The Laser Trials
Portal 2: The Laser Trials is a project I created to explore designing levels for an already-existing game. Thanks to Valve's Hammer++ editor, I was able to enjoy the advantage of having an extensive library of content at my disposal, while at the same time experiencing what it was like to familiarize myself with proprietary tools that were designed specifically for the game that I was making levels for.
My process for creating these levels usually began in Portal 2 's in-game level editor. It was effective for rapid prototyping of the puzzles, but often quickly became limiting when dealing with puzzle logic and more detailed elements. At this point, I would rebuild the puzzle from scratch in Hammer++, where I would incorporate the logic and tweak smaller elements as I tested the level.
Once the puzzle was cohesive, I would rebuild the level one last time, this time with an architecture that highlighted the puzzle's core elements. Then I would spend the remaining 80% of the time polishing the level (adding ant-lines for circuitry, setting up music logic, putting in arrival/departure elevators).
Hammer++ | Source
January 2025
Level Design | Puzzle
The last iteration of the final level. I went back into the Portal 2 level creator to rapidly experiment with the dimensions. Certain puzzle elements were consolidated (e.g. I found that the walls on either side of the exit door could be incorporated into the puzzle, rather than having a separate wall devoted for this).
This culminated into a more focused puzzle, with a distinct architecture of its own. All that was left to do was to reflect these modifications in the Hammer++ editor and polish from there.
A look at the final level as seen in the Hammer++ editor. This was just before I redesigned the room into its final shape.
I tried to keep the level focused by reducing its puzzle elements to as few as possible.
Here I removed the glass screen from the previous iteration (it would later be reintroduced, but for a different purpose). I found that shifting the shape of the room itself could often substitute these elements effectively, and would give each level its own character.
An in-game rendition of the final level at this point of the iterative process.
This was an early iteration of the final level. It was actually one of the first puzzles I designed for this project. It would later be broken down into individual mechanics, and I would design the preceding levels to introduce these one at a time.
I wanted my puzzles to riff off of a mechanic that wasn't included in the original Portal games, and I found that the ability for a laser to power itself had never been explored in depth. I started to experiment with the basic logic in the level creator.
I later made a few simple changes to the first level.
A lot of my levels started out with a basic cube-shaped room that the Portal 2 level creator provided by default. Once the level logic was set, I would shift the room shape to something that was more unique and suited to the puzzle it contained.
In the context of this first level, I consolidated the elements into a smaller space, and then moved the reflector cube into a vent shaft up above. Simple changes like these added a new dimension to the puzzle, and even created a small narrative for the level.
An iteration of the first level. This started out as a fun and simple design, where 3 different elements would need to be activated simultaneously in order to open the exit.
The purpose of this first level was to familiarize players with laser mechanics, especially those that hadn't played Portal before.