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Ask the Author

If you have questions about a puzzle that aren't answered anywhere in these hints, you may contact the author.

How can I get this orb into its receptor?
  • 1 of 21: Did you notice the two lifts that slowly lowered when you first entered the room?
  • 2 of 21: Try riding one of them up.
  • 3 of 21: You'll end up in a small room with a red button on a pedestal.
  • 4 of 21: Through a window, you'll see an even smaller room at your level that has the orb receptor in it.
  • 5 of 21: However, there are two doors shielding the entrance to the receptor's room.
  • 6 of 21: Try pressing the red button in the room you're in to see what happens.
  • 7 of 21: Ah, ha! It raises one of the two doors that's blocking the receptor! Of course, the door will re-lower in just a few seconds.
  • 8 of 21: The button that raises the other door must be in the room that's past the top of the other usable lift.
  • 9 of 21: So how are you going to get both of those doors open and the orb through them before they close again?
  • 10 of 21: Start by setting up some portals that will allow easy access to both buttons.
  • 11 of 21: Fire an orange portal into the wall nearest the button in the button room that you're in.
  • 12 of 21: Look out through that room's open part (the part where the lift let you off) and fire a blue portal so that it goes in through the other button room's open part.
  • 13 of 21: That gives you a shortcut to the other button room, so go over there and reset the blue portal a bit closer to the button.
  • 14 of 21: Now you're able to press one button and then very quickly run over and press the other one.
  • 15 of 21: However, before you do, look out into the main room from one of the button rooms and plan how you're going to redirect the orb to the receptor once the doors are open.
  • 16 of 21: The orb keeps bouncing off of one spot on the floor, so you'll need to put a portal there. (Later, not now.)
  • 17 of 21: There's an extended wall segment on the opposite side of the room from the little receptor room. It's on the same level as the receptor room, so you'll want to put your other portal there later.
  • 18 of 21: So now are you ready to get this done?
  • 19 of 21: Quickly hit both buttons, then look out through the open part of the button room you end up in.
  • 20 of 21: Fire an orange portal at the extended wall segment, then fire a blue portal at the spot on the floor that the orb bounces off of.
  • 21 of 21: If you're fast enough, the orb will bounce into the receptor before the doors close.