Actually they ARE near the water, in Half life 1 you get in contact with many of them while swimming in the sewers or whatever.
Edit: Aww damn my bad, posting late night is not for me… learn to understand sarcasm retard me -.-’ ROOOAAR I R NAWT A TROLL!!
You just got trolled badly… he was obviously sarcastic… also, referring to the real-life ‘barnacle’.
I think that xen creatures and earth creatures from xen will change because of the new environments. The creatures from xen are on a new planet and will crossbred, evolve and all matter of strange creatures will emerge. Take the antlion for example. We never saw those in HL 1 so either their a new species or came over with the combine. So having them in BM would require them to either be a new but similar creature or not have them at all.
In half life 2 episode 3, and possibly half life 3 I hope to see these evolutionary changes or combine genetic research.
It shoots gordons.
Also, mattemuse, you underestimate the radical differences in physiology between aquatic and terrestrial organisms. Barnacles, presumably, cannot move, or if they do, they move very slowly. And even then, they need to remain stationary for long periods of time to catch prey, so moving is not a feasible action for them. An underwater barnacle would have to be completely adapted to spending all of its time in an aquatic environment, which requires a completely different respiratory system than a terrestrial environment. Not to mention numerous other small but vital differences, like differences in density of air and water or atmospheric and osmotic pressure.
Barnacles in Black mesa are clearly different species than barnacles on Xen :facepalm:
I have no idea why you just did that. Regardless, you just argued the exact opposite a few posts back:
To geek, even if the barnacles couldn’t move themselves it is feasible to see either scientist experimentation or combine meddling could alter the creature plus the possibility of barnacles already having the ability to survive in an aquatic environment but was not seen.
:facepalm::facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:
This is like arguing with a sack of walls.
Your argument implies that barnacles on xen are a different species than barnacles on earth, because Xen and Earth have different atmospheric conditions. I don’t think you, or anyone else, believes there are two different species of barnacles in Halflife - rather, its commonly accepted fiction that barnacles have the ability to adapt to different environments without magically changing into different species depending on where they appear in the game.
Except I’m not arguing that at all, because that’s retarded. If that argument held true, then we would have two different species of every Xen alien that was deposited on Earth. Clearly the Xen and Earth atmospheres are similar enough that they can be regarded as identical from a biological viewpoint.
What you now seem to be arguing is that, since I suggested Xen and Earth have similar atmospheres, I’m also suggesting that above-water and underwater environments have similar atmospheres. Do me a favor and fill your bathtub up, then submerge yourself and try to survive comfortably for a half-hour or so. Go on, I’ll wait.
Hl episode 3 takes place in arctic conditions. If we see creatures formally from xen in these areas they will likely have adapted to colder regions.
They’re less likely to have adapted than they are to have acclimated to those conditions, given the time frame.
That isn’t clear at all. That is speculation on your part. Earth and Xen are “biologically identical” even though Xen consists of crazy asteroids floating in space and has much lower gravity than Earth?
Oh shit, how do Barnacles on earth survive with that crazy earth gravity? They must be different species!!!1111 << see what I did there? This isn’t literally my opinion, I’m using satire to illustrate a point.
Acclimated to varying conditions? Really? They can do that?
Stop oversimplifying opposing arguments: I didn’t say that Earth and Xen are biologically identical, I said that their atmospheres are, which is a perfectly logical argument seeing as creatures from Xen can breathe Earth’s atmosphere comfortably and creatures from Earth can breathe Xen’s atmosphere comfortably (as proven both by Gordon and by the unsuited scientist found in the Nihilanth chapter).
There may be a slim chance of natural adaptation but the scientists and combine were both altering the creatures seen in xen.
Where are the antlions from.
Not at the time Half-Life took place.
And the antlions are from wherever the Vortigaunts are from (which isn’t Xen).
In opposing force we saw the scientists were testing the barnacles. In one specific event they had gotten one off the ceiling. They were doing this long before the game took place. Perhaps in a case we should see on underwater as part of a test to see if it is adapting.
I’ve always thought that antlions were on Xen because their relations with vorts. But since they aren’t seen in HL1 you’re explanation fits better. Maybe the combine open a portal between the ancient planet where the vorts originaly came from and enabling transit of antlions like insects traveling by plane to other continents.
@ mattemuse
What is clearly your point here ? Are you saying that barnacles can live on both earth and Xen environnent plus underwater ? Or another spieces derivate from it.
Anyway like Floyd said, it’s a good idea for another mod but black mesa will stick with what we have seen in HL1. Do you want grunts underwater ? (it’s possible, man can swim and use oxygen bottles but would that ruin the original gameplay and break the no-new ennemi rules ? Same debate)
We don’t know how many times man discover Xen and undergo experiences on xen inhabitants. Plus we don’t know either if barnacles can breath under water.
At last OP4 is for many people not cannon so it’s not the better argument to stick with.
Personnaly the barnacle you mention in OP4 is just some kind of grappling hook textured as a barnacle, it behave unrealisticly even in HL world : throwing it’s anormalously long tong strait without notion of gravity in every direction unlike “real” barnacles.
I don’t like the underwater grunts idea, but what I’m saying is that you don’t know weather they can live underwater or not. It is possible that scientist could make them live underwater. Or the combine in episode 3 could make them live underwater to be used as weapons against the rebels.
It’s just a dream, nobody knows what will happend in EP3, so as who you will encounter (friend or foe).
Ask Gabe Newel or Marc Laidlaw about that…
Nice way to change my post but it doesn’t prove anything. We’re getting into the whole Xen atmosphere subject which is pretty volatile. I’ll put it this way - where’s the proof that Xen’s atmosphere isn’t completely different to ours?
You’re talking about two different habitats - admittedly one being in another universe, but all the creatures, and I mean all of them, are able to survive on our planet. We’re sliding into the realms of ridiculous arguments here, but fuck it - you basically have to conclude that, in the HL universe, Xen’s atmosphere is breathable within acceptable boundaries.
Being underwater and being on land isn’t simply a habitat change, at least not one as simple as from Xen to Earth - it has to require a complete physiological and biological change. It has to be a new creature. Are you suggesting that barnacles are amphibious? If so then why have we not seen them underwater in Half-Life or Half-Life 2? You need to look at the continuity. You could do a HL2 mod and include underwater barnacles somewhat feasibly, but not a prequel.
I’m not dwelling on a single example - that was just one of hundreds I’m sure, where two species of animal from the same order look the same but survive and have adapted to completely different environments. But whatever - I’m not a biologist with an encyclopaedic knowledge of every single species in the world. What I presented was a simple argument which you have since failed to undermine in any real way. What I’m talking about is two separate species of animal that belong to the order of snakes but which can’t survive in each other’s environments. Therefore they are different species, its as simple as that. I don’t really care if the python can hold its breath for a while - the point is that it can’t survive and thrive in the others environment.
Okay, lets restrict this to a purely story-based argument. There’s the whole continuity issue which is pretty big to be honest. The reason that the developers haven’t gone all-out for awesomeness such as poison headcrabs, antlions, appearances of Breen or Magnusson etc. is that it would upset or risk upsetting the continuity of Half-Life. What we have here is and admittedly awesome idea, but one that isn’t in any of the Half-Life sequels. Since BM is such a high-profile mod that could quite easily cause continuity issues with Valve because of its popularity (if not done correctly), it makes sense to simply stick with the original aliens and not alter them beyond their appearance.
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.