woods awandering - how (valves) "portal" portals portal.

what i type here might be redundant. it probably will be, but i need to type this out to get it right. "woods awandering" as it turns out has a warp mechanic that acts like a budget portal gun.

valve's "portal" series therefore is something to study. what i want to do here is see if i can break down its mechanics (and more importantly the portal guns function) into a solid, compiled list.

THE PORTAL GUN

-creates 2 holes of differing colors.

-entering the hole warps you to the other hole.

-warping through the hole preserves your current momentum.

A PORTAL

-occupies a space.

-cannot overlap with another portal.

-requires the other portal to exist to jump to the other (when hopping through).

-can be voided or blocked for puzzle difficulty. accomplished by either various blocked areas, differing wall substances, or energy fields.

PUZZLE TYPE: timing and doors

-doors flip between 2 or more settings

-a button exists in the puzzle to change settings.

-it is impossible for a clear path to exist between unpushed button and open door. portals must be used to leave a way back whatever obstacles or travel timing are in the way.

-use of the portal gun: bridging blocked space or impossible-to-cross travel distances in regards to puzzle timing.

PHYSICS EFFECT: perpetual motion

-step 1: create portal below

-step 2: create portal above

-step 3: step in and fall. momentum will increase forever as apparent height is infinite between the 2 portals.

RE: woods awandering

-the warp key mechanic to a portal, allows for far distance transport regardless of distance to the other portal. this is fun to play around with.

-adding a 2nd portal via mouse wheel is 100% possible.

-will enemies know to camp your portal if they find it? it would certainly ratchet up the tension.

-RE: level design. puzzle-like mechanics require a puzzle map level design. AKA vertical levels, more general verticality, more places to fall down. falling down both adds momentum, and can result in hitting a portal below you.

-RE: smaller contained puzzle levels over a linear story. would that basically require remaking the game layout? could they instead be accessed as isolated puzzle dungeons from the main map?