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Community content integrated in Portal

Puzzle-builders encouraged :: May 17th, 2007 :: Features, General :: 9 Responses

Valve’s forthcoming puzzle game Portal will feature a system for importing and loading fan-made maps, according to Eurogamer’s recent preview (paragraph three; annoying spoilers in one and two).

We should definitely expect user-created content, judging by the wealth of content that sprang from the free release of Portal’s progenitor, Narbacular Drop. “We have any easy-to-use way of getting maps into Portal and loading them up,” says Swift. “We’re definitely looking forward to seeing what people create. We’re going to be releasing our FGD and an SDK update so people can use what we’re using.” That should happen soon after Episode Two, Team Fortress 2 and Portal launch together [in October].

This doesn’t confirm that there will be a built-in library of third-party downloads, but given The Steam Community’s recent announcement and Valve’s ever-lurking peer-to-peer network, the odds are reasonable.

To read more about the distribution of community content, see Building communities through residency.


9 Responses to this post:

Comments

  1. Andy Simpson Says:

    Sounds good. I hope we do see some kind of Steam-based way of getting at custom Portal content, perhaps along with some kind of rating system to allow the best content to float to the top.

    Anyways, have you noticed how much EP2/TF2/Portal information has been coming our way? Seems like a bit of a media blitz for games that are still a good long way off.

  2. ATimson Says:

    Four months or so. After having blown their previous release date so badly, they need a media blitz to keep people interested and aware that yes, they haven’t been cancelled.

  3. Ortzinator Says:

    Don’t forget about L4D when talking about media blitz.

  4. [TDR]Ciscokid Says:

    are we going to be able to buy it sepreatly from the orange box or any other bundles?.

    so im only buying portal?

  5. Tom Edwards Says:

    Yes. It’s $15.

  6. thomas Says:

    it costs $20 for me how come its 15 for you

  7. Tom Edwards Says:

    It went up before release, presumably.

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  1. Dearest Copernicus: Joost Schuur's blog
  2. Map downloads etc. - Steam Users Forums