![]() One impressive aspect of the game is how it allows for flexible solutions. You might be initially flummoxed when looking at some of the later levels which might have half a dozen portal pairs and numerous buttons, turrets and laser walls to navigate through before finishing the level. While early levels are relatively simplistic and exist to familiarize you with all of these mechanics, they eventually become rather creative and elaborate. As such you will sometimes need to find ways to slow vehicles down such as building speed bumps, but doing so excessively can cause pile-ups with convoys so a careful balance must be struck (sometimes literally). In some cases you will need to time everything perfectly so that by the time your vehicle reaches some obstacle, it has been cleared. Some of these mechanics mean that you are often creating structures that will cause companion cubes or energy balls to bounce in a certain way so that they reach their intended destination. Speed-enhancing and bouncy gel surfaces also appear in some levels, which lead to some of the most fun testing in the game as you send convoys speeding or bouncing all over the place. Another mechanic involves energy balls which, like the vehicles, must be routed from their output port to an input port to allow your vehicles to pass though these energy balls have the added complication of destroying any vehicles they come into contact with. In other cases, you will need to route vehicles so they drive over buttons which open doors or release a companion cube that in turn might be used to knock over a turret or activate another button which might turn off a laser or open a door. Many levels see vehicles going back and forth across the screen such that the paths of bridges intersect, forcing you to create carefully placed jumps and gaps in your constructions. Portals are located in various spots throughout levels, with multiple portal pairs being distinguished with matching colors for the input and output. Fortunately, the developers must have realized that writing wasn’t their strong suit as it is largely unobtrusive with the puzzles themselves taking center stage.Īlthough I was somewhat disappointed when I learned you don’t actually get to place portals yourself, the gameplay elements from this series are ultimately used quite effectively. The story elements are extremely minimal, with a handful of short cutscenes and occasional interjections from the returning Glados failing to provide even a fraction of the humor that was so effective in previous Portal games. The framework for this purely scientific endeavor sees you playing as a new Aperture Science hire, and you must work your way up the ranks by completing a series of bridge-based test chambers. To pass each level you only generally need a single vehicle to make it to the output tube, but if you want a challenge you can test your constructions with a multi-vehicle convoy that makes things significantly harder. Functionally, the entire game consists of futzing about with these two building materials to configure a variety of bridges and ramps that will allow the test vehicles to avoid lasers, acidic goo and various other obstacles so that they might make it to the exit of the level. As with the previous Bridge Constructor titles, you have access to metal pylons that can be linked together and converted into road surfaces, and steel cables that can be used to support said road surfaces. ![]() You will probably have to mess with the angle of your wall for a little bit to get it just right, but eventually the carts will bounce off and ride smoothly into the exit.Mostly, your time with Bridge Constructor Portal will be spent in two-dimensional test chambers building bridges that allow Aperture vehicles to move from an input tube to an output tube. View the screenshot above to see exactly what I'm talking about. Then place a high angled wall in the flight path of the carts that they can bounce off of and land safely on the solid section of bridge. Construct a bridge using the anchor points outside the cart exit, but only make the right-most panel solid. The carts will be sent flying by the launch pad and you will need to contruct a wall to deflect them into the exit. The carts will ride off your bridge toward the launch pad below. Make sure the first section of the bridge is non-solid so the carts can pass through, and support it using triangle arches so it can withstand the falling carts. ![]() ![]() Next, use the anchor points in that middle room to create a short landing pad for the carts to protect them from the red laser below. ![]() Mess with the ramp's angle until the carts barely clear the partition and bounce off the gel and through the blue laser wall. First up, use the anchor points on the ground in front of the cart spawner to create a ramp. "Bounce to kill" is definitely the most complex level so far, and will require a bit of tinkering to get right. ![]()
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