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{{Technology Infobox
| image = FileThermal discouragement beam.svg|250px
| image2 = FileP2TC3.png|250px
| name = Thermal Discouragement Beam
| affiliation = Aperture Science
| type = Laser
| maker =
| usedby =
* Chell
* ATLAS and P-body
| entity =
| designer =
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}}
{{Quote|I'll start getting everything else working while you perform this first simple test. Which involves deadly lasers and how test subjects react when locked in a room with deadly lasers.|GLaDOS|Portal 2|Filesp laser redirect intro entry.ogg}}
The '''Thermal Discouragement Beam''' is a testing element introduced in ''Portal 2'' that is used throughout the Aperture Science Aperture Science Enrichment Center|Enrichment Center. It is the ''Portal 2'' equivalent of the Aperture Science High Energy Pellet|High Energy Pellets used throughout ''Portal''.
Throughout the Testing Track|testing courses, Discouragement Beams will often require a redirection with the help of a Aperture Science Weighted Pivot Cube|Weighted Pivot Cube to guide the beam into its respective receptacles.
== Overview ==
FileP2 cubes pivot.jpg|A Aperture Science Weighted Pivot Cube|Pivot Cube redirecting the Discouragement Beam.|200px|thumb
* The beam was developed by Aperture in 1998.
* Thermal Discouragement Beams can be redirected in tho ways with portals or with Weighted Pivot Cubes. Redireection of the beam with portals is fairly straightforward. The beam will pass in a straight line into one portal and out the other. To have the beam exit a portal at an angle, a Weighted Pivot Cube will be needed.
* It can be used to destroy threats such as Aperture Science Sentry Turret|Sentry Turrets, as well as trigger Aperture Science Unstationary Scaffold|moving floor plates, allowing access to various areas.http//www.youtube.com/watch?v=jl-RN-gGr2o Thermal Discouragement Beam demonstration on Combine OverWiki's YouTube channel
* The beam will slowly kill a Test Subject whilst also pushing them away from it. ATLAS and P-body take less damage from this testing element, but can be eventually destroyed by it.
* An Aperture Science Weighted Storage Cube or any of its variants (or a camera) can block the beam without being damaged. A Weighted Pivot Cube will redirect the beam out one of its faces.
* There are two types of receptacles for the beam. One is mounted normal to a surface and will "catch" a beam directed onto it. This type of receptacle usually acts a a switch, performing an action as long as a beam is trained on it. The other type of receptacle is always floor-mounted and reacts when a beam passes through it, but it will not otherwise affect the beam. Chambers using this type usually require the player to activate all of them at once, using a single beam.
* "Thermal Discouragement" is a registered trademark of Aperture Science.
* Under the Thermal Discouragement Beam diagram can be found a rather confusing disclaimer directed at Test Subjects, suggesting that some of them are allowed to know how the Beam works, and that some are not "''If permission to look at this diagram has been granted, please do so now, unless the box labeled "DO NOT LOOK AT DIAGRAM" on the "Diagrams Forms Sanction" form you should have received from your supervisors is checked, in which case you should remain at your workstation not looking at the diagram until such time as you are instructed by your supervisor to discontinue not looking at it.''"
* The beam becomes non-solid to the player while in mid-air.
* As seen in elevator videos, the beam is created using a large device and sent to test chambers through teleportation|portals.
==Related Achievements==
{|class=wikitable style="vertical-aligncenter;" width=50%
|-
!colspan="2" style="text-alignleft"|''Portal 2 Achievements and Trophies|Portal 2''
|-
|rowspan=2 width=64px|FileUndiscouraged.jpg
!style="text-alignleft"|Undiscouraged (10G)
|-
|''Complete the first Thermal Discouragement Beam test.''
|-
|}
== Behind the scenes ==
The Thermal Discouragement Beam was first introduced during the Portal ARG|''Portal'' ARG, in one of the ASCII art images given by the BBS, that later appeared to be a diagram depicting its use with a Weighted Pivot Cube, as revealed by the April, 2010 issue of Game Informer. An updated and moving diagram was revealed during E3 2010.
== Trivia ==
* So far it is unknown why while the Thermal Discouragement Beam was already in use in 1998, as it is not seen in the first ''Portal'', several years later.http//gameinformer.com/b/podcasts/archive/2010/03/26/special-edition-podcast-portal-2.aspx Special Edition Podcast Portal 2 - podcast on Game Informer However, it is likely that Chell simply did not venture into Test Chambers containing the Thermal Discouragement Beam during this time, and that the Aperture Science High Energy Pellet was used in her testing instead.
* The beam passes clearly through any glass or Hard Light Bridges.
* At the advertisements seen in test chambers, it is seen that the Thermal Discouragement Beam is actually a giant laser device shooting a laser beam through the Aperture Science offices, which is then portalled into the test chambers.
* The E3 demonstration video showed a thicker, more diffuse version of the Thermal Discouragement Beam, with different emitter/catcher models.
* When the beam is redirected into a waiting receptacle, the said receptacle starts playing a short music loop.
== Gallery ==
=== Pre-release ===
FileThermal discouragement beam poster.jpg|The original diagram, showing a burning Turret.
File06928073.711.png|ASCII art version.
FileThermal beam diagram cut turret.jpg|Updated diagram, showing a Turret cut in half.
FileThermal beam redirection cube.jpg|Earliest image of the Discouragement Beam and Pivot Cube from ''Game Informer''.
FileCube beam turret.jpg|Weighted Pivot Cube redirecting a Thermal Discouragement Beam at a Turret, making it explode after setting it on fire.
FileThermal Discouragement Beam E3.jpg|Thermal Discouragement Beams seen in the pre-release version of GLaDOS' testing track (Portal 2) Chamber 03|Test Chamber 03.
=== Retail ===
FileThermal Discouragement Beam Testing Element.jpg|Thermal Discouragement Beam diagram.
FileLoadingscreen a2 2 widescreen.png|Thermal Discouragement Beam seen in a loading screen.
FileLoadingscreen a2 3 widescreen.png|Ditto.
FileLoadingscreen a2 4 widescreen.png|Ditto.
FileP2TC1.png|Thermal Discouragement Beam, seen in GLaDOS' testing track (Portal 2) Chamber 01|Test Chamber 01.
FileP2TC2.png|Ditto, in GLaDOS' testing track (Portal 2) Chamber 02|Test Chamber 02.
FileP2TC3.png|Ditto, in GLaDOS' testing track (Portal 2) Chamber 03|Test Chamber 03.
FileP2TC4.png|Ditto, in GLaDOS' testing track (Portal 2) Chamber 04|Test Chamber 04.
FileP2TC9.png|Ditto, in GLaDOS' testing track (Portal 2) Chamber 09|Test Chamber 09.
FileP2TC14.png|Ditto, in GLaDOS' testing track (Portal 2) Chamber 14|Test Chamber 14.
FileP2TC20.png|Ditto, in GLaDOS' testing track (Portal 2) Chamber 20|Test Chamber 20.
FilePeti laser emitter.png|Thermal Discouragement Beam emitter icon in ''Perpetual Testing Initiative''.
FilePeti laser catcher.png|Catcher icon.
FilePeti laser receptacle.png|Floor-mounted receptacle icon.
== List of appearances ==
* Portal ARG|''Portal'' ARG {{1st}}
* ''Portal 2''
* ''The Final Hours of Portal 2''
* ''Peer Review''
* ''Perpetual Testing Initiative''
== References ==
{{Reflist}}
== External links ==
*{{YouTube|jl-RN-gGr2o|Demonstration video}}
{{Technology}}
{{Aperture}}
CategoryPortal 2CategoryAperture Science technologyCategoryTechnologyCategoryAperture Science testing elements
