“...regrets to inform you that this next test is impossible.”
July 26, 2017 8:51 AM   Subscribe

Portal Done Without Mouse Movement [YouTube] The entire game is completed inbounds without moving the in game camera which is typically controlled by the mouse.
posted by Fizz (12 comments total) 10 users marked this as a favorite
 
Short FAQ by Imanex
Q: How do you know you didn't move the mouse?
A: Unplug it from the computer or turn it upside down. The only camera movement you see if from the game flipping you when you go through ground/roof to wall portals
Note portal lowest sensitivity can only be set to 0.001 which is not good enough.

Q: How did you shoot portals without using the mouse?
A: I rebound the shooting portal keys to '6' and '7'

Q: It look like you moved the mouse at (Insert time stamp here).
A: I recorded this run using the in game demos. The Demo recordings are buggy when going through portals. I edited the video as best I could to keep the appearance of straight angles when going through portals but it is not always possible as it gets glitched on playback.

Q:Why is the a black screen right at the end of the video?
A: I'm bad at editing :D
posted by Fizz at 8:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]


I am not judging this person's way of finding enjoyment/generating attention/celebrating a game that's truly amazing... but this makes me sad for some reason.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:02 AM on July 26, 2017


Ok, I take it back, I thought there'd be a lot of staring at walls and blind strafing and such but the solutions get decently elegant as the video goes on. The music though.... maybe I'm just in a bad mood.
posted by RolandOfEld at 9:06 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


For more things that should not be possible in Portal without rebinding certain controls, here's Azorae playing both characters in Portal 2's two player co-op mode at the Summer Games Done Quick 2017 charity marathon.
posted by radwolf76 at 9:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]


Nice! I played through both Portal games a couple years ago using a trackpad rather than a mouse, which proved to my satisfaction that the pointer is necessary but not as heavily leveraged in the game as it is in most FPSes. This goes a huge step beyond that.
posted by ardgedee at 9:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]


> I thought there'd be a lot of staring at walls and blind strafing and such but the solutions get decently elegant as the video goes on.

I figured the video was only made after the player had figured out how to solve each level on their own time, to minimize recorded fumbling. But yeah, tricks like re-aiming the angle of the gun by rapidly portaling through a corner for a couple turns, or setting the angle of the gun for the next level by the way they approach the elevator for the previous level... some of it is brilliant.
posted by ardgedee at 9:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


I do love how there is a consistent attempt to kind of "break" this game. Or at least re-think how we approach problem solving in this in-game universe. Every few years, something cool like this comes around. I appreciate the way that this game has withstood the test of time and continues to entertain.
posted by Fizz at 9:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]


While I'm sure this was fun for this person to figure out, I do think the game designers made the correct choice in allowing players to move the camera.
posted by aubilenon at 9:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]


I appreciate the way that this game has withstood the test of time and continues to entertain.
I finally just got through the co-op mode of Portal 2 last night, years after finishing the solo mode. I came to a similar conclusion. Portal is a classic.

Portal 2 is good too, better story for sure, but with most walls being un-portallable, that feeling of playful discovery from the first game is reduced to is reduced to "find the hidden square"
posted by Popular Ethics at 9:52 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]


Popular Ethics, this is an older article but not surprising: Research shows Portal 2 is better for you than 'Brain training' software [Gizmodo]
“The short study, conducted by Valerie Shute, only took place over 8 hours - so whilst it doesn't give us the full picture for her findings, it does show an interesting starting point for seeing how mainstream video games can aid with a better understanding of Neuroplasticity (the idea that an adult brain can grow and change for the better through training and constructive methods of play).

Shute and her colleagues split their test subjects into two groups: One group played popular brain training software Lumosity for 8 hours, the other played Portal 2. After their playing sessions, the groups were then subjected to a deadly neurotoxin a series of standard cognitive skills tests - and the group that had spent their time outwitting GLaDOS trumped the group who'd played Lumosity in every one.”
See mom, video games are good for my brain.
posted by Fizz at 10:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]


Keep in mind, though, that all available evidence says that luminosity doesn't do shit.
posted by kaibutsu at 1:25 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]


It's weird and disappointing that they're much faster at getting through Portal without a mouse than I am at getting through it with one.
posted by Joe in Australia at 7:35 PM on July 26, 2017


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