Embedded Files
Play the level here: https://steamcommunity.com
Level Description: 4th Dimensional Friend is a custom Portal 2 level I made using the Hammer world editor. In this level the player must find the companion cube and bring it to the end of the level. They must do this while solving puzzles that involve navigating spaces with impossible geometry, such as rooms that change when you walk through an archway or taking four right turns into a new room. The level also has objects like tractor beams, buttons and fizzler walls that the player must use to solve the puzzle.
Level Layout
Goals/Inspirations: My main goal when making this level was to use pre-made assets and mechanics to make an interesting level, as well as learn how to use a custom engine rather than a commercial one like Unity or Unreal. My main inspiration for making this level was a series of levels on the steam workshop made by anna called Unreal Chamber. These levels showcased the use of world portals as a mechanic in Portal 2 and made me want to do the same.
Level Screenshots
Mechanics: The main mechanic of the level is the world portals. These are portals that are pre-placed in the level separate from the ones players are able to shoot. They allow for the linking of areas that are built separately or in the case of my level, impossible geometry. It allowed me to link together several rooms to make it seem as if the room you were in was changing when you walked through the arch, as well as hallways that shouldn't fit in the room they seem to be in.
Post-mortem: Learning a new engine to make a level was a very fun challenge. Despite the UI and controls for Hammer feeling outdated and clunky compared to more modern game engines, it didn't take long to learn what I needed to start on the level. The biggest issue I ran into while making the level was figuring out the proper scale for the rooms. When I started I had no idea how large one unit in Hammer was relative to the player so I made the level too big and had to rebuild it with the proper scale. Once I rebuilt the layout, it was much easier to fit the decals on the floor and line up the textures to look nice in the level.
Made using Valve's Hammer World Editor
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