Portal Carousel
- Previous Map Container Ride
- File Name sp_a1_intro2
- Appearance Courtesy Call
- Native to Challenge Mode Not by default
- World Record loading...
- Least Portals loading...
- Next Map Portal Gun
Contents
Overview
Portal Carousel is the second map of Courtesy Call. The map acts as a callback to Chamber 01 of Portal, with the main functional difference being the player can control the blue portal by pressing the button corresponding to the section of the map you want to access.
General Route
Hopping under the first door, and sloping off the lip of the door is the fastest way to exit the elevator chamber. If you hop under the door correctly, two hops should hopefully have you end up near the button. You want to be close enough to press it, but not so close that you can't quickly 180° into a circle jump through the opening orange portal.
Orange Portal Trigger
It's very possible to go too far when jumping off the ledge, especially with a good door hop, and miss the floor trigger that opens the orange portal. You want to hit this trigger so that you don't have to wait for the orange portal to open after pressing the button. So if you're consistently going too far out, purposefully nerfing your speed, or not strafing as hard might help make this more consistent for you.
Once you pass through the orange portal, you want to grab the cube and circle jump back towards the blue portal, and try to ensure you don't get too much speed and hit the top of the portal, as going through it is obviously faster. The route differs from here, depending on if you're playing full game or challenge mode, see those sections below for more information.
View of the orange portal trigger from above
A look from the button
The trigger to start the ending dialogue
The trigger to bring down the elevator
Challenge Mode Specific
Stair hops are advantageous on this map, although you should stop near the end of the stairs, and prepare to circle jump under the door as it opens. Landing in the right place is even more important, land so that you hit the floor trigger, but can still press the button quickly. Try to emulate world record's movement, and don't add extra hops.
Cube Throw
After you have the cube, you need to pivot around once again to jump back through the blue portal. Next you make a jump near the front of a stack of rusted metal near the front of the left room containing the floor button. As you land near this pile, you want to flick your mouse up, and to the left, while jumping. When done correctly, this gives the cube enough momentum to clear the glass on your left, and land in the room with the button. With enough practice you can make this throw with some consistency, it is important to note however, that the cube landing perfectly on the button is random. The general consensus among pros is that attempting to aim at the wall to the left of the button, and relying on it bouncing onto the button is more reliable than aiming for it to land on the button, as it often falls off after landing on the button.
It's best to assume success on your cube throw during a run, and to continue bunny hopping to the button at the back of the room. Hit the button, then pivot into a circle jump, and hop back to the orange portal at the back of the room. Typically, full game players make it back in four hops (including the hop through the orange portal), in challenge mode, runners attempt to stop their speed early, and hit the button from farther way, then do a larger circle jump to make a total of three hops. Unlike in full game, the dialogue trigger does not matter, but the elevator trigger matters a lot. It's at the front of the door to the elevator room (see the gallery above), so make hitting that a priority for you during your runs.
A small optimization at the end is jumping into the elevator so that you start it's movement down slightly faster. You cannot enter this elevator as fast as some other elevators in the game, so runners typically wait 5-6 steps from ground, and circle jump around the time that the bottom of the elevator door is halfway up. Watch the world record for comparison, and practice this before your runs if you want to use it in a run.
Full Game Specific
Example in a Single Segment run by Can't Even
Finishing the chamber in full game runs is very different from challenge mode. The cube throw is entirely impractical in runs, so the map is solved as intended. After coming out of the blue portal with the cube, it is typically placed to the side, so your hands are free to press the button for the floor button room. Be sure to place it so that it is easy to grab heading back into the orange portal, but does not block your movement. After pressing the button, hop back into the orange portal, grabbing the cube on your way. From inside the orange portal, most runners walk forward slightly before giving the cube a mild toss onto the button. It is important not to over-do this, and if you're not confident, place the cube onto the button. Make your way to the button at the far back, and make an effort to hit the trigger for final dialogue as quickly as possible. The trigger is shown in the gallery above. From there, you are on a timer until the correction dialogue queue.
Full Game Dialogue
The optimal dialogue for the Elevator Fade is entering the elevator when the Announcer starts to say "associate" in "reintegration associate".
"Before re-entering a relaxation vault at the conclusion of testing, please take a moment to write down the results of your test. An Aperture Science Reintegration As-[Enter Elevator]-sociate will revive you for an interview when society has been rebuilt."