Ok, I had an idea for a few weeks now. It's called Portal 101.

what is it? It's a project where ANYONE can submit their maps to Portal 101. About 97 maps will be collected, (I will work on 4 maps) And put into a collection. I will have to playtest each map even after its final release to see which CHAMBER that map should be.

There are a few rules though, not that big. Here is what I have in mind for the rules:

1- YOU MUST start out in an elevator (not in a moving one, just start out in one, CLOSED, and will open in a few seconds after loading the map like in Portal.)
2- YOU MUST end out in an elevator, it shouldn't take too long, there is an online guide about making one.
3- YOU MAY use your own custom GLaDOS voice. (You don't have to, though you may reuse some from the actual portal)

And yeah. I havn't gotten started on the project, because I'm working on a TF2 map and I HOPE I get that done first. discuss??????

Remember, if you already made an awsome map and would like to submit, then go ahead!

EDIT: Sorry the big spaces, but I'm used to making them.

(recap?) Anyway, I WILL also be participating so that I won't leave all the work to others. Heck, I might even make more than 4 maps, 10 even.
It'll probably take an year to get this done, who knows? I just need to get my awsome tf map done. (recap end)

I'll take any maps that is well.... meeting the conditions. You might get lucky to skip a certain rule, because I need the 101th chamber.

Edited to make this less of a pain in the ass to read. --msleeper

A big compilation of maps that aren't really connected? I'm not seeing the appeal.

Portal 101? Isn't that kind of, the actual game?

taco wrote:
A big compilation of maps that aren't really connected? I'm not seeing the appeal.

What he said.

There's a reason game development teams have one unified art director.

I think this could turn out to be good idea if you went into more depth about a specific story line mentioned within your rules. Otherwise I think it would be a fairly good idea with more planning.

I like it.

Noone would dismiss a valve made mappack.

You need to create a few more rules on making the maps connected in some way, for example, maybe the maps have one story, ultimate objective, various things they all have (e.g. blood in behind the scenes) etc... I'd be surprised if you could pull this off. I'd recommend you having everyone help make a community map. Maybe with a central hull with transportations to giant rooms you give out to people to build a challenge in. The people at face punch forums make community maps for gmod a lot.

Well, if finishing map #1 doesn't teleport you to room #2 and so on, it just becomes an already really cool maps compilation, we can't say that would be bad!

But it is true that in order to offer something that feels like a real adventure and not just a mappack, we would need some planning.

For example, in any good 1-player game, there is a learning curve.

Let's say we put "logic portals 4" as room 35. This room teaches angular flings. that means all rooms after 35 can use this technique without warnings and should not teach it again.
Also if Glados voice changes, it feels like you changed laboratory. Will probably feel weird to the player.

I personnally think it would be really great if we could do that. It could even interest Valve itself. But to be honest, I hardly believe we can make it there (how about portal 42? seems more reasonible already...).

But it sure would require some planning, at least on the learning curve, and a common Glados voice.

If that project ever truly begins, I can generate "Glados Jr" voice quite quickly now that I made the receipe, here is a sample : glados-child-unit-voice-sample-please-give-feedback-t808.html

If the project starts, I am Ok to do the voices that way.

meh, I've already thought it'll take a long time, since it takes a long time mapping a single map. So then, probably I'll cut it in half.

What about a Thinking With Portals compilation? With umm, maps from the community! Then see if we can get into the big picture.

I"m beginning to work on a map right now. I've decided to do this:

TF2 map
Portal
TF2 map
Portal
etc.

I wanted to make the map end by having a "weapon stripper". Since I want to give pre-existing maps a chance because some of them begin without the portal gun. So I think I need some maps with a "weapon stripper" to remove the player of the portal gun. So I can probably fit rainbow palace in.

BTW: It's a compilation, it doesn't really matter if it had dif GLaDOS voice, and I Think it'll be better if people can just open up the folder, and bam, 101 (or less) maps right there, and people just double click!

Edited to make it less of a pain in the ass to read. --msleeper

Atlantisrobo wrote:
So I can probably fit rainbow palace in.

No.

Eck, sorry.

I meant to say something like,

"to fit something like rainbow palace there"

You know, start out with no portal gun, but you end with both.

Please, for the sake off your keyboard, lay off the enter key.

Why?

I know what you're thinking, and you're right.

This idea is starting to sound less and less pluasable...

If done correctly it could be good, but you would have to start from scratch and give a guideline on visuals and the kinds of puzzles for each chamber. It would be incredibly random if a load of differently styled maps were put into one big flowing bundle. Not to mention it wouldn't flow it would be really wierd. Different GlaDOS voices would be expecially strange but yeah, whatever, if you want to commit I think there's a chance of it working well but everything needs to be synced.

Kingpin wrote:
If done correctly it could be good, but you would have to start from scratch and give a guideline on visuals and the kinds of puzzles for each chamber. It would be incredibly random if a load of differently styled maps were put into one big flowing bundle. Not to mention it wouldn't flow it would be really wierd. Different GlaDOS voices would be expecially strange but yeah, whatever, if you want to commit I think there's a chance of it working well but everything needs to be synced.

How about then we don't aim for a big flow of levels, we just aim for a mappack - a big pack of community made maps that appear in the Bonus Maps part of the menu.

They aren't linked, they are just different maps. Therefore no problem with story and different GlaDOS voices because people know that they aren't meant to work in line with each other, but they are in fact just custom maps put into one big package.

Grudge wrote:
How about then we don't aim for a big flow of levels, we just aim for a mappack - a big pack of community made maps that appear in the Bonus Maps part of the menu.

They aren't linked, they are just different maps. Therefore no problem with story and different GlaDOS voices because people know that they aren't meant to work in line with each other, but they are in fact just custom maps put into one big package.

someone already had this idea... and was going to try to snag peoples maps without their permission... now if it was "TWP" sanctioned.... it might work

How about we just leave it as download the damn maps and leave it at that?

Duffedwaffe wrote:
How about we just leave it as download the damn maps and leave it at that?

oh i agree. i was just saying that IF someone felt they just ~had~ to do a map pack (keep in mind it was a moderator that was going along with the idea) that it might be alot better and work better if it was TWP sanctioned. me personally i prefer to play them one at a time (that way i can easily delete the crappy ones)

You know, I see some really good maps, but I don't bother to download them.

It'll be much of a convenience to download a whole map pack, with maps from good mappers or bad mappers.
We need their permission of course.

You really didn't need to post that comment by the way. It's fun to have various ideas that may help in any way. No need to say something like "bah, forget this, no point."
It's not really worth to post something like that.