So @TextFAMGUY1 I know it’s been a while since you gave us an update on the progress on each Xen map, I’ll ask what’s the current status of each one now? I’m not getting impatient or anything like that but I wanted to ask how much progress went since back in February.
The Kingpins I don’t think are an enemy. I see them as the Slavedrivers and servents.
I would vouch for their inclusion merely to show them using a whip lash laser type attack on vortigaunts to show how oppressed they are.
Kingpins being Slave drivers makes total sense. They are sort of needed to explain vorts are slaves and being whipped to work.
They do not have to be an enemy the player should fight more of a story device than anything else is why they are required as otherwise there is nothing to remotely suggest vorts are slaves and need liberating from slavery.
They are there to show the vorts are enslaved that is all. He is similar to the combine advisor. He is undefeatable but he will teleport away when attacked, he just goes about attacking vorts and they do not retaliate until… the vorts kill the Kingpin
I would imagine after shotting a few times at Kingpin whilst he is punishing vorts and him teleporting away eventually he comes after you and the vorts repay the favour and save you and themselves. then it is on to the finale.
But Half life messed this up pretty badly so much so it is not clear at all the vorts are slaves big plot point missing.
I guess it makes more sense for the vorts to be enslaved telepathically or so. I don’t think they need slave drivers present to be enslaved, or they would stop following orders as soon as they appear on earth where no kingpins are present.
Also I don’t think it makes sense to portrait the vorts as slaves too much. We are supposed to kill them throughout most of the game and honestly, the hierarchy or suppression between the aliens shouldn’t concern Freeman at this point.
And at the end, it would make more sense for the alien controllers to be the slave drivers. They appear to be mini-Nihilants and are possibly able to telepathy control the vorts and they also can fly so they’re able wo watch large abounts of slaves relatively easily.
Yeah it was a different version of Half life… If you look at the Mod “Shaft” they recreate the kingpin it’s behavior traits… If you also look back at the Boot Camp from Surface Tension the Kingpin was to be uour ally and you had to save him from HECU.
I hope Black Mesa can fill in the plot for Xen though somehow. It is a bit abstract to say under psychic control but as you say the role may have fallen to the “Controllers” rather than a the “Kingpin”
But I can’t see how you can make controllers unbeatable and only the vorts can rise up against the undefeatable and liberate themselves… “Controllers” are generic the Kinhpin was not it was just a plot device.
But I find “Shaft” mod and “absolute zero” mod quite informative about how Half life was revised and changed.
so how about that xen yo
Well we are in Q2 now…
Your calender is working.
Could be anytime between now and the start of July, so don’t stop being patient quite yet.
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you guys are all waiting for Xen, meanwhile im just waiting for the next dev update on Xen lol. January News Update was like 68 days ago
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Exactly, I was hoping for some “1st April News update” which would serve both April fools purpose and also small peak on dev process.
Maybe the devs are in the very final stage of Xen development, and they are so close to finishing the game, they’d rather polish what’s left to polish instead of giving news. So maybe the silence is a good sign! 
I’m currently waiting for news for Warcraft III Reforged AND Black Mesa, it’s just killing me 
But news will come eventually, we just need a little more patience.
Whatever the update, hopefully a straight forward, no-bullshit release date is dropped cause it’s already getting into the year very fast and they were supposed to be primarily workshopping and polishing completed stuff, but it’s nothing new.
And bro, I’m also dying for some Warcraft 3 Reforged content to drop; that game is gonna be my obsession for so damn long, I just know it.
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I’d not expect‘t it until xmas, I‘m just glad to know that Xen will be great. We all have waited so long now, a couple of month more or less to wait who cares?
I read that there is a news update coming the next few days or next week probably. I agree though It’s obviously coming out at some point soon no point to stress.
Remember Ivan the Space biker?
Then I thought… Wait a minute, Space Bike?
Be a good Mod for the HL2 Airboat, I bet they probably had that idea already though flying around on a space bike?
It even matches the HEV suit
Some good Jumps.
EDIT
Actually having said this in jest and knowing it is too late for something like this but hear this out as a concept.
You teleport to xen number of empty garages in the immediate area one has a door with hover bike. There is nothing but rocks and water puddles and ground a desert it is lifeless. On the distant horizon you see a tower of light. You drive towards the tower through a dead desolate environment.
That is it.
But I have been thinking about unused skyboxes…
I think endgame was meant to have nebula (neb2) or variant for the tram decision.
and the first teleport in anomalous materials totally black screen may have been another or black screen vorts (probably in a cave)… Is there any info on the totally black 1st teleport? Or it is tp_eyefx like HL2?
EDIT 2
Wrong Skybox when G-man is saying “The Borderworld Xen is in our control” Should be one of the other Skyboxes possibly Dawn or really this is meant to be on Earth. The keywords are “Quite a nasty piece of work you managed over there” Implying he teleported you away from Xen to show you the disaster on Earth. The explosion in the background is the facility blowing up I would imagine.
HL2 Dune Buggy design based on a Lunar Buggy… It is becoming a bit clearer in a sense now.
The Other thing I have thought was on the tram should we see the satellite launched in on a rail pass by the tram? Perhaps blow up or something. Might be a nice touch or a nod to earlier in the game.
Also noticed if you go through the portal on the G-mans Illusion of choice… We again have the Breathing and a black screen. Possibly again tp_eyefx is the intention as this is what you see in HL2 coupled with the gasping breathing sound.
I think there must have been a vehicle planned for Xen and it probably went from space bike to Lunar Buggy but never made it.
Anyway some good sense made of the skyboxes and well it’s a cock up in the original game
To be honest Black Mesa Xen looks so different it’s very hard to know what it is now…
Oh, finally we are going to get it!
But there’s still no detail date, so I wonder what the “coming months” means, within Q2 or one or two months after Q2 included?
Anyway, take you time, guys!
Likely late may early June for the first tests and open beta, then July or after that for the full thing.
What this means though is Xen is soon.
They didn’t mention a delay to Q3 or something like that, so I believe we can get the full release within Q2.
But, if it really not what I am guessing, that’s OK.
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This is getting closer!
I don’t know about Q2. It’s already 2nd May, and before the release there will be two betas which haven’t started yet. On the other hand, there are still two full months left.
It doesn’t matter so much though, because now we are closer than we have ever been. Betas are on the table. Even if the game is delayed again, it will probably not be a long delay. And we know it will be worth the wait
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I expect 3 months for beta 1 (technical beta) followed by another 3 for beta 2 (open beta), just my guess.
I doubt we’ll see Zen before November.
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