Portal 2 Message Board older than one year ago

Finding your true calling is tough. Perhaps, for instance, you have the diabolical, mustachioed mind of a puzzle designer, but some horrific mutation has left you with the largely unhelpful hands of a pirate, ghost, or lobster. And also, you’re kind of lazy. Well, so much for coding your dreams into virtual reality. Guess you’ll have to settle for a life of convenience store tedium or awesome high-seas swashbuckling. Fortunately, you’re exactly who Valve had in mind when it created the exceedingly easy-to-use Perpetual Testing Initiative mapmaker.(more…)

Portal 2 has sold more than 4 million units worldwide since its launch on April 18, 2011, and Valve is slowly but steadily (mostly slowly) supporting it with new content, such as today's batch of DLC, the Perpetual Testing Initiative. The Perpetual Testing Initiative offers players a map-editing tool, which looks a lot like this, so fans can make testing chambers to rival GLaDOS'. And make maps shaped like penises, probably.

The map editor in today's DLC is accessible for new players, yet robust enough to satisfy hardcore ones, Valve tells NeoGamr. Valve's first attempt at fan-made maps, the Hammer editor, is tech-heavy and complicated for most people to get a hang of, most likely because it's Valve's in-house map creation tool - still, players have created more than 400 maps with Hammer. However, without a standardized way to share the maps, most of these have gone unnoticed by the larger community.

The Perpetual Testing Initiative's puzzle maker allows users to export their creations in Hammer's native format and continue building with the more powerful tools, if they so choose. The simple map editor is "incredibly powerful for all of its simplicity and can easily reproduce pretty much every puzzle from Portal 2," Valve said.

#watchthis You know those really cheesy songs that you're not supposed to like, but they're too catchy not to? Jason's familiar with the concept. For him, it involves his obsession with "Call Me Maybe." And he's not even embarrassed by it. More »

NECA's plan to sell an official replica of Aperture's handheld portal device - otherwise known as the Portal gun - has run into the double-whammy of rabid demand and puny production output. NECA is offering another 50 (!) replicas, which will be available for pre-order starting tonight at midnight ET, according to its Facebook page.

Just, uh, leave one for us, okay? Please? We'll buy you a delicious piece of - ah, nevermind.

If you thought you were finished with Portal 2, the Perpetual Testing Initiative downloadable content could very well change your perspective. Set to launch through Steam on May 8 for PC and Mac, the DLC will allow you to set up custom puzzle chambers and publish them to the Steam Workshop, where others can browse, rate, download and comment on your creations...

#portal I have a pretty awesome laptop decal, if I may say so myself. More »

#portal It's already been announced that Valve will be releasing DLC that lets PC and Mac owners create their own additions to Aperture Science's brain-teasing architecture. Now, a leaked video shows what the Perpetual Testing Initiative looks like in action. More »

#portal Cosplayers and model creators will all give you fairly similar advice to starting a new project. It begins with a ton of hours spent on the Internet for research, and ends with paint, polish, and possibly some decals. More »

Portal 2's level-editing DLC, the Perpetual Testing Initiative, will push the boundaries of physics and patience on May 8 for PC and Mac, and the above video shows us exactly how. It appears prolific level creator TopHATTwaffle originally uploaded the video but took it down at Valve's request, and it has since been uploaded by another, less remorseful Internet denizen.

The walkthrough shows a blank map as it switches between edit and playthrough modes, and the ease of creating unique, new Portal 2 levels. The only thing we think it's missing is the vocal stylings of J.K. Simmons, but we'll just content ourselves with drinking whisky and yelling at the screen every now and then.

Once Valve gets around to releasing its magical future goggles, I’m hoping it’ll just start constantly beaming clever trailers for its games straight to my eyeballs. Between TF2′s “Meet The ___” series and Portal’s cavalcade of comedic excellence, I could spend all the rest of my days awkwardly cackling to myself on buses, in restaurants, and while committing the most unforgivable crime of them all: wearing sunglasses at night. Everyone will hate me and take tremendous pleasure every time I stumble blindly into low-hanging signs or taller-than-ordinary children. Which brings us to Valve’s latest bit of advertorial brilliance: the story justification for the Perpetual Testing Initiative, as narrated by Aperture founder Cave Johnson.

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#portal Portal 2's creation suite is coming to the PC and Mac this May. To celebrate, here's a trailer, starring JK "Cave Johnson" Simmons himself. More »

#portal Valve will release free Portal 2 downloadable content titled "Perpetual Testing Initiative" for PC and Mac on May 8, the publisher said today. More »

#portal Action & reaction. Angles and speed. Momentum and inertia. Pinball is a game of physics. So is Portal. And that's what makes this homemade Aperture Science pinball table so great. More »

For those not content with simply playing through the various puzzles in Portal 2 crafted by Valve, you're about to get a piece of news that should make you squeal with girlish glee.

Now YOU too can be an Aperture test designer!

Valve today announced a new piece of DLC coming to Portal 2 on May 8, one designed to let players craft their own puzzles. The Perpetual Testing Initiative is a "simplified" puzzle maker that allows players to create their own puzzles and directly publish them to the Steam Workshop, where other players can download and rate them.

The DLC will be a free download for PC and Mac users. Unfortunately, it doesn't look as though console players will be getting this content, though based on previous history, that's not too surprising.

While I haven't touched Portal 2 since the last DLC came and went, I have to admit the possibility of downloading some new user-made puzzles has me itching to fire the game back up again. And I'm sure once the whole thing degenerates into people making nothing but cake-related joke levels, I'll stop again. But the time in-between should be fantastic.

As hinted at March at GDC, Valve have now announced the imminent release of a puzzle creator for Portal 2. It’s going to be called the Portal 2 Perpetual Testing Initiative, it’s going to be out on the 8th May, and most of all, it’s going to be free.

(more…)

Valve announced a level editor last year for PC Portal 2 players, and now it finally has a release date. The Portal 2 DLC "Perpetual Testing" will hit Steam for free on May 8. This DLC enables players to "easily create, share, and play Portal 2 puzzles. The Initiative comes with a simplified puzzle ...

#portal Reader Alex went skydiving the other day, and aside from taking his good self, packed an inflatable Portal turret to go with him. More »

#portal Here are two people I chased at PAX East. Their costumes aren't perfect, but their cosplay concept is. They are the puppeteers of the two spindly robots from Portal 2. More »

#portal The Portal games have been beautiful, haven't they? The first one presented a simple, clean aesthetic that worked as a great backdrop to the clever gameplay and snarky humor of Chell's battle of wits against GLaDOS. Then, last year, Portal 2 took Aperture Science's glistening white test chambers and destroyed them, letting players roam through the innards of Cave Johnson's company. And lo, it was glorious. More »

#portal Aperture: Lab Ratt is a fan film based on the Portal universe. And, as you'll see five seconds into this trailer, it's looking very professional. More »

#portal British artist Pinali sets our hearts aflutter with this animated take on Portal's Chell (in her Portal 2 outfit). More »

Toy maker NECA demonstrates its replica Portal gun in this video. It lights up in both orange and blue, and makes appropriate Portal-y sounds! In short, the toy does everything you'd want a Portal gun to do ... except for the one thing you'd want an actual Portal gun to do.

NECA notes on its Twitter page that pre-orders in the US are currently sold out, but "other opportunities" are coming. Perhaps you should keep an eye on that Twitter page for your next chance to get in a clicking race with other ravenous Valve fans.

#portal Damn society, always trying to put the safety of the many above the enjoyment of a few. That's why we can't have real Portal 2 turrets scattered about our homes, monitoring and usually protecting our valuables and loved ones. Thanks the amazing things retailer ThinkGeek we can now at least own an inflatable facsimile. More »

I’ve been waiting for a John Walker simulator to arrive, and this is the closest I’ll probably ever get. It’s the Secret World’s GDC presentation, showing off Ragnar-Tørnquist’s increasingly-interesting (to me) MMO. You can pretend you’re in the room being John Walker, who can be seen here following Ragnar. Toss some water at the screen to simulate the tears that usually flow when John experiences a game by Ragnar. Or you can just watch the most complete look at the upcoming MMO yet. It includes a scene that suggests oral sex is being performed, so I’d not risk it at work or at a funeral. They really go down… look down… LOOK DOWN on that sort of thing.(more…)

Despite a brief scare last week, NECA's replica Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device is still on its way to virtual store shelves, albeit in fairly limited quantities. Think Geek's listing for the gun has gone up with an estimated availability date of May 18, although pre-orders do not appear to be part of the plan.

Instead, interested enthusiasts register to receive an email notification once the Portal gun goes on sale; from there it's first come, first serve. NECA has only manufactured 5,000 of the $140 replicas, and considering that Portal 2 sold three million copies in its first two months on the market, we expect demand to be fairly high. Remember when you learned about sharing in kindergarden? This is why.

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts had its annual awards ceremony for excellence in gaming last night (or earlier today, depending on your proximity to England), with Portal 2 winning the BAFTA for Best Game. Also in contention for that prize were Batman: Arkham City, which ended up winning the BAFTA for Action, and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which didn't win anything.

Battlefield 3 took home top honors in Audio Achievement, Online Multiplayer, and the publicly voted-upon GAME Award of 2011, edging out its bitter rival Modern Warfare 3 in all three categories. Jump past the break for a full list of the evening's winners and nominees.

#listenhere Valve's Portal 2 was easily one of the most musically enjoyable games of 2011. Not just for its soundtrack, but for the awesome ways that it implemented music into the background of its levels. More »

Update: NECA claims that the Portal gun is still being prepared, but fell victim to uncontrolled numbers of pre-orders. After slamming on the brakes with certain retailers, the association aims to deliver the replica between May and June in an "organized and fair manner."

Original story:

NECA -- National Entertainment Collectibles Association -- was set to create a line of replica portal guns for public purchase in May or June this year, but it has stopped production on the piece, citing "issues" and "no longer planning on making it for the foreseeable future," according to information shared via email by distributor Entertainment Earth. "The item was never produced, and to the best of our knowledge will not be delivered to any retailer at this time."

Entertainment Earth has logged a protest with NECA, but for now it seems we'll all be $130 richer and a million-fold more heartbroken.

[Thanks, Matthew.]

NECA -- National Entertainment Collectibles Association -- was set to create a line of replica portal guns for public purchase in May or June this year, but it has stopped production on the piece, citing "issues" and "no longer planning on making it for the foreseeable future," an email from distributor Entertainment Earth reads. "The item was never produced, and to the best of our knowledge will not be delivered to any retailer at this time."

Entertainment Earth has logged a protest with NECA, but for now it seems we'll all be $130 richer and a million-fold more heartbroken.

This is just classic Valve. Not that Valve actually has anything to do with this particular item, producer or distributor, but if it didn't create such wonderful games no one would be able to promise things such as a life-size, light-up replica portal gun, only to suddenly cancel their production without explanation. Classic Valve.

[Thanks, Matthew]

When Erik Wolpaw and Chet Faliszek first sat down to write Portal 2, they went mad. It certainly appears that way now, when the final version of Portal 2 that shipped in 2011 was such a resounding success, especially for a highly anticipated sequel. The first iteration Wolpaw and Faliszek envisioned got rid of three important mechanics in the Portal universe: Chell, GLaDOS and, as we knew and are still reeling over, portals. In a talk at GDC, Wolpaw and Faliszek explained why they thought that was a good idea, and how they learned it was pretty much the dumbest thing ever.

The original Portal 2 had three new things in place of the classic ideas: F-stop (the new portal mechanic), Cave Johnson (antagonist replacement) and Betty (GLaDOS substitute). Betty was a knee-high personality sphere on wheels, a piece of concept art showed, and she spoke in quick legalese, "like those ads for medicine where they show puppies while they talk about the rectal bleeding you're going to have," Wolpaw said.