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The Portal 2 Spoiler Thread of Lunacy
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staticneuron
Member
Mister_Bubbles said:
I take it that means that the guesses about her being dead and allusions to greek mythology isn't something he acknowledges.
If the first portal happened around the same time as HL2, then that means the ending of Portal 2 is 100 years past that. If there are still combine out there, that would be a pretty depressing thought, no?
I prefer to believe the song was from the turrets themselves. They do have minds of their own (albiet simple ones). Don't forget the "I'm different..." turret and its deep insight into Prometheus. Besides, GlaDOS deleted Caroline before the end and from that moment lost all caring for Chell.devildog820 said:
Well, Aperture is enormous. For all we know that shack ten miles from the entrance.
Also, people keep assuming that GlaDOS has only one chamber but that's not true. GlaDOS's chamber from the first game is overrun with decay. The other two times we see GlaDOS's armature are both in different rooms. Where you fight Weatley at the end and when you see GlaDOS before being lifted to the surface appear to be two other locations as best I can tell. In the very least, neither of those are the same room from the first game so they are not beneath the entrance to the labs.
Mister_Bubbles
Member
staticneuron said:
Seeing as the greek mythology stuff is actually in-game, it's obviously intentional, at least to some degree. The amount of time they spent with the story, and considering the fact that it's Valve we're talking about here, it's hard to believe everything wasn't very thoroughly thought through.
As he says in the interview, the HL universe is a pretty depressing place, and that's the one Chell has "escaped" into. So yeah, I suppose that's what he means by the ending being positive as "Depending on how... generally speaking."
Humanity might have largely abandoned the Earth by that point in the timeline, and hopped off to some other dimension. The implications in terms of Half Life 3 are:
a) Freeman doesn't take down the Combine.
b) Freeman (and his time hopping, stasis ways) takes down the Combine at some point after Chell escapes from the Enrichment Center.
c) Humanity abandons Earth to the Combine and goes elsewhere.
Freeza Under The Shower
Member
ckohler said:
Looking at the environment before going to that room, it's pretty much a done deal that it is the same room.
Also, the removal of decay is pretty much the point to GlaDOS's restoration. She specifically mentions that the facility is back in full operation at the end of 'her' tests.
You can also still look up into daylight when Wheatley is inserted.
Narrative wise, it wouldn't make much sense to suggest that there are several rooms, as they all point towards the same shape, size and content. The ending in particular would not make much sense storywise if it wasn't linked to the earlier state of that room.
And, of course, with the premisse that there is only one Wheatley and one GlaDOS. There wouldn't be much point to "killing" something if it isn't signular / unique.
There's not really much of a sense of "place" at Aperture, and certainly not at the end of Portal 1 or 2. I never assumed the wheat field was the same parking lot from the end of P1. I assumed you were surfacing in a different spot.
re: the ending, & Portal 2 in general - I think Valve fans tend to focus on the wrong things, sometimes.
Everyone's trying to figure out how much time has passed between Portal 1 and Portal 2. But my thought was... it doesn't matter how much time has passed. It's been a long time Chell was asleep. Valve establishes that. And frankly, whether that's 100 years, 200, 2000... it's not relevant. All people need to know is that a ton of time has passed. When I was playing, that's what went through my head. "Wow it's a long time in the future. OK, GOT IT."
As for the ending itself, Wolpaw's comment makes a lot of sense to me. It's a happy ending for Chell, but in the context of Half-Life, more or less. It's happy - she's in a peaceful wheat field. But she still lives on a planet that's been invaded by an alien force with malicious intent. So... there's that.
That's really just context for the ending, though. Just something to think about after the screen fades to black. It's all speculation what happened after the game stops. All we know is we personally witness a happy ending.
re: the ending, & Portal 2 in general - I think Valve fans tend to focus on the wrong things, sometimes.
Everyone's trying to figure out how much time has passed between Portal 1 and Portal 2. But my thought was... it doesn't matter how much time has passed. It's been a long time Chell was asleep. Valve establishes that. And frankly, whether that's 100 years, 200, 2000... it's not relevant. All people need to know is that a ton of time has passed. When I was playing, that's what went through my head. "Wow it's a long time in the future. OK, GOT IT."
As for the ending itself, Wolpaw's comment makes a lot of sense to me. It's a happy ending for Chell, but in the context of Half-Life, more or less. It's happy - she's in a peaceful wheat field. But she still lives on a planet that's been invaded by an alien force with malicious intent. So... there's that.
That's really just context for the ending, though. Just something to think about after the screen fades to black. It's all speculation what happened after the game stops. All we know is we personally witness a happy ending.
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
While I'm absolutely positive many philosophical, historical and mythological themes and concepts are influenced and implied by the characters, art and events of Portal 2, or any game for that manner, I do think many here are looking a bit too hard into this.
Personally, I see Valve games as very much face value. At least, in terms of the basic narrative. What happened in Portal 2 happened in the context of the universe. Wheatley is in space, GlaDOS removed most of Caroline, and Chell is now free into the real world. I dont think she 'died' or anything.
Valve's games always tell their story from the perspective of the player having no outside knowledge. What the character is experiencing is all they know, and thus all we know. What we theorise outside of that, right or wrong, is exactly how they like to persue story development. For example, there's not a lot directly confirmed about the Combine, but piecing together the little snippets of info here and there we can formulate a pretty solid theory on what they are and what they want.
I think Portal and Portal 2 are just the same. Yes, there is plenty to think about and theorise, but I dont believe it is as abstract as Chell dying, instead more about building the world and lore around you.
Personally, I see Valve games as very much face value. At least, in terms of the basic narrative. What happened in Portal 2 happened in the context of the universe. Wheatley is in space, GlaDOS removed most of Caroline, and Chell is now free into the real world. I dont think she 'died' or anything.
Valve's games always tell their story from the perspective of the player having no outside knowledge. What the character is experiencing is all they know, and thus all we know. What we theorise outside of that, right or wrong, is exactly how they like to persue story development. For example, there's not a lot directly confirmed about the Combine, but piecing together the little snippets of info here and there we can formulate a pretty solid theory on what they are and what they want.
I think Portal and Portal 2 are just the same. Yes, there is plenty to think about and theorise, but I dont believe it is as abstract as Chell dying, instead more about building the world and lore around you.
Hot Coldman
Banned
mandiller said:
Oh God I haven't finished co-op, think I know what happens now though :lol
staticneuron
Member
Mister_Bubbles said:
I agree with the depth of their references, I just didn't see them making such an abstract move at the end.
Mister_Bubbles said:
All of that sounds awesome. I am so ready for episode 3.
FromTheFuture
Member
In case no one mentioned this yet (difficult to check cause I'm on my phone) in regards to the Greek mythology connection, I believe Prometheus was pecked at by birds as part of his punishment. This basically further solidifies the whole theory, and I don't doubt that Valve intentionally drew that overtone as an interesting plot connection. Not to mention the various references to Greek culture and philosophers in the dialogue.
OmniAvenger
Member
staticneuron said:
I'd say just the opposite. The Combine has have been pushed out, defeated, whatever because the world looks pretty damn good at the end of the game. The Combine/aliens from Half-Life 2 were draining the planet of resources but there's no evidence of that at the end of Portal 2.
Mister_Bubbles
Member
OmniAvenger said:
Though what we saw was a small part of a field on a sunny day - to give the player (and Chell) a sense of relief - not 'The World'. Wolpaw obviously still sees the world that Chell escapes into as a dangerous one, otherwise it would be a categorically 'happy ending'.
A thought:
At the end of Ep 2, we stranded Earth's Combine on our planet. What if Freeman gets everyone off the already pretty ravaged Earth into another, more bountiful dimension, leaving the Earthen Combine reduced to having to fend for themselves on the planet they'd begun to destroy.
Imagine, it's been a couple of centuries since the Free Man lead his species out of your grasp, leaving the Combine on a planet semi-ruined by their own machinations. Maybe a few pockets of humans were left behind, and the two sides are in constant struggle for control of the planet's dwindling resources.
Then, one day, a bright orange jumpsuit makes its way across a field, with a large grey cube in tow.
PORTAL 3
Mama Robotnik
Member
If the last thing we had seen was a headcrab jumping out of the plants and onto her face, forcing her into an undead living hell as her flesh decomposes while her muffled whails merely tell others to avoid her endless screamng for death and an end to her eternal agony, then I'd have been very cross.
Hot Coldman
Banned
Mama Robotnik said:
wat if gordon freeman appeared and hit it wit a crowbar and then adrian sheperd appeared and then it sed 'EPISODE 3 PORTAL SHIFT COMING 2012'
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
hay guys would it be weird to want to marry glados?
just asking cos a friend wants to know is all.
a friend.
just asking cos a friend wants to know is all.
a friend.
Mama Robotnik
Member
Green Scar said:
Half Life 3: Opposing Portals.
Triple co-op every game. Gordon has the gravity gun and Black Mesa tech, Adrian Shepperd is armed with more guns, grenades, lasers and nukes than an army, and Chell has the Portal gun, explosive gel modules and a swarm of Aperture nanites that make turrets.
Joe Molotov
Member
Dechaios said:
He did it...FOR SCIENCE!
Hot Coldman
Banned
Mama Robotnik said:
That could be amazing.
faceless007
Member
It's interesting to go back to this this PC Gamer interview with Wolpaw last year when they were still tweaking things in the game. Apparently the "Science Collaboration Points" in co-op were originally a much longer protracted joke but testers kept thinking they meant something and trying to figure out how to get more. Also at some point there was sticky gel that let you run up walls.
I'll agree that Wheatley's Lair is the same room as the one you first fight GlaDOS in Portal 2. I'm still not convinced it's the same room from the first game, however.Zeitgeister said:
It all depends on how malleable the room is.
For one, her chamber from the first game didn't have panels in the shape of a dome. It was a tall cylinder of concrete. It didn't have a Stalemate Resolution Button. It did, however, have an Emergency Intelligence Incinerator. When you come across GlaDOS's chamber from the first game in Portal 2 it's clearly the same chamber because the Incinerator is still there along with the center scaffolding and other stuff you saw in the first game, just overrun and in shambles.
Now, if you assume that GlaDOS has the ability to rearrange the room however she likes and remove stuff like the Incinerator, add panels, etc. then yeah, it could be the same room. I'm not sure why she would bother to add a Stalemate Resolution Button to her original chamber but whatever.
faceless007 said:
The gels are in Portal 2 because of the Digipen student game Tag: The Power of paint:
https://www.digipen.edu/studentprojects/tag/
As you probably know, the core team of Portal 1 came from Digipen. They made a student game using portals, and Valve swooped in and hired them all. So then TAG comes out a while later, and draws lots of Portal comparisons (manipulating the environment to solve puzzles, etc.) Valve swooped in and hired all of them too. And suddenly you have surface gels in Portal 2.
But in tag there were FOUR gels. The three that made it into Portal 2, and a fourth sticky gel that allows you to walk on walls, ceiling, etc. It was (obviously) eventually removed from Portal 2.
Edit: It's interesting to me that Portal 2 existed for a long time (over a year!) without gels at all, considering what a huge part of the final game they are.
Nappuccino
Member
GDJustin said:
Actually, it makes sense to me. The gels are really underused in the final imo.
A Link to the Past
Banned
ckohler said:
I think that in the end, GLaDOS was being a tsundere.
Lostconfused
Member
Pretty much.A Link to the Snitch said:
Okay, seriously, the way the panels scuffle and quickly readjust when you first enter a room in the initial sections of the game how fucking outstanding is that? I just can't get over how compelling the effect is. It's not diminished at all on seeing it for the second time.
Lostconfused
Member
It's totally awesome and also emphasizes the difference between Wheatley and GLaDOS at the end.Hawkian said:
EatChildren
Currently polling second in Australia's federal election (first in the Gold Coast), this feral may one day be your Bogan King.
Clott said:
That specific line followed right after she taunted about testing you for the rest of your life ("sixty years, more or less"). It was her way of saying "I'm going to put you through hell until you're dead, and then do it all over again". I wouldn't read too much into it.
GDJustin said:
Damnit. I thought I put the blue portal in here.
Whoa, the Dev commentary is pretty funny at some parts.
"The team discovered through playtesting that smooth jazz is funny across all ages, genders, and cultures."
EDIT: The "impossible space" commentary is awesome too. I can't believe people haven't been talking about this more.
Did they design the game that way in the first Portal? I can't believe how clever and useful that must have been. Every single game should be allowed that tool, it cuts down on fucking hundreds of hours of work.
Foxy Fox 39
Banned
Id love to see use of that sticky paint. Also what happened to the vacuum suction mechanic? It was shown in the walkthroughs. Why did they take it out?!
I kinda missed the "I'm different!" turret. I just saw a turret lying down on the conveyor belt and dropped it off the edge into the abyss out of spite. Then the game gave me a trophy for "saving" it.
I don't think the white goop was in Tag. Just the bounce goop, fast goop, and sticky goop. So both games had three goops, Portal 2 just swapped sticky goop for portal goop.
Also speaking of the white goop, I liked to imagine it was the stuff in Oreos.
GDJustin said:
I don't think the white goop was in Tag. Just the bounce goop, fast goop, and sticky goop. So both games had three goops, Portal 2 just swapped sticky goop for portal goop.
Also speaking of the white goop, I liked to imagine it was the stuff in Oreos.
CHEEZMO said:
Basically, the commentary is explaining how when they designed the game, it was really time-consuming and complicated to move one room or level around, because they had to rearrange all the connecting spaces and make sure everything was still geometrically connected. They then realized that they could use portals in the actual level editing process, that is, connect a room with a simple door to a huge, infinite chasm that appeared from the outside to be another small room, easily insert bottomless pits or change the orientation of one room to the next, without having to do all the busy work to clean up every time they changed something.
At the end of the process, they reconnected everything all at once to make it seem logically plausible again. But apparently, somewhere in the game an "impossible" space still exists (for example, a room that is larger on the inside than it appears on the outside). I have no real idea. But it's still cool to think about.