Gels: Difference between revisions

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(re-writing and putting back Sticky Gel trivia. Also, a non-url reference is cool, right? :p)
 
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[[File:Bounce.png|right|135px|Don't get covered by the gel.]]
{{Quotation|'''Cave Johnson'''|We haven't entirely nailed down what element it is yet, but I'll tell you this: it's a lively one, and it does NOT like the human skeleton.|sound=Cave_Johnson_fifties_second_test_complete02.wav}}
 
'''Gels''' are a gameplay implement introduced in ''[[Portal 2]]''. They are paint-like liquids that impart different effects on [[surfaces]] and objects.
{{Quotation|'''Cave Johnson'''|We haven't entirely nailed down what element it is yet, but I'll tell you this: It's a lively one, and it does NOT like the human skeleton.|sound=Cave_Johnson_fifties_second_test_complete02.wav}}
 
'''Gels''' are a gameplay [[Mechanics|mechanic]] officially introduced in ''[[Portal 2]]''. They are paint-like liquids that impart different effects when applied to [[surfaces]] and objects. Gel cannot be applied to transparent surfaces (such as glass), and will pass through grating (also without painting it). The only test elements that can be covered in gel are [[Cubes]] and [[Turrets]], and they cannot be covered in Conversion Gel.
 
A surface or object can take on the properties of only the gel that coated it last. For example, a Repulsion Gel-covered cube that hits a drop of Propulsion Gel will become slippery but stop bouncing.


== Gels ==
== Gels ==
[[File:RepulsionGel.png|left|170px|border]]
=== Repulsion Gel ===
=== Repulsion Gel ===
Repulsion Gel is a light blue substance that repels objects. A player or an object that hits a surface coated with it bounces off. Jumping off such a surface launches the player higher than a normal jump. Objects such as [[Storage Cube]]s and [[Turrets]] can be covered in Repulsion Gel, which causes them to bounce around erratically.
{{main|Repulsion Gel}}
 
Repulsion Gel, also called Bounce Gel, is a light blue substance that provides repelling abilities. Any objects like the [[Storage Cube]]s and [[Turrets]] that hits a surface coated with the Repulsion Gel, will either bounce away from the gel patch or bounce erratically on its own upon being coated with it. Due to the effect, the height from which a test subject falls before landing on a gel-covered surface affects the height of a jump. Test subjects can also use the Gel to move back and forth between two parallel surfaces rather than merely be propelled up and down.
 
{{Clr}}
[[File:PropulsionGel.png|right|170px|border]]


=== Propulsion Gel ===
=== Propulsion Gel ===
A bright orange gel that greatly increases object velocity and reduces friction of objects moving on surfaces it is applied to. Objects covered in Propulsion Gel similarly have their friction reduced, causing them to slide around.
{{main|Propulsion Gel}}
 
Propulsion Gel, also known as Speed Gel, is a light orange substance that greatly increases object velocity and reduces the friction of objects moving on the surface(s) it is applied to. Any objects covered in this gel have their friction reduced, causing objects to slide around across the floor easily.
{{Clr}}
[[File:ConversionGel.png|left|170px|border]]


=== Conversion Gel ===
=== Conversion Gel ===
Conversion Gel is a portal-conducting white liquid {{spoiler text|made from ground moon rocks}}. It enables the player to place portals on [[surfaces]] that originally are not ''portal conductive''.
{{main|Conversion Gel}}
 
A portal-conducting white substance {{spoiler text|made from a fibrous moon rock powder}}. It enables test subjects to fire [[portals]] onto [[surfaces]] previously incapable of conducting portals. [[Weighted Cubes]] and [[Turrets]] cannot be coated in Conversion Gel, but any other wall, floor or ceiling materials are coverable.
 
{{Clr}}
[[File:CleansingGel.png|right|170px|border]]


=== Water ===
=== Cleansing Gel ===
Water washes off other gels from surfaces and objects. It has no special properties towards gameplay and does not stick to surfaces.
This gel may appear to be regular water with an ability to wash away other types of gels off of surfaces and any objects that have been coated. It is destroyed upon touching anything. It has no special properties in regard of the gameplay, and as such, does not affect any surfaces other than ones covered in other gels.
 
{{Clr}}
=== Slime ===
'''Slime''' or '''Sewage''' was found only in ''[[Portal]]'' during [[Chell]]'s escape. While not technically a gel, it does have some properties similar to gels in ''Portal 2'', such as the slippery effect of running on Propulsion Gel and an adhesion effect that keeps Chell somewhat stuck on the surface. It has no emitter, is not used to solve chambers, and it cannot be "painted" onto surfaces like the gels introduced in ''Portal 2''.
 
== Unused/cut gels ==
=== Adhesion Gel ===
{{main|Adhesion Gel}}
 
Adhesion Gel is a cut gel which was originally meant to allow the player to walk on walls, similarly to the blue Stick paint in ''Tag: The Power of Paint'', which Portal 2's gel mechanics are based on. The gel was made purple as a placeholder; it was cut before the developers decided on a final color, so it remains purple in the final game. The gel was cut because many play testers experienced motion sickness and disorientation, having to think with portals while walking on walls and ceilings. Most of the gel's effects were removed in the final game, except one: cubes coated in Propulsion Gel will not slide across Adhesion Gel-coated floors, and vice-versa.
 
The gel was replaced by Reflection Gel in the Peer Review update.
 
=== Reflection Gel ===
{{main|Reflection Gel}}
Reflection Gel replaced Adhesion Gel in the [[Peer Review]] DLC. It appears the same color as Conversion Gel when painted on surfaces, and the color of Propulsion Gel when splatted on the screen. The [[Thermal Discouragement Beam]] will reflect off of it like a mirror, similar to the [[Discouragement Redirection Cube]]. It also retains Adhesion Gel's effect of counteracting Propulsion Gel.


== Related achievements ==
== Related achievements ==
{{Achievement table
{{Achievement table
| 1 = {{Show achievement|Portal 2|Vertically Unchallenged}}
| 1 = {{Show achievement|Portal 2|Vertically Unchallenged}}
Line 26: Line 60:


== Gallery ==
== Gallery ==
<gallery>
{{Gallery
File:Repulsion Gel.png|Repulsion Gel
|title = Gels
File:Propulsion Gel.png|Propulsion Gel
|height = 150
File:Conversion Gel.png|Conversion Gel
|width = 150
File:Water.png|Water
|lines = 3
File:Repulsion Gel Cube.png|A Weighted Storage Cube covered in Repulsion Gel
|File:Repulsion Gel.png|Repulsion Gel spraying out of its tube in the 50s-70s layouts of [[Aperture Science|Aperture]].
File:Propulsion Gel Cube.png|A Weighted Storage Cube covered in Propulsion Gel
|File:Propulsion Gel.png|Propulsion Gel.
</gallery>
|File:Conversion Gel.png|Conversion Gel.
|File:Water.png|Cleansing Gel.
|File:Repulsion Gel Cube.png|A [[Weighted Storage Cube]] covered in Repulsion Gel.
|File:Propulsion Gel Cube.png|A Cube covered in Propulsion Gel.
|File:Repulsion Gel Turret.png|A [[Turrets#Sentry Turret|turret]] covered in Repulsion Gel.
|File:Propulsion Gel Turret.png|A [[Turrets#Sentry Turret|turret]] covered in Propulsion Gel.
}}


== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
*Similar to how the student game {{w|Narbacular Drop}} became Portal, the paint mechanic was taken from a student game called Tag:The Power of Paint.
* The gel mechanic is a borrowed concept from ''[[TAG: The Power of Paint]]''.
*A fourth gel, "Sticky Gel", was tested within Portal 2, however it was removed early on during the development due to making play-testers motion-sick.<ref>Chapter 8, page 4 of [[Portal 2: The Final Hours]].</ref>
** A fourth gel, "[[Adhesion Gel]]", was also borrowed from ''TAG'' and was tested within ''Portal 2''. It would have allowed players to "stick to a surface so you can walk up a wall like Fred Astaire in ''Royal Wedding''"<ref>Chapter 8, page 2 of ''[[Portal 2 - The Final Hours]]''.</ref>; however, it was removed early on during development due to making play-testers motion-sick.<ref>Chapter 8, page 4 of ''Portal 2 - The Final Hours''.</ref> Its emitter is still in the game's files, however, but does not have any sticky properties or a texture.<ref>Sticky gel in-game test [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-A1s67wK2Q]</ref>
 
* Repulsion Gel was [[Aperture Science]]'s first attempt at creating dietetic pudding substitute.


== See also ==
* Blue-painted physics objects are actually bouncy if the jump key (Default: {{Key|Space}}) is pressed on them. However, this is impractical and hard to pull off.
* [[Mechanics]]


==References==
== References ==
<references/>
<references/>


{{MechanicsNav}}
{{Portal2MechanicsNav}}
 
[[Category:Mechanics]]
[[Category:Mechanics]]

Latest revision as of 17:40, 29 May 2024

Don't get covered by the gel.
We haven't entirely nailed down what element it is yet, but I'll tell you this: It's a lively one, and it does NOT like the human skeleton.
Cave Johnson

Gels are a gameplay mechanic officially introduced in Portal 2. They are paint-like liquids that impart different effects when applied to surfaces and objects. Gel cannot be applied to transparent surfaces (such as glass), and will pass through grating (also without painting it). The only test elements that can be covered in gel are Cubes and Turrets, and they cannot be covered in Conversion Gel.

A surface or object can take on the properties of only the gel that coated it last. For example, a Repulsion Gel-covered cube that hits a drop of Propulsion Gel will become slippery but stop bouncing.

Gels

RepulsionGel.png

Repulsion Gel

Main article: Repulsion Gel

Repulsion Gel, also called Bounce Gel, is a light blue substance that provides repelling abilities. Any objects like the Storage Cubes and Turrets that hits a surface coated with the Repulsion Gel, will either bounce away from the gel patch or bounce erratically on its own upon being coated with it. Due to the effect, the height from which a test subject falls before landing on a gel-covered surface affects the height of a jump. Test subjects can also use the Gel to move back and forth between two parallel surfaces rather than merely be propelled up and down.

PropulsionGel.png

Propulsion Gel

Main article: Propulsion Gel

Propulsion Gel, also known as Speed Gel, is a light orange substance that greatly increases object velocity and reduces the friction of objects moving on the surface(s) it is applied to. Any objects covered in this gel have their friction reduced, causing objects to slide around across the floor easily.

ConversionGel.png

Conversion Gel

Main article: Conversion Gel

A portal-conducting white substance made from a fibrous moon rock powder. It enables test subjects to fire portals onto surfaces previously incapable of conducting portals. Weighted Cubes and Turrets cannot be coated in Conversion Gel, but any other wall, floor or ceiling materials are coverable.

CleansingGel.png

Cleansing Gel

This gel may appear to be regular water with an ability to wash away other types of gels off of surfaces and any objects that have been coated. It is destroyed upon touching anything. It has no special properties in regard of the gameplay, and as such, does not affect any surfaces other than ones covered in other gels.

Slime

Slime or Sewage was found only in Portal during Chell's escape. While not technically a gel, it does have some properties similar to gels in Portal 2, such as the slippery effect of running on Propulsion Gel and an adhesion effect that keeps Chell somewhat stuck on the surface. It has no emitter, is not used to solve chambers, and it cannot be "painted" onto surfaces like the gels introduced in Portal 2.

Unused/cut gels

Adhesion Gel

Main article: Adhesion Gel

Adhesion Gel is a cut gel which was originally meant to allow the player to walk on walls, similarly to the blue Stick paint in Tag: The Power of Paint, which Portal 2's gel mechanics are based on. The gel was made purple as a placeholder; it was cut before the developers decided on a final color, so it remains purple in the final game. The gel was cut because many play testers experienced motion sickness and disorientation, having to think with portals while walking on walls and ceilings. Most of the gel's effects were removed in the final game, except one: cubes coated in Propulsion Gel will not slide across Adhesion Gel-coated floors, and vice-versa.

The gel was replaced by Reflection Gel in the Peer Review update.

Reflection Gel

Main article: Reflection Gel

Reflection Gel replaced Adhesion Gel in the Peer Review DLC. It appears the same color as Conversion Gel when painted on surfaces, and the color of Propulsion Gel when splatted on the screen. The Thermal Discouragement Beam will reflect off of it like a mirror, similar to the Discouragement Redirection Cube. It also retains Adhesion Gel's effect of counteracting Propulsion Gel.

Related achievements

Vertically Unchallenged
Vertically Unchallenged
Master the Repulsion Gel
White Out
White Out
Complete the first Conversion Gel test
Stranger Than Friction
Stranger Than Friction
Master the Propulsion Gel
Schrodinger's Catch
Schrodinger's Catch
Catch a blue-painted box before it touches the ground

Gallery

Trivia

  • The gel mechanic is a borrowed concept from TAG: The Power of Paint.
    • A fourth gel, "Adhesion Gel", was also borrowed from TAG and was tested within Portal 2. It would have allowed players to "stick to a surface so you can walk up a wall like Fred Astaire in Royal Wedding"[1]; however, it was removed early on during development due to making play-testers motion-sick.[2] Its emitter is still in the game's files, however, but does not have any sticky properties or a texture.[3]
  • Repulsion Gel was Aperture Science's first attempt at creating dietetic pudding substitute.
  • Blue-painted physics objects are actually bouncy if the jump key (Default: Space) is pressed on them. However, this is impractical and hard to pull off.

References

  1. Chapter 8, page 2 of Portal 2 - The Final Hours.
  2. Chapter 8, page 4 of Portal 2 - The Final Hours.
  3. Sticky gel in-game test [1]