Love it! It was all warm, relaxing, and ever so slightly different and super creative with the design of the level elements. My only complaint is that it was super short, but 5/5 anyway. Can't wait for the next installment

Really awesome map, too easy, but the whole concept is unbeatable

Using dynamic world portals was really fun. The field was clearly indicated and made the whole thing look a little more normal.

Once I realized that the world portals were effectively swapping, I realized that dynamic world portals were going to be fun. Very nice.

Agreeing, the atmosphere was also nice.

Thanks for the replies, people. Still glad to see such positive feedback. (Yaay, Community Roundup!)

PS: V1.1 is really close to release, just working out the kinks.

I've sent you a private message. Please take a look at it asap. Thanks

@ Motanum:

Awesome! Thank you.

I like this idea a lot. Smart move to add a fizzler texture to the world portals! Not only does it look cool, but it prevents infinite-draw bugs when you can see the portal through itself. (As happens in the first set of rooms.)

I'm looking forward to a more challenging map using this mechanism!

FourthReaper wrote:
spongylover123 wrote:

Door frames looked bad [...]

Door frames? As in the normal doors? I have been working on a few lately though I don't see what's wrong...

What he means is that the wall brushes around some of the doors are too thin. (You shouldn't be able to see pieces sticking out from behind the outer edge of the door frame.)

As for the different fizzler variants: I believe that the one where the player and objects can't pass, but portals can, already exists in the game. It's called a fence. Very nice texture though!

HMW wrote:
it prevents infinite-draw bugs when you can see the portal through itself.

Actually, that's one bug I'm still working on in the second map.

HMW wrote:
What he means is that the wall brushes around some of the doors are too thin.

Fixed! (A while ago...)

HMW wrote:
...already exists in the game. It's called a fence. Very nice texture though!

Yeah, guess so. But can a fence interchange with all sorts of fizzlers using the same model? No? That's what I thought.

Thanks for the feedback!

I love this concept. I can see some really amazing maps coming from this. I look forward to them eagerly.

I really liked the warm and fuzzy relaxed feeling of this. Bright, comfortable and absorbing. A complete change of the usual dark,cold, black or white maps. The Surface Division Field is a really clever puzzle element once you notice what is actually happening. Great map, it feels as though it's a type of "Yes, you've been hard at work with all that testing, why not take a break... over here... in this mellowed (test) room"...

Great fun...Looking forward to more of these ...

Just hit the magic 1.000th download. Thanks for the support, people!

@ TaiMai & RustyDios: Thanks for the positive feedback. Always nice.

RustyDios wrote:
"Yes, you've been hard at work with all that testing, why not take a break... over here... in this mellowed (test) room"...

However fun it is to see test subjects give in to the casual fun that is the mandatory testing programme, though at some point I hope this series will be a bit less relaxing and a bit more brain-teasing. All real slow-like, of cource...

This idea is really cool and it makes for some really fun maps (even if a cube was lost in the world portal). Thanks for making it! Also, mind if I ask which song that was in the first room? Very pleasant.

soundsofentropy wrote:
This idea is really cool and it makes for some really fun maps (even if a cube was lost in the world portal). Thanks for making it! Also, mind if I ask which song that was in the first room? Very pleasant.

Thanks! The songs name is "music/mp_coop_hallway_c5.wav". There are some songs there that look a lot like it, but yeah, this one is one of the most relaxing in my opinion.

I've just uploaded V1.1 of the map.

Changelog:

• Updated the design of the map significantly. mostly the elevators (still don't feel they're finished) and observation labs (I want to add humans)- Created custom skin for Surface Division Field generators.- Added testchamber signs and improved and added custom test element signage.- Fixed the cheating past the glass window in the first map.- Fixed the double funnel issue in the second map. still includes some issues somehow, though I don't know how to fix them.- Stopped adding instances apparently that was unnecessary...
  I hope people will enjoy the new design, and if you played V1.0 of the maps before, I'd really appreciate if you would take a look at it again. Just a quick peek. Takes 5 min. All I'm sayin'

The new elevator rooms look nice (especially the little screens), though I've never cared for that marble-glass texture on the elevators. The reflections just look a bit off. That's a preference, though. Room 02 didn't play as smoothly for me this time. The Surface Division Field (you're welcome) that leads to the exit and the funnel room sometimes displayed as a wall until I walked through it. On top of that, when the funnel came through the field, it became invisible, so my cube was just floating about. I also lost one more cube in the world portal, but I don't think that can be helped. Overall, it's still a really cool concept, and the work you've done on the grids is awesome--I love that green atmosphere!

soundsofentropy wrote:
The new elevator rooms look nice (especially the little screens), though I've never cared for that marble-glass texture on the elevators. The reflections just look a bit off.

Eh, I don't get what you mean. Do you mean the glass shaft? If so, sorry, I like it.

soundsofentropy wrote:
Room 02 didn't play as smoothly for me this time. The Surface Division Field (you're welcome) that leads to the exit and the funnel room sometimes displayed as a wall until I walked through it.

Ah yes, it's because of a lot of draw issues you get when placing so many world portals in one map. I hoped it would only show on my computer, but unfortunately, it appears not.

soundsofentropy wrote:
On top of that, when the funnel came through the field, it became invisible, so my cube was just floating about.

Had that myself a few times, but it seems really inconsistent. Once again assumed it was only my problem. Still, I REALLY don't understand that one...

soundsofentropy wrote:
I also lost one more cube in the world portal, but I don't think that can be helped.

Indeed, it cannot.

So the new versions are just as cool as the old ones. Just better. Did you change the labs to new ones? I don't recall them being in that style before. Looks good.

New Surface Division Signage looks good. Is the generators new skin a green triangle (normally red?)... wouldn't this change by just colouring the props?...

Also I liked the new elevators, screens and everything. But for some reason I don't think the slime fits the theme... maybe just a normal water texture, under-lit, swimming pool style (similar to the water in the Aquatics Testing map) would look better. Just opinion.

Did you change the dimensions of some of the rooms? I recall getting the "bright white worldportal" at points in the original, couldn't recreate it this time. (Room 1 was bad for this IIRC). Didn't loose any cubes or have any problems with the funnel.

Good maps, Thanks for the improvements.

RustyDios wrote:
So the new versions are just as cool as the old ones. Just better. Did you change the labs to new ones? I don't recall them being in that style before. Looks good.

Thanks, and yes, they are custom made, thought they would fit in in the whole 'testet friendly' theme. I would like to add humans to them, but it's not supported with hammer. Possibly the alien swarm SDK though, might give that a try sometime.

RustyDios wrote:
New Surface Division Signage looks good. Is the generators new skin a green triangle (normally red?)... wouldn't this change by just colouring the props?...

Nope. I mixed the prop color of the normal fizzler with the lighting effects & triangle of the Discouragement Field (in Photoshop). The normal one was too dark IMO. Besides, with this custom prop I can potentially change fields from fizzler to Surface Division Field, to Discouragement Field, to [1 more option here] interactively.

RustyDios wrote:
Also I liked the new elevators, screens and everything. But for some reason I don't think the slime fits the theme... maybe just a normal water texture, under-lit, swimming pool style (similar to the water in the Aquatics Testing map) would look better. Just opinion.

That's not a bad idea. I'll look into that sometime, even though it's probably gonna' be really hard to pull that off nicely.

RustyDios wrote:
Did you change the dimensions of some of the rooms? I recall getting the "bright white worldportal" at points in the original, couldn't recreate it this time. (Room 1 was bad for this IIRC). Didn't loose any cubes or have any problems with the funnel.

Did not change any dimensions. I never got a bright white one, but it's a simple (random) draw issue I guess. Figured you would actually get MORE issues this time around, as soundsofentropy in his above post did (previous page). Though the funnel and cube issues are still in existence, unfortunately...

RustyDios wrote:
Good maps, Thanks for the improvements.

You, [sir/madame], just made my day!

FourthReaper wrote:
soundsofentropy wrote:

The new elevator rooms look nice (especially the little screens), though I've never cared for that marble-glass texture on the elevators. The reflections just look a bit off.

Eh, I don't get what you mean. Do you mean the glass shaft? If so, sorry, I like it.

I just meant the base, right under the elevators, especially behind the shaft. But it's just a personal preference about that texture, in general. The map is still really awesome and looks really good.

soundsofentropy wrote:
I just meant the base, right under the elevators, especially behind the shaft. But it's just a personal preference about that texture, in general. The map is still really awesome and looks really good.

I'm not gonna' change that glass piece of floor as I like it the way it is. I am, though, currently working on that clear, underlit water. I think that might actually work out, though I'll have to see if I could make it look better than just filling it all up with toxic slime...

What does anyone else think of clear, underlit water? Penny for your thoughts?