Mel: Difference between revisions

Jump to navigation Jump to search
1,131 bytes added ,  11 March 2022
m
m (made tense consistent in intro sentences)
 
(11 intermediate revisions by 6 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
[[Image:Mel.png|150px|right|Mel's placeholder found in Portal 2's game files.]]
[[Image:Mel.png|150px|right|Mel's placeholder found in Portal 2's game files.]]


'''Mel''' was one of two playable cooperative human test subjects that were cut from ''[[Portal 2]]''. She was to be played in the game's co-op campaign alongside [[Chell]].
Originally, '''Mel''' was to be the protagonist<ref name="GI">[http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/03/07/portal-2-origins.aspx ''Portal 2'''s Wildly Different Origins] on GameInformer</ref> of ''[[Portal 2]]'', and was later refitted to be in the game's co-op campaign alongside [[Chell]], before ultimately being cut from the game altogether.


== Overview ==
== Overview ==
[[File:Human co-op.jpg|thumb|170px|left|Human test subject co-op gameplay by the ''[[Portal 2 - The Final Hours|The Final Hours of Portal 2]]''.]]
[[File:Human co-op.jpg|thumb|170px|left|Human test subject co-op gameplay by the ''[[Portal 2 - The Final Hours|The Final Hours of Portal 2]]''.]]


The only valid instance of Mel's physical appearance is an early placeholder texture replacement of [[Chell]]'s model from ''[[Portal]]''. She appears as a blonde haired, blue eyed woman in a light blue jumpsuit with a fairer skin tone than that of Chell. In the later stages of ''Portal 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s development cycle, she along with Chell were scrapped from the co-op campaign in favor of the android test subjects; [[Atlas]] and [[P-Body]].
The only valid instance of Mel's physical appearance comes from an early placeholder texture replacement of [[Chell]]'s model from ''[[Portal]]''. She appears as a blonde haired, blue eyed woman in a light blue jumpsuit with a fairer skin tone than that of Chell. In the later stages of ''Portal 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s development cycle, she along with Chell were scrapped from the co-op campaign in favor of the android test subjects; [[Atlas]] and [[P-body]].


Mel's removal from the game came about due to play-tester's reluctance to experiment within co-op puzzles, due to the consequence of dying without respawning; {{Spoiler|destruction of the co-op bots at the end of each chapter, and the [[Reassembly Machine|assembly]] system for the starting and conclusion of each test chamber, helped tackle this issue.}} In addition, this helped create an in-universe excuse for the constant respawning of co-op players.<ref name="Joystiq-Preview-Portal-2-Co-op">[http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/21/preview-portal-2-co-op/ Preview: Portal 2 (co-op)] on Joystiq</ref>
While Mel was still cast as the game's main character, play-testers "eventually became disappointed" when they found that [[GLaDOS]] didn't recognize the player.<ref name="GI">[http://gameinformer.com/b/news/archive/2012/03/07/portal-2-origins.aspx ''Portal 2'''s Wildly Different Origins] on GameInformer</ref> In addition, after being changed to a [[Cooperative Testing Initiative|co-op]] character, play-testers were also reluctant to experiment within the co-op puzzles themselves, due to the consequence of dying without respawning; {{Spoiler|destruction of the co-op bots at the end of each chapter, and the reassembly system for the starting and conclusion of each test chamber, helped tackle this issue.}} In addition, this helped create an in-universe excuse for the constant respawning of co-op players.<ref name="Joystiq-Preview-Portal-2-Co-op">[http://www.joystiq.com/2010/06/21/preview-portal-2-co-op/ Preview: Portal 2 (co-op)] on Joystiq</ref>


In ''[[Portal 2 - The Final Hours|The Final Hours of Portal 2]]'', a screenshot of an early human co-op campaign can be found. The screenshot depicts the player staring at their co-op partner, who is dressed in the same early jumpsuit design for ''Portal 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Chell. However, it appears to be lacking the ponytail hair Chell had and the face appears to be much younger than Chell's development stage at that time, suggesting that the woman in the screenshot is an early design of Mel.
In ''[[Portal 2 - The Final Hours|The Final Hours of Portal 2]]'', a screenshot of an early human co-op campaign can be found. The screenshot depicts the player staring at their co-op partner, who is dressed in the same early jumpsuit design for ''Portal 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s Chell. However, it appears to be lacking the ponytail hair Chell had and the face appears to be much younger than Chell's development stage at that time, suggesting that the woman in the screenshot is an early design of Mel.
== Gallery ==
{{Gallery
|lines = 3
|height = 108
|width = 192
|File:PortalMel.jpg|alt1=Mel as she appears in Portal Stories: Mel|Mel as she appears in ''[[Portal Stories: Mel]]''
|File:PortalMelConcept.jpg|alt2=Concept art for Portal Stories: Mel|Concept art for ''Portal Stories: Mel''
}}


== Trivia ==
== Trivia ==
* Although the human co-op concept was scrapped, several [[GLaDOS]] voice lines making reference to the women's weight were reused in the game's release for comedic effect, due to [[Atlas]] and [[P-body]] being robots.<ref name="Joystiq-Preview-Portal-2-Co-op" />
* Although the human co-op concept was scrapped, several [[GLaDOS]] voice lines making reference to the women's weight were reused in the game's release for comedic effect, due to [[Atlas]] and [[P-body]] being robots.<ref name="Joystiq-Preview-Portal-2-Co-op" />
* Her placeholder texture is a skin group of [[Chell]]'s model from ''[[Portal]]'', which is present and separate from the ''Portal 2'' Chell model in the game files, however the model lacks animations.
* Her placeholder texture is a skin group of [[Chell]]'s model from the first game, which is present and separate from the ''Portal 2'' Chell model in the game files, however the model lacks animations since they are used for ''Portal 2''<nowiki>'</nowiki>s model.
* The character of Mel is reused in the ''[[Portal 2]]'' mod ''[[Portal Stories: Mel]]'', in which she is the main character. This iteration of Mel has a unique design making her distinct from Chell, rather than a simple palette swap.


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


{{CharactersNav}}
{{CharactersNav}}


[[Category:Beta and unused content]]
[[Category:Beta and unused content]]

Navigation menu