I got feed up trying to figure out what I was meant to be doing. It was very impressive for a mod, but the level design and signposting weren't up to the quality needed to keep me playing.
I wasn't sure if I had this on PC or 360. Just checked and it turns out I've got it on PC. Anyone fancy a co-op run through at some point? Ive never got round to it before.
Been playing Portal stories: Mel for about 10hrs or so.
Fucking hell, it's......amazing. Hard as nails too. Think Portal 2 but slightly harder due to more obscure signposting. There's absolutely no tutorial or hand holding. You get thrown into the deep from the get go and it's sink or swim. It never feels impossible however and if you persevere, you'll find a way out.
For a community mod, production values are stellar. Gfx and level design are top notch as are the sound fx and voice acting. Last time I played a mod this good was Half Life 2's Minerva and the guy who developed that got drafted by Valve. What's really impressive is that they've nailed the Portal atmosphere and gameplay. Obviously a lot of tlc went into the game and it really shows.
If you're a Portal fan this is a no brainer as it's a free download on Steam. Not sure if you need Portal2 but since it is a mod I'm guessing you do. Still, totally worth the admission price as the portal series are some of the best brain teasers bar none.
Go.Download. Now.
It's the best community produced dlc seen in a long time.
Steam: Ruffnekk Windows Live: mr of unlocking Fightcade2: mrofunlocking
I was just thinking about Mel and the difference between it and the originals struck me. The originals were all about solving puzzles. Mel, as far as I got, was all about finding the puzzles.
Heh, no signposting in Mel. That's for wimps.
It's hard as fuck but when you do figure it out you do feel like a mensa math genius. Or an athletic olympian. Or a world famous astronaut
Keep in mind everything in Portal revolves around 4 things:
1. Point of view- observation of surroundings
2. Portal positioning
3. Velocity + bounce pad positioning
4. Logic
You should breeze through the levels if you adhere to above points.
When stuck in a level return to point1
Steam: Ruffnekk Windows Live: mr of unlocking Fightcade2: mrofunlocking
That's my point. To me, Portal had always been a relaxing, chill out game because the puzzles themselves were balanced just right for me to find them really easy but still requiring enough thought to be satisfying. In Mel, I spent way too long just trying to identify which parts of the level had anything to do with the mechanics and just found that frustrating; when I finished puzzles, it was more relief the searching was over than satisfaction of working them out.
I think getting someone else to play CJ was a mistake, too, and found some random trying to sound like Simmons jarring. I'd have much preferred a new character.
These things are what prevent it from going from something I play for a bit and think "that's a really good piece of work, kudos to those guys" to something I actually want to play all the way through.
I'll probably try it again, at some point; maybe I'll be feeling sharper and get less frustrated separating the mechanics from the set dressing, maybe I won't.
Tbf, Portal2 did feature navigation stages with little to no signposting similar to Mel's intro level, especially towards the middle and end. It's just that while Portal2 features a soothing learning curve to ease you in, Mel just throws you into the deep to swim with the sharks. And taunts you while doing it. The devs literally assume you've finished both Portals only to come back for more fully knowing the drill.
If you thought Portal2 was too easy, Portal stories: Mel's beefed up difficulty will be right up your alley. If you thought Portal2 was too taxing, Mel won't make you a Portal convert.
Don't fire Mel up just yet until you have played and finished the original games. The lack of a difficulty curve will put many of. Play the games in chronological order and the (extreme) difficulty becomes a lot more palatable.
Steam: Ruffnekk Windows Live: mr of unlocking Fightcade2: mrofunlocking
When I bought Portal 2, I bought for the Ps3 because of their link with Valve and Steam that enabled cross platform play. I thought the mod stuff would be on it too, but nothing happened
Because of PSN being hacked I never got to play any co op. As I got the pc version with it, were many levels or mods made for portal 2 ? . I'll reinstall Steam and try out this mod.
Wii U Themagickman - PSN - Themagickman Xboxlive - Themagickman
I think there's Valve's own dlc 'peer review'.
There's also a whole section of maps designed by players in the vein of smb maker.
And then there's Portal Stories: Mel.
All glorious Portal fun.
Steam: Ruffnekk Windows Live: mr of unlocking Fightcade2: mrofunlocking
Try making your own, it's drag and drop and snaps between editor and play. It's really good.
Edit: help > wiki in the editor has everything you need. Standard editor is called puzzle maker, but there's an advanced authoring tool called Hammer. Hammer allows mental control including custom voicework, custom textures etc.
Portal - Still Alive was only ever released as an Xbox Arcade title on the 360. However, it's now available for PC and free to install here. It'll show up as a separate game in your Steam Library.
Portal Reloaded is now available for free on the Steam store (you need to own Portal 2, but obviously you do). It adds Time Travel to the game. New levels with a square, green portal!!