My boyfriend has been down in the dumps lately, and generally pretty depressed.
I've been thinking for a while about what I could do to cheer him up, I know that he still loves me, but he's just been kind of down lately for no reason.
I remembered watching the Gary Hudston Project thing, and I'd really like to do something similar for him, to just cheer him up a bit.
I obviously don't have the kind of resources he does. I don't have the money, all I really have is the Portal map creator and some time on my hands, and a lot of love for him. Unfortunately, again, my resources are very limited.
Does anyone have any cute ideas I could do that would really cheer him up or even make it clear to him that this is intended to be a romantic thing, so he doesn't just think it's a normal puzzle.
I made an account on this forum purely to discuss that, so, uh, yeah.
Some of you are for more creative than I.
Thanks so much in advance, I really want to cheer him up and make him smile.

I am COMPLETELY inexperienced when it comes to doing this, by the way. I need all the help I can get. Is there another program you guys use, or what?
Something preferably a little basic. I'm savvy with software, but certainly not programming or coding of any kind.

Make that dude a rollercoaster map. Dudes love rollercoaster maps (joking).

Awww. Well, judging by your post, I think you'll just want to use the in-game editor. There's Hammer, which is what Valve uses, which allows you spectacular things, but it takes much, much more effort to learn.

I guess you can make a blocky heart out of different coloured tiles. A bit like this (you can vaguely see it in the picture): http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... earchtext=

You could probably also use speed gel on the wall, since it's red.

Something with the Companion Cube, definately. Perhaps getting it to you would be the puzzle. Or it could provide you cover from turrets. A bit like this map: http://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/f ... d=72660981

Random idea I still had: use a light bridge to portal over a switch, which grants a cube cover dripping bouncey gel that would throw the cube all over. It's fairly original, and if you squint there could be some symbolic value. You could have that, with your companion cube, and if it stays on a switch for a while, the room with the tiled heart would open up. If your cube gets blue gel on it and bounces around, perhaps instead of having simply cleaning gel, have speedy gel, because your love is red hot, of course.

There's various tricks that look cool, like turret fireworks, lazer shows (turrets falling on faith plates while hit by a lazer so they'll explode, or lazer cubes on faith plates hit by a lazer from above so they swerve in random directions), but I'm not sure what that has to do with romance.

That's all I can think of atm.

Could it be possible to (and tell me if this is the worst idea possible) Back up an instance, and replace it with a heart or radio with exile vilify, because that's the only actual song in portal 2? Like if someone posted a .vmf to replace it.

portal2tenacious wrote:
Could it be possible to (and tell me if this is the worst idea possible) Back up an instance, and replace it with a heart or radio with exile vilify, because that's the only actual song in portal 2? Like if someone posted a .vmf to replace it.

That is one of the most depressing songs I have heard tbh. Why would that cheer up their partner?

I agree with post above: companion cube and perhaps some custom textures / things in shape of hearts showing that you appreciate them.

I like the way the heart in this map: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbTXHuytW6g
Maybe this is something OP want to add to the map in some way?

Just had another idea, it could be cool if you had the companion cube on a switch at some point (maybe with the blue goo dripping i had in my other post), and you needed it for a cube button linked to the exit, which would be the final area with the heart. You portal a reversed tractorbeam on the center of the heart, which would line up with the lazer barricade that the player could see but couldn't reach before (it could also be the thing blocking the player in the earlier puzzle, but you could get a glimpse of the heart that way, which you might not want), and the cube on the button, so that the cube is drawn into the room from the center of the heart.

You could have red gel covering the all portable heart to make it slightly harder to figure out. You will need all portable walls on either side of the two rooms to be too high up to reach, so you can't simply establish a link between rooms and pull the cube through that.

I like that first idea - put the CC on the button, which triggers the gel dropper above it as well as the door. You need to use a light bridge to keep it from getting gelled.

Don't forget the red hot cleaning paint

You could also use the reversed tractorbeam for this if you're going to use the idea from that other post. Whichever you think is best.

I think getting someone to make some wall scrawlings for a BTS thing. People love finding BTS dens, and it would let you break the fourth wall a bit without it totally dominating the "puzzle".

Use rotating wall panels in the PETI editor to form a love heart that is activated when completing the level.

I could try to draw some scribbles for you, I have paint and a scanner, although someone else might be able to do a better job.

Turn off your PC and take him to the bar.

I just thought of something and I would be more than happy to do this for you if you like.

You have lasers form a huge heart on the floor of the test chamber. The floor spells out both your names in white panels with the laser hear between them. That's how the Gary Hudston Project did it. The difference this time is the laser heart is not merely done with redirection cubes. This laser heart is done in a manner similar to the Aperture logo in another level that was uploaded here, the name of which escapes me at the moment. Basically, what it involves is using a series of laser/relay/receiver combinations to fire off a series of lasers that, when seen from high above, create a giant heart on the floor.

Every laser relay also activates a cube dropper. This means you have to aim the lasers very carefully in order to prevent the cube from being fizzled. Once the heart is completed, you can exit the chamber. Although that is just one idea.

Also, if he is "down for no reason", you may want to get him some psychological help instead of making him a Portal 2 map. It sounds like depression to me. That requires professional help, not a Portal 2 map.