"Screenshot" Tech Demo Messes With Both Portal and Your Mind

[Hevva]

"Screenshot" Tech Demo Messes With Both Portal and Your Mind

​

Indie developer Arthur Lee has created something that looks a lot like a blueprint for Portal 3.

Try to imagine a version of Portal that lets you move around and manipulate fixed points in spacetime and you're close to describing this as yet unnamed "screenshot" tech demo. Uploaded to YouTube by indie games developer Arthur "Mr. Podunkian" Lee [http://www.superfundungeonrun.com/], this short video shows him having fun messing around with the spacetime continuum and some boxes.

Lee has used Unity 3D to combine best parts of Portal and Snapshot [http://retroaffect.com/games/1/snapshot/], resulting in a slightly mindbending experience where he takes a snapshot of an event which turns into a portal once attached to a flat surface. New dimensions are created and past events return to the future with physical force.

Everything about this looks great, though I can't help but wonder what would happen if you took a snapshot of a snapshot. Would you be able to jump back through it and into the dimension captured by the snapshot within it? Lee says on his blog [http://www.superfundungeonrun.com/] that he's planning to update everyone on the future of "screenshot" soon; given how well his concept works, we won't be the only ones paying close attention.

Source: RockPaperShotgun [http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/09/20/now-youre-thinking-with-screenshots/]

Permalink

 

[Arcanist]

That was... pretty awesome. I especially liked how you can create duplicate realities - that seems like fodder for some truly devious puzzles in the hands of a clever level designer.

 

[2fish]

I would get so confused. Ok in which screenshot do I need to put this block? Ok the game just said I beat the level and need to walk through the door, in which screenshot is the door open?


Looks cool though.

 

[Daystar Clarion]

Interesting.

I can imagine turning this into a game being very difficult though. I can't really see how it could be effectively applied in a gameplay perspective.

 

[Wicky_42]

Would be insane to be able to run multiple screen-shots in parallel, or feed multiple copies of one screenshot into one reality. Think taking a dozen screenshots of a puddle to get enough water to fill a lake... genius concept, good on him!

 

[Akytalusia]

that has alot of potential. let's hope it gets the support it deserves.

 

[Owlslayer]

Quite interesting. It's like Portal, only with time travel (or something like that) involved!
I'd play it.

 

[Zhukov]

Oh, this is going to hurt my brain, I just know it.

 

[Chimpzy_v1legacy]

Valve needs to hire that guy. Imagine this concept backed by the technology and polish afforded by Valve's resources.

It wouldn't be the first time. Counter-Strike, Team Fortress 2 and Portal all started out this way.

 

[omicron1]

The concept here, from a tech perspective, is disarmingly simple, yet could easily be the gateway to a more demanding, "advanced" version of portal. To wit: Each screenshot duplicates the game world, turning off physics until that screenshot is "placed" within the world. It also keeps track of the matrix of the player's rotation, which is combined with the rotation of the portal itself to create the camera angle for the in-environment screenshot. Everything else is classic portal.

 

[CardinalPiggles]

Why not just play Portal?

 

[ryo02]

something new to be added to portal 3? I can only hope throw in paint and portals and things could get confusing fast in a very fun way.

 

[GiantRaven]

I give it a week before Valve hires the guy.

 

[Alssadar]

I wouldn't mind playing that. It might make me angry and take me a week or two, but I would play it.

 

[Doom-Slayer]

It looks totally mind bending but I struggle to think how it could be used for puzzles. The only example I can think of would be this

There is an locked exit door and a button...button releases a key and blows up the door. So take a snapshot, get the key, go back to beforehand, unlock door. Simplistic but ya..item duplication seems so easy Im not sure how you can get around it.

 

[Bluecho]

You could also maybe try to have the reality within the snapshot be subject to the physics outside the snapshot. So put one on the ceiling and watch blocks tumble out.

Except that would make the falling blocks from earlier not work if placed on a wall. So confusing. >_<

 

[LorienvArden]

Yup... this is Portal 3. Nd doubt. I think this idea is much better then the actual "portal successor"

I don't have the patience for puzzle games like these, but I think this is absolutly brilliant. Hats of to the genius that made the connection that portals needs some seroius time twisting.

 

[Hoplon]

Odd. very odd.

Not boring though with is always nice.