A few questions

[UnbredCylinder]

Ok, so i just beat portal and i have a few questions, First and foremost (and this may seem a foolish question) who put all those symbols on the walls and floor in the last part of the game such as an arrow and the words this way scribbled on the walls and floor, also what on earth does this game have to do with the HL story ( i remeber reading in many of the reviews and previews of theis game that this DID take place in the HL univervrse) and what exatly is GLaDOS? ( i think that is how you spell it0, why did she want chell to run this test in the first place? (once agian i think that is the players name in portal, well it was writen on the Cryo chamber? at the begining of the game) and why cake.

 

[Avoidist]

The symbols on the floors and walls came from either the people left in the facility after GLaDOS was activated during bring your daughter to work day, or, more likely, previous test participants given you were test subject #234 (or something of that order).

The facility is set within the Half-Life universe, and Aperture Science was a rival of Black Mesa seeking government funding. It is assumed that the events of portal take place well after the resonance cascade given the disrepair of the facility and a few select quotes from GLaDOS.

GLaDOS is a supercomputer whos primary function is to inhibit ice, who flooded the facility with a deadly neurotoxin when activated during the first annual bring-your-daughter-to-work day. Those left alive installed a morality core to stop such acts. She is still very, very insane.

 

[Boogaloo]

You can see the morality core was nearly broken as it was:
"When the testing is over, you will be..........missed"
"What, What, are you doing? I I I IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII...We are pleased that you made it through the final test...."

Cake was used as an incentive to complete the tests.

 

[Druckles]

CJohnson appears to have gone through similar tests as his name was on one of the walls. I always imagined I was following his footsteps. Was really cool

 

[UnbredCylinder]

Thanks, that makes a bit more sense now, my only question is, (and yes i have one more) if GLaDOS was built to inhibit ice then why is it that directly after you kill? fight? GLaDOS you end up in a parking lot surrounded by trees and ferns? i would imagine that these would not grow in icy conditions and do you really need a supercomputer to move ice (asuming she would haved used portals to do so) couldnt haveing that many portals around a ship? ( i cant think of anything else that you would move ice away from unless its like a building) cause some accedints, especially if the person? AI? contolling them is homicidal and insane? ok thats just about all.

 

[Lightice]

CJohnson appears to have gone through similar tests as his name was on one of the walls. I always imagined I was following his footsteps. Was really cool

What makes you think it's "he"? What if it's Chell Johnson?
Once again, my pet theory of Chell-clones being used as labrats over and over again...

 

[UnbredCylinder]

CJohnson appears to have gone through similar tests as his name was on one of the walls. I always imagined I was following his footsteps. Was really cool

where was this?

 

[Lightice]

where was this?

The hidden room in the Companion Cube puzzle.

 

[Boogaloo]

GLaDOS was being tested in the enrichment centre

 

[Druckles]

where was this?

The hidden room in the Companion Cube puzzle.

5char. Although it's not really hidden. There's part of a wall sticking out. Hard to miss

 

[UnbredCylinder]

ok, ill make sure to check this out

 

[FoolishOwl]

Ok, so i just beat portal and i have a few questions, First and foremost (and this may seem a foolish question) who put all those symbols on the walls and floor in the last part of the game such as an arrow and the words this way scribbled on the walls and floor, also what on earth does this game have to do with the HL story ( i remeber reading in many of the reviews and previews of theis game that this DID take place in the HL univervrse) and what exatly is GLaDOS? ( i think that is how you spell it0, why did she want chell to run this test in the first place? (once agian i think that is the players name in portal, well it was writen on the Cryo chamber? at the begining of the game) and why cake.

1. I think it's deliberately mysterious who left the graffiti and directions. In the developer commentary for the Weighted Companion Cube level, the area with the graffiti is referred to as the ratman's lair.

My theory is that the graffiti in the tests prior to Test 19 were left by previous test subjects, or maybe other Aperture Science employees, but the graffiti and directions on Test 19 and after were somehow placed by GLaDOS, to lead test subjects who got that far to the final test, the (apparent) final confrontation with GLaDOS.

If you visit aperturescience.com, you can use the "cjohnson" login and "tier3" password to (supposedly) log in as an administrator, and you can read a little more backstory about Aperture Science, which was founded by Cave Johnson, a complete lunatic who died in 1975. I think the idea is that whoever left that graffiti just happened to have found the company founder's login and password.

2. I haven't played HL2:Ep2 yet, but I understand that Aperture Science is referred to in it, with regard to an area most likely to be explored in HL2:Ep3. The team that developed Portal was brought in to Valve, and wrote the backstory in consultation with the Half-Life folks so that they'd take place in the same setting.

There's been speculation that Chell, GLaDOS, or the portal gun will feature prominently in HL2:Ep3. While I think future Half-Life games and any sequels to Portal may refer to each other, I think that they're most likely to remain essentially separate storylines. Portal was developed well after the basic Half-Life story arc was developed, and much of the storyline of Portal was developed ad hoc because of things like how good the voice-acting for the computer was, so I doubt that the events of Portal will have a direct impact on the Half-Life storyline.

3. If GLaDOS is a mystery, Chell is a bigger mystery. We have no knowledge of who she is and how she came to be a test subject. Theories abound. In particular, there are the several references to "Take Your Daughter to Work Day," leading to a theory that Chell is actually the daughter of Aperture Science employees who was trapped by GLaDOS.

 

[Lightice]

5char. Although it's not really hidden. There's part of a wall sticking out. Hard to miss

Well, lots of people have missed it so it's sort of hidden, though it propably wasn't meant that way.

 

[PortalStormzzzz]

theres another hidden room in the turrent room.

 

[Druckles]

theres another hidden room in the turrent room.

"Hidden". You forgot your apostrophes. You'd have to be blind to miss that one.

 

[UnbredCylinder]

5char. Although it's not really hidden. There's part of a wall sticking out. Hard to miss

hmm.. thanks i was under the impression that section of wall sticking out like that was just part of the puzzle and didnt even give it a second thought, i might go check it out.

 

[Druckles]

hmm.. thanks i was under the impression that section of wall sticking out like that was just part of the puzzle and didnt even give it a second thought, i might go check it out.

Some of them you have to portal in.

 

[Cpt Tenacious]

What makes you think it's "he"? What if it's Chell Johnson?
Once again, my pet theory of Chell-clones being used as labrats over and over again...

His name is Cave Johnson, if you go to the aperture science website and use "cjohnson" as the username and password "tier3" theres a bunch of things you can read.