Half-Life Series General Inquiries

Half-Life Series
#1

Creating this thread for the quick questions regarding most anything in the Half-Life series to date. This could be in regards to gameplay, continuity etc, but let’s try and stay away from the questions that could raise debates, this thread really isn’t for that.

For example, and this is actually a serious question of mine that I’ve been wondering about for some time now.

Is it possible to destroy the striders with the Dark Energy Orb launcher (secondary fire) on the Pulse Rifle?

I assume that it is, mostly because of the Strider encounter in The Citadel, but all of my attempts have met little success, it’s difficult to hit them with the slow moving orbs.

If this thread is redundant feel free to close or merge.

#2

It is possible, but it takes like, 12 of them to take them down so the only way to do it is to cheat or damage them with the RPG or SMG grenades beforehand then finish them off with an orb or two. They do explode satisfyingly when you do though.

#3

Thanks for the prompt reply. Damn, best I’ve done was six contacts. That also answers the question as to whether the Dark Energy Orbs in The Citadel have the same amount of power as the ones in the Pulse Rifle.

Thanks again.

#4

I would imagine you can’t even carry enough of the alt-fire charges for the Pulse Rifle to take out a strider. Anyway, why would you want to, when RPGing their tripod ass is so fun? :smiley:

#5

^

There are a few sections where you encounter Striders where you get a decent enough amount of DEO’s (namely a bombed out parking garage you emerge from where there’s a Strider patrolling the street), but nowhere near 12.

That’s why I asked though, to see if the number was small enough where it was feasible.

And because I was out of rocket ammo at the time.

Next question: There appears to be sequences where Striders are invulnerable to damage, even though you can attack them, does anyone know which parts exactly this occurs?

This one I ask because I tried to take out the two Striders that patrol around the building where you are presumably supposed to take them out only from the rooftop. I’m pretty sure they’re both invulnerable until you reach the rooftop.

#6

How did the rocket you shoot out in Ep.2 close the super-portal?
Why was the rocket you shoot out in Half-Life 1 supposed to be able to close the portal to Xen?

#7

The original Rocket was ment to sever the link to Xen, But Ninhilith was holding it open for himself and his race to escape through. Gordon killing Ninhilith allowed the original Xen portal to close, but the combine already took note of it and headed for earth. The second rocket in Episode 2, tapped into the first rocket, and used the combine portal code to close the super portal which was connected to the Combine’s Homeworld.

#8

Aahh, thanks I get it now.

#9

why can’t you see any military people or able fighters except whiny rebels who talk about reproducing?

#10

Because they’re called “The Combine.”

Did they ever explain why Nova Prospekt spontaneously start to fall apart just before the slow-teleport?
Or how Eli and Mossman managed to escape the Citadel for that matter.

#11

It was kinda assumed because two different types of teleporters weren’t supposed to connect. Because you were using a combine teleport to get to Klieners lab, It could have overloaded the system. as for Eli and Mossman, we don’t know how much time has passed since the explosion to when you wake up under that pile of debris. They were already well out of the city by the time Gordon woke up.

#12

Yeah, I love watching them go BANG! Or maybe it’s more of a kopow?

#13

i meant humans , like an resistance that doesn’t belong to THE resistance , a old squad of experienced warfighters oposing the combine

#14

I dunno how Nova Prospekt started to fall apart (antlions maybe)? But it says somewhere ( I think in the Hl2 raising the bar book) that Eli and Mossman escaped using Breen’s personal escape pod.

#15

Why didn’t we ever encounter rebel zombies? Headcrabs could chomp through a beanie, no sweat. Look what they did to the combine.

(Medics always have medkits on them so they can’t get zombified)

#16

Might as well ask this question about the story, since this has always bugged me: Why doesn’t anyone seem truly surprised with Gordon’s return in HL2? He’s been gone for an untold number of years (20+?) and one day he just pops up out of nowhere virtually unchanged since the day of the Black Mesa Incident. The characters seem to act like they knew Gordon was coming back, but just didn’t know exactly when he was going to show up.

No one apparently presumed he was dead, except for maybe Breen, who seems to be the only character that is somewhat caught off-guard by Gordon’s return. If Breen knew that Gordon was going to eventually return and fight for the resistance, he likely would have started a smear campaign long before he ever showed up to try to foster distrust among the rebels and general population. (Breen might have known of Gordon’s eventual return, but didn’t think of Gordon as any kind of threat. However, his tone of voice when Gordon teleports into his office suggests otherwise.)

Perhaps the resistance bought Gordon from the G-man, but the G-man, being enigmatic as always, never told them when Gordon was coming back. It would tie in with Breen telling Gordon that his services were up for the highest bidder (I’m guessing that Breen came to know of Gordon’s “employment” by the Gman after Gordon’s return, but how he found out is still a mystery. Breen might have gotten the knowledge out of a rebel/vortigaunt, maybe the Combine became aware of the Gman’s activities and told Breen, or possibly he had met with the Gman himself.), and it would explain why the resistance seemed more surprised at the timing of his return rather than the fact that he returned at all.

Maybe I’m just reading into all of this too much and everyone was taken by complete surprise when Gordon came back, but the writing/acting just didn’t reflect it as much as I thought it would.

I’d love to hear someone else’s take on this. If another topic for specifically plot-based theories/inquiries would be more appropriate than just posting this in this topic, I’ll gladly make one.

(P.S. Italics are fun.)

#17

Earth is defeated and after that Earth’s military surrendered. After 20 years most of the military are old grandpas who can’t do anything. Only the young unexperienced survive.

#18

right , 20 years is enouth to kill fucking everyone , who do stupid people open their mouths , do you want to kill all the fucking faith in humanity as soon as possible?

the samge age as father what-s-his-name i was saying

#19

Because there’s no reason why they wouldn’t be part of THE resistance. No one with half a brain would simply separate themselves from the rest of the resistance for the sake of it. “Well, we’re the REAL soldiers, the rest are just winy wannabe fakes. Now it’s time to kick ass and chew bubble gum.”

The rebels that are in half-life are fairly realistic for people who’ve been fighting in a war for twenty-something years without managing to go insane or die. Not like they’d be constantly barking “Sir. Yes sir.” constantly to some guy like a bad war movie.

#20

Here’s one to start some debate:

Is Race X the Combine? If so, why don’t we ever see any Shock Troopers? On that, who thinks there aren’t enough aliens in HL 2 and the Episodes. I love killing the Trans- Human wing of the Combine, but I miss enemies like the AGrunts and Vorts.

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