No.185 / 280Action & reflex · Movement & traversal

Carry an Object Through

You and the thing in your hands both have to make it, so the route must work for both.

Prototype complexity
Who plays: Solo decisions
Design focus: Spatial · Planning · Precision

No.185Portal 2

01The core loop

Action → feedback → next choice

01Pick up the object
02Plan a path for both
03Place, throw or carry
04Deliver it to the goal

↻Feedback changes the situation — the next round starts from there.

Walk through one round

A simplified design example. Situations and numbers illustrate the mechanic, not exact rules from a reference game.

T1
Turn 1 · The situation
A block must reach a pressure plate across a 6-tile gap; carrying it, you can jump only 4.
T2
Turn 2 · The player chooses
The player throws the block across first, then jumps over empty-handed.
T3
Turn 3 · The feedback
The block bounces on the far edge but stays; unburdened, they clear 6 tiles exactly.
T4
Turn 4 · The next decision
Next level the far edge slopes down so thrown blocks slide off, forcing a new approach.

How it plays

Holding an object restricts some moves, such as dashing or jumping as high, but the object is also a tool: it presses buttons, serves as a step or blocks harm. Players can throw it ahead and follow, or set it down to scout and return. A clear reset when it falls or breaks shows exactly which step went wrong.

What the player weighs

Carrying is safe but restrictive; throwing ahead is flexible but risks losing it.
Use the object as a step, or keep it on a switch.

02Start small

Quest · 0/3Prototype complexityConnected systemsWho plays · Solo decisions

Scope is an editorial estimate for the minimum prototype, not the reference game or a production schedule.

03One mechanic, different implementations

Portal 2

Cubes anchor many chambers: they press buttons, redirect or block beams, act as steps, and travel through portals with the player, carrying momentum out.