Talk:Portal level design

So far I am very pleased with how everything is coming, and man is it coming nicely along together. So good job everyone, and thanks for all working on it.--Gear 20:45, 19 Nov 2007 (PST)

I like the new layout. Great work! --Remmiz 15:32, 20 Nov 2007 (PST)

Hey shouldn't there be an article on fling maneuvers? Like how far you fling per how far etc etc? --Darthkillyou 06:17, 21 Nov 2007 (PST)

I know that the maximum height you can achieve out of a portal is something around 900. Create a 1024x1024 room, portal ceiling and floor, jump into floor, and then put another portal on the floor, and you'll never touch the ceiling.--volt 02:40, 22 Nov 2007 (PST)

Well that would depend on the momentum you are carrying when you enter the portal, would it not? :) --Etset 02:35, 30 Jan 2008 (PST)

It depends on more than just that. Momentumn is actually limited in Portal to stop the physics simulation breaking down when you get too fast. You slow down well before you reach actual terminal velocity. --Welsh Mullet 21:01, 8 June 2010 (GMT)

Just an idea but what if we made thubnails of all of the "creating a" articles so you can see what it is without clicking on it?

Detecting failed portal-launch

Is there any way of detecting if the player fires the portalgun at a given brush/target/object/whatever, but fails to create a portal there? (i.e. if it's metal, or too small) —Yar Kramer 15:08, 10 Dec 2007 (PST)

Nope --Omnicoder 05:21, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

The only thing I can think of is making a func_portal_detector on a portable space and then fizzle the portal as soon as you fire the portal. --Mandrew (talk) 10:17, 13 June 2019 (UTC)

You could do that by putting a brush textured with Nodraw over the surface. 56KPK (talk) 11:13, 23 September 2020 (UTC)

Suggested topics

I recommend a tutorial on creating a "relaxation vault", i.e. how to start up lying down in a bed (which I notice is also absent in the list of useful Portal models ...), which promptly opens up on newgame-load. I'll take some time to examine the (decompiled) first test-chamber map and see if I can't figure it out (if I can) ... —Yar Kramer 17:56, 28 Apr 2008 (PDT)

All the tutorials so far are for technical details; i.e., individual puzzle components, and there's nothing on overall design philosophy. Are any experienced mapmakers willing to share their experiences? —Walliard 13:44, 15 May 2008 (PDT)

I posted one on design --Sbrown 19:57, 21 Dec 2008 (PST)

Yeah bit it needs alot of work, I originally mentioned I was going to take up the roll of getting a design theory page on here, I've just been so busy.--Gear 21:43, 21 Dec 2008 (PST)

We should put a level design tutorial on behind the scenes hallways. I believe that either on this wiki or on the thinkingwithportals one there is a tutorial on the large lights for the ceiling but besides that only textures are referenced. I don't have enough knowledge of creating these to makea comprehensible tutorial so that's why I haven't made one yet. — Subject 18:49, 22 Feb 2009 [EST]

Let me do that. :D Give me a few days (maybe weeks) --Sbrown 06:08, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Got really bored. Holy crap it took me 2 hours to make this :O Creating_a_observation_hallway --Sbrown 08:09, 24 February 2009 (UTC)

Start up animation

Hey, i want to try to have the start up animation, that is in the first map of portal. Where the map starts, and your ling down in the little aperture glass bed thing, and the glass lid opens, and you sit up. All that, i want to do, but i dont know how :( I tried decompiling the first portal map, but i cant figure it out, because there are a trazilion entities in the start area of that map in the vmf, and its hard for me to figure it out. I just basicly want something on map start, your lying in that little container, the glass lid opens, you sit up and get out. And thats it, how do i do this? Can someone help please? --Dan.S 16:40 29 Jun 2008

would you like me to decompile it and delete most of the entities not relating to the sit up stuff? There is some info on the sitting up stuff here http://www.interlopers.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=24083&hilit=blackout --Frostyfrog 12:01, 29 Jun 2008 (PDT)

I don't understand it all on the link still :( Yes, please decompile it and delete the un-needed entities please. Thanks very much :D -thanks. --Dan.S 20:37, 29 Jun 2008

Sent, but I forgot to put a subject.--Frostyfrog 13:54, 29 Jun 2008 (PDT)

Hey Frosty, thanks, i tested it out and it works :-) Thanks very much :) --Dan.s 23:44, 29 Jun 2008 (GMT}

Making achievements?

Sorry if i put this in the wrong section, but im making a Portal mod, and i was wondering if someone could help - How do i make/add my own achievements to the mod? --Dan.S 22:44, 30 Jun 2008 (GMT)

I'm currently doing this at the moment, but sadly cannot yet share the code, mainly cause theirs some testing to do, but once it is finished we can always make it public. Aside that it of course won't update the Steam server's information, but it will be in-game only and not display via Steam, but that doesn't matter much anyways. I can get back to you when we have some more done on it :D--Gear 18:07, 30 Jun 2008 (PDT)

Id really appreciate it if you could get back to me on it :) btw, i have no coding skills, so when you do release it, please try to make it user friendly :) if you want, add me on steam at: Craziestdan -Thanks. --Dan.S 02:20 1 July 2008 (GMT)

sadly it's not all that user friendly, it really depends on what you want to have as an achievement, but you'd need a programmer to take care of it.--Gear 18:25, 30 Jun 2008 (PDT)

I think id only want simple achievements, such as, finish chapter 1, finish chapter 2, finish the game etc. Would that be easy? --Dan.S 02:52, 1 July 2008 (GMT}

I assume you're saying it'll take a recompile. Drat it all, I was hoping that wouldn't be the case. Ah, well.BlackWolfe 20:26, 30 Jun 2008 (PDT)

What you talking about blackwolf? O.o? --Dan.S 05:47, 1 July 2008 (GMT)

I know how. You need Steamworks SDK. There's SOurce SDK, Steamworks SDK and Valve's godlike version, Valve SDK, you can only get Steamworks SDK from makinga good mod that Valve notices. You cna only get Valve SDK from workinga t Valve--Fire Tock 18:19, 6 Nov 2008 (PST)

That sounds like complete bullshit. Just code yourself a plugin for it. --Baliame ^(talk) 08:41, 9 Nov 2008 (PST)

it's real. Ask anyone at Steam or Valve.--Fire Tock 12:31, 11 Nov 2008 (PST)

You can make achievements via other methods.--Gear 17:08, 11 Nov 2008 (PST)

Adding Preset portals to the map

how do you add preset portals to the map? Like in the first few testchambers. How would you do that?--Fire Tock 18:21, 6 Nov 2008 (PST)

prop_portal--Fire Tock 08:18, 9 Nov 2008 (PST)

I created a recent guide called Creating An Auto Portal. You can check that out if you're still interested.

--Mandrew (talk) 10:21, 13 June 2019 (UTC)

Design theory?

I think there needs to be a Design theory much like in the TF2 section for Portal. What do you guys think, if so, I'll write one up.--Gear 17:09, 11 Nov 2008 (PST)

I would certainly find such a section helpful.

We NEED a elevator tutorial

Anyone made an elevator for the end of the map sections before? PLEASE write a tutorial. I'm struggling on this, and there's no other (good) tutorials for it. Some please write one >.< --Craziestdan 17:49, 24 Dec 2008 (PST)

I have to agree with you because a map makes no sense without it, but in the meantime how else can you end a level? --MLSTRM

Trigger convars.--Craziestdan 11:01, 11 Jan 2009 (PST)

Ill make one soon --Sbrown 05:24, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Your wish is my command --Sbrown 05:59, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Testchamber signs

Made this page using the basic steps I followed to make mine, I will fill it out eventually but if anyone wants to change it, be my guest MLSTRM

Lighting

from what i can see from decompiling valve get light into the maps from observation windows, wall lights (already done here) and holes in metal walls. i found a tut explaining how to do all of these should i add it?

Extending Wall Panels

Could I put up a tutorial for the extending wall panels? --Mstngchris 18:40, 24 October 2009 (UTC)

As long as it's not stolen, sure --Omnicoder 05:23, 13 January 2010 (UTC)

Radios

I've started experimenting to how I might create my own Transmission Recieved-style radios (i.e. one which plays the instrumental loop of "Still Alive" until you reach a certain point, then starts playing static, then plays a different loop when you reach the center of that point). I didn't find anything in the decompiled maps, which appear not to have been changed — I guess Valve is just using some kind of weird programming-thing to do it — nor did I find anything useful with my limited knowledge of console-commands (other than "showtriggers," which didn't show anything useful), so I guess the best I can do is an approximation. (One problem is, if you're carrying an object, it doesn't fire an OnStartTouch in a trigger_multiple ...) I'll probably at least start a tutorial article if I figure out anything good. —Yar Kramer 23:13, 5 March 2010 (UTC)

They are updateitem1 and updateitem2. I think the latter is the radio, but the game crashed when I tried spawning it. I guess it needs some KVs set. --TomEdwards 01:00, 6 March 2010 (UTC)

I managed to make one fairly easily, I'll post a tutorial later. --Omnicoder 03:25, 6 March 2010 (UTC)

I would be interested in seeing a guide on how to get these kind of radios working, if anyone has figured it out yet. --LemonLeezard 03:36, 26 November 2019 (UTC)

Creating GLaDOS' Chamber

It would be nice to have a tutorial on how to create GLaDOS' Chamber in Hammer, it would probably be too long of a tutorial anyways but it would be nice.

Purism

I believe these guides should be pure, almost precisely like Portal's. Meaning, we don't do things our way, we do things Portal's way. Although, things like the box dropper frame in Box dropper is alright because it's really just better brushwork in general. However, I did notice Dr. Orange removed the rules for the test chamber door which stated that only toggleable objects can activate it and that if you wanted to have an exit activated by a catcher (or a one time use testing element), you should use a lift platform or unstationary scaffold instead because that's what Portal does. There doesn't seem to be an exception to this rule. I'm also a radical Portal purist. --Mandrew (talk) 02:24, 30 July 2021 (PDT)

Puzzle elements are tools for the level designer to use however they want. The tutorials should only give instructions on how to create them in Hammer, with maybe a few pointers on how they [i]could[/i] be used, not dictating how they should or should not be used. — Dr. Orange ^{talk · contributions} 04:43, 30 July 2021 (PDT)

I guess you mean these are mostly hammer tutorials and not like a rule set thing? --Mandrew (talk) 07:29, 30 July 2021 (PDT)

The new proposed layout is not-so-great

I undid Gaijinviking's change for various reasons.

• The current layout encourages you to start from the top left and then make your way to the right side of the page. You could argue the General section and Constructing Elements could switch places in some ways, but that's something to talk about later.
• The Elements section should just be Constructing Elements and they should all be in the same 'chapter', there really aren't enough hazards to warrant its own section, General and Puzzle elements having their own section seems like a good concept in theory but there isn't really anything wrong with fitting them together, it does make it more cleaner for the page too. NPC Portal Usage doesn't really deserve to be in the 'custom' creation stuff. The blue portals section has me puzzled because this is Portal, not a custom Portal mod. Custom mods that aren't on the steam store shouldn't have business having guides on the VDC Wiki because it really isn't Valve related.
• The lists weren't in ABC order.

I do think the layout could improve, but I don't think this was the right way to do it. --Mandrew (talk) 19:51, 6 April 2022 (PDT)