Some companies create DLC, good and bad. Valve creates incredible free content. Going into the level editor, all I expected was a tool. What I found was the most intuitive, funny and stylish level editor I've ever used.
The art style is taken from the animated Aperture Science ads, the game's release advertising. Catch a glimpse of yourself in a portal, and you'll see a hard working Aperture stick figure. Excellent new lines have been added for Cave Johnson, which will have you giggling at a cloud. Nicely tying community levels into the game, rather than them being an appendage.
The main advantage is that the editor looks simple, and is simple. If you ever try Valve's Hammer editor or the Unreal SDK; it's like jumping in the deep end of the pool. Of course the greater complexity of the software gives you more creative options.
So just how easy is it to use? The controls are straight forward. Useful actions such as adding and removing blocks are bound to '+' and '-'. To toggle a portable surface, drag select and hit 'p'. All actions can also be performed with the mouse, with handy context sensitive icons. It took about 30 minutes for me to have a basic layout of my test chamber ready.
Then comes the tricky part of creating any level, play testing. This is where you realise your puzzle pieces don't quite interact how you would expect. Queue repeatedly replaying your level, over and over. Each time you get a bit further, and then find another adjustment to make. With some practice, getting it right the first time will become more likely. Being able to play test from a specific point would be a helpful addition. When your fiendish puzzle is ready to torture the minds of others; all you have to do is give it a name, then click 'publish'. Then hope the Workshop isn't busy and can handle your request.
Finding community creations is also a streamlined process. Jump into the Steam Workshop and you can pick from a plethora of tests. There a couple of filters you can apply to the Workshop, but it is lacking categories. When a community can create content for a game, you always end up with it being used in new ways. So you have more than just extra puzzle chambers available to you.
As an example, the first chamber I entered was a Sentry Gun bowling alley. Great fun and deserving of the thumbs up votes it received, but it wasn't really a puzzle. Being able to sort test chambers by themes and difficulty would be helpful. Although it would rely on creators using them appropriately.
What the Workshop gets spot on, is how quickly you can get into playing. Simple click on the thumbnail of something that grabs you eye, then jump back into the game and hit play. The loading times are tiny. No long downloads, just queue the levels up and away you go.
Once again, Valve has set the standard. Not just for how fun you can make a level editor, but also how to gain fans with free content. You will however, still have to buy the hat.
