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This tutorial is rated: Novice

In this tutorial, you will learn:
What entities are needed for a teleport
How to make your teleport work
How to keep your teleport clear so players won’t get stuck
How to make a teleport look good

Teleports are used mainly on surf maps (mostly to get you from one level to another), but can also be used on regular maps (like Nippers_Opus). In order to make a teleport, you are going to need two entities:

trigger_teleport (brush based entity)
info_player_destination (point based entity)

Make a brush where you want your teleport entrance to be. Use the Trigger texture so you can identify it as an entity among the other brushes. It can be any size, just as long as the player will touch it as they walk (or surf) into the teleport. Be sure to name it (something like Tele01 will work). Now place your info_player_destination where you want the teleport to take the player. Be sure to name it (something like Tele_Dest01) NOTE: it is very important to keep the info_player_destination free of obstructions. If there is anything in the way of info_player_destination, players will get stuck (a good example of this would be the teleport to the top of surf_egypt). Also it is good to keep it clear from other players. You can do this by making it high off the ground, or by adding a func_conveyer underneath (like in surf_rebel_resistance). Both have their pros and cons.

Now that you’ve created and positioned your two entities, it’s time to connect them. Double click on Tele01 and go to the “teleport destination” key value. A drop list will appear with every entity on your map. Select Tele_Dest01 from the list. Be sure that Tele01 is set to start ON or is ENABLED (can’t remember which it is). You now have a working teleport.

If your teleport or teleport destination always has a high amount of traffic going through it (an example would be surf_10x_final or surf_bigramp) it is important to make sure your teleport destination stays clear and can’t be blocked by trolling or camping players. You may want to consider adding a func_conveyer where the player will land. Another solution is to add multiple teleports and teleport destinations close together (but not intersecting) this will help spread the traffic over multiple teleports instead of making a traffic jam at one big teleport, where two people could potentially enter at the same time and clog the whole thing up. You decide which is appropriate for your map.

Now you have a boring, basic teleport. Let’s fix that. First off, you should know that any brush that touches or intersects the trigger_teleport entity will become invisible where that contact is made. The solution to this is to move the teleport a few inches away from the surface of that brush. Some things that will really make your teleport look good are:

Adding some func_rotating entities to spin or orbit around the teleport entrance
An env_beam to make lightning or lasers when someone enters the teleport
Scrolling textures around or next to the trigger_teleport entity

Be creative. After all, you could have the greatest map layout in the world, but no-one will want to play it if the scenery sucks.

Congratulations, you now have a sexy, working teleport. Make sure to test it and check that players won’t get hurt or stuck from using it.