While this is still fresh in my head, I'm going to write about this now rather then me forgetting about it and writing on what I remembered.
Lpfreaky sent me this over Steam when I was sleeping. I usually don't play much Portal 2 custom maps anymore, but I decided to give this a shot. I may be harsh in a few areas, but I just got done mapping for Alive and Kicking which apparently has a very strict quality policy.
Here is my play run through the first room being that this is the room I found most issues with:
Room 1
||I started off being led by repetitive fizzling sounds to the glass chamber closed by a fizzler. I did not see any way to get the cube out of the box, so I just threw the cube over the the glass. It took a few attempts, but I got it over without falling into the whole. After I successfully got the cube out of the tank, I then started to look for a button to press,(Because boxes are without buttons in most cases) and I successfully found it over the entrance. I portaled up there, pressed all the switches and buttons to see what they did. I noticed that the floor button makes a fling panel and a timer switch disables a fizzler which to me only means that I need to get an object or myself behind the fizzler before the timer runs out. However, I did not understand why I had to do this. I did not know what was behind the wall, nor if I could get out once I was in. Regardless, I used the funnel to fling the box over the wall and hoped that it would magically press a button and a wall would explode or something. But nothing happened, and I was more in question of what was behind the wall in the first place. I looked all around to see if I missed any windows or holes. None all sealed with a metal wall texture After stumbling for 5 minutes, I noticed a slight crack in the glass tank in which you can see what was behind the wall. And what made it worse is you need to jump to see it. I noticed my cube in a near pitch black room, with a odd slanted wall, and a button in front of a deactivated laser emitter. Again, using the funnel, After 4 tries, I managed to fling myself into that dark area, and press the button with my cube and somehow managed in the tight area to aim the reflection cube at the slanted wall. I went back and forth connecting and reconnecting portals and re-angling the laser, twisting portals just to hit the receiver. After another 6 minutes, I managed to solve it like this:
image
But ether way, I solved the puzzle and I felt rewarded, but a little bit frustrated as everything seemed hidden. It's not suppose to be a scavenger hunt when it comes to locating main game elements.||
Overall, I found the room's lighting to be a bit to dark with ugly near pitch black shadows that cast from the projected texture. The holes in the floor just make the experience more harder then it has to be. It does not add anything to the puzzle I'm afraid, it actually hurts it. Yes, you don't want no large empty areas in your map, but rather then having the funnel in a non-accessible area, why don't you place it in where the big ugly hole is? With the right angle and settings, you can still have your projected light where it is. Also, don't hide game elements as much as you did. The second button and laser emitter was a huge hassle to find. Also, windows/holes at eye level. You should not have to jump/crouch to see something vital.
As for the second room, besides it being dark and the ugly shadow that sways back and forth, I really liked the second room's puzzle. There was a window to the button and everything but the first box dropper was in plan site. What I did not like was the annoying thick physboxes on the floor. Make them thinner and make sure that the player can't collide or pick them up.
Sorry for my long review, I kind of got carried away, but I hope my experience helps you in future maps.