New Animations for Zombies

Black Mesa Archive Suggestion Box
#1

Probably I’m much too late with my demand / suggestion.

But if there was one thing which I really loved in Half-Life 1 compared to Half-Life 2 was the more creepy appearence of the zombies.

In Half-Life 2 the Zombies just looked clumsy. Headcrabs just appeared oversized and the tottering style of movement in combination with the
moaning rather made them looks like some drunk fools walking down the street. They appear so vulnerable that I sometimes even felt sorry for killing them.

On the other hand the Zombies in Half-Life 1 had something more threatening. They didn’t appear like some sort human lifeform anymore, but more like something more gross, somehow letting you feel as player that these bodies aren’t in control of humans anymore. Their stiff and upright style of walking was just more creepy and they appeared much. Especially when you were trapped on a narrow catwalk and these things kept on walking straight into your direction. While you were firing your Berreta and started to run out of bullets, preparing yourself for close combat with the crowbar.

#2

The Zombies in Half-Life 2 are clearly suffering from rigor-mortis, making them stiff and making it difficult for them to move, hence why the movement looked stiff and forced.

#3

I personally thought that the animations of the zombies in Half Life were goofy. They walked practically like normal people, and then when you killed them they did the little mid-air seizure.

But, I guess I don’t care either way as long as there aren’t any constantly spawning zombies like in Ravenholm. That was annoying as hell. Can I get an amen on that one?

#4

amen

#5

We use a mixture of custom animation and valve animations for our zombies.

#6

On my first run through HL2 I used up ALL my ammo on them, then killed another dozen with the crowbar, because I thought I had to kill them all to move on. I didn’t realize they were endless.

#7

On my first run through Ravenholm I spammed grenades with bind x “give item_ammo_smg1_grenade”

:retard:

#8

Let’s be frank, zombies appear in ridiculous numbers everywhere.

#9

I 100% agree with you, I’m glad someone else thinks that the old animations and appearance of the zombies were better. In HL1, I actually needed some time to understand that zombies were made of humans and headcrabs, and I think they look much creepier than the HL2 ones. I really agree that the HL2 ones totally look like drunk people and the sounds they make are just silly. I also hated the way the HL2 zombies had this extra-thick, smooth textured white sweater with pure-red blood on it, it didn’t look real at all, and their guts just looked like plastic without any major blood. In HL1, this was all mostly achieved with textures instead of polygons and still looked much creepier. The lab coat also added to the creepiness.

The zombie on the BM front page looks really cool and I think it’s on the right track to look like a better version of the HL1 one, without being lame like the HL2 zombie.

Just PLEASE don’t make them scream and make the noises like in HL2! Silent zombies were much scarier.

#10

As long as you give them some affecting ragdolls, it’s aaaall good…

#11

That sounds like a bad thing to me. Instantly recognising that your fellow humans have been comandeered by an alien parasite is better than realising it later and feeling like an idiot.

I think the HL2 noises weren’t an increase in horror so much as a change in the creatures themselves. HL1 zombies seemed little more than headcrabs with some extra body, the HL2 version was actually a living person who was under the alien’s control but still fully aware. Different strokes for different folks when it comes to being scared.

#12

“Gordon! Man am I glad to see you. What the Hell are these things!? And why are they wearing science team uniforms.” :retard:

#13

It’s funny. I can litterally hear barney say that in my head and produce a clear image of the hallway and situation when i read that.

Ahh, memories…

#14

Honestly the devs probably already have this covered, you can see from some Blast Pit screenshots that the zombies have a different animation.

#15

Wut? You can see how an animation is, looking at a screenshot??

#16

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1-7YNZ3pjWQ
Look at the first zombie, it is using VALVE animation.

#17

Both creeped me out at first. Especially reversed voices a la Hl2.

BTW
Will BM Zombies make the Geiger-Counter-Like-Sound like sometimes heard in Hl2 and most o the time in the first?

#18

If you ask me, the Silent zombies are the one’s where the host has died, while the loud screaming zombies, the host (the poor unlucky bastard) is still alive and suffering the entire time.

#19

Proved by the fact that Hl1 zombies had an outline of a skull and HL2 did not.

#20

I don’t see how that proves anything. The difference is there because Valve made a design choice when making HL2, nothing more.
In my opinion, the zombies should act and sound roughly like the HL2 zombies, because that’s how they’ve been portrayed by Valve for the past five years.

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.