# I'm stuck in Portal (first one) in test 15 **URL:** \ **Category:** The Game Room\ **Created:** [January 31, 2012, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279 "2012-01-31T05:07:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 8:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/21 "2012-02-01T08:00:53Z")
This isn’t the video that got me onto this Science kick, but I thought a lot of people might enjoy it anyway: [Portal - still alive (High Quality sound) with lyrics! - YouTube](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxTNqYAWISs&feature=related) ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/22 "2012-02-01T17:39:16Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Heh. That’s not what they said, but it’s far more believable than the letter I received from them: They also realized that the guides are a cash cow. I buy them for all the FF games, not because I need them to beat the game, but when I replay the game like many of us do, I want to get 100% completion. The guides and the hand-holding are excellent for those 2nd or 3rd playthroughs where you want to see all the stuff you missed the first time. After all, nobody’s figuring out by themselves how to get a gold chocobo the first time. ---
**Author:** ![muldoonthief](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muldoonthief/32/3188_2.png) [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/23 "2012-02-01T18:22:35Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Dear Lynn: > … > Caroline > Customer Support Rep. > SQUARESOFT You got an email from Caroline? Oh dear. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/24 "2012-02-01T18:40:30Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > They also realized that the guides are a cash cow. I buy them for all the FF games, not because I need them to beat the game, but when I replay the game like many of us do, I want to get 100% completion. The guides and the hand-holding are excellent for those 2nd or 3rd playthroughs where you want to see all the stuff you missed the first time. After all, nobody’s figuring out by themselves how to get a gold chocobo the first time. Yeah, I used to buy the guides when I bought the games, as I said. However, I was so disgusted at IX and X that I just gave up buying the Final Fantasy franchise. Making FFXI a MMORPG didn’t help, either. ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/25 "2012-02-01T20:13:08Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You can’t always choose which way you’re going to go through a portal pair (well, you _can_, but it requires excellent reflexes and aim, and makes the game much harder). Sometimes, it’s far, far easier to reuse a portal you just came out of as the “in” portal for the next jump. They made a downloadable version of the game for Xbox Live Arcade called **Portal: Still Alive**. That version has an achievement called “Out Of The Blue”, which you earn by completing the game without entering a blue portal even once. The only really tricky part, IMHO, is the end of chamber 18. But I made it! ---
**Author:** ![kferr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/71e660/32.png) [@kferr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kferr)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/26 "2012-02-03T12:03:15Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > You can’t always choose which way you’re going to go through a portal pair (well, you _can_, but it requires excellent reflexes and aim, and makes the game much harder). Sometimes, it’s far, far easier to reuse a portal you just came out of as the “in” portal for the next jump. > > Another tip: There are multiple ways to do most things in the game, and for most of the things you need to do, \*\*there’s at least one way that does not require lightning reflexes. \*\* So if you ever find yourself saying “This is _impossible_; I’d have to be a robot (or a teenager) to do that quick enough!”, start looking around for other ways to do it. The robot (or teenager) method might indeed be possible, and that might be relevant for doing a map in Challenge Mode (where you’re trying to minimize your time, or the number of portals you use, or the number of steps you take), but it’s not necessary for the regular game. When I read the bolded part I almost replied with “bullshit, what about chamber 19 in Portal 2? That took me lots of attempts to get right”. But thought better of it and had a look at youtube. :smack: The easier option is right there in front of you. ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/27 "2012-02-03T17:43:52Z")
Oh man. I’m at the 5-minute boss thingy in chamber 19. I only tried it once, at 3am last night, and failed miserably, but I was also really tired. I’ll give it another shot tonight, most likely (or get my husband to do it hehehe…I hate time trials!) So…yeah… my misgivings were justified. This game is _freaky_. I thought it was just a cute puzzle game…I didn’t want to be baked! I had no idea what to expect, but I’m loving it! I just _still_ suck at manoeuvring my character around. No dexterity whatsoever :smack: So…did she, or did she not, say _minced_? :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Tanbarkie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a698b9/32.png) [@Tanbarkie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tanbarkie)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/28 "2012-02-03T18:22:27Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > So…did she, or did she not, say _minced_? :eek: This is GLaDOS we’re talking about. It’s quite likely she meant both “minced” and “missed.” They’re not mutually exclusive, after all. 😉 Seriously, though, keep your impressions coming! It’s been five years since my first playthrough of Portal and I’m enjoying reliving the experience via your posts. Portal was such a brilliantly rare game experience - a perfect integration of game design and story. (It’s truly astonishing that Valve actually made the sequel even better than the original, in a lot of ways. You’re going to LOVE Portal 2 cooperative play.) The only other games I’ve played in the past five years to give me the pure, unadulterated joy that I got from Portal are Bastion and Braid - two other “small” games that take a novel approach to a classic game design form and merge it beautifully with thematically appropriate stories. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 6:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/29 "2012-02-03T18:23:13Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > So…did she, or did she not, say _minced_? :eek: She said “missed.” ---
**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 6:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/30 "2012-02-03T18:35:30Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > I had no idea what to expect, but I’m loving it! I just _still_ suck at manoeuvring my character around. No dexterity whatsoever :smack: Have you tried inverting the Y-axis? That tremendously helps quite a few people out (and does the exact opposite for the rest of the population). ---
**Author:** ![Stormcrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/0ea827/32.png) [@Stormcrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stormcrow)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/31 "2012-02-03T18:39:11Z")
> [@Jragon](#): > > She said “missed.” “Missed,” or “mist?” ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/32 "2012-02-03T18:40:11Z")
> [@Stormcrow](#): > > “Missed,” or “mist?” You’re right, “mist,” she’s the Slender Man. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/33 "2012-02-03T18:50:13Z")
> [@](#): > > You’re going to LOVE Portal 2 cooperative play. I do not like co-operative play. If I wanted to play with another person, as opposed to playing with the computer, I’d play Munchkin. The only time I do anything like co-operative play on a video/computer game is when I ask my daughter to build the spaceship (which she loves to do, and is good at) in Kingdom Hearts. In return, I will do some grinding (which I rather enjoy) in a game that she’s playing. ---
**Author:** ![Bosstone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/22d042/32.png) [@Bosstone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosstone)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/34 "2012-02-03T18:54:28Z")
> [@Tanbarkie](#): > > It’s been five years since my first playthrough of Portal …Oh jesus, it has been five years, hasn’t it? That just isn’t right. ---
**Author:** ![Great\_Antibob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47c2d/32.png) [@Great\_Antibob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Great_Antibob)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/35 "2012-02-03T19:21:52Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I do not like co-operative play. If I wanted to play with another person, as opposed to playing with the computer, I’d play Munchkin. In general, I’d agree, but Portal 2 is a major exception, at least if you know who you’re playing with and can communicate (voice preferred). I didn’t think I’d like the co-op mode nearly as much as I did. With the single player game, I figured out most of the puzzles fairly quickly and there were few “wow” moments, compared to the first game. But I hardly played a session of the co-op where such moments didn’t exist. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2012, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/36 "2012-02-03T22:37:19Z")
> [@](#): > > They made a downloadable version of the game for Xbox Live Arcade called Portal: Still Alive. That version has an achievement called “Out Of The Blue”, which you earn by completing the game without entering a blue portal even once. The only really tricky part, IMHO, is the end of chamber 18. But I made it! Yeah, the existence of that achievement is the only way I even knew it was possible. I assume, though, that the maps before you get the two-portal device don’t count. And for the record, you don’t get minced until Portal 2. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/37 "2012-02-04T04:09:29Z")
Update: I’m STILL on level 15, on what apparently is another flinging challenge. Yeah, that challenge is a word that starts with F all right… ---
**Author:** ![mnemosyne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@mnemosyne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mnemosyne)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 7:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/38 "2012-02-04T07:33:56Z")
Ok…I don’t want to spoil things for Lynn (please don’t read this, Lynn, I’m just confused), but I got through #19 and my impression is… anti-climactic much? Explosion and boom and outside and checkpoint Charlie and then… cake and credits and that’s it? What? I’ve worked through all but one of the Advanced levels, but… are there alternate endings now? WTF? What did I miss/do wrong? I wanted a story and this went nowhere. I like stories. So confused. ---
**Author:** ![Gorsnak](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gorsnak/32/7587_2.png) [@Gorsnak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gorsnak)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 1:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/39 "2012-02-04T13:11:07Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Ok…I don’t want to spoil things for Lynn (please don’t read this, Lynn, I’m just confused), but I got through #19 and my impression is… I would recommend that after all that work you should spend some time at the Extended Relaxation Center. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 4, 2012, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279/40 "2012-02-04T14:09:20Z")
> [@mnemosyne](#): > > Ok…I don’t want to spoil things for Lynn (please don’t read this, Lynn, I’m just confused), but I got through #19 and my impression is… > > anti-climactic much? Explosion and boom and outside and checkpoint Charlie and then… cake and credits and that’s it? What? I’ve worked through all but one of the Advanced levels, but… are there alternate endings now? WTF? What did I miss/do wrong? I wanted a story and this went nowhere. I like stories. So confused. IIRC, the original ending just had you presumably leaving the facility once you reached the surface. It was changed to having your unconscious body pulled back in once Portal 2 was planned. Keep in mind that Portal was sort of a nifty experiment that hit it off big but wasn’t planned to be a “real” game in some ways (which is why it’s so short as well). Portal 2 is longer and more plot/story based [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-stuck-in-portal-first-one-in-test-15/611279.md?page=3)