Regarding "social expectation", I think you're completely right here. But that just gives the problem a name; you still need to solve it. If you want people to like your maps, you have to make them conform to the expectations of your target player group (e.g. easy for most, to get lots of thumbs ups, more challenging for people like me, etc.). Or, you have to find a way to make players adjust their expectations with training rooms, dialog, on-screen text, etc. If your maps are good, you may eventually gather your own player group who's expectations match your maps.

I've made several adjustments which should address the issues brought up in discussion. Hopefully all adjustments which make the test chamber more enjoyable for it's victims, I mean, test subjects ~_^

(see changes notes)

I think adding signage would spoil it. The player would immediately go hunting for the signage source. It's a very small room, so if it occurs to you to search it thoroughly you should find it. I think the problem I am facing here is a social expectation. Because of the way some if not most maps are designed, there are expectations that my maps don't adhere to (like, if I find a way to do something, that's the only way to progress).

You could probably light the inside of the corridor without giving it away, but in any case, the player must find and enter this area, unless he uses the "nigh impossible" method, and both toncica and I found it with no trouble, so I don't think you should think of it as "secret". A secret area in a map is unusally an easter egg - something that is fun to find but is not needed to solve the puzzles and exit.

Thanks for explaining how players who can't throw cubes are intended to solve the puzzle. If my cube throwing had not worked, I wonder if I would have found that? Perhaps add signage?

Having done the tedious solution myself I hope that no one would resort to it, because it's just awful, but it is true to the namesake of the original name of the puzzle "Impossible". (The puzzle is supposed to look impossible at first appearance). I doubt I'll ever make another map with such a cruel introduction again though. I suppose there are maps out there where that sort of tedious solution really is the only one, so people might not pick up on my intention to try and get them to explore more thoroughly.

You bring up some really good points, so thank you very much. A lot to consider, for both this map and my later creations.

Let's see, the dark corridor is supposed to be a secret, so if I lit it up, the secret would be lost. The chamber is nigh impossible to beat without it though. There's a hidden button just above you when you first head in which has a decent chance of landing the reflector cube on the button for you. It's not perfect though, which bothers me. I need a better (but still hidden) way to make that work.

I watched toncica's blind run, and found that I did pretty much exactly what he did (not in my video - that was a re-play). The exceptions were: 1) I tried each of the faith plates with the cube expecting that one of them would send me up to the ceiling so that I could portal across to the other side of the laser barrier (none of them did). 2) Once I figured out that I could get the cube from the light bridge and get back to the main room , I concentrated totally on that. 3) I fell into the lower room and got shot to pieces, just as toncica did, but I assumed it was just a trap and made no attempt to go back and live.

What wildgoosespeeder means is that there are different types of "hard". There's thinking hard, like Mevious and toncica maps, skill-and-timing hard, like some Myr (MC) maps, know-all-the-weird-behaviors hard like other Myr (MC) maps, and there's just-keep-trying-until-you-get-lucky hard. The last is also known as tedious. Pretty much nobody likes tedious. It is no excuse that it's not the only solution. Once the player figures out the tedious solution, he may not realize that there are others and your whole map is now, to him, tedious. If you want to justify multiple solutions, make the others easier to find. I did figure out the single-room solution, but no way was I going to do that so I just explored further.

This was an OK map, but not without issues. Being somewhat familiar with your style, it didn't take me long to complete. Here is a video of my solution. But, I left a large area of the map unexplored. The very dark hallways where I spread blue gel as a marker really do need some lighting. Is the cube throw the intended solution? If so, anyone who is any worse than me at cube throwing won't be able to complete the map.

I don't see what you mean by multi-solution tests... and I also don't agreee with your "tedious ≠ hard" (If it were the only possibly way to solve the puzzle, then the fact that it is extremely difficult to perform would become annoying, but you performed that solution by choice). Yes, one can figure out how to get the reflector cube where they want it in theory, but to actually get it there is quite difficult.

I'll add those tests of yours to my queue ~_^

@Velexia
Turrets: Try my SP maps with turrets: "Slice'n'Dice", "Line-up", and "Long" ("Long" is an old chamber that I was never really satisfied with, playing it will tell you why I'm not satisfied with it, and I was still relatively new to the in-game editor when it was created). You will see a difference with how turrets are presented.

Aerial Faith Plates: What purpose? I didn't see any.

Secret Chamber: Never needed it. It wasn't extremely hard, just extremely tedious. Tedious ≠ hard. See what I mean by "multi-solution" tests?

This is sort of a "choose your own difficulty" test chamber. If the solution you are attempting is extremely difficult, it's probably not the only one, and you only need to look around a bit harder to find one that will be less tedious/difficult.

So you're saying turrets, and how to overcome them are not a legitimate form of challenge?

Judging by your comment, I am guessing you never discovered the secret chamber. A shame. You did attempt the extremely hard, but definitely possible solution that does not require finding the secret chamber. It is really hard, and very tedious, I know, because I did it, to prove that it could be done when I was making this map. Really though, finding the secret chamber makes the whole experience so much better.

Those faith plates... they uh, have a purpose ~_^

This chamber is annoying on so many levels.

First, the turrets. Most people tend to configure turrets in the fashion like you did here: Exposed with little to no cover and little to no room to really explore freely until the threat is dealt with. Portal isn't a combat game where you need to take cover. Yeah, I got rid of them after regenerating the cube to get it to fling over to me with portals.

Second, the aerial faith plates serve nothing more than a penalty if the laser field is not disabled, leaving little room to screw up to adjust the redirect of the laser with the cube.

Third, you have to play this chamber as if you are performing surgery or else you are going to die, a lot. You really have to fidget around to get the chamber to do what you really want it to do. I dropped the cube onto the laser beam. Didn't line-up with the portal surface a few times. Eventually exited.

Overall, this chamber felt tedious.

There would be a point to a critique by the way =) I'd love to hear any and all opinions you have on the test chamber =)

Aww, well, I am sorry you didn't enjoy it. I am guessing you never found the secret chamber. The description was meant to be a GlaDos style commentary ~_^

Read it in GlaDos' voice, if that helps =3

Spent an hour or so on this. Can't say I enjoyed it unfortunately. Given the description I won't bother with a critque as there's no point. If you continue making maps I hope to see some that are more considerate to the player's experience rather than your own.

Awesome, thanks for running through my Test Chamber =3 !

It is a rather vicious test chamber... the other one is also vicious, but it gives you space to think at least =)

Heero54/Con here. i think it took me over an hour to complete because i kept dying over and over again. i am always up for a challenge and this was definitely a challenge! those turrets always caught me by surprise! XD now to play your other level :)

Thanks Sergeyi ~_^

Andi, thank you so much for doing my test chamber =3 It's probably not in line with most test chambers, but it's my first one, and I had a lot of fun making it and playing it. Toncica's run was pretty awesome. I've never seen anyone pick up on it so fast =) (I do have a really small test sample of course).

I'm glad you were able to finish it =) Once you get to the "secret chamber" you're basically rewarded with being able to screw around with everything ^_^ Every button you push has multiple effects (some good, some not so good).

Nice Work Velexia This is amazng!

It took me about a half hour to get to this test. The first room was easy but after that it got harder. The conversion gel made it possible for me to finish. I didn't watch toncica's blind run but I know he picked it apart, he's one of the best. Thanks for the challenge.

There is a way to finish the test chamber without ever leaving the original room, but it's pretty damned hard, heh. Even I have trouble with it =3

Wow, it is such a treat to watch you play it. You are very keen, and pick up on many intricacies very quickly. Originally, the physical toss of the cube onto the button was the only way to get it there (I ended up adding a secondary, hidden method, for those who would rather find a puzzle solution for it that a tricky physics solution).

I think watching you burn the turrets with the laser is as satisfying as doing it myself =3

Heh, I'm assuming you finished it then. So I'll give yours another shot =)

My puzzle definitely postures very big at first... But once you solve the initial issue of what to do first, it's fairly docile (with a few tricks up it's sleeve). I think my favorite part is how many different outcomes there are for the finish. Thanks for doing a video of it =3 ! I'd record yours, but my twitch account is down at the moment for rather silly reasons. Hopefully it'll be back up within the week =)

Here is my blind run. I went back from the exit to have another look at the rooms but I cut that from the video. http://youtu.be/U5eJ8DqTKpY

And you have the nerve to say something on my map is obscure lol. Not sure how to rate this map, it's barely a puzzle, too deadly for a fun chamber and lighting is deliberately awful along with buttons that have invisible connections. Not the kind of map I would advertise, rather suited for your friends to play. So I didn't give it a rating but I didn't hate it either. Based on the description and the screenshots I expected a troll map and it's far from that, you did spent time on the chamber and it's not very hard to get through with some luck not to step into a death trap.

haahahhaaaha

I can tell you're lying. No surprise. This puzzle room is impossible. You gave up after five tries tops. Maybe three.

i DID IT IN 5 MINUTS TOPS MAYBE 3