Portal 2 Update Removes File Size Limit For Fan-Made Levels

The latest small update for Portal 2 has made developing community levels far easier as it has removed the size limit for such content. That’s a nice addition, which many fans will definitely find useful, especially considering that downloading and launching such levels doesn’t require as much effort as, for instance, managing proper mods.

One of the recently revealed Portal 2 mods revolves around building a whole new game based on the title’s core mechanics. Called Desolation, the community-developed expansion delves deeper into Aperture Science’s lore as it explores a brand new chapter in the history of Black Mesa’s competitor. Players will have the opportunity to play as a new protagonist equipped with several cybernetic upgrades. These include an integrated portal gun, which was made a part of the test subject’s body. The mod is still a work in progress as it is expected to feature roughly 40-50 test chambers with unique gameplay mechanics.

Portal 2’s latest update on Steam has removed the notorious 100 MB limit for user-developed levels, thus greatly benefitting Steam Workshop creators. Players have already expressed their fascination over this unexpected turn of events, jokingly suggesting that this way, Valve is allegedly confirming that Portal 3 is coming soon. In reality, though, the company just fixed a handful of annoying bugs mostly related to workshop maps, additionally removing the aforementioned file size limit. The rest of the patch notes cover miscellaneous optimizations and specific technical settings, which will probably allow making workshop levels more interactive by incorporating video demos that can now be launched with dedicated commands.

Loading video demos during live Portal 2 gameplay will also simplify the process of creating mods, especially ones that are heavy on the original narrative. For instance, the anticipated Reloaded mod that released last month after an exhaustingly long development, presents a brand new story. It unfolds during two timelines set apart by 20 years. Players will have to explore both periods, traveling between them and solving time-related puzzles on the go. Additionally, the core gameplay mechanics got enriched with a third usable portal.

The reason for removing the size limit for player-created content in Portal 2 is probably quite simple. Valve is ensuring that the ten-year-old video game will be further supported by devoted players who tend to entertain themselves with custom levels. It’s a great solution in the absence of any official content updates, but the overall situation might still imply that Valve wants the community to renew its activity as there could be some sort of an announcement planned. After all, the unexpected Left 4 Dead 2 released last year. A Portal 2 update can't be entirely ruled out.

Portal 3 is a game fans of the series would love to see, but will it ever happen? The original Portal was a spinoff of Half-Life series and came bundled in a package dubbed The Orange Box, which contained four other Valve games like Half-Life 2. Despite being quite short, Portal's fantastic gameplay, unique world-building and the vocal performance of Ellen McLain as rogue A.I. GLaDOs received acclaim.