Screenie #1
Screenie #2
Screenie #3
Screenie #4
Screenie #5
Screenie #6

I just realised that BTS areas are very difficult to make. Didn't thought that before I start creating one.

RectorRocks wrote:
Y U ALL (except ChickenMobile) REJECT ME? Only commenting about Sprowl's screenshots, instead of mine. D: At least give me some feedback...?

Looks like a version of chicken's derp, but with boring textures and no epic ending.

It looks pretty good, the portal gun room reminds me of portal 1 a lot.

RectorRocks wrote:
...Chicken's Derp??!! How does it look like Chicken's Derp?! Its just buttons exploding and switches sparking!
Boring textures? How can I make it interesting...? And what ending is considered...epic?
Yeah, thanks. Its meant to look like that. ^^

It was a joke. Chicken's derp had 1 texture, all it did was blow up and end, and a exploding button. Your map looks much better.

But I can easily throw a cube up those blocks, and 256 units maximum in height. If that is a problem.

RectorRocks wrote:
Y U ALL (except ChickenMobile) REJECT ME? Only commenting about Sprowl's screenshots, instead of mine. D: At least give me some feedback...?

I'm sorry, you're right, you deserve feedback as well.

Problem is, I can't see what the puzzles will look like because screenshots usually don't do that, and aesthetics are easiest to observe. About the looks in your map though, it looks pretty good, but fairly basic and simple. It is good to start off that way but at some point I recommend the use of the lighter (grey) black walls, not the pitch black ones. You did do that in some later screenshots, but every room would benefit of it.

Another thing is that you have obviously tried to make the map look interesting with lots of texture variation, but you have done so in a perfect 128x128 grid. That looks silly in my opinion. I recommend you try to stray from that by adding a few blocks in the wall that are as big as possible, and create some smaller ones around it, eventually creating a sort of chaotic pattern. Don't overdo it though, that would just distract from the rest of the map.

Let me just say that while I don't know how long you have been mapping the screenshots don't look bad at all.

There, that enough feedback?

TL;DR: Change the black walls to grey and change your idea of texture variation.

Sprowl wrote:
A great many screenshots

Looking pretty nice. The bts catwalk railings are a little messed up though, I would check that out. (You can see the insides of them in some areas.) In screenshot three there are some support beams with misaligned textures. Also in that same screen I would recommend putting some arm panels or some type of detail on the structures in the very background. Since the player will probably be looking there a lot (especially since those steps are facing its direction.) Lighting in the bts looks nice too, although I can't help but feel it needs some warm lights.

Destroyed theme looks great, I really like how all of the broken panels look. It makes the area feel more open, and without them, it would probably feel a little claustrophobic. Great work on it so far, and I look for forward to playing it soon.

(Lets just hope you can optimize it well enough.) :p

@Fourth an Felix: Thanks.

@Bad Pun: I hate these stupid stairs. Why do they have ralings which don't connect to the other flat railings? Stupid Valve. I'll look into that and the misangled textures - even though I thought that this would be the right way to texture the beams .
Actually there are only two cold lights in this area - all the others are yellow-ish and warm - you just can't see them all in the screenshots .

The overgrowth chambers are as small as possible to avoid bad optimizing. I put some hints 'n' skips here and there, but that does not help very much to increase FPS. Luckily it's possible to play everything smooth, so don't worry about that .
I just don't know what you mean with "feel a little claustrophobic". I build everything first in the PTI to be sure that the chamber is big enough - then I rebuild it completely in Hammer. Do you think it would be to small without the open ceilings and stuff?

@RectorRocks: A tip: don't put your indicatorlights in the center of a brush. Put them on the side of the tiles. Also put the signs for buttons and the switches on the tiles.

portal2tenacious wrote:
It was a joke. Chicken's derp had 1 texture, all it did was blow up and end, and a exploding button. Your map looks much better.

But I can easily throw a cube up those blocks, and 256 units maximum in height. If that is a problem.

Haha, yeah. Thanks.
Uhh...the first level (not the pit with the orange portal) to the second level (with the button, switch and 128x128 light) is 128 units. The second level to the third level (with the inaccessible room with the button) is 256 units. As for the third level to the exit door level is more than 256 units, 352 units.

FourthReaper wrote:
I'm sorry, you're right, you deserve feedback as well.

Problem is, I can't see what the puzzles will look like because screenshots usually don't do that, and aesthetics are easiest to observe. About the looks in your map though, it looks pretty good, but fairly basic and simple. It is good to start off that way but at some point I recommend the use of the lighter (grey) black walls, not the pitch black ones. You did do that in some later screenshots, but every room would benefit of it.

Another thing is that you have obviously tried to make the map look interesting with lots of texture variation, but you have done so in a perfect 128x128 grid. That looks silly in my opinion. I recommend you try to stray from that by adding a few blocks in the wall that are as big as possible, and create some smaller ones around it, eventually creating a sort of chaotic pattern. Don't overdo it though, that would just distract from the rest of the map.

Let me just say that while I don't know how long you have been mapping the screenshots don't look bad at all.

There, that enough feedback?

TL;DR: Change the black walls to grey and change your idea of texture variation.

Yeah, sure. Thanks for your feedback!
Yepp, definitely enough feedback.
Thanks again! ^^

Sprowl wrote:
@RectorRocks: A tip: don't put your indicatorlights in the center of a brush. Put them on the side of the tiles. Also put the signs for buttons and the switches on the tiles.

Okay, noted. Thanks!
But what do you mean by "...signs for buttons and the switches on the tiles"?

RectorRocks, have a look at this.

post81653.html#p81653

Habzs wrote:
RectorRocks, have a look at this.
post81653.html#p81653

Wow, that post gets referred to pretty often. Can't someone just post that on the forum rules boards or something?
hint, msleeper

Well, on second thought I'd deem not tripple-posting pretty self-explanatory.

***EDIT:***

Sprowl wrote:
@Bad Pun: I hate these stupid stairs. Why do they have ralings which don't connect to the other flat railings? Stupid Valve.

Blasphemy! Besides, I believe there are two stair models of each length, one with rounded edges and one with seamless ones... Might be wrong though.

Habzs wrote:
RectorRocks, have a look at this.
post81653.html#p81653

Uhh...whats that supposed to mean? Don't double-post/triple-post?
If so, sorry guys. I'll just use @ to refer to anyone next time.

Something I'm working on, upon UsCobra11's request:

The all-new FOUR-PORTAL DEVICE!

http://steamcommunity.com/id/FelixGriff ... tab=public

http://steamcommunity.com/id/FelixGriff ... tab=public

http://steamcommunity.com/id/FelixGriff ... tab=public

Red <==> Orange
Blue <==> Purple

It works, with different-colored portals, and I made a new test element for use with it: a purple fizzler that only closes your current portal linkage (red or blue).

FelixGriffin wrote:
Something I'm working on, upon UsCobra11's request:

The all-new FOUR-PORTAL DEVICE!
http://steamcommunity.com/id/FelixGriff ... tab=public
http://steamcommunity.com/id/FelixGriff ... tab=public
http://steamcommunity.com/id/FelixGriff ... tab=public

Red <==> Orange
Blue <==> Purple

It works, with different-colored portals, and I made a new test element for use with it: a purple fizzler that only closes your current portal linkage (red or blue).

Wow! Looks great! Can't wait to play the map! How will you switch which pair your using?