Portal | Cheerful Ghost

Steam Will Categorize Games for the Steam Deck Compatability

Steam Deck is the new Valve hardware that will play your Steam library on the go using Linux and a modified version of Wine. Because of that some games don't run perfectly and Valve has a new system to let you know what games work and what games might need some tweaking.

"Introducing Deck Verified: See at a glance how your Steam games run on Deck. "

Learn fission vs. fusion with GLaDOS

NASA got Ellen McLain to voice a supercomputer in this educational video. It does a fantastic job of explaining just what these concepts mean, while also staying true to character.

I mean it's corny, yeah, but it's fun.

Portal: Survive! Cool New Portal Fan Film Short

Portal: Survive is a interesting fan film short showcasing Portal and Lab Rat the Portal comic that ties Portal and Portal 2 together. The video contains a bit more Aperture Science lore with GlaDOS and the "neurotoxin accident" that cleared the facility.

This is one of the better fan video game films and I recommend you watch it. There was another Portal fan movie created back in 2011 called Portal: No Escape. Both are quite good and worthy of a watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4drucg1A6Xk

Aperture Science: DS Homebrew Portal Game

Really interesting homebrew project recreating Portal on the DS. Does anyone with a homebrew DS want to try this out and report back? Totally love to hear about how this plays.

"This game is an adaptation of the portal games for the nintendo DS. It includes most of the mechanics found in the original. The code was written entirely by smealum and the graphics were all made by Lobo.

This version is the first public release. It is very buggy and incomplete, but it is mostly playable. It includes 14 levels made by smealum, loganino and tenteran. It also features a full-fledged on-board level editor inspired by portal 2′s own perpetual testing initiative."

... Read All

First Thoughts On The Portal Linux Beta

Portal and Left 4 Dead 2 were recently released on Steam for Linux and I decided to give Portal a shot. First off the install is painless and after starting the game up the game auto-detected my system properly and turned all the setting up to the right levels. The shot I took above was a scaled down version of what I saw on my monitor.

The game plays very well and is really awesome because... its Portal :D Its really quite incredible how quickly Valve is porting over their back catalog to Linux and I have found that they all work very well.

Have you tried the Portal Linux Beta or the Left 4 Dead 2 Linux Beta yet?

Robert_Kryder wrote on 08/31/2014 at 03:49am

I just downloaded Portal. I am using a box that my place of employment awarded to me. It is a totally sweet Dell Optiplex 760. However, it comes with the most basic of Intel Graphics stuff/drivers/widgets. It's as if the Aperture Science Enrichment Center didn't pay their power bill, and I am seeing only the barest of outlines in the dark. I can hear GLaDOS, and I asked her what the best Graphics card would be, and she suggested an Nvidea card, because that company is, as she so aptly put it, "Is Open Source Friendly." So I am thinking the GeForce 9300. Any thoughts out there in CG land?

Robert_Kryder wrote on 08/31/2014 at 04:46am

Hmm. Now it works. Not sure what I did, but wow this is cool.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/31/2014 at 06:17pm

Cool to hear that it works pretty well. Portal should run on even some of the most basic hardware.

NVidia is a good choice, but if you want awesome Open Source support and don't need to play the most bling of the bling, then stick with the Intel card as all the drivers for those cards are in the Linux Kernel directly.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 08/31/2014 at 06:17pm

That said, NVidia will be the best bang for your buck and they have superb drivers for Linux.

Robert_Kryder wrote on 11/04/2017 at 01:08am

Jon, do you know if Starcraft 2 Legacy or Battlechest has stand alone games against the AI ? I know there are many solo campaigns, but I can't see anything on Google about just starting a game against the computer.

jdodson Admin Post Author wrote on 11/05/2017 at 02:26pm

Yeah Rob you can do that. PLUS it’s going free to play later this month so if you want, you can wait until then to play it for free!

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This was a Triumph.

Hello, *Insert Test Subject Name Here*, and welcome to the Aperture Labs Modular Testing Facility. You are no doubt the pride of *Insert Test Subject's Hometown Here*. For this next test, we have replaced the defective test facility with a live fire course designed for military androids.

A few days ago, I made the discovery that my wife had never experienced the majesty that was the original Portal. A few dollars on steam later, we set about remedying this unfortunate oversight. "So, what the heck is this? A First-Person Puzzle game?" She asked me, a bit incredulous. "That sounds kind of dumb:"

Having not steered her wrong on games before, she was willing to give me... Read All Hello, *Insert Test Subject Name Here*, and welcome to the Aperture Labs Modular Testing Facility. You are no doubt the pride of *Insert Test Subject's Hometown Here*. For this next test, we have replaced the defective test facility with a live fire course designed for military androids.

A few days ago, I made the discovery that my wife had never experienced the majesty that was the original Portal. A few dollars on steam later, we set about remedying this unfortunate oversight. "So, what the heck is this? A First-Person Puzzle game?" She asked me, a bit incredulous. "That sounds kind of dumb:"

Having not steered her wrong on games before, she was willing to give me the benefit of the doubt. She delved into Aperture Labs, oblivious to the trials and tribulations ahead of her. She hears the calming tones of GLaDOS pushing her along, encouraging her to continue testing. She laughed as she realized lining up a pair of portals on the ceiling and floor makes for a lot of speed, and the right portal afterwards sends her ceiling-bound. Promises of cake kept her moving to the next test chamber,

Then came the Rattman. She stumbled upon a broken section of wall, and curiosity got the better of her. "What's this?" She wondered aloud. "The Cake Is A Lie? But she promised!" Suddenly, that wide-eyed joy was replaced with a hint of concern. She wondered who to trust. The dulcet tones that have led her every step of the way so far, or the hasty, erratic graffiti obviously scrawled by a desperate, if not mad man. We moved on, a bit uneasier, but still completely enthralled.

By now, we've met most of the cast. GLaDOS has been whispering in our ear the entire time, and the Rattman has left his mark on our test chambers. As she stepped out of the elevator, our last cast member introduced itself. Muck like our beloved Chell, it is silent, resilient, reliable, and a little bit adorable. The Aperture Science Weighted Companion Cube has found its way into our lives, and she couldn't be happier. As she smiles and hops along with her new friend, I'm filled with an increasing sense of dread, knowing what comes next...

To Be Continued.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/27/2013 at 12:05am

For sure. When I lost the companion cube I remember my wife was in the room and she was like "Hey, wait what, YOU DIDNT HAVE TO DO THAT!" I was like, "yeah I think I did." Funny how nearly everyone reacts badly to that scene.

Have you played Portal before?

Nick_Donahoo Post Author wrote on 03/27/2013 at 12:42am

I played it years ago. I was surprise when I realized she hadn't. I was watching her more than the game, It's kind of a surreal experience knowing the twists when the other person doesn't.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/27/2013 at 01:01am

For sure. Before Portal 2 came out I played the original again. It was still very fun and enjoyed myself.

Have you played Portal 2?

Nick_Donahoo Post Author wrote on 03/27/2013 at 01:14am

*ahem* I'm in SPAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!

Um, yes. I have. It was a masterpiece. And half of it was voiced by Nolan North, who you might recognize as the voice of EVERYTHING. I have a thing for good voice acting, and this was incredibly well done. Absolutely everything was right about it. I should be doing a write up of my wife's first playthrough. Heck, that might just become a thing. "My Wife Plays ____" The story of a gamer sharing his lifelong passion with his until recently non-gamer wife.

jdodson Admin wrote on 03/27/2013 at 01:15am

Hahahaha that sounds awesome.

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