Disclaimer: the backstage areas are irrelevant to the main puzzle. They form a second, more difficult puzzle. If you do not enjoy exploration, stay out of the backstage areas.

Distracted_by_Love, a map by Madk for the Thinkingwithportals Summer Mapping Initiative

Distracted by Love is a gel-centric amalgamation of at least one test chamber, featuring an interesting combination of themes.

External: http://dl.dropbox.com/u/10116881/Distra ... ve_1.1.rar

Distracted by Love

&

Holy crap that was intense and confusing and giant - a very unique style for sure. The primary complaint I have about this map is all the little boxy areas that you couldn't climb through: they looked exactly like the ones that you could climb through and it would be possible to lose cubes in there irretrievably (or were there cube respawn buttons?).

I particularly enjoyed the ethereal furniture room.

Incredible explorative map, you feel lost forever in a maze big enough for 3 different style zones. Feels like a Myst age. As excellent the mapping as it is, there's arguably a better one at the competition's top: but the eerie "wandering in mystery" experience? Unmatched.

Enigmaphase wrote:
Holy crap that was intense and confusing and giant - a very unique style for sure. The primary complaint I have about this map is all the little boxy areas that you couldn't climb through: they looked exactly like the ones that you could climb through and it would be possible to lose cubes in there irretrievably (or were there cube respawn buttons?).

I particularly enjoyed the ethereal furniture room.

Unfortunately, the cubes can be lost. I suppose this could be fixed by droppers. I will get right on that.

Also, thanks much for the kind words!

And if you still had doubts about the size of this map...

http://i212.photobucket.com/albums/cc12 ... byLove.jpg

The map has been updated to 1.1; I added some signage overlays to hopefully make things a bit less confusing, and I added cube droppers so that if the cubes are lost they can be recovered. I also made a few minor changes in regards to visuals.

I wasn't a fan of this map. There was absolutely no flow to it at all. It was more of a maze than a puzzle.

I just happened to stumble upon the laser redirection cube. However this was after I saw the destination of said laser... so then I wandered around for another 20 minutes looking for what I had seen, but never found it again.

There needs to be more visual markers / distinct areas to give the player more of a sense of where the hell they are in this huge map.

The 'backstage' areas where neat at first... until it all looked the same and I got lost.

Chewbacha007 wrote:
I wasn't a fan of this map. There was absolutely no flow to it at all. It was more of a maze than a puzzle.

I just happened to stumble upon the laser redirection cube. However this was after I saw the destination of said laser... so then I wandered around for another 20 minutes looking for what I had seen, but never found it again.

There needs to be more visual markers / distinct areas to give the player more of a sense of where the hell they are in this huge map.

The 'backstage' areas where neat at first... until it all looked the same and I got lost.

This.

Let's say your map is a meal you are serving to the players. If you feed them too little, they starve and want more. If you feed them too much, they say "no thanks" and throw what they don't want away.

Chewbacha007 wrote:
I wasn't a fan of this map. There was absolutely no flow to it at all. It was more of a maze than a puzzle.

I just happened to stumble upon the laser redirection cube. However this was after I saw the destination of said laser... so then I wandered around for another 20 minutes looking for what I had seen, but never found it again.

There needs to be more visual markers / distinct areas to give the player more of a sense of where the hell they are in this huge map.

The 'backstage' areas where neat at first... until it all looked the same and I got lost.

+1

Spent an hour not know what I was supposed to be doing.

Are you guys serious? Really? I guess you prefer maps that just serves everything in front of you with a sign next to it that says "do this" and another one next to it that says "next, do this", just so you can be amazed over how cool the game mechanics are and how well you were able to preform the same tasks a three year old could. I don't want to be judging, but I guess you are also the types that prefer the types of maps that only have portable surfaces where you are supposed to shot portals to solve the puzzels.

This map is amazing. I reminds me of what I missed when I played the original portal and how cool it would be to just jump around and explore things instead of progressing through a corridor. I felt like a real explorer (like Rick!). For me the map was not so confusing but I guess it could be if you took a brake in the middle of it. I passed it in around 20 minutes.

The puzzles and figuring out how to do stuff parts were all "AHA!" moments, which are great. I do believe however this map has another audience than normal portal maps as they are quite different. This however lands right in my box! Good job!

Jollepoker wrote:
Are you guys serious? Really? I guess you prefer maps that just serves everything in front of you with a sign next to it that says "do this" and another one next to it that says "next, do this", just so you can be amazed over how cool the game mechanics are and how well you were able to preform the same tasks a three year old could. I don't want to be judging, but I guess you are also the types that prefer the types of maps that only have portable surfaces where you are supposed to shot portals to solve the puzzels.

No, I prefer puzzles where I know the objective and I know my tools to complete it. That way, the test is only on how I applied my knowledge. While the map did contain the correct tools (as with every other map), it didn't present them to me directly. I don't know what I'm looking for, or what I need to complete my task, etc. This map was less of a matter of solving puzzles and more of a matter of wandering aimlessly until you find the right place.

Also, you compared my intelligence with that of a three year old. Thanks, I really appreciated that.

Idolon wrote:
Jollepoker wrote:

Are you guys serious? Really? I guess you prefer maps that just serves everything in front of you with a sign next to it that says "do this" and another one next to it that says "next, do this", just so you can be amazed over how cool the game mechanics are and how well you were able to preform the same tasks a three year old could. I don't want to be judging, but I guess you are also the types that prefer the types of maps that only have portable surfaces where you are supposed to shot portals to solve the puzzels.

No, I prefer puzzles where I know the objective and I know my tools to complete it. That way, the test is only on how I applied my knowledge. While the map did contain the correct tools (as with every other map), it didn't present them to me directly. I don't know what I'm looking for, or what I need to complete my task, etc. This map was less of a matter of solving puzzles and more of a matter of wandering aimlessly until you find the right place.

Also, you compared my intelligence with that of a three year old. Thanks, I really appreciated that.

Here you go! I made a test for you! Your objective is to fit all these different, easy to find, blocks into the different, equally easy to find, holes. There's a catch though, each block only correctly fits one hole! I've tried to put it all together so it was easy to understand. For example: I completed a part of the test for you so you could see how it's done and hopefully get the hang of it just by looking. Good luck!

If you still need help:
No, you do not need the blocks I've already used.

If you really want to challenge yourself, try to do it without the portal gun!

Here, I made one for you too. Same basic rules apply, everything you need to solve it is right there.

Alrighty, before this turns into a fight: Jollepoker, I appreciate that you've a point to make but you can cool it a bit now.

In short: two different preferred map styles. Some like dealing directly with given elements, some like to explore more. Let's respect them both.

The map has been updated with some minor visual changes.

I told you, it reminded me of some Myst age: these unfavorable reactions are nothing new, they parallel those to that game. Crushing solitude, unknown goals, tools with apparently no purpose, time ticking with uneasiness.

Exploration is like this, but some don't like it (as they are entitled to).

Very nice map!
I realy enjoy it!

The puzzle was medium for me.
But I think the secret is unsolvable. It was a large labyrinth with 3 puzzle element. I couldn't solve it without your demo.

http://screenshot.xfire.com/s/115561460-4.jpg

http://screenshot.xfire.com/s/115561477-4.jpg

I'm confused; if it's solved in the demo, how can it be unsolvable? :/

Not much to solve about the secret, you just have to find it across miles of underground.

Madk:
You maked the map, so you knew what you must to do. - Ok the secret isn't unsolvable, but i cant solve it (2 hours) without help . It was very anoying for me because I do not even know where to begin the secret.