I dont really like the regular portal custom maps coming out now, with the logic puzzles and such. so i decided that i would make my maps more like the 2nd part of portal. i would really like some feedback and some suggestions as to what i could do better.

Please upload to the dl database and I'll move your thread to the released section.

So....You didn't include non portable surfaces? All metal = portalable? That's a big turn off for me right there...
Personally I wouldn't have put submitted this as a release. I understand that some people are waiting until the SDK is released to do the whole non portable surfaces thing, as some people believe that's going to be automatic. I don't know about that, I'm just a tester.

However, even if you're waiting for the SDK, that's still something that you're planning on doing with the map, and therefore it is still a work in progress.
</my opinion on that subject>

I really like the little fall you've got at the beginning. Whenever I start a map that doesn't by default have the portal gun, I always seem to be asking myself "Now, why did they do that?" On this map, the question was answered rather quickly.

However, on the way down, I noticed that there's a space on the side of the chasm that you forgot to add walls to. So if you manage to actually get there (which you probably wouldn't be able to do if the metal surfaces were non portalable), you can fall of the edge of the map.

Another thing that kind of confused me, was the sludge/water at the bottom of the chasm. I really don't see a point for it being there. There's no fall damage in portal, so You don't need to prevent yourself from dying from the fall, and you need to go under it to access the next chamber through the lift-like thing.
To me it just seems strange there's water, then a hole you have to dive under to go in. Then once you're past the hole, you're no longer submerged.

And that's as far as I got before I decided there I wasn't feeling like playing something that I have no idea if I'm doing things correctly or not.

Defiantly stick with it though. I'll gladly try out any future releases, or works in progress you might make in the future.

thx for the tip and i fixed that wall

Theres lots of missing textures for me,

and its possible to lose the portal gun which means you're screwed.

The floating water at the bottom of the pit serves no purpose.
I know its called Poor Maintenance but every fricken grate breaks, kinda spoils the surprise

But other than that, theres some nice ideas in there

I like the concept. More HL / HL2, less Portal testing chambers.

However, after the pistons part I was missing all of the textures for some reason. I had the crazy checker pattern. And then there were spots with no checkers.. just black. I thought I was falling of the map... but I was in an invisible part of it... ? I had no idea what was going on because I kept dying, nothing was textured, and what was textured was too dark (not enough contrast).

Oh, also the first time I played, I fell into the goo, but I think the portal gun got caught on a ledge or something, so I was screwed.

Please keep working on this! It'll be awesome if you keep finishing it.

Thanks for trying something different!
Cheers,
Nick

There's a portal gun in this map?
I walked forward, saw a camera, the floor fell through and then all
of a sudden I'm floating in death water (that parts fine, interesting,
different and very much enjoyable... not counting the death water) I finally realize I'm not dying,
I crouch to look for an exit and notice a different color floor.
I walk through that, then I'm no longer in water.
So, I look around and can't see anything, have no idea how to turn
gamma up so I can see something, so I start walking toward a white-looking
pipe/container that has sparks coming from it. Immediately, I'm
submerged in two layers of sludge with a purple and black checkered
pattern and die. So I try it again.... I finally after playing with sv_cheats
and god mode find out that there's a WALKWAY right in front of me
or something that I can walk on. But I can't see anything...
So, I walk forward on that WALKWAY after the fall through fake death sludge
and a weird floor grate that manages to defy the laws of physics and
hold water above it. I get on this ledge... and not to my surprise
I can't advance any further b/c there's a wall here with a candle worth of
light on it.
At that point, I stopped playing b/c I can't see anything and am utterly
frustrated with this map. RELEASE? Maybe WIP instead as I can't even
see if there IS a portal gun....

The start of the map make no sense to me at all. I land in liquid that hurts but doesn't kill me, and then I take a lift down and am then out of the liquid? Huh? Is this magic floating liquid?

There are also numerous missing textures, the piston-platforms aren't in the ground, you can port on pretty much an surface (breaking one of the games major conventions), etc.

I suggest moving this to WIP and fixing it up.

I am glad I am not the only one who found this a little odd; I was really thrown by the magic-liquid-that-I-could-swim-down-to-leave as well; and I am having texture problems as well. After a while of wandering through pink/black chambers, I am afraid the point started to elude me. . .no sense of goal or hint that I was moving towards a goal.

I did have an laughable moment when I set off the crushng wall, and portalled into the hole to get away; after the trap was sprung, I was able to open a portal back in the room, and was promptly flooded with cubes spitting in because they were apparently all under compression and my opening was their only way out! Then mega cube-lag set in (that many cubes moving WILL cause serious lag. . . )

I find the concept interesting, but map needs work, IMO.

well...due to popular demand i edited the beginning and made it a straight fall to the floor below.

The new version has a lot more missing textures (for me at least) and is essentially unplayable.

Also, every surface is still portable, be it metal, a grate, whatever and the "crushing wall" slid all the way over but didn't crush be.

did u download the texture pack?

Why not just use PackRat so you don't have to worry about whether
or not they downloaded the additional textures?
You can pack them into the bsp by default.
It seems with as many people asking that question, it might be simpler
for the developer to take that extra step so that more end-users can
enjoy the map. Sorry, I come from a customer service background ^^

Well, I got the map pack installed now and everything shows up just fine; however, I can't say that it makes your map any better.

You really need to follow portable texture standards and fix up large sections of the map to make it enjoyable.

sooo.... what is better exactly?
plz tell me what i could do to make the map better, and not just tell me what i did wrong.

A few thing that would improve the map:

1. Follow portable-texture standards: do not let the player make portals on metal surfaces.

2. Remove the cubes from the map: they just get in the way, cause physics lag and kill the player.

3. Don't try so hard to kill the player (falling grates, moving walls, etc.) and rather present the player with a puzzle - being killed isn't fun, it makes the map tedious.

4. Make the players objective clearer.

alright, i changed the middle of the map + got rid of most of the boxes and u will hopefully figure out y i left some in.