Portal 2 Nearly Had Sports-Inspired Multiplayer Mode

[gregoryg]

Portal 2 Nearly Had Sports-Inspired Multiplayer Mode

Valve planned a competitive Pong-meets-Portal multiplayer mode for Portal 2, but cut it because it was "pure chaos."

1Up [http://www.amazon.com/Portal-2-Playstation-3/dp/B003O6E3C8/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=videogames&qid=1282919253&sr=8-2], Valve writer Erik Wolpaw revealed that a competitive multiplayer mode was in the works, but was cut because it was a chaotic "mess."

Wolpaw said, "Along with co-op, [we had] the idea of sort of a competitive Portal multiplayer. We went down that path, actually, for a little while and had something up and running - the best way to describe it is sort of speedball meets Portal. You know, a sports analog."

This hyperkinetic variant of Pong replaced paddles with portal guns, with players scoring by quickly teleporting a ball towards a goal. Your opponent would try to stop you by intercepting the ball - by placing a portal on the opposite wall after the ball bounces, for instance - and redirecting it to their own goal.

"It was a hot mess," exclaimed Wolpaw when asked why the mode was scrapped. "It quickly became apparent that while it's fun for about two seconds to drop portals under people and things like that, it quickly just devolves into pure chaos. It lost a lot of the stuff that was really entertaining about Portal, which was puzzle-solving."

Ultimately the co-op puzzle mode "was just a much more rewarding path."

Portal 2 will launch for the PC, Mac, Xbox 360, and PS3 on February 9th, 2011.

Source: 1Up [http://www.1up.com/news/valve-cut-portal-2-competitive]

Permalink

 

[imnot]

Sounds terrible, Anyone know if the co-op is splitscreen?

 

[fanklok]

I almost hope they bring it back later. Pure chaos sounds fun to me!

Maybe they're like lazy devs and just leave cut and unfinished things in the games for modders to discover.

 

[The Lunatic]

I imagine people are working to recreate this on Garry's mode as we speak.

 

[Smack-Ferret]

I wonder if you could do tetris with portals.

 

[snow]

I could see them using it as some form of puzzle for the 2 player part. Would be funny as hell to have 2 people work co-op throughout the entire 2 player mode only to find out they're trapped in these rooms and must fight eachother for survival.

Seeing as how they are both robots, would be neat to have this final standoff where GlaDOS turns them against eachother, trapped in 2 different rooms with a trap door underneath them, they have to play some sort of "Pong" like game where the loser drops into the fire.

Or what they think is going to be fire by word of GlaDOS but turns out to be another room with a small puzzle that will help the other player proceed as well...

 

[Xanthious]

That sounds like it would be pure win. It would be total and utter chaos to be sure but fun as hell none the less. Hopefully Valve or one of them there crafty modding type folks makes this happen in the future.

 

[theComposer]

This is disappointing. Chaotic as it might be, ever since Valve announced co-op, I've always thought some sort of portal battle mode would be fun and exciting. I understand why they cut it out, but hopefully Valve or a modder will bring it back soon after release.

 

[mageroel]

Sounds like a great idea, let's have more complicated puzzles great new addition to the game, I'd say.

 

[Burck]

Well, I guess we can all still grief with our friends in co-op.

Besides, what other game lets you make your friend reach terminal velocity and fly into a pool of digestive acids?

 

[JourneyThroughHell]

Aww, damn it, it sounds pretty damn good actually.
Yeah, it would be chaotic, but mastering the mode would be tons and tons of fun.

 

[Buizel91]

I wonder if you could do tetris with portals.

...Valve, if you read this, do the above...NOW!

And i think Valve could of pulled it off, but if it was total Chaos, then maybe it was for the best.

 

[Jared]

...I could omnly imagine brains would be agaisnt walls, heh

 

[Scobie]

DELETED

 

[Benmonkey7]

I think that would be pure chaos but I think some sort of competitive race would be fun. Like you and the other person are placed in 2 separate areas that are the same and you have to like race to complete the puzzles and get to the end before the other person.

 

[Onyx Oblivion]

And Left 4 Dead isn't total chaos?

BRING THIS BACK! We can handle chaos!

 

[dfcrackhead]

Holy shit we have a release date! I wonder if valve will stick to this. (sorry if I'm slow to know about the release date, it's the first I've read about it)

 

[Rabarberskurk]

Modders will probably make something similar eventually.

 

[BobisOnlyBob]

Modders will definitely be all over that, it'll probably become possible (if not already possible in the original Portal) very shortly.