Finishing Chapter 2
Hello, everyone! We can’t believe it, but the development of the second chapter, level-design wise, is finished! The level-design part is important, we’ll get to it later. Right now we want to tell you how the chapter turned out and what to expect from it.
Test from the Chapter 1
- Post-Wheatley
To begin with, let’s remember what it this new “purple style”. The tests that you would be completing tare located in a deactivated wing of Aperture Science. Apart from this place, the facility has almost fully recovered from the finale of Portal 2. Wheatly has somehow managed to damage an important piece of the facility, which makes the restoration of this wing impossible without this piece being fixed.
Basically, this chapter is a dark reflection of what you have seen under the finale of Portal 2. These tests have been made by Wheatley, so they can have a very idiotic architectural design. However, they are still solvable, so you will be completing them in this “night mode”.
- Destroyed Walls
Every time, prior to a new test, you would discover more and more behind the scenes areas. The entire chapter 2 is dedicated to chaotic exploration with hopes of reaching your goal. But will you reach what you want? Where will this maze of doors, walls and bottomless pits lead you? Would you ever regret setting foot here?
- No elevators
This point is a direct product of the previous one.
If you think about it, you would realize that elevators play an important role in Portal 2. They are the things that take you to new testing chambers. It is a very useful game-design tool. However, in chapter 2 the only elevators you will find are the ones located behind the scenes. There are two reasons for it:
- Due to lack of power in some areas, some doors just can’t open. Because of this, you are forced to look for a different way.
- Wheatley’s moronic test structure doesn’t always include elevators. He always had troubles with exits, remember?
This could, perhaps, be a questionable choice, as in the base games they helped construct the narrative. However, our mod is story-based, and the story itself is somewhat of a puzzle, so a few rules could be bent here and there.
- Eclipse
The biggest challenge during development was the creation of good lighting. Things that are essential for the gameplay are well lit, but the balance of light and dark is still kept. You see only what you need, but if you do find yourself staring into the shadows… Well, perhaps you would spot something there, but it probably wouldn’t give you the sense of comfort so needed in an empty and abandoned wing.
- What's next?
a) If we are granted access to P2:CE, we will begin actively improving chapters one and two. We would need to add some mechanics. We might also revisit some design choices.
b)If we are not granted access to P2:CE, we will begin making tests for chapter 3. It will be a little bit simpler in design, but it would look as gorgeous as the previous maps we’ve done.
That's it! The mod is still in development, so stay tuned for updates:
Have a great day!
Good job