Test Chambers: Difference between revisions

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[[File:Portal2 TestChamberDoor.png|right|200px|A Test Chamber door]]

[[~~Image~~:Portal2 TestChamberDoor.png|right|200px|A Test Chamber door]]

'''Test Chambers''' are a vital part of the ''Portal'' series and the [[Aperture Science]] Enrichment Center. Via the [[Security Camera]]s fixed onto the walls of test chambers at various points, [[GLaDOS]] can track a test subject's movements and progress.

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Aesthetically, these chambers bear resemblance to a hospital with its sterile environment; due to the lighting used within chambers, and the black and white coloring of the walls, floors, and ceilings.

== Design/Styles ==

=== [[Portal (game)|Portal]] ===

==== Clinical ====

[[File:Portal1old.jpg|thumb|right|The clinical look]]

Every [[Portal]] chamber (not including the escape sequences) has a distinct and recognizable look - white, sterile rooms with an atmosphere that conveys the emotions of loneliness. Most of the details seem a little blurry, possibly done on purpose to create a dusty, old atmosphere and immerse the player better into the experience.

=== [[Portal 2]] ===

==== "Remastered" clinical ====

[[File:Portal1Old.jpeg|thumb|right|Remastered clinical look]]

Sections of [[Portal 2]] chambers that look like the chambers from [[Portal]], but made to fit the theme of the game and more refreshed and modern compared to the looks of ''Portal''. The panels are more reflective, polished, and easily recognizable to the average player. Every item design is revamped to suit the game's modernistic theme.

Chapters that this style appears in: "The Surprise", "Team Building" (Co-op), "Mass and Velocity" (Co-op), "Excursion Funnels" (Co-op) and the [[Perpetual Testing Initiative]]

==== Decayed/ruined ====

[[File:P2ruins.jpg|thumb|right|Decayed, ruined chambers]]

This type of level design can be seen mostly in the first chapter of Portal 2, where the player explores the devastating designs of destroyed levels. Outgrown leaves and grass dominate over the ruined panels mostly missing the final touch, just having the metal holder rim visible on the surface. The ruins don't seem a big roadblock to the player, but might impose a sort of emotional feeling to the player {{Spoiler|because the reason why Aperture has gone decayed is the side effect of the player's actions in the first game, and might find themselves guilty, even though they shouldn't be.}}

Chapters that this style appears in: "The Courtesy Call" and "Hard-Light Surfaces"(Co-op)

==== Reconstructing ====

[[File:Portal 2 Chapter 3 Test Chamber 9 overview.png|240x460px|thumbnail|GLaDOS's reconstructed test]]

This type of level design can be seen after you reboot [[GLaDOS]] and she is cleaning the facility, This style is very similar to the [[Overgrown]] style with some exceptions: Foilage is nowhere to be seen, birds can't be heard and the essential test mechanics([[Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button]], [[Cubes]], etc...) are all clean, Panels can be seen trying to go back to their designed places(with some failures along the way.) and some panels are dirty while others are brand new. As you go through the test chambers, the test chambers have less destruction and more clean Panels until [[Portal 2 Chapter 4 Test Chamber 20]] where the facility is finally clean.

Chapters that this style appears in: "The Cold Boot", "The Return" and "The Surprise"

==== 50-80's era Aperture ====

[[File:TheCJohnsonLevels.png|thumb|right|50-80's era design]]

Through the Portal 2 storyline, the player encounters old-looking levels with graphics predating the 90's. The so-called [[Cave Johnson]] levels have a distinct look no other level design has. Its color use shifts more to the hues of green, yellow, brown etc., which is quite different to the color scheme all of the other Portal levels have - the hues of black and white. The contents of the test chambers' designs are more colorful and noticeable. Almost everything doesn't cut corners, other than the decorative pipes.

Chapters that this style appears in: "The Fall", "The Reunion", "Mobility Gels" (Co-op), and "Art Therapy" (Co-op and only the last area of the course)

==== Wheatley's Chaotic Chambers ====

[[File:Portal 2 Chapter 8 Test Chamber 16.png|240x460px|thumbnail|Wheatley's Test chambers]]

This is the last type of level design and can be seen in the last two chapters of the single-player storyline. These test chambers are made by Wheatley and it's made clear that he doesn't know how to make them. Different chambers that have nothing to do with the other are mashed together, holes are everywhere in the walls, and every few seconds an explosion happens (because of the overheating nuclear reactor that powers the facility). In the latter tests, fire can be seen in the background. Instead of the normal goo, there are bottomless pits. The test chambers are full of pipes making it very clear that Wheatley is putting tests where they weren't supposed to be. Instead of the normal [[Weighted Storage Cube]]s there are the [[Frankenturret]]s, and monitors are everywhere for Wheatley to talk to Chell and GLaDOS.

Chapters that this style appears in: "The Itch" and "The Part Where {{Spoiler|He Kills You}}"

== Challenge modes ==

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* [[Hard Light Bridge]] - A semi-translucent, solid 'sheet' of light that can act as a bridge or wall. Introduced in [[Portal 2 Chapter 3 Test Chamber 11|Chapter 3 Test Chamber 11]].

* [[Gels]] ([[Propulsion Gel|Propulsion]], [[Repulsion Gel|Repulsion]] & [[Conversion Gel|Conversion]]) - Can coat surfaces and apply different effects. Repulsion introduced in [[Portal 2 Chapter 6 Enrichment Sphere 2|Chapter 6 Enrichment Sphere 2]], Propulsion [[Portal 2 Chapter 7 Enrichment Sphere 5|Chapter 7 Enrichment Sphere 5]], Conversion [[Portal 2 Chapter 7 Enrichment Sphere 6|Chapter 7 Enrichment Sphere 6]].

* [[Excursion Funnel]] - While inside this funnel of energy, objects will be unaffected by gravity and will travel along the path of the funnel. Introduced in [[Portal 2 Chapter 8 Test Chamber 1|Chapter 8 Test Chamber 1]].

* [[Excursion Funnel]] - While inside this funnel of energy, objects will be unaffected by gravity and will travel along the path of the funnel. Introduced in [[Portal 2 Chapter 8 Test Chamber 11|Chapter 8 Test Chamber 1]].

* [[Edgeless Safety Cube Receptacle]] - Place Edgeless Safety Cubes into these receptacles to activate different types of objects. Introduced in [[Portal 2 Co-op Course 1 Chamber 2|Co-op Course 1 Chamber 2]].

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
+[[File:Portal2 TestChamberDoor.png|right|200px|A Test Chamber door]]
-[[Image:Portal2 TestChamberDoor.png|right|200px|A Test Chamber door]]
 '''Test Chambers''' are a vital part of the ''Portal'' series and the [[Aperture Science]] Enrichment Center. Via the [[Security Camera]]s fixed onto the walls of test chambers at various points, [[GLaDOS]] can track a test subject's movements and progress.
@@ Line 7: / Line 6: @@
 Aesthetically, these chambers bear resemblance to a hospital with its sterile environment; due to the lighting used within chambers, and the black and white coloring of the walls, floors, and ceilings.
+== Design/Styles ==
+=== [[Portal (game)|Portal]] ===
+==== Clinical ====
+[[File:Portal1old.jpg|thumb|right|The clinical look]]
+Every [[Portal]] chamber (not including the escape sequences) has a distinct and recognizable look - white, sterile rooms with an atmosphere that conveys the emotions of loneliness. Most of the details seem a little blurry, possibly done on purpose to create a dusty, old atmosphere and immerse the player better into the experience.
+{{Clr}}
+=== [[Portal 2]] ===
+==== "Remastered" clinical ====
+[[File:Portal1Old.jpeg|thumb|right|Remastered clinical look]]
+Sections of [[Portal 2]] chambers that look like the chambers from [[Portal]], but made to fit the theme of the game and more refreshed and modern compared to the looks of ''Portal''. The panels are more reflective, polished, and easily recognizable to the average player. Every item design is revamped to suit the game's modernistic theme.
+Chapters that this style appears in: "The Surprise", "Team Building" (Co-op), "Mass and Velocity" (Co-op), "Excursion Funnels" (Co-op) and the [[Perpetual Testing Initiative]]
+{{Clr}}
+==== Decayed/ruined ====
+[[File:P2ruins.jpg|thumb|right|Decayed, ruined chambers]]
+This type of level design can be seen mostly in the first chapter of Portal 2, where the player explores the devastating designs of destroyed levels. Outgrown leaves and grass dominate over the ruined panels mostly missing the final touch, just having the metal holder rim visible on the surface. The ruins don't seem a big roadblock to the player, but might impose a sort of emotional feeling to the player {{Spoiler|because the reason why Aperture has gone decayed is the side effect of the player's actions in the first game, and might find themselves guilty, even though they shouldn't be.}}
+Chapters that this style appears in: "The Courtesy Call" and "Hard-Light Surfaces"(Co-op)
+{{Clr}}
+==== Reconstructing ====
+[[File:Portal 2 Chapter 3 Test Chamber 9 overview.png|240x460px|thumbnail|GLaDOS's reconstructed test]]
+This type of level design can be seen after you reboot [[GLaDOS]] and she is cleaning the facility, This style is very similar to the [[Overgrown]] style with some exceptions: Foilage is nowhere to be seen, birds can't be heard and the essential test mechanics([[Heavy Duty Super-Colliding Super Button]], [[Cubes]], etc...) are all clean, Panels can be seen trying to go back to their designed places(with some failures along the way.) and some panels are dirty while others are brand new. As you go through the test chambers, the test chambers have less destruction and more clean Panels until [[Portal 2 Chapter 4 Test Chamber 20]] where the facility is finally clean.
+Chapters that this style appears in: "The Cold Boot", "The Return" and "The Surprise"
+==== 50-80's era Aperture ====
+[[File:TheCJohnsonLevels.png|thumb|right|50-80's era design]]
+Through the Portal 2 storyline, the player encounters old-looking levels with graphics predating the 90's. The so-called [[Cave Johnson]] levels have a distinct look no other level design has. Its color use shifts more to the hues of green, yellow, brown etc., which is quite different to the color scheme all of the other Portal levels have - the hues of black and white. The contents of the test chambers' designs are more colorful and noticeable. Almost everything doesn't cut corners, other than the decorative pipes.
+Chapters that this style appears in: "The Fall", "The Reunion", "Mobility Gels" (Co-op), and "Art Therapy" (Co-op and only the last area of the course)
+{{Clr}}
+==== Wheatley's Chaotic Chambers ====
+[[File:Portal 2 Chapter 8 Test Chamber 16.png|240x460px|thumbnail|Wheatley's Test chambers]]
+This is the last type of level design and can be seen in the last two chapters of the single-player storyline. These test chambers are made by Wheatley and it's made clear that he doesn't know how to make them. Different chambers that have nothing to do with the other are mashed together, holes are everywhere in the walls, and every few seconds an explosion happens (because of the overheating nuclear reactor that powers the facility). In the latter tests, fire can be seen in the background. Instead of the normal goo, there are bottomless pits. The test chambers are full of pipes making it very clear that Wheatley is putting tests where they weren't supposed to be. Instead of the normal [[Weighted Storage Cube]]s there are the [[Frankenturret]]s, and monitors are everywhere for Wheatley to talk to Chell and GLaDOS.
+Chapters that this style appears in: "The Itch" and "The Part Where {{Spoiler|He Kills You}}"
 == Challenge modes ==
@@ Line 61: / Line 101: @@
 * [[Hard Light Bridge]] - A semi-translucent, solid 'sheet' of light that can act as a bridge or wall. Introduced in [[Portal 2 Chapter 3 Test Chamber 11|Chapter 3 Test Chamber 11]].
 * [[Gels]] ([[Propulsion Gel|Propulsion]], [[Repulsion Gel|Repulsion]] & [[Conversion Gel|Conversion]]) - Can coat surfaces and apply different effects. Repulsion introduced in [[Portal 2 Chapter 6 Enrichment Sphere 2|Chapter 6 Enrichment Sphere 2]], Propulsion [[Portal 2 Chapter 7 Enrichment Sphere 5|Chapter 7 Enrichment Sphere 5]], Conversion [[Portal 2 Chapter 7 Enrichment Sphere 6|Chapter 7 Enrichment Sphere 6]].
-* [[Excursion Funnel]] - While inside this funnel of energy, objects will be unaffected by gravity and will travel along the path of the funnel. Introduced in [[Portal 2 Chapter 8 Test Chamber 1|Chapter 8 Test Chamber 1]].
+* [[Excursion Funnel]] - While inside this funnel of energy, objects will be unaffected by gravity and will travel along the path of the funnel. Introduced in [[Portal 2 Chapter 8 Test Chamber 11|Chapter 8 Test Chamber 1]].
 * [[Edgeless Safety Cube Receptacle]] - Place Edgeless Safety Cubes into these receptacles to activate different types of objects. Introduced in [[Portal 2 Co-op Course 1 Chamber 2|Co-op Course 1 Chamber 2]].