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Portal 2: Desolation is giving the classic puzzle game a graphics overhaul

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Re: Portal 2: Desolation is giving the classic puzzle game a graphics overhaul

#21

Post by willis936 »

l-p wrote: post #16
thot_experiment wrote: post #9

If anyone needs a fix of Portal related content and hasn't yet played Portal: Prelude I can't recommend it highly enough. It's been a while (10+ years, oof I'm old now) since I've played it so take my gushing with a grain of salt, but I recall it being well written, not enough to rival Portal, but perhaps enough to rival Portal 2. The puzzles however were the most fun of any portal based game I'd ever played.

My lame claim to fame. I was the one who suggested making it a prequel and have scientists watching you and from behind the windows (tough I'm pretty sure Nyko forgot by the time he completed the mod). Odd seeing this mentioned here. I still have a toe in the Source modding community and I'm watching Desolation with great interest. An absurd amount of effort went into this, augmenting the engine, the editor, inflicti…

Does source support any sort of hardware-accelerated raytracing? I don't think there have been any other graphics advancements of the caliber of hardware RT since Portal 2 came out.

Re: Portal 2: Desolation is giving the classic puzzle game a graphics overhaul

#22

Post by l-p »

willis936 wrote: post #21
l-p wrote: post #16

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My lame claim to fame. I was the one who suggested making it a prequel and have scientists watching you and from behind the windows (tough I'm pretty sure Nyko forgot by the time he completed the mod). Odd seeing this mentioned here. I still have a toe in the Source modding community and I'm watching Desolation with great interest. An absurd amount of effort went into this, augmenting the engine, the editor, inflicti…

Does source support any sort of hardware-accelerated raytracing? I don't think there have been any other graphics advancements of the caliber of hardware RT since Portal 2 came out.

No.

The biggest improvement Source saw was in Source 2 with PBR. There's mention of raytracing in Source 2 [1] but I don't think anything was released.

[1]: https://github.com/SteamDatabase/GameTracking-Artifact-Beta/...

Re: Portal 2: Desolation is giving the classic puzzle game a graphics overhaul

#23

Post by Datenstrom »

Tangentially, my main game for almost the past year has been Splitgate which is heavily inspired by Portal (and Halo). If you like portal and arena shooters it is definitely worth a try.

At the top competitive level especially having Portals in a FPS makes for interesting, intense, and fast paced games. It also makes camping essentially impossible.

Re: Portal 2: Desolation is giving the classic puzzle game a graphics overhaul

#24

Post by prezjordan »

For what it's worth, the Portal 2 community maps (available to download and play within the game itself!) are really good. Each week there are about 3-4 new really fantastic puzzles to play, and of course there's a healthy back catalog.

Re: Portal 2: Desolation is giving the classic puzzle game a graphics overhaul

#25

Post by geocrasher »

hkt wrote: post #17

There is some extraordinary work that goes on in the modding community. A personal favourite in a similar vein is Portal Reloaded: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1255980/Portal_Reloaded/ Portal, also with time travel. The puzzles are excellent and the environments are gorgeous. I remain dumbfounded that efforts like these come from people who are volunteering their time.

I came here to point out Portal Reloaded. It's the most mind bending game I've ever played!

Re: Portal 2: Desolation is giving the classic puzzle game a graphics overhaul

#26

Post by Fabricio20 »

Jasper_ wrote: post #19
pram wrote: post #15

One of my favorite gaming moments ever is the transition from the old test shafts back into the enrichment center (which leads to the finale) The area is like a bunch of platforms supported by gigantic springs. It made me stop and appreciate how mysterious, thoughtful, and interesting the entire environment was. I really just wanted to explore more of the depths after experiencing it.

"Act 3" of Portal 2 is perhaps surprising only by how short it is! I think it sticks in people's heads as the largest part of Portal 2, but it's only 8 levels (2 intro levels, 2 for Blue Gel puzzles, 1 transition, 2 for Orange Gel, 1 finale). By comparison, the wrecked facility afterwards with Wheatley is almost double, at 15 levels. sp_a3_03 (the intro to the underground area) and sp_a3_end (the climb you mention, w…

Wow, this tool is incredibly well made, you can even interact with map triggers, how had I not found about it sooner? Thanks for sharing!

Re: Portal 2: Desolation is giving the classic puzzle game a graphics overhaul

#28

Post by ahelwer »

Recently tried replaying portal 2. The graphics aged just fine over the past decade; unfortunately the same is not true of the writing and humor. Has a very reddit-circa-2010 vibe. I guess comedy is one of the more difficult fields in which to create a real classic, because of changing social mores but also because most humor relies on novelty. Few video game memes have been beaten to a more thorough pulp than “the cake is a lie”, companion cube, etc.

Re: Portal 2: Desolation is giving the classic puzzle game a graphics overhaul

#29

Post by pxx »

ahelwer wrote: post #28

Recently tried replaying portal 2. The graphics aged just fine over the past decade; unfortunately the same is not true of the writing and humor. Has a very reddit-circa-2010 vibe. I guess comedy is one of the more difficult fields in which to create a real classic, because of changing social mores but also because most humor relies on novelty. Few video game memes have been beaten to a more thorough pulp than “the c…

Isn't this sort of like saying that Shakespeare's works are bad because they're full of clichés?? The game in question is the _origin_ of said memes.

Re: Portal 2: Desolation is giving the classic puzzle game a graphics overhaul

#30

Post by ahelwer »

pxx wrote: post #29
ahelwer wrote: post #28

Recently tried replaying portal 2. The graphics aged just fine over the past decade; unfortunately the same is not true of the writing and humor. Has a very reddit-circa-2010 vibe. I guess comedy is one of the more difficult fields in which to create a real classic, because of changing social mores but also because most humor relies on novelty. Few video game memes have been beaten to a more thorough pulp than “the c…

Isn't this sort of like saying that Shakespeare's works are bad because they're full of clichés?? The game in question is the _origin_ of said memes.

If your humor relies on novelty and the novelty is gone, the humor is gone. It is different with story structures. It isn’t just those examples, though. Play the game or watch a video of the intro sequence and see for yourself. It’s just a lot of “snark” type humor that was prominent at the time.
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