The last chamber in chapter 7 needs to be designed better.

[Null]

I am referring to this chamber: https://youtu.be/VZJ-yDUZrYc?si=DW0R9gYC3Mek7coD&t=6528

What this chamber expects you to do is that after you splash the blue gel onto the platform, you have to get the portal cube (or whatever these are called) to the exit area by launching it into the platform through the vacuum tube so that it can bounce to the other side.

This really needs better design. As it is right now, it's entirely unpredictable how the cube will bounce off the platform, meaning that you might have to try and fail several times before the cube is kind enough to actually land where it's supposed to.

This wouldn't be a problem if we were allowed to hold onto the cube while flying through the vacuum tube ourselves, but instead we lose control of the cube while inside it.

[NiTE]

Agree on this - I tried it several (3 or 4) times and the cube just landed at the bottom - I was also trying to see if I could catch it as it went past but couldn't. I assumed I had missed some trick or other and this wasn't actually the solution so ended up trying a walkthrough video where it just worked.
Weirdly I tried again this morning and it did just work, but really should work every time, or at least have some hint that this is the correct thing to do if it is going to need a few retries.

Edit: I wonder if this is frame rate related? The one time it succeeded for me was when I was trying to record a video to show it failing. Might investigate a bit more later on.

[ti1]

Yes, I've commented about this issue myself - that mechanic is far too unpredictable to be a requirement for completing the chamber

[Show me your Genitours!]

I found going through backwards improved the frequency it worked

[Ikagura]

I haven't had any issues but I do agree that it would've been better to have full control on your cube like how valve designed Portal 1&2.

[Kevin]

In my 2nd attempt, the cube simply ended on that exit area. I'm sure it was just a matter of luck, especially with my skill set lol!

[|DFG| Butterbrot_T5]

I experienced the same struggle with this random bounce mechanism in the test rooms at the end of chapter 7.

Somehow similar in chapter 6 the speed gel is introduced with a game mechanic of splashing it to a wall corner based on chance,

Anyway thanks for this enjoyable Mod and good luck to the developers.

[rc2sm]

Not everything has to be easy and succeed every time. When there is a little randomness and we have to try a little, it's fun :D That's the physics, that's the game. Failing here is not the end of the game.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by rc2sm:

Not everything has to be easy and succeed every time. When there is a little randomness and we have to try a little, it's fun :D That's the physics, that's the game. Failing here is not the end of the game.

This is an issue when it comes to puzzle games, randomness has no place in them imo.

I mean imagine one person finding out the right solution but fails because of the physic engine, they'd assume that this wasn't the right way.

It works better for games made around physics like World of Goo or Bridge Simulator where gravity is important but not in Portal where this kind of stuff isn't suited for puzzles.

[Dick Cheney]

Agreed. I think there's ways to guarantee trajectories (portal 2 level designers correct me on this.)

tbh when i did it the first time and it didn't work, I got excited because i thought there was going to be some way to launch the cube straight up out of the patch of portal surface between the vent exit and the bouncy platform and catch it midair after flinging out of the vent, and so I was quite frustrated and disappointed after banging my head against the wall for a while when i realized i just needed to try a couple more times.

I can't be too mad at the devs for some oversights in such an impressive passion project they released for free, but I think this could and should be fixed.

[rc2sm]

Have you played Aperture Tag: The Paint Gun Testing Initiative? ;-)

Puzzle games are also about randomness - take for example: sliding puzzles, Rubik's cube, Mahjong and various card games.
We start from different initial states, which makes it sometimes easier and sometimes harder, in some games such as Solitaire completion is often impossible.

Here, of course, it is mainly about solving "tests", with the main emphasis on thinking. However, there are mods that rely on dexterity and speed in addition to thinking.
Even here it is indicated at the beginning.

Some other mods/maps require jumping into distant places, which you manage to jump in 20 tries, because you're always missing those few centimeters.

The cubes always have a random element, it happens that in the middle of solving the map the cube will fall on an inaccessible island of debris and you have to start from the beginning.

This can be a problem for speedrunners, but it doesn't happen very often.

If you want to correct something, I think it is better not to change the trajectory, but the place where the cube should fall.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by ♥♥♥♥ Cheney:

Agreed. I think there's ways to guarantee trajectories (portal 2 level designers correct me on this.)

Valve were masters of the art.

I cannot blame a free mod made by fans for having hiccups.

Originally posted by rc2sm:

Puzzle games are also about randomness - take for example: sliding puzzles, Rubik's cube, Mahjong and various card games.
We start from different initial states, which makes it sometimes easier and sometimes harder, in some games such as Solitaire completion is often impossible.

I'd still argue that even a Rubik's Cube has no random outcome when you try turning one side.

[rc2sm]

Ok, you are right when you start under identical conditions the result is always predictable - the same.

[rc2sm]

...As long as you don't try to throw that Rubik's cube ;-)

[Mythraen]

I experienced problems, and complained to my friend about it, and he said he didn't have any, and then we compared notes and save files.
It turns out, if we play the chamber minimalist (as in, don't mess around with spreading gel anywhere it doesn't need to be), the cube goes exactly where it's supposed to practically every time.

(Correction: Only if you send the cube through the tube separate from yourself. Going with it causes other unrelated bugs.)

Every test was successful with the minimalist approach, numbering around 30 tests between us.
This contrasts to a rate closer to 50% with my save file where I had gel practically everywhere it could possibly be. It caused failures for both of us.

It presumably has something to do with the amount of assets loaded in.

Since that can break it, it may also be the case that a worse PC could have issues.

[BraveCaperCat]

This is not a random mechanic, this is an issue with the vacuum tube - when going through it with a Schrodinger cube, it accelerates you and the cube too fast to reach the platform with the Repulsion Gel on it, causing you and the cube to overshoot. This doesn't happen with the schrodinger cube by itself or the vacuum tube by itself therefore it is an issue with both.

I do not know if the revolution dev team are planning on fixing this issue or if they even know about it at all.

In my experience, the cube always lands on the ending platform after bouncing onto the repulsion gel platform - as long as the player is not in the tube with the cube.