The Process Of Making Portal 2's Levels

Have you ever wanted to know how Valve, and the Portal modding scene, create some of the tasteful visuals you see in the Portal 2 campaign and Steam Workshop? This video is right for you!
Demonstrating the entire process from start to end, you get to see a whole map created before your very eyes in this video, alongside explanations to what parts of the process are.
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Play the map made in the video here! - steamcommunity.com/sharedfile...
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VIDEO CHAPTERS;
0:00 - Intro
0:25 - Step 1: Designing A Puzzle
2:10 - Step 2: Creating The Map
3:53 - Step 3: Detailing The Map
7:49 - Completed Map!
9:12 - Outro
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Hey everyone, the name's Ossy Flawol!

[@OssyFlawol]

This goes without saying, but this video is a fairly simple breakdown of the map-making process that is easily digestable for anyone who watches. Maybe I’d make a sequel to this video that goes into a lot more detail, I dunno.

[@savageraccoon787]

I wish this was in more detail. still a good video though

[@mhostho8731]

epic😀

[@naxreus959]

How many building hours for 50 seconds of actual gameplay? I create maps as well but sadly this is the part where many people gave up, spending that many hours building something that is short feels wrong and at time disapointing, some people try to compensate that with artificial difficulty making the map harder forcing the player to spend more time on it but that also makes some players frustrated and may give up if its too hard leaving a bad rating.... Being a mapper is not an easy life, if the map gets famous and many people replay it then it can satisfting as you time spent there was sort of worth it but if it gets forgotten after a lot of effort then you may not want to map something anymore.

[@blankfedora5833]

Its sad how complicated it is Next time try teleportal

[@cyanidethefox2160]

i would love that! this video taught me how to start mapping.

[@Wii2]

One of the first things I do when setting up Hammer on a new system is setting the default entity type to prop_static instead of info_player_start, saves a lot of time in the long run.

[@OssyFlawol]

ive tried this is just the faster workflow for me

[@thennoth2860]

@@OssyFlawol Do you use the green Gordon for scale?

[@OssyFlawol]

@@thennoth2860 its the default entity, info_player_start, it just marks where the player starts in the level, i dont use it to measure scale since i can get a guess of the scale just from looking at the map

[@thennoth2860]

@@OssyFlawol ah, I was just asking about how you said it is a faster workflow for you. I personally also have Gordon as the default entity since for props I tend to just make one, then use shift and duplicate as needed to make more entities, and just change the entity type.

[@DogsRNice]

I always just copy an existing prop_static lol So I only need to set up one

[@DogsRNice]

For anyone wondering why it's not advised to export level editor puzzles to hammer it's because the entire map is made of tons instances (basically small maps that get loaded into one map, it was designed to allow multiple people to work on different sections of a map at once but it also was how the level editor works since every object is an instance You can combine them but you have to get the instances themselves because without them the map is just a box with tons of blank entities floating around

[@DogsRNice]

Actually as I was writing this you can see them using instances for some of the details Some people do use them for stuff like that but personally I just find it to be distracting

[@ultgamercw6759]

This is a pretty interesting video but I was kind of hoping it would cover more of the level design tricks valve used to make portals levels. Like how they guide the player. I'm currently learning how to be a level designer so id love to hear what sorts of tricks they use in portal. I've already watched a bunch on half life but level design videos on portal seem rare.

[@loggingout1632]

Demon Arisen has videos on that.

[@amasirat]

The developers have always talked about how important playtesting is for the portal games. I would even say portal 1 would never have been a success if the developers didn't playtest as often as they did. Which is why I feel pretty disapointed that process wasn't mentioned in the video. Anyways, I don't want to assume but if you haven't gone through the developer commentary mode of both Portal 1 and 2, you should do it. There is a lot of interesting tidbits there. There is also a GDC talk with Kim Swift and Eric Walpow. It is on youtube. Kim Swift spoke a lot about the process of designing Portal 1's levels there

[@mercifulbutbroken6675]

Ah yes, the screams of those using the source engine. Beautiful, isn't it? This was a great video Ossy, truly great!

[@Portal2Player]

I always have a hard time creating chambers because I'm too busy thinking about what the aesthetic will, And most of the time I'm just lazy and pick clean.

[@fochy4248]

even on clean you can do some nice detailing, such as some cutout tiles, some broken walls that shows some bts areas, some ceilings with that, or some bottomless pits instead of toxic goo.

[@AshleyTogepi]

I was obsessed with building overgrown maps in hammer back in high school and this video is really close to making me wanna re-download all the portal 2 authoring tools and get back into it 🤩🤩🤩

[@LinkiePup]

I LOVE Hammer. Its buggy, and crashes a lot, but I love it. Hammer++ fixes a lot of that, but still. I still haven’t learned how to properly put voices into my map. But like.. I LOVE the rest of the map making process, no matter what!

[@nuclearshill]

I find it interesting how you place an info_player_start then change it to whatever entity you want instead of using the entity search bar in the right hand side

[@OssyFlawol]

i have a different workflow, crazy aint it

[@nuclearshill]

@@OssyFlawol jeez dude. No need to get so aggressive. I didn't even say anything was wrong with that

[@UpsideDownCycle]

@@nuclearshill bruh that wasn’t aggressive at all, why are you getting so offended over something so minor…?

[@nuclearshill]

@@UpsideDownCycle looks like Ossy edited the comment.

[@UpsideDownCycle]

@@nuclearshill what did he say originally?

[@rattlingbones1293]

Didn’t find your channel till recently but I love seeing high quality portal content and your chambers on the workshop are amazing you have got yourself a big fan 😎

[@MacheTheFerret]

nice! i think going into more detail and less timelapses would help for a sequel, if you make one a good start though! :3

[@OssyFlawol]

I wanna reserve some of the detail stuff (entity I/O and map logic) for a follow-up, I think this is more digestable though for people to easily 'get' for now though!

[@fatperson1152]

i always appreciate videos with manual subtitles

[@CAPTAIN_CLOCK]

All that for a simple ass test like that? Great job, my dude. The attention to detail is insane, this looks just like any old Valve map.

[@DownDance]

When I completed this level (before seeing the video), the first thing I thought, was: "Who would waste such great detailing and texturing for such a simple puzzle, which you solve in under 3 minutes?" Now I know, who did this.

[@staryoshi06]

I mean, Valve did the same thing.

[@jackjohnson1886]

I'm aware that this map building process can be easy to some but gosh it takes forever! I do wish it would be a little easyer and now I realise what the portal 2 desolation creators have to deal with as well as all the other mods before it and soon as well after

[@Gamer-ec8dv]

This was an amazing video! I would love a more in depth tutorial and explanation of what you are doing.

[@Theodore129]

Someone: making a puzzle with funnels Speedrunners: CFG time!

[@itsgeegra]

Binged your vids - haven't played Portal in years but really appreciate the analysis etc, absolute gem

[@davidsmemebasement1162]

Why did I never think of using the puzzle maker instead of paper 🤦‍♂️

[@stacksmasherninja7266]

Thanks a LOT for this video. I kinda always severely underestimated how much effort went into creating a hammer map. This just gave me even more appreciation for those hammerized puzzles in the community maps section. BTW how were those cinematic shots taken ?

[@DarkblooM_IO]

Another great tool to use is the BEE2 mod which lets you use a wide variety of new testing elements, but also lets you customize the aspect of your level, add voice lines, etc.

[@totesamazeballs]

overgrown aesthetics tutorial 2 let's go!!!!

[@vzxnilla.0nline]

I don’t know if anyone wanted this or if anyone else has already done it, but the songs from the timelapse are Science is Fun and You Will be Perfect. Both are from the Portal 2 OST.

[@calebmezenberg137]

It's both harder and simpler than I thought, maybe I'll try it someday, cool video though well done

[@marving3149]

Another good way of detailing your maps is by using displacements.

[@1e1001]

sad the video doesn't go into more detail on how the puzzles themselves are designed and instead is just "use peti to sketch a puzzle and build/detail it in hammer"

[@un_pogaz]

0:00 Aah *jumpscared* A wild scaly appears.

[@devinex9149]

We need full video of mapping, it will really help

[@MrGermandeutsch]

This is perfect!

[@ElephantsDoingCrack]

Pretty cool

[@cyanidethefox2160]

this video helped me start making hammer maps so thanks for creating this. I don't advise to copy the map directly from the map editor. I preferer to use it as a rough outline then the finial geometry. try to make your maps less blocky.

[@InsaneInVR]

hay is there a way to export the models and textures of a portal 2 level editor map

[@Arachnaphob]

VERY nice!

[@frosti8787]

no fucking way

[@Soda_Bobinski]

why is youtube recommended so desperstely trying to get me to make maps

[@DrPeeper]

Why are you placing player starts and then change their classname instead of just placing the class that's needed itself?

[@54nnu]

Those weren't your neighbors birds in the background, they're the screams of the damned map developers trying to warn you of Hammer.

[@kraig800i]

I spent like waaaaay too much time trying to export the maps from the editor to hammer. . . . . I feel really dumb for not realising it would be better in every way possible to just proto type the idea and build from scratch. Although what I really wanted was the coding done for me. The modeling, texturing and lighting is the fun part, trying to remember how a button needs numerous logic nodes just to go up and down, thats the true nightmare.

[@TinyDeskEngineer]

I've never used both the Puzzlemaker and Hammer to make a Portal 2 map. It's always either been entirely Puzzlemaker or entirely Hammer. Unfortunately I've never figured out why I can't upload my Hammer maps to the Workshop even though I have the PTI entities in my map.

[@Anthisss]

I have a question, do you need to know how to code to create maps useing hammer?

[@LazyPyro714]

Meme : After Completing A Level You Are Speakless Sweating

[@picture_panic]

hell yeah

[@An18]

yo can you help me when i try to make a lvl in portal 2 and i press test map it just says Build error or smth idk if its a mac thing :(

[@farmervillager1376]

Where do I find the props for the holes in the ceiling that lead outside?

[@OssyFlawol]

I typically utilise a mix of Squarebeams and destroyed wall props from the props_destruction folder. Also - Despite their naming, always use wall textures on ceilings, the provided ceiling textures can be a bit sucky (except in the case of white surfaces, but just use floor textures)

[@Alex-nm7qq]

When I made my portal 2 map, I first runned it and encountered... no shadows, like no shadows at all. How to fix this? (note: i did export the map from PeTI)

[@turbet5]

not sure but there was the .bsp decompiler for step 2, also the hammer++ could be useful

[@walkaholicisdead]

if you do a another one of these videos i recommend use beemod for the portal 2 editor bulit in

[@sablouie7955]

So you were the guy who made this map!

[@aidanscharine3814]

couldn't you have just ran the map in the in-game editor and then used a program like bspsrc on the bsp that was saved to Portal 2\portal2\maps\puzzlemaker\76561198089139833 to decompile it into a vmf and then edit it from there in hammer? i tried it on one of my maps and it worked

[@gameHeaven851]

Can you help me using flip panels bc idk how to use them

[@craftablescience]

cool

[@mijaba]

could you describe HOW to import a test chamber into hammer?

[@fiskalsproductions]

How to create a full portal mod with custome model of portal gun?

[@LazyPyro714]

Oh Wait ! I Saw Your Username In Portal 2 In A Level You Made In The Workshop Hold On Let Me See What It's Called ... It's Called "A Safe Landing!"

[@rojaosucks]

how do fo you make these cinematics inside portal?

[@Rybe_]

Hammer

[@spanpluto4960]

i got the map!

[@chexo3]

Why is it a bad idea to import the puzzle maker level directly into hammer? I’m guessing it’s because it doesn’t save a VMF and you’d have to decompile it?

[@D4rkNFS]

puzzle maker can save vmfs

[@prahladboro6132]

The thing you missed is Rusty elevator

[@krystof0118]

You can actually open Portal 2 map from editor in Hammer. I've done it many times. It saves a lot of time...

[@OssyFlawol]

this is literally the worst piece of advice, it is “technically” faster but it is a WORSE workflow.

[@krystof0118]

@@OssyFlawol Works fine for me

[@OssyFlawol]

@@krystof0118 No, it is a bad practice. You need to learn how to hammerise puzzles because it will help you in the long run. Trying to edit PETI maps is a bad move because PETI maps aren’t made to be edited in Hammer, the command only exists for debug purposes that got left in, due to all the brushes being split up into 128 unit blocks, the instances of gameplay elements used being the PETI versions, it creates a very confusing environment to modify. The PETI Instances for Cube Droppers and such are intended for the editor only and have every possible option embedded in them, even overcomplicate certain pieces of I/O that would be easier to do and understand if made from scratch. It is a *nightmare* to do, even if it supposedly works, it only handicaps you from unlocking your true potential as a mapper. I used to do exactly this when I was younger, but I stopped. Ever since I came back to mapping in 2018, I refused to ever use that command, and I’ve managed to do so much more than that by making everything from scratch, it literally helps to abandon this terrible handicap, please understand that.

[@krystof0118]

@@OssyFlawol Ok I will give it a try

[@CathodeRayKobold]

map-making kobold friend.

[@CryoiX]

0:39 tehe found ur profile pic

[@Pnezyx2056]

you make hammer look easy (i use bee2)

[@youerror982]

floor turret

[@justfrankjustdank2538]

gud vid :)

[@erykdoors]

I think valve makes the level when you play test it

[@zerotwo6903]

how do i download hammer?

[@M084MM3D]

"That's the Neat part you don't"

[@zerotwo6903]

@@M084MM3D lol

[@jackjohnson1886]

I just wish that it was a little easyer and that it wouldn't be too complex! :/

[@ninanowak6913]

TUNNELER MUSIK

[@Theinfectorss]

When you watch a tutorial just to see a furry in it: "Why... why trick me into this???..."

[@joarsoderstrom8287]

So cool. A furry making Portal videos. I can see my self watching this channel for a while. ^_^

[@xDeeKayHD]

dwood r u a dwagon?

[@justastranger101]

I hope source2 hammer is like untiy or blender. Easy to use, a bir complicated.

[@Lou_Tube]

I exported a map not using a command i just searched for the map lol

[@game4us_Splatuber]

dumb question incoming! watching this video i thought to my self: ISNT HAMMER ACTUALLY EASY?! WA?!

[@amasirat]

Yeah, timelapses do that to you a lot. You'll get over this illness once you sleep it off

[@karshupaz]

Is anyone still play the game?

[@zzzmaui]

hammer is better then lego change my mind

[@Dev_N]

why is hammer so complicated 😭😭😭

[@D4rkNFS]

it was for me before, now it doesn't seem to be that complicated to me

[@asdasdf1243]

itll get easier the more you use it

[@Evanski]

I just use bee mod

[@geraldov.valadares9101]

dose have on my xbox360

[@person___9]

no

[@vx_roblox5244]

my hammer is not work!

[@ieatthighs]

and what should we do with this information?

[@Haaylo]

Instructions not clear, pissed myself.

[@maxsims5379]

i have played portal2

[@apchistuz]

what does this information do anything with the video

[@emdee8721]

okay... congrats... i guess???

[@VentaExtera]

Thank you for letting us know.

[@stepanek7404]

no intro sign numbers or hazards? step up yer game bruh!

[@Spoogus]

too bad i suck + have no ideas + slow as hell

[@FrenchFryCheese04]

Make a overgrown portal 1 map next :D