Portal

[Occulus]

Having played through Half Life 2 and much of Episode 1 (although not completely), I was already familiar with the gameplay and the engine behind the game. I've also done some map editing and a very very small slice of modding, and so had some high expectations when I fired up Portal for the first time. This is especially true given the fact that I've seen all the media surrounding this addition to Valve Software's Orange Box prior to its release.

Portal scores a grand slam. Far from being the run-and-gun, kill-everything-in-sight shooter the very same game engine powering the Half-Life 2 juggernaut gives us (the Source engine), Portal is a mindbending assault of logic. There aren't any real weapons, but only hazards; this first-person logic game is remarkably not violent. Instead, the developers used clever puzzle design and wit to put together a game that, for all its abbreviated length, is brilliant in every respect.

The game centers around a gun that can shoot a pair of portals on any receptive flat surface. When the player walks through one portal, she comes out the other. I say 'she' because the model is female, which apparently (although I myself haven't played that far in Episode Two) plays a role in the newest addition to the Half-Life 2 story. In any case, this woman is a detainee test subject in the Aperture Sciences laboratory is directed at the whim of a creepy, electronic, disembodied female voice that spouts forth ever-increasingly ridiculous and hilarious "advice" (at one point, you are told that "'Bring Your Daughter to Work Day' is an excellent opportunity to have her tested.").

I haven't yet finished it, although I'm well on the way to the end, and knowing it's so short, I have to say that just for originality, Portal is the gem of Valve's Orange Box, and while not worth the sticker price all by itself, when in company with the rest of the games that come with the O.B., it and its companions (some of which I've played and enjoyed a great deal) are well worth the money.

If I can get to Portal's assets via the SDK, I'll be in serious business. I love the sort of logic puzzles Portal provides, and I'm hoping we'll see more added as time goes by.

[YOY]

1. Awesome game and wonderfully dark sense of humor in it

It is short as a single negative, but it's shortness does not deplete it incredibly and it does not take away anything from the singular outcome that it is wonderfully innovative and spectacularly written and designed.

One edit: The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie! The cake is a lie!

or is it???

[Occulus]

19. YOY, I'm going to use you shamelessly for a moment

Your position in the thread, that is (I want everyone who plays this game to play on this map): I found a map for Portal by the people at Bethesda (they of our Oblivion alter egos), and it is a very very very good map, in fact written on par with the full game itself.

And this seems to be a fairly tough map. Grab it here, and put it in "Steam\steamapps\'username'\portal\portal\maps". In Portal, click on "Bonus Maps", and you should now have a new category called "maps/RenTests". This is where you’ll find this map.

/further shamelessly transparent paraphrasing of above site

[YOY]

20. No hurt feelings

For such a purpose use me anytime!

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

2. Short as it is, it's got my vote for Game of the Year.

Yeah, you read that right. This 2.5 hour game is, in my opinion, Game of the Fracking Year.
Or, to quote Yahtzee in his Zero Punctuation review of Portal "Portal's great, and if you don't think so you must be stupid!"

Oh, and kgfnally, just wait until you get to the end. Best end credits of any game I've seen.

[YOY]

3. Now now HKC. Don't ruin if for him!

I was pleasantly surprised by the end credits...lets let KGF find it out for himself!

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

4. Hey, I'm not saying anything more.

But unless you've been under a rock, you (not you specifically, just a general "you") probably have heard numerous reviews saying the same thing. (And mercifully, they've said pretty much the same thing.)

[Occulus]

10. Those end credits were awesome.

Best I've seen in a while ever, and it just sort of completed the whole experience.

From beginning to end, I can find not one thing wrong with Portal. If there were ever an example of a perfect game, Portal is that example.

Spoiler in white follows!

I get the distinct feeling, especially near the end, that this was intended partly as a training session for Episode 3. Given the change in scenery that takes place, I'd say that's a given. I thought I was playing Half-Life 2 again, all of a sudden.

The flinging puzzles toward the end were a lot of fun, especially the room with the catwalks above you. That took me a minute to solve, even though I could actually see the "solution" the entire time.

I was wishing for a companion cube when the bot panels opened up, though.

How do you get the Terminal Velocity Achievement?

edit: rethought my opinion on the end credits. Tthat was the best end credit song for a game I have ever had the pleasure of hearing, period.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

11. The Terminal Velocity Achievement is most easily accomplished on Test 18.

After you get the Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube and proceed to the next area by placing it on the button.
That area is a very, very tall chamber with goo on the bottom and several small platforms which you must "leapfrog" from one to another to get to the top.
At the bottom of the chamber where you start is a very long shaft where you initially build up momentum for your first "leap". (It's to your left. I believe there's a camera near you)
Drop to the bottom of that shaft. look straight up and create a portal. Look straight down and create another portal. If you're lined up correctly, you should
be able to walk away from your computer for a few minutes while you are in perpetual free fall, and that should be all it takes.

I'm still trying to figure out the long jump achievement.

Spoiler discussion below (highlight to read):

The developer commentary stated that the entire first half of the game (Levels 1-19) were designed to "train" you for the second half of the game.

I don't want to give out any Episode 2 spoilers, but I will say this: Aperture Laboratories gets mentioned in Episode 2 prominently.
And Valve is hinting that Chell (Portal's main character) will appear in Episode 3.
End Spoiler discussion

[Occulus]

5. I read that the song in the end cradits is possibly the best ever

I really do hope the SDK lets me mess with the assets. I'd love to make my own puzzles for Portal.

I honestly can't find a single complaint at all- Portal is, well... perfect.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

6. I can't wait for the SDK, either.

While I couldn't create a single level to save my life, the release of the SDK will spawn hundreds of aggravating, insane user-created maps that will make this game even better.
Can't wait.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

7. Update on the SDK:

Steam Update News as of today:
"The first post-Orange release of the Source SDK is being made ready for release. This release will allow Mod authors to create custom maps and additional content for Episode Two, Team Fortress 2, and Portal. A follow-up release to allow Mod authors to create custom Mods based upon the Episode Two client and server code will be next."
:bounce:

Of course, that also means there's gonna be more Capture the Flag Intelligence maps for Team Fortress 2. Also a good thing, but there's no indication as to when this will be released.

[Occulus]

8. Outstanding!!!

Yes! They listened to their fans! I'll be able to make puzzles in Portal!!!

(My roommate just played through some of it again, and I still cannot find fault with Portal.....)

:woohoo: :woohoo: :woohoo:

Edited to add: Did they give a date for that update? I just today downloaded the SDK, but I haven't had time to play with Hammer or any of the other tools.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

9. No date yet.

But it shouldn't be too long.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

12. Yo, kgfnally!

The SDK'S been updated and now supports Portal and TF2!

Oh, and The Cake is a Lie!

[Occulus]

14. Okay, WTF does this message mean:

"The source code distributed with this version of the Source SDK is not compatible with the 'Orange Box' version of the Source engine. The mod you create will be compatible with the 'Episode 1' version of the Source engine."

edit: then I click 'OK', and nothing happens.

When I click 'Create Mod'. What does that mean, exactly? Anything? Why would the source code distributed with the SDK I got from Steam be incompatible with the newer engine? Should I uninstall/reinstall the SDK to make sure all versions match up the way they're supposed to?

Exactly what are the ramifications of this message? They certainly don't go out of their way to tell you what that means for your creations, do they?

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

15. No they don't really tell us much at all

I tried using the SDK, but was totally confused.

You could try the following links:

http://collective.valve-erc.com/index.php?news=1119918809-11568800\The Valve Developer Community]

http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Main_Page">The Valve DevCom Wiki[br />
The answers you seek might be there. And you might want to reinstall the SDK just to be sure.

[Occulus]

16. Oh, I do know how to use Hammer and Faceposer

I learned those when HL2 was first released. I just need to brush up on my mad map skillz :P

Do you remember BSP for Quake et al? Now that was a map editor!

edit: Hammer opens up fine and without errors. Maybe that warning I posted about is more of an FYI...

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

17. I have no mad map skillz...

Except for the Build Engine for Duke Nukem 3D.
That one was easy.

[Occulus]

18. One word response:

Doomcad.

[Hong Kong Cavalier]

21. Okay, I'm never speaking to you again.

"Doomcad"
:scared:




















:P

[moggie]

13. Portal is just about perfect

I've just finished it. In fact, I've just finished it twice: after the end credits rolled the first time, I immediately started again and played it though in one sitting, which I've never done with a game before. Now I need to buy some music from Jonathan Coulton, the writer of that terrific ending theme. My good friend the weighted companion cube tells me all his music is great, and the cube would never lie to me.

By the way:

http://kotaku.com/gaming/portal/cute-virtual-idol-sings-portal-song-318070.php

[Occulus]

22. I found a video that gets you to the cake

AND outside, apparently, and all with your companion cube:

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=8904794562069714159&q=the+cake+is+a+lie&total=222&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=0

[moggie]

23. Fake

Very well done, but it's just a noclip job:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjtgBYfgVqA

And since I'm one of those console tards, I can't even do that.

[Occulus]

24. BWAA

And there I was, trying and trying to make it work :D

[moggie]

25. If at first you don't succeed

You fail!