Portal: Prelude

[aVaKus]

Found this (http://www.moddb.com/mods/portal-prelude/features/portal-prelude-preview) over at ModDB and figured I would post it for all of those PC Portal fans. I haven't gotten a chance to try this one out yet, but have high hopes for it. I was a big fan of the Flash Version MapPack that released a while back.

Portal: Prelude, as its name states it, is an unofficial prequel to the game Portal. Its story revolves around the pre-GlaDOS epoch, even before she was plugged in. At this time, test subjects were monitored by real Aperture Science employees, whose work was tedious, lengthy and repetitive. This is why they decided to build a great artificial intelligence that could both replace them in these difficult tasks, and also take responsibility for many other tasks within the complex and compete with Black Mesa's superiority. All employees of the Aperture Science complex are now eagerly awaiting GlaDOS. Maybe even a little too eagerly, as the upcoming events will tell... This game is totally free and set to be released somewhere around the end of the month. It offers a bit more gameplay hours than the original Portal, with 8 chapters, 48 challenges, 6 advanced maps, a brand new storyline and more than 400 lines of speech with english and french subtitles.

ModDB says it releases on Oct 10th but I found a download at FilePlanet (http://www.fileplanet.com/192598/190000/fileinfo/Portal---Portal:-Prelude-Modification) (requires registration) and a torrent at GameUpdates.org (http://www.gameupdates.org/details.php?id=2883)

If you haven't gotten a chance to try out the Flash Version MapPack, I highly recommend it. You can find it here. (http://www.moddb.com/games/portal/downloads/portal-the-flash-version-mappack)

[TheKeck]

Just came to post about Portal:Prelude. I haven't read much about it yet, but I'm WAY too excited.

[axion]

Filefront. (http://files.filefront.com/portal+prelude+setup+100exe/;12013501;/fileinfo.htm) DLing now.

[Wasson_]

Sweet. I'll have to check this out.

[KingGorilla]

There is no such thing as too much Portal.

[Lint of Death]

I remember trying out the flash version map pack a while ago, and the part that I played was incredible.

[TheKeck]

Thank goodness I saw Axion playing this so I remembered to download it.

[axion]

Just beat it, much much harder than the original. Very satisfying to finally beat.

[Raen]

I wish I had Portal on Steam so I could play this. It sounds amazing.

[TheKeck]

Just beat it, much much harder than the original. Very satisfying to finally beat.
Oh man, I can't wait. Well, I mean, I CAN, but, you know... it's a saying and all. ;)

[TheKeck]

Wow, Axion, you weren't kidding. I just got to about level 5 and Portal: Prelude is KILLER! :eek:

[axion]

Heh just wait my friend, you won't kecking believe it.

[Arphahat]

I wish I had Portal on Steam so I could play this. It sounds amazing.

How do you have Portal anywhere but on Steam? It is a Valve game... I thought that even if you installed via disc, it was still a Steam game?

[Lint of Death]

Someone please help me out: that song in the Portal Prelude trailer on the site linked in the threadstarter... is it from UT2003/4 or is it from the Matrix Reloaded album?

I never thought I'd have to ask that question...

[Raen]

How do you have Portal anywhere but on Steam? It is a Valve game... I thought that even if you installed via disc, it was still a Steam game?

The Orange Box for 360. To be accurate I don't even have that any more, I sold it for stand up tickets. Need to buy it again at some point.

[TheKeck]

Heh just wait my friend, you won't kecking believe it.
I actually think I DO kecking believe it. Considering the time it took me to beat level TWO, I know I'm in for a world of hurt. I'm looking forward to it, though. :)

[Arphahat]

Oh, yeah, I guess you can get the Orange Box on the consoles. Don't do that: it is better on the PC. :)

I actually think I DO kecking believe it. Considering the time it took me to beat level TWO, I know I'm in for a world of hurt. I'm looking forward to it, though. :)

If you are talking about getting over the pit with the blue portal on the floor, I believe that that was unintentionally difficult, since, according to the developers, their play testers didn't have any trouble there.

[Raen]

Oh, yeah, I guess you can get the Orange Box on the consoles. Don't do that: it is better on the PC. :)

I may well do when I get it again. My PC was ancient when it was released, but I've got a new one since then.

[TheKeck]

If you are talking about getting over the pit with the blue portal on the floor, I believe that that was unintentionally difficult, since, according to the developers, their play testers didn't have any trouble there.
That IS exactly what I was talking about. Well, the other parts were tough too, but that is the one I spent FOREVER on. I'm still not even really sure how I finally got it.

[tacitus]

If you are talking about getting over the pit with the blue portal on the floor, I believe that that was unintentionally difficult, since, according to the developers, their play testers didn't have any trouble there.
Their beta testers were undoubtably more hardcore than I am. Sheesh ... I must be missing something obvious.

Anyway, looks awesome thanks everyone for the reminder. The voice work (so far cough ... cough) is nice.

[Everyone vs Dinosaurs]

I cannot believe I still haven't beaten portal. It is quite pathetic.

[TheKeck]

I cannot believe I still haven't beaten portal. It is quite pathetic.
IT IS!!!!

I call you to repentence.

[claws]

Wow, it's super hard, or I suck, or most likely both. I probably endured the first Portal just because the writing was so great, and I'm struggling to find the willpower for the perfect jumps you need to make. Very nice mod, but I need the dumbed down version!

[TheKeck]

Just finished it. Very awesome. It actually wasn't as hard as I was imagining after the first few test chambers. I'm glad, though. It was plenty hard, just not too maddening.

I have a question, though. Are other people able to play the advanced maps and challenge maps? There are all still locked for me. :(

[TheKeck]

Anybody? Anybody?

[tacitus]

Anybody? Anybody?
Well ...no ... any suggestion for the second gap in map #2. I know what I have gots to do but the physics won't cooperate.

[axion]

No bonus maps unlocked for me either.

[tacitus]

FYI - according to their web page http://www.portalprelude.com/ - they are working on a patch ... "Find out why advanced and challenges stay locked sometimes" and "Fix the uneven difficulty of the first levels." Hope its released soon.

[KingGorilla]

I cannot believe I still haven't beaten portal. It is quite pathetic.

http://www.beijingolympicsfan.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/02/ban-olympics-blogging.jpg

[TheKeck]

Well ...no ... any suggestion for the second gap in map #2. I know what I have gots to do but the physics won't cooperate.
I had a lot of trouble with it my first time through, but I just tried it again and got it on my first try.

From up on the platform, I stood to the left as far as I could and then shot a portal to the right as far as I could so that it was kind of diagonal. (Not even sure if this is important.) I then simply jumped down in the diagonal portal I created and came out the blue one and made it up. Here at the important things, though. Start by crouch jumping. Crouch in the air and stay crouching the whole time. Hold the forward key the whole time as you aim into the portal. Crouching and holding forward actually makes you fall and rise faster.

[axion]

Also you can try turning portal funneling off, which automatically aims you at the middle, and slows you down slightly (I believe). That way you can aim for the top little bit of the one you jump into.

[TheKeck]

Also you can try turning portal funneling off, which automatically aims you at the middle, and slows you down slightly (I believe). That way you can aim for the top little bit of the one you jump into.
Oh really? Interesting.

I played the whole game with funnelling on.

[axion]

Me too, I've just heard it makes it easier since you can get in right at the edge, instead of always going through the middle.

[Hotcod]

i don't know why i haven't played this yet... but given that i have a project due in tommrow that i've done nothing for and as such i'm trying to pretend dose not exist i may play it and try and pretend everything is perfectly ok *sigh*

[TheKeck]

I guess now I need to check the the flash version map pack.

[Hotcod]

hmmm it's hard but not really in the fun way that the hard portal stuff is hard... in most of valves stuff when you figure out how something is done after lots of head starching its "oh THATS it" in this when you do the same its "well that's stupid"... not as fun but sure i'll finish it off at some point

[Arphahat]

I guess now I need to check the the flash version map pack.

Do you have a link for that?

[GrenMag]

Here you go, Arphahat:
MODDB portal-flash-version-mappack (http://www.moddb.com/games/portal/downloads/portal-the-flash-version-mappack)

As for Prelude: the presentation is fairly slick, ignoring the voice "acting" issues. After going through the first 4 levels, though, I'm noticing a trend for the "puzzles" to be nothing more than having to very precisely place portals in fairly obvious locations. I'll probably grind my way through the rest at some point but not right now.

[TheKeck]

Do you have a link for that?

Actually, I was hoping that if I mentioned it, somebody else would post a link so that I could use it. Mission accomplished. ;)

Here you go, Arphahat:
MODDB portal-flash-version-mappack (http://www.moddb.com/games/portal/downloads/portal-the-flash-version-mappack)

As for Prelude: the presentation is fairly slick, ignoring the voice "acting" issues. After going through the first 4 levels, though, I'm noticing a trend for the "puzzles" to be nothing more than having to very precisely place portals in fairly obvious locations. I'll probably grind my way through the rest at some point but not right now.

Thanks for the link. :)

hmmm it's hard but not really in the fun way that the hard portal stuff is hard... in most of valves stuff when you figure out how something is done after lots of head starching its "oh THATS it" in this when you do the same its "well that's stupid"... not as fun but sure i'll finish it off at some point

As for both of you, I would say to give Prelude more of a chance. It gets better after those first few levels, I thought. It's not all just twitch maneuvers like in the beginning.

[Food Nipple]

I just finished this, and it doesn't hold a candle to the Flash Map Pack. This game is hard in the worst possible ways: overly finicky platforming (especially in the first few levels), deaths you can't anticipate, and segments that require you to quicksave every ten feet.

I did like the couple of puzzles that required you to fire a portal at a wall while you were flinging yourself through another one, but aside from those few puzzles, I thought they were pretty sloppy, especially the turret segments. Overall, the flash map pack had better test chambers, and was more smartly designed. Plus, they manged to add in a couple of new gameplay gimmicks.

Then, there's the story. The dialogue is so unnatural and stilted that I was convinced that there was going to be a twist involving GLaDOS playing puppeteer with a bunch of corpses and a text-to-speech program. Again, the flash map pack beats this easily. That team thankfully designed the story around their limitations.

Overall, there's a couple of good levels, but I think it would be better had they cut half the levels and all of the dialog.

My favorite part was bypassing half a chamber by building a stairway out of deactivated turrets.

[J Arcane]

The dialogue is so unnatural and stilted that I was convinced that there was going to be a twist involving GLaDOS playing puppeteer with a bunch of corpses and a text-to-speech program.

That's because apparently the voicework actually was done with a text-to-speech program.

That's a level of half-assedness I'd never encountered in a mod before.

[axion]

I'm pretty sure that the guys that made this are French, and maybe thought that those voices would be better than them trying to record the dialogue themselves.

[TheKeck]

Started going through the flash pack maps last night. Got up to the point where you destroy your companion cube. I guess I'll hold off judgement until I'm done, but it seemed about on par with Portal:Prelude so far. I have to admit that, while Glados' dialog is clearly worlds above the crap in Prelude, new content trumps a rehashing of all the stuff I've already heard a dozen times, for me.

[TheKeck]

I'd rate them about the same.