Portal spoilerz/discussion
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Baliame wrote:http://www.actiontrip.com/comics/at_comic226.phtml
I finished Portal today. My thoughts are:
1) That was the best thing I've played in a long time
2) Turret > Cube
3) I used the rocket/tube method
4) GLaDOS lies - she mentions your mother earlier in the game then calls you an orphan (unless she killed your mother).
5) Has anyone read the stuff on the Aperture Science website about the origins of it? It's completely bonkers.
6) This is the first thing I've ever bothered with the commentary of.
7) I immediately started playing it again after completing it - another first
Did I mention that this game is incredible?
9) ...
10) Profit!
1) That was the best thing I've played in a long time
2) Turret > Cube
3) I used the rocket/tube method
4) GLaDOS lies - she mentions your mother earlier in the game then calls you an orphan (unless she killed your mother).
5) Has anyone read the stuff on the Aperture Science website about the origins of it? It's completely bonkers.
6) This is the first thing I've ever bothered with the commentary of.
7) I immediately started playing it again after completing it - another first
Did I mention that this game is incredible?9) ...
10) Profit!
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FatherJack
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The turrets are sort of cute, but nothing compared to the cube.
There's a bit of mystery about the protagonist's origins, as I noticed the orange letters of the keyboard on the Win Background spell out:
Enjoy the advanced levels and the challenges - narf it was only when playing them that I realised the subtle brilliance of this game. Many, many firsts for me too with (like you) immediate replay and full-on grins while playing.
There's a bit of mystery about the protagonist's origins, as I noticed the orange letters of the keyboard on the Win Background spell out:
GLaDOS is obviously a bit confused/broken/childlike-AI (many contradictions in what she says), and I haven't quite resolved what was supposed to have happened and how long has passed since it did. Nerve gas doesn't disintegrate bodies, and some comments about outside not being very nice allude to the base being abandoned rather than exterminated.I'M SHEPARD - Adrian Shepard being the protagonist in Opposing horse, and the "bring your daughter to be tested" comments
Enjoy the advanced levels and the challenges - narf it was only when playing them that I realised the subtle brilliance of this game. Many, many firsts for me too with (like you) immediate replay and full-on grins while playing.
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FatherJack
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Roman Totale
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Well the Aperture Science website notes say that the first bring your daughter to work day was in 1996, which was roughly when Half Life came out and so presumable about the time of the Black Mesa incident. Chell is, I believe, a result of a bring your daughter to work day because GLaDOS at one point says something like 'Subject Chell <something> is the best test subject we have ever had. Subject <someone> would have been proud. This doesn't neccesarily mean it's the first bring your daughter to work day though, nor does it mean this has happened any time soon after the bring your daughter to work day that got Chell there in the first place - she could have been kept there for years.FatherJack wrote: GLaDOS is obviously a bit confused/broken/childlike-AI (many contradictions in what she says), and I haven't quite resolved what was supposed to have happened and how long has passed since it did. Nerve gas doesn't disintegrate bodies, and some comments about outside not being very nice allude to the base being abandoned rather than exterminated.
Actually, thinking about it a bit deeper; who's to say how many employees were at Aperture Science? I'm thinking there was just one, and that they were Chell's mother or father.
Thinking about GLaDOS a bit further could lend some strength to it. GLaDOS is obviously a little deranged, and the whole thing seems influenced by a little girl. I'm thinking this little girl influence, with the turrets as an extension of that, could have either been modelled on a young Chell or influenced by having her running around the facility in GLaDOS's developing stages. The rest of GLaDOS's insanity could be explained away very well by her other influence in this case - Chell's parent. Expanding on that line, if the parent was a scientist who went a bit bonkers (and why not - that's what happened to Chase Johnson, the founder of Aperture Science) then they could have volunteered to be the first test subject. That can explain the similarities between the escapee's and GLaDOS's delusions about the cake and Weighted Companion Cube. It also explains why Chell's parent (who GLaDOS states to be a test subject also) would be proud of her success. As to what happens to the parent, that's still a mystery to me.
On to how GLaDOS interacts, she has no way of actually physically influencing anything around her other than the nerve gas (which she is inhibited from using) and the rocket turret (possibly also inhibited). She can't carry or move anything, so she couldn't move any bodies as someone mentioned earlier. This could indicate that there has only ever been two test subjects, as there is no evidence of anyone else ever having been killed in the dangerous tests. Finally, the commentry points out the red phone that is used to call for help should GLaDOS become a threat. The line has been cut to this phone, but there is no way GLaDOS could have done that herself. A person must have done that, presumably the parent/escapee again.
The timeline's a bit unclear, but to hazard a guess I would venture that Aperture Science's funding was cut following the Black Mesa incident, leaving the head to carry on alone with the project. I suspect Chell is a little girl at this point, living in the facility with him or her. At some point the parent tasks GLaDOS with looking after Chell and ventures into the test chambers. Probably ten or fifteen years later, once GLaDOS deems Chell to be a viable test subject, she sends her the same way with similar results to her parent. This would make it about 2006 - 2011 by my rough reckoning.
Thinking about GLaDOS a bit further could lend some strength to it. GLaDOS is obviously a little deranged, and the whole thing seems influenced by a little girl. I'm thinking this little girl influence, with the turrets as an extension of that, could have either been modelled on a young Chell or influenced by having her running around the facility in GLaDOS's developing stages. The rest of GLaDOS's insanity could be explained away very well by her other influence in this case - Chell's parent. Expanding on that line, if the parent was a scientist who went a bit bonkers (and why not - that's what happened to Chase Johnson, the founder of Aperture Science) then they could have volunteered to be the first test subject. That can explain the similarities between the escapee's and GLaDOS's delusions about the cake and Weighted Companion Cube. It also explains why Chell's parent (who GLaDOS states to be a test subject also) would be proud of her success. As to what happens to the parent, that's still a mystery to me.
On to how GLaDOS interacts, she has no way of actually physically influencing anything around her other than the nerve gas (which she is inhibited from using) and the rocket turret (possibly also inhibited). She can't carry or move anything, so she couldn't move any bodies as someone mentioned earlier. This could indicate that there has only ever been two test subjects, as there is no evidence of anyone else ever having been killed in the dangerous tests. Finally, the commentry points out the red phone that is used to call for help should GLaDOS become a threat. The line has been cut to this phone, but there is no way GLaDOS could have done that herself. A person must have done that, presumably the parent/escapee again.
The timeline's a bit unclear, but to hazard a guess I would venture that Aperture Science's funding was cut following the Black Mesa incident, leaving the head to carry on alone with the project. I suspect Chell is a little girl at this point, living in the facility with him or her. At some point the parent tasks GLaDOS with looking after Chell and ventures into the test chambers. Probably ten or fifteen years later, once GLaDOS deems Chell to be a viable test subject, she sends her the same way with similar results to her parent. This would make it about 2006 - 2011 by my rough reckoning.
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buzzmong
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I disagree on the principle that it's after Black Mesa purely due to the sky at the end, it's before the 7 hour war and the portal storms.
Therefore it is either before or during Black Mesa.
Although I'd like to point out it's only linked into the series, it's not pure cannon plot, just an offshoot.
Therefore it is either before or during Black Mesa.
Although I'd like to point out it's only linked into the series, it's not pure cannon plot, just an offshoot.
Episode Two disagrees with most of that.buzzmong wrote:I disagree on the principle that it's after Black Mesa purely due to the sky at the end, it's before the 7 hour war and the portal storms.
Therefore it is either before or during Black Mesa.
Although I'd like to point out it's only linked into the series, it's not pure cannon plot, just an offshoot.
We've really only seen the skies around City 17. The Aperture Science carpark seems to have been abandoned for some time. Even just outside City 17 in the forests it's noticeably nicer, with birds and whatnot.
And The Borealis suggests it is cannon.
Yay for kick starting the plot discussion again! I'm really curious about it so I want people to try and correct me in the hope we'll come up with the story on our own. 
EDIT: Checking the timeline, the Black Mesa incident was in 2000. Assuming Chell was about five when she was influencing GLaDOS, and that she's a young adult in Portal, that would make it about 2013-2020. 2020 being when Freeman caused the collapse of the Citadel in City 17, although I can't really see any direct reason for those two events to be concurrent.
EDIT: Checking the timeline, the Black Mesa incident was in 2000. Assuming Chell was about five when she was influencing GLaDOS, and that she's a young adult in Portal, that would make it about 2013-2020. 2020 being when Freeman caused the collapse of the Citadel in City 17, although I can't really see any direct reason for those two events to be concurrent.
Moar digging!
Other forums mention the Borealis. I'm assuming that this is something mentioned in Ep2, but my slow ass connection has only managed to download 2% of that so far today.
The Borealis is referred to in some of the game files that can be extracted apparently (probably along with Still Alive), showing blueprints of a ship stamped by Aperture Science and signed by GLaDOS. Another picture is of some form of radio communication receipt with a lot blacked out. From that I've found that the Borealis is in fact a real ship, the USCGS Polar Star, an antarctic ice breaker currently mothballed (it would seem) in Seattle. Someone at Valve has been doing their homework.
Incidentally, seems like half the world think Chell is something to do with Alyx. Why does Chell and Aperture Science have to have anything to do with the HL protagonists? I really hope they don't, although there are crossovers between Aperture Science and Black Mesa, such as a clipboard with the heading The MKV Hazardous Environment Suit (revised).
Still digging stuff up. This is fun!
Other forums mention the Borealis. I'm assuming that this is something mentioned in Ep2, but my slow ass connection has only managed to download 2% of that so far today.
The Borealis is referred to in some of the game files that can be extracted apparently (probably along with Still Alive), showing blueprints of a ship stamped by Aperture Science and signed by GLaDOS. Another picture is of some form of radio communication receipt with a lot blacked out. From that I've found that the Borealis is in fact a real ship, the USCGS Polar Star, an antarctic ice breaker currently mothballed (it would seem) in Seattle. Someone at Valve has been doing their homework.
Incidentally, seems like half the world think Chell is something to do with Alyx. Why does Chell and Aperture Science have to have anything to do with the HL protagonists? I really hope they don't, although there are crossovers between Aperture Science and Black Mesa, such as a clipboard with the heading The MKV Hazardous Environment Suit (revised).
Still digging stuff up. This is fun!
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HereComesPete
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Otherwise you'll ruin a bit of ep2 that will make you flip out pirate ninja style and produce sticky white groin milk. Unless you've already read it all in which case doh! :facepalms:*Definently not, if you tried the aperture science online stuff, it says three things important things about the timeline. First is that if you login as cjohnson, type NOTES, then you will discover he died in 1979. Development of Portal Gun began in this year. Also it says that development of GLaDoS began in 1986. The third thing would be if you type THECAKEISALIE it will tell you that they're working with twenty year old equipment. This means Portal takes place in a range of 1996 (Portal Gun + 20 - 3) to 2010 (GLaDoS + 20 + 3) with a difference of +/- 3.Dog Pants wrote:EDIT: Checking the timeline, the Black Mesa incident was in 2000. Assuming Chell was about five when she was influencing GLaDOS, and that she's a young adult in Portal, that would make it about 2013-2020. 2020 being when Freeman caused the collapse of the Citadel in City 17, although I can't really see any direct reason for those two events to be concurrent.
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TezzRexx
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Would it not be quicker for one of us to burn you a DVD with all the steam content files on and post it to you?Dog Pants wrote:Moar digging!
Other forums mention the Borealis. I'm assuming that this is something mentioned in Ep2, but my slow ass connection has only managed to download 2% of that so far today.