Portal 2 developer commentary: Difference between revisions

=== Flight Paths ===

{{Quotation | John Guthrie, [[Portal 2 Chapter 2 Test Chamber 6|Trust Fling]]

}}

=== Rattman’s Den ===

{{Quotation | Adam Foster, [[Portal 2 Chapter 3 Test Chamber 17|Pull the Rug]]

| Portal 2 Announcement ARG

=== Horrible Accents ===

This commentary node only appears after Wheatley shuts the lights off.

| The breakout sequence here was originally a lot longer, involving Wheatley talking to you in a horrible American accent, assuming GLaDOS can't hear him. Simultaneously, we'd have GLaDOS commenting on the entire ridiculous exchange, because of course she can hear him. When we playtested the concept, every player made a beeline for the opening. So we either had to ditch all the dialogue or figure out a reason for the player to stand around for five minutes even though they could escape at any time. We ditched the dialogue.

}}

{{Quotation | Phil Co, Finale 4

| We wanted to be scientifically accurate in this puzzle, figuring that there'd be a slight delay before you'd see a portal on the moon, since light takes 1.4 seconds to travel the distance. But playtesters would shoot the moon and instantly turn away, thinking nothing had happened. They didn't realize they actually had shot the moon. We tried and rejected a few different approaches to communicate the effect, including a cheat involving quantum entanglement, before settling on the current solution to this problem.

}}

=== Airlocks ===

{{Quotation | Garret Rickey

| Airlocks were introduced mainly as a way to allow players to focus on individual puzzles.  In some of our early investigations, areas contained puzzles that were meant to be solved as a group, as well as others that were for individual solution.  But we found that if players could move freely between them, they logically assumed that the individual puzzles were part of one big puzzle.  This had bad results.  For clarity, we created these airlock-like spawn rooms that act as checkpoints between puzzles.  Once both players enter the airlock, we lock off access.

=== High-Five ===

{{Quotation | Matthew Scott

| We noticed that after playtesters had solved a difficult puzzle together, they'd sometimes pause before funneling through the exit door to repeatedly jump up and down in excitement. We realized that these meeting points would be the perfect time to allow players to high-five each other and celebrate their victory in style. Our first interface attempt had one player initiate a high five by holding their hand up and waiting, the other player could join in by selecting the same gesture. If they were standing in the correct positions relative to each other, they would pull off a high five. But learning the correct places to stand was too difficult. So we decided to automatically move the bots into the correct positions for the high five. Sometimes, however, the player who wanted to high five would be left hanging as the other player ran ahead without accepting. Increasing the time that the initiator waited with his hand up gave the other player time to return and accept, but being frozen in place for more than a few seconds was too frustrating. So finally, we made players auto-accept the team gestures. Now, when the mood strikes either player, the game always ensures a successful celebration.

{{Quotation | Chet Faliszek

| Writing GLaDOS for co-op introduces some interesting problems.  In single player you can count on players paying attention and being caught up in important moments.  In co-op, you can count on the two players chatting about what they just did as GLaDOS delivers an important line.  To help with this issue, we broke up the story beats into smaller sections so players don’t become impatient. We also repeat the points multiple times to insure the message sinks in even if you missed it a few times.  Lastly, we also give players room to talk.  For example when you die, there is a two second beat for you to laugh or yell before GLaDOS speaks.  It is important to give those places for players to speak because the best part about co-op is the shared experience.

}}