About Portal 2: Community Edition
Portal 2: Community Edition launched into open beta yesterday on PC. This new version aims to enhance the game's modding potential, allowing creators to explore and expand the boundaries of the beloved puzzle platformer. The original Portal 2 has inspired a thriving community of modders, with around a million custom levels available on Steam Workshop.
New Features and Changes
Portal 2: Community Edition introduces several key features designed to elevate the modding experience. These include:
- New lighting tech
- Volumetrics
- Support for more detailed textures
- Custom campaign support with built-in UI
- Expanded scripting capabilities
- An overhaul to the Hammer map editor
The updates are made possible through Strata Source, a fork of the CS:GO engine. This foundation allows for innovative mods, including notable works like Portal: Revolution.
Community Creations and Future Potential
The announcement video emphasizes that this is not a remake or overhaul of the original campaign. Instead, it is a community-maintained build with the goal of fostering creativity. Players can already explore projects made for Community Edition, including Half-Life 2 maps and an original puzzle called Lesbian Kissing. The potential for unique custom maps is significant, as many creators are likely to push the envelope further.
What This Means for Players
With the open beta now available, players can expect an influx of innovative content as the modding community begins to utilize these new tools. While there may not be a vast array of new levels just yet, the team behind Community Edition is actively working on an original campaign to complement the mod. As modders adapt to the enhanced capabilities, we can anticipate creations that may resemble entirely different games.