in order to solve them. If you want to solve these maps you should be agile, you will need this at some points.
Reversion by Mattyd
This clean-themed map focuses on revertable funnels and cubes in two seperate puzzle chambers. Are you tired of only thinking with portals? Then combine that with thinking with funnels and you should be able to solve these puzzles.
Climbing Companion by KillerBeeGees
Let's come to a map which is different. Instead of running through several puzzle chambers you only have one chamber where you need to reach the top in order to continue. There are several elements and triggers to help you make your way up this chamber. Each step is different from the prior steps and clambering up this chamber may be just as exciting as rock climbing to you. But reaching the top is not the end of this map, watch out for signs what to do next!
Blue Portal Flings by Kyo
Kyo is new to the community and has just released his first map. As you may guess from the map's title you have a portal gun which can shoot only blue portals here. This map is pretty short and well-designed, and taking account of that this is his first map, the quality is above-average and worth giving it a go.
ML's Combination by MasterLagger
MasterLagger is an old member of our community and with this map he created another great map. Using several elements such as lasers, funnels, gels and hardlight-surfaces this map takes the player through a clean-styled part of the Aperature Laboratories' building.
The Faithling by FutureShock9
It's time to revolutionize aerial faith plates, isn't it? This must have been the thought of FutureShock9 when he started to make this map. The aerial faith plates will fling you around in ways you probably haven't been flung before! You'll have to visit several places and solve several, all different puzzles in order to successfully finish this map.
Thaw by Marise
Marise has also been around in our community for quite some while and released several maps. In his map The Cold Shoulder he introduced new ways to deal with water and temperature. So it is possible to freeze water to ice or to heat ice up to become water again.
After the good feedback he got for that map, he created this new map which makes use of those features again! There are several rooms that use the temperature features in different ways. Did you like these elements in the first map? Or do you just wanna try out new mechanics for the game? Then you have to give this map a run!
Cooperative
Three Companions by doubledispatch
This map features some nice cooperative puzzles through a handful of chambers. The elements and ideas of this map could not be much more versatile, you have to mess around with pretty much all the elements of Portal 2 if you want to successfully reach the exit. Trust your coop mate and you could have a great time on this map!
There and Back Again - A Portal Tale by Rewoig
Rewoig is new to the community and created a coop map which can not be solved as easy as it may look like when you see the map for the first time. This map is not very big, there is toxic water and you can see the exit door. But how to get there together with your partner in science? Be clever, work together and use the given elements, then you shall be able to succeed!
Complexo by jonatan
jonatan has created quite a few singleplayer maps in the past and now he released his first cooperative map! As in his singleplayer maps his focus is to make the map very difficult and keep the players in it for a long time before they can find out how to solve this map. If you got a cooperative partner and you love difficult puzzles, this is like just made for you.
Tower Defense by PortalCombat
To round up this roundup let's focus on something very special: Our member PortalCombat created a cooperative Tower Defensive minigame-map! Incase you don't know Tower Defense, it's explained quickly: Some creatures (or objects) are trying to reach a certain point and you have to make them stop. In the case of this map there are companion cubes on floating platforms moving through a big room towards an exit. In this room you have lots of elements which you and your partner can use to try to stop the cubes! There is no real objective like reaching a goal in this minigame, it's just for fun. So if you need a minigame for a change, this may be worth it to give it a go.
New Map Editor, TF2 Halloween, and Looking For Staff
Quote:
The simplified puzzle creator will let players easily carve out their creations in a straightforward but powerful way. They'll then be able to immediately upload those levels to their Steam Cloud and share them with other players online.
In other news, Team Fortress 2 is having their annual Halloween event going on right now. Our friends at F7Lans.com have setup Halloween servers to play on if you want some friendly faces to enjoy some TF2 with!
Lastly - TWP is looking for new staff members! Specifically, news posters and map reviewers for Spotlight and Roundup posts. If you are already active in the community and interested in helping out, post here or send me a PM and let me know!