Underground (Portal 2)

This Portal 2 aesthetic theme is shown in the old, condemned Aperture shafts, far below the newer parts of Aperture Laboratories. It is characterized by darkness, decay, and simple practicality. Chambers are built with unfinished plywood and metal scaffolding. The giant background is composed of excavated bedrock, concrete, and enrichment spheres.

Level transitions take place in metal frame elevators between enrichment spheres.

In-Depth

Abandoned

This theme features a complete change in the environment. It is a cold and dark place, with mold, water, and broken walls forming the terrain. Each test if contained inside a huge Enrichment sphere and Pre-Recorded messages are played in the test chamber to comment on the player's doings. Not everything in in the Old Aperture world is contained within these spheres, however all tests are. It is important you remember that the people who operated these parts are long gone or dead. This means no one is maintaining the already unstable structures, and thus the buildings seem severely damaged.

Aperture Laboratories started building their facility from a deep salt-mine up. In laymen's terms, the more you elevate the further you travel in time seeing newer devices and how Aperture had come to be. As the player advances through each test chamber, the tests become more destroyed; characterized by the broken spheres' shell and destroyed buildings within the spheres.

The most obvious test element to use in this theme are gels, and that's pretty much the only testing element you'll see in the official campaign. However, gels being awesome isn't the only way to keep your test subject amazed; try finding more test elements to use. For example, in the Mobility Gels co-op course GLaDOS helps the bots solve the tests by inserting newer test elements, via robotic arms, into the testing spheres. It is important to make it obvious these test elements were not present in the initial construction of your test and is merely a device to enhance the testing experience.^[1]
Also, due to the enormous size of the Enrichment Spheres, combined with the interesting momentum dynamics the gels add, this theme is great for making momentum puzzles; if you've got wasted space at the end of your map, add a giant gel fling ending at the elevator.

Elements

• Enrichment sphere
• Underground elevator
• Sliding doors
• Concrete
• Plywood
• Graffiti
• Offices
• Metal Beams

1953

• Big, may have 2 test chambers in one map.
• Repulsion Gel
• Water
• Catwalks as transition to the next test
• Portal surfaces are put in necessary places
• Direct Lighing
• Fully Constructed Enrichment Sphere

1971

• Big
• Propusion Gel
• Repulsion Gel
• Mold on walls
• Gel pipes
• Enrichment Sphere is damaged
• Walls fell off

1980

• Conversion Gel
• Repulsion Gel
• Propusion Gel
• Gel Pipes leaking
• Enrichment Sphere is strongly damaged
• Walls fell off

See also

• http://forums.thinkingwithportals.com/downloads.php?view=detail&df_id=464 - Old Aperture style Aerial Faith Plates

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The Aesthetics of Portal 2

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