Valve Cut Nausea-Inducing Wall-Walking Gel From Portal 2, Reveals Writer

[subtlefuge]

I knew the game felt smoother, I'm glad it wasn't just my imagination.

 

[Grabbin Keelz]

Yea, that was a problem for me in Dead Space, I had a hard time knowing where I was in those zero-g parts.

I liked conversion gel better anyway.

 

[PatSilverFox]

About glitches: Portal 2 had very little which is very nice.
I got stuck in a corner once and had a rendering glitch here or there but that's fine with me

[sub] you could argue the rendering was because xbox is weak, but I'm not sure [/sub]

 

[Sikachu]

If you're one of the poor unfortunates that experiences motion sickness and nausea when you play first person shooters, then you probably owe Valve a pretty big thank you. Portal 2 writer Erik Wolpaw has revealed that Valve originally planned to include a gel that let you walk on walls in Portal 2, but dropped it after it made people queasy.

Wolpaw said that the gel had added a nice gameplay twist, but that it was incredibly disorientating. He added that nausea was a constant concern when developing first person games, so the decision was made to drop the gel.

Having rather looked forward to Portal 2 for some time and finally getting around to playing the co-op through last night (in a disappointingly short, unfocused 4-5 hours) I was left with the distinct impression that it really wasn't made for me at all. The difficulty level rarely verged into taxing in terms of puzzles so I didn't feel there was much in the way of development there. I'd had high hopes for some or even lots of opportunities for highly skilled interplay between the two robots (think aerial flying around while shooting portals for each other so there's a bit of aiming) but was sorely disappointed, with the closest the game coming to this being when the partner needs to catch the cube (no more detail needed if you've done it I suspect). That Valve made a concession by removing what sounds like a very promising game mechanic so that more people don't get put off by one relatively small aspect of the game because it makes them feel uneasy hints that their development attitude is rather similar to Nintendo's in aiming for a friendly inclusiveness which leaves the more experienced players unsatisfied. In the game 'you' would be running around *on the ceiling*, it's not supposed to be comfortable. I for one feel to some extent betrayed, but it was inevitable once the consoles and iSteam happened that there would have to be a dumbing down. Perhaps by buying DLC I might get some of the game I hoped for this time around, and cast a worried eye in the direction of Episode 3.

Edit: Oh yeah and seriously Valve what the fuck were you thinking not progressing the co-op (and therefore I suspect the single player too) to eventually receiving the ability to shoot the different paints and solve puzzles with any combinations of our choosing?

Edit 2: If they don't put guns in Portal 3 I don't think the series is going to be worth bothering with (unless they put portals in Half-life).

 

[EmeraldGreen]

Ahh yes, I noticed this when playing TAG: The Power of Paint (the game the gel ideas came from, team was hired by Valve)

I agree, it's quite dizzying on that game, I doubt it'd have worked well in Portal 2

The wall-walking paint in TAG made me so sick, worse than any other game I've ever played. I'm so glad they decided to leave it out of Portal 2 (which I haven't played yet, but I will! honest!). The original Portal made me slightly nauseous too, so it's good they were aware of the problem when they were designing Portal 2.

i just feel bad that my fun is being held back just to appease a group of people i haven't even met in my life nor care about

Wow, thanks for your concern. You're missing out on what, a few levels? Whereas if Valve didn't care about the issue of motion sickness, many gamers might miss out on the majority of the game - or at least have a very unpleasant experience of it.

 

[vivster]

Ahh yes, I noticed this when playing TAG: The Power of Paint (the game the gel ideas came from, team was hired by Valve)

I agree, it's quite dizzying on that game, I doubt it'd have worked well in Portal 2

The wall-walking paint in TAG made me so sick, worse than any other game I've ever played. I'm so glad they decided to leave it out of Portal 2 (which I haven't played yet, but I will! honest!). The original Portal made me slightly nauseous too, so it's good they were aware ofthe problem when they were designing Portal 2.

i just feel bad that my fun is being held back just to appease a group of people i haven't even met in my life nor care about

Wow, thanks for your concern. You're missing out on what, a few levels? Whereas if Valve didn't care about the issue of motion sickness, many gamers might miss out on the majority of the game - or at least have a very unpleasant experience of it.

boohoo
and millions of handicapped people are missing the fun of climbing stairs
and millions of blind people will never be able to play portal with or without wall walking...and i don't see you complaining of valve releasing a game that millions of people can't play because of their disability

people call stuff not for nothing "sickness" or "inability"
because those are conditions out of the norm
and people with those conditions just can't do certain things and they have to accept that
it sucks for them but THEY have to cope with it and not drag everybody else down to their level

the next thing you want is banning all flights because it's unfair to the people who have a fear of flying

i have glasses
should i write now an angry letter to the producers of 3d movies that they should make movies more comfortable for my eyes?
no i shouldn't because i know where my place is and that i'm not a whiny *****

 

[JPH330]

About glitches: Portal 2 had very little which is very nice.
I got stuck in a corner once and had a rendering glitch here or there but that's fine with me

[sub] you could argue the rendering was because xbox is weak, but I'm not sure [/sub]

I played on the PC version and I never experienced a glitch. But that doesn't necessarily mean they aren't there, I may have just gotten lucky.

 

[EmeraldGreen]

i just feel bad that my fun is being held back just to appease a group of people i haven't even met in my life nor care about

Wow, thanks for your concern. You're missing out on what, a few levels? Whereas if Valve didn't care about the issue of motion sickness, many gamers might miss out on the majority of the game - or at least have a very unpleasant experience of it.

boohoo
and millions of handicapped people are missing the fun of climbing stairs
and millions of blind people will never be able to play portal with or without wall walking...and i don't see you complaining of valve releasing a game that millions of people can't play because of their disability

people call stuff not for nothing "sickness" or "inability"
because those are conditions out of the norm
and people with those conditions just can't do certain things and they have to accept that
it sucks for them but THEY have to cope with it and not drag everybody else down to their level

the next thing you want is banning all flights because it's unfair to the people who have a fear of flying

i have glasses
should i write now an angry letter to the producers of 3d movies that they should make movies more comfortable for my eyes?
no i shouldn't

Actually, I wear glasses too, and I know how annoying they can be when watching a 3D movie. The difference is, with a 3D movie I have options. I can go see a 2D version in a different cinema, or I can wait until it comes out on DVD and watch it comfortably in my living room. But if a game has levels that make me sick, there's nothing much I can do about it. I can fiddle with the graphics and camera settings and hope that helps, or I can keep playing in short bursts and hope it gets better later (and that it's not too far until the next save point). Or I can stop playing.

I'm not insisting that every game be made so as to minimise motion sickness. I've never complained to a developer because a game made me nauseous. But I appreciate it when a developer does go out of its way to make a game that I can play comfortably. A concrete example: I loved Mirror's Edge, but I probably would never have been able to play it if DICE hadn't put so much effort into anti-motion-sickness features.

i know where my place is and that i'm not a whiny *****

Indeed?

 

[WhiteTigerShiro]

As a person who primarily plays the Alien in AvP, I don't think the gel would have bothered me that much at all. That said though, as a person who primarily plays the Alien in AvP, I've noticed that one of the main reasons given by people who rarely (if never) play the Alien is that they get too dizzy and disoriented. So I'm willing to accept that it's niche gameplay style that's best left out of a game aiming for a broader audience.

Still, it'd be nice if they were to include it in future maps, since they would be completely optional to play.

 

[GamemasterAnthony]

Hmmm...interesting. Probably good that they removed the wall-walker gel if it caused THAT much motion sickness. Heck, my mom's got Acrophobia, so I could imagine how she might react to some of the scenes in the game if one such scene involved looking straight down at a floor several stories below you...or perhaps even a bottomless pit.

 

[YeyJordan]

Ahh. The first time I spied a switch on the ceiling, I was sure there would be an anti-gravity device somewhere. Would have been a rockin' mechanic for Portal 2, but hey, maybe Valve can make the ceiling-walking work if they ever set out to make third Portal.

 

[Legion]

Curse you weak people! That sounds like an awesome gel!

 

[WaderiAAA]

Some FPSes make me dizzy. It is the main reason I could never get into Deus Ex. Haven't had any problems with the portal games though, so I guess it works.

 

[snow]

Nice to see Valve taking all spectrums of interest into account when designing their game, although it is a little disappointing to hear; I think it would have made for some interesting puzzles. Optional DLC, perhaps?

This would be a pretty good reason to bring in DLC, a content pack that includes puzzles that only people who do not experience nausea should pick up. It would be the peoples choice to partake in it or not whether or not they get nausea.

 

[harvz]

i have never gotten motion sick from a game before (migraines though) and i will admit that i do feel a bit awkward playing portal (so much shifting) but i would like to see those rooms with the walking on walls, its an interesting mechanic and ironically, what my first game's core mechanic (sort of) that i ever released.

 

[DTWolfwood]

yeh i can totally see how that would turn out bad. Valve the last few companies that still play test their games! XD

Spoiler: minor plot spoilers

Also wish they had more lvls in the 1940s and 1970s setting. I found those to be very entertaining especially listening to Cave Johnson talk XD

More Repulsion and Propulsion Gel levels please! My favorite puzzle is still the lvl with the multistage long jumps with both those gels. You know the one that im sure most ppl took the longest to solve

 

[Chris646]

I'm not one of those people who gets nauseous from FPS games, but I'm still kinda glad they cut it out. It could've been interesting, but would probably make the game seem artificially longer. We only need the 4 gels: Portal, speed, jump, get-rid-of. That's how I refer to 'em.

 

[Lyndraco]

I am SO glad it's not just me who suffers from this (though it's never been quite so bad as it was - and still is - with Doom). I will have to show my brother this article as he swears I'm the only one who suffers it...

I'm not alone either! I was just reminiscing about how motion sick Doom made me. As someone who got royally sick playing the first Portal (I persevered however)I am thankful they attempted to make the second less jerky. It makes it hard to finish a game when you are so nauseous you can't see straight.

 

[Zay-el]

That Valve made a concession by removing what sounds like a very promising game mechanic so that more people don't get put off by one relatively small aspect of the game because it makes them feel uneasy hints that their development attitude is rather similar to Nintendo's in aiming for a friendly inclusiveness which leaves the more experienced players unsatisfied.

If throwing up on your keyboard constitutes as fun, I seriously do NOT wish to know what kind of games you might enjoy. And it's not about feeling uneasy, we're talking actual physical effects.

I personally DO have motion sickness sometimes, but only when perspectives really gets screwed up. I didn't like the upside-down parts in Prey and I quit the Alien vs. Predator beta, because playing an Alien literally made me sick. I'm pretty sure, that if Portal 2 REALLY had that gel implemented, then the combination of 2 Portals, Repulsion, Speed AND this wall-walker gel would have left me and possibly many more with splitting headaches.

Screwing around with perspectives always puts a strain on the person, both when it's a 3D movie(I can watch those, but I feel that my eyes are tired by the time it ends) or a game. Games actually have to be even more careful about this, since a single event like this could pull the whole thing down tremendously. With a movie, you can usually choose between 2-and-3D, but skipping levels in a game is usually not an option.

boohoo
and millions of handicapped people are missing the fun of climbing stairs
and millions of blind people will never be able to play portal with or without wall walking...and i don't see you complaining of valve releasing a game that millions of people can't play because of their disability

the next thing you want is banning all flights because it's unfair to the people who have a fear of flying

Grossly inconsiderate, with an extremely flimsy example. Valve released a complete game, which was nice-und-tidy, until you heard they made it while considering that some people might get sick. Going gun-ho, you're more than ready to berate them AND Valve, all because you feel entitled to the last tiny bit of scrap coding the game might have.

Also, consider it from their viewpoint. Portal was a superb game, regarded extremely highly. While they could not make the sequel available to every single human being on the planet, they tried to make it available for broad appeal, while making sure that this game, which already toys around a lot with perspective, would be FUN for everyone. Feeling dizzy and getting migraines does not equal fun and I'm very happy Valve recognized that issue.

no i shouldn't because i know where my place is and that i'm not a whiny *****

...but you feel the need to talk down others "you have never met and don't care about", simply because they didn't implement a single, non-definite element into your game.