Ren_Test2

Alright, this has 814 views at the time of this comment, but only 357 downloads. That means there are 457 idiots who DIDN'T download this map.

Let's begin with the complaints, since there will be very few.

- The spheres reflect a sky. I'm pretty sure you could have fixed this with a cubemap.
- Some problems rendering portal effects on surfaces that are not able to have portals, but I bet this is due to the next point.

+ The rotating room. Brilliant. I don't know why valve chose not to include this element into the game, because in my opinion it works very well.
+ Use of sounds. Hearing the AI chime in with completely relevant comments while I was playing made me feel like I was back in an Aperature test chamber I had missed while playing through Portal.
+ The sphere. Again, another new element that feels very much like a part of the Portal universe. The mild bounce and roll its shape presents to the puzzle makes it very unique from the cube I expected to pop out of the delivery tube as far as how the player can use it in the puzzle.
+ Difficult. I admit it, I can't get the energy ball done. I know how to, I think, so if I gave it a few more tries I bet I could do it. Yeah, yeah I know, reviewing the map before actually beating it but I've done everything else and couldn't wait.

- Difficult. This is a negative as well, just because some less experienced players may find it frustrating. It is very complex, specifically the aforementioned energy ball part. Damn that energy ball. However, even though I failed repeatedly at racing to get the ball where it needed to go, I still want to go back and try again. If the map weren't so damn fun, I wouldn't want to bother.

Summery: If you love playing Portal for the sake of solving new and challenging puzzles, you'll love this chamber. Very well done, but then again I expected so from a professional designer as yourself. If I were vALVE I would be giving your ass a job offer to make bonus map packs instead of writing this.

What else is there to say, but 5'd.

This puzzle is too hard. No matter how innovative the ideas in it are, it isn't fun if you have to try 150,000 times to complete it. The mapping is creative, and the use of sounds is good. But it isn't fun.

fun map, I liked it. Difficulty is no issue (finished it in 15 minutes).
Only difficulty is the creation of portals while falling at light speed through two portals : this needs some luck to fire it right, just like in the advanced maps.
Thanks for creating it.

As much as i enjoy a challenge, that was a pain in the ass.
I got lucky with the energy ball. It somehow warped inside of the chamber ??

And there's a bug with your rotating platform. You can exit a portal from it, but you can't enter a portal that's crated on it. And that would have shaved 10 minutes off my time.

VERY creative no doubt, and the turrets weren't too bad.. but
4 stars only because it was a pain in the ass.

The energy ball puzzle can be done quite easily - just remember directing the ball with portals isn't always the best solution! Another hint: try to place the portal on the final spot BEFORE you actually launch the ball.

I enjoyed the map! Great job!

I give up. I can see what I'm supposed to do, but it seems to have some bugs that need working out. Every time I get the energy ball into the chamber with the socket, the ball passes right through and out the other side like the wall is not even there.

A very good map... I am unsure why so many people are getting confused by the energy ball puzzle. That part is really easy

Anyways the only problem I noticed were the ball that disappeared during rotations and bad texturing. I would of made all the parts that couldn't have portals that dark metal texture.

Appears a very clever map. Unfortunately I'm getting a problem where the evil spherical impostor companion cube spontaneously disappears at random intervals and I have to go back and spawn another. At first I thought "Gosh! The sphere has a time limit, this is going to be very hard indeed, what fun" Then I realized after the third or fourth spawn that it was random, sometimes it would disappear when it hit a poly it didn't like, sometimes it would be rolling along the smooth ground and just vanished as soon as I turned my back. Looks like a great map, but unplayable until this is resolved.

Took about ten minutes. Was a little frustrating messing with the energy ball at first then figured out a lot simpler way >:) I just assumed you had to do something more complicated at first. a few bugs but I didn't think it was a big deal.

as far as the guy talking about portals on rotating platform.. you should notice thats the same in the game as well. as soon as any platform moves the portal disappears. Not the mappers fault.

I didn't notice any problem with companion cube disappearing ? except after being ignored too long. And it doesn't let you spawn more than one anyhow..

Liked the map. The energy ball disappears behinds some textures in the room which makes it a little more challenging to track. And I discovered a way to fall thru the floor and become permanently stuck If you stand against the wall and set a portal on the square platform near the side.. you fall halfway thru the floor. you can see into another room on the ceiling and press the button there but you cant move again

If it takes you 150,000 times to complete, then you should take your computer back to where you bought it and tell them your too stupid to own a computer. If it were easy it wouldn't be any fun at all.

solvable (took 1 hour for me to get the hang into the tricks) but a bit tricky... similar to the questions in IQ tests. when the ball gets to the first room (and you should make it hapen by doing a rotation trick and open the first rooms door by standing next to it while ball gets in) then act quick to open portals for the energy ball to go to the last glass rectangular prism while going back to the rotate room and rotate before the ball gets into the portal in the first room (which leads it way through the last way). before what happens, meanwhile, the ball must be in a reflecting state in the first room (doors closed) heading to one of the portals which would eventually and inevitably lead to that glass (last) roadway to its "energy ball catcher".
actually i did it in the first try besides there is no need to try 15000 times if you know the deterministic way. And, oh, there IS a deterministic way. The only thing is that you need to figure it out (do not even try to chaotically reflect the ball via rotating the room while it goes to the hole and reflecting it using the edge of the hole heh) if you try that chatic way then you would need to try 15000 times....
wish you good luck ppl out there who'd try to solve this MAGNIFICENT puzzle.
Thanks bethesda. 5 Stars straight without any doubt.

yes the energyball puzzle is the thoughest one however with a good planning i did it at 2nd try. My first try went bad not because timing but aiming the portal infront of the energyball's last destination. So it was fun to finish that map.

PS: You do not have to aim at lightspeed. you can create portal at the first drop of the portal. that speed is enough.

Great map! I was sad when it ended. Very creative of your part.

Fantastic map, I was also sad there wasn't more beyond the last door.

Solving the energy ball puzzle was easy... but I was actually surprised that I managed to implement the solution. I'm not all that fast/accurate (I get destroyed playing DM games). It'd be neat to lower the lifespan of the ball and challenge the player to do all the placements/rotation in time.

You might want to consider adding in time/portal/steps challenges. That'd be fun...

Great map, medium difficulty i.m.o. Four out of five because I agree with 'ged' on the generous time limit.

P.S. The computer voice seems to affect people's nerves

A great map. The rotating room is a novel idea. What is the point of the offset window? I never needed to use it.

Congrats, this map and RenTest 1 made it into the Mod Section in the Dutch Game Magazine PC Gameplay.

http://www.themightyatom.nl/screenshots/portal_ren_maps.jpg

It also made it into the UK PC Gamer magazine congrats also this mao was really good but gave me a slight headache still though 5 stars

Challenging? Yes. Too difficult? No. You just have to analyze the hand you're being dealt with the energy ball. You may get lucky on switch 3 trying to place the blue portal on a "portable" spot just before the energy ball hits but don't bet on it.

Also I still never figured out how I got the "booth" to pop up for switch 2. I knew it would eventually show and took it then.

Great Level! Portal rocks m/ and so does this level. Can't wait for valve to release a Portal II - Thx

BTW - After making me go through that to get all of the final three switches I was expecting an add'l puzzle when I got through the door. In the words of GLaDOS, "You broke my heart."

Loved the rotating room. I was able to suss out the solution. However, this map suffers from the same problem as many amateur maps - random chance bolloxing a valid solution followed by a punitive rerun of several steps to restore the status quo. The energy ball solution is too prone to bad clipping, odd angles, and arbitrary timing. On one of my attempts, I had solved the puzzle, but, the energy ball burst mere inches from the target, requiring me to retrace my steps again. Then, the ball bounced at an odd angle as it entered the final chamber, and clipped out into the void. Not fun. However, the design is far above average.

Downloading!