Yeah, my point was that they must have been more advanced than the combine thumpers, because all the antlions on the island stayed away from the areas you see.
They’ve got to be thumpers, why else would the bear such a close resemblance to the combine thumpers in motion and structure?
I support the thumper explanation. It could also explain how the Combine knew how to deal with the Antlions, as they might have pinched some of the technology or at least the general idea from the Xen-ians.
Sorry, I honestly have no recollection of these things, and a quick Google search provides nothing (other than a link to this conversation). Does anyone have any screenshots of these “vort thumpers” that they could graciously post here?
Wow… I totally don’t remember those. I guess it’s been a while… scratches head
Nothing is native to Xen…
Xen also had those kind of web-walls that you had to break in the antlion caves in episode 2, which puts more weight into the thumpers theory and that antlions were in Xen.
Me neither. But a glance at them and you see the similarity. The combine thumpers are surely based on those ones. Either Valve already decided that those thumpers where machines supposed to keep something away - and in HLO2 decided that that something would be giant antlions - or they were just planned for the player to admire and latter they decided to put some use to it. Either way those are definitely related to combine ones.
I think he meant that the antlions did not appear in HL, not that they are not from Xen 
Yeah, but who says these are Xen made? I always thought they were from the science team, just like in Blue Shift, you could see all this left over material from the scientists.
They don’t really look like they’re made of earthly materials, though. And if they were made by the science team, why are the vorts fixing them?
Hmm, that’s true. Well even so, I don’t see how having some dust clouds near them will actually make people see them as antlion thumpers. Not unless we actually see some antlions there.
Which brings me to my following point, I know this isn’t going to happen but would it be really bad for there to be some antlions on Xen?
These aren’t Combine synths, and if they were only on the Vortigaunts’ homeworld, how did they get to Earth? They must’ve been on Xen too. Obviously they would only have a very limited presence in the mod because it’s the other aliens that are the focus, but maybe as sort of an easter egg? Like the Chumtoad’s Lair, there could be a narrow crack in a cave wall that leads to a small grotto infested with antlions? Think Xen cave with antlion grubs and a worker and some nearby antlions?
I know this isn’t going in the mod, but personally I don’t think it’s too farfetched. Antlions must’ve been on Xen because I don’t see how they would otherwise reach Earth.
Now… I know you think this is a good idea and all (and I do too), but you know the rules. It wasn’t in Half-Life so it won’t be in Black Mesa.
Yeah I know, it probably belongs in the daydream suggestion thread 
Will Gordon Freeman have a visible body and legs when you look down? Or it will be invisible like in HL1?
What do you think?
The one free floating head.
No idea.
Like HL1 
Sad, some of the good things of HL1 they won’t keep, like squishable cockroaches and healing soda cans, but some of the bad things of HL1 like being a pair of floating arms they will keep. 