A playground map with a puzzle is not a playground map.

satchmo wrote:
The definition of a playground map is that it has no puzzle and no goal.

A playground map with a puzzle is not a playground map.

Maybe in your opinion, I think it depends on the person's point of view. I've seen a few playground maps with puzzles in them, but they were old Portal 1 maps. I thought playground maps were not just maps with every puzzle elements to test with, but had puzzles that were not always straight forward. Kinda like Myst (the very first one), your on your own with very little to go on and you can explore fiddle, and discover stuff.

BTW: I just figured out xdiesp's picture was Sirrus in Myst. I knew I saw that face somewhere!

Marise wrote:
I'm not sure I have any DO's, but I have a DON'T.... putting everything in one big room.

My map is more of a city with different buildings with different stuff in them. Heck, you can even get on top of the buildings. I made a disco with Atlas, P-Body and turrets dancing. It's going to be an outdoors and indoors map. Since this game has a nice blue sky and grass textures, I thought: Why not make an outdoors map and put up buildings that player's could go inside? Of course, I haven't mentioned the goal yet but I'm still planning that part. The most I can tell you is that it involves turning on several different types of switches in a secluded area and you need items from the city to activate them.

Whoa that's a lot of text.

Quote:
Maybe in your opinion, I think it depends on the person's point of view. I've seen a few playground maps with puzzles in them, but they were old Portal 1 maps. I thought playground maps were not just maps with every puzzle elements to test with, but had puzzles that were not always straight forward. Kinda like Myst (the very first one), your on your own with very little to go on and you can explore fiddle, and discover stuff.

I don't see any difference between what you are describing and any regular Portal 2 map.

Take my map, Interception, for example. It's not straightforward, it has puzzles, and it's got places where the player explores but they are not part of the puzzle.

With that definition, every map is a playground map.

MasterLagger wrote:
BTW: I just figured out xdiesp's picture was Sirrus in Myst. I knew I saw that face somewhere!

Oh damn! How did I not notice that?

I vaguely remember Groxkiller talking about making a playground map where you have to work to unlock other parts of it ... and it was going to be set in enrichment spheres or something.

NuclearDuckie wrote:
MasterLagger wrote:

BTW: I just figured out xdiesp's picture was Sirrus in Myst. I knew I saw that face somewhere!

Oh damn! How did I not notice that?

I can't believe that I haven't heard of myst when it was the best PC seller before 2002.

chickenmobile wrote:
I can't believe that I haven't heard of myst when it was the best PC seller before 2002.

By all means check "Real Myst": it used to be described as the 3D remake of Myst, but today we'd say it's a first person puzzler like Amnesia or the Escape from X series. Might as well help you designing puzzles. Just beware that the original's trademark was the atmosphere of crushing lonelyness, not everyone's cup of tea.

MasterLagger wrote:
BTW: I just figured out xdiesp's picture was Sirrus in Myst. I knew I saw that face somewhere!

ANYONE WHO DID NOT KNOW THIS SHALL BE SHUNNED

Myst is my favorite video game series, I now own every game as of a few months ago.

I've a lot of fun in mine, where I test new elements, but for other players might be a confusing experience.
For example, you could present each section clearly, better with several instructor_hint.

I don't think it's pointless releasing playground maps, but keep in mind that the main problem is managing expectations, since player are in to complete something (puzzles).

I think it's all up to the interpretation of playground maps:
-one big room + fullbright? no
-different gameplay other than solving puzzle? why not?

Then, if the site is committed to offer normal maps only, that's another story.

Marise wrote:
MasterLagger, that sounds cool, but be careful to use lots of World Portals or else it'll never run

I realize that having a huge map would require using a few data saving tricks. Never heard of "world portals" before. I know it's not a prop_portal. If someone smart could give me a quick summery about it, I would be happy. Oh and BTW, the map is a co-op. I thought since the map is huge, it would be better to have two people playing to either play around or try to figure out the goal than it would be with one person. Two heads are better than one!

take a look here: http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki ... timization