XEN

Black Mesa Archive The Cafeteria
#21

It’s a balance of probabilities.
Not one Xen screenshot was leaked.
They were giving the game to various, almost random if Ram is to be believed, people to playtest.
Lots of other things were leaked.

So, either the xen is not started yet/barely started yet.
Or, they didn’t include it into any playtesting versions.

But if they didn’t include it into testing versions, then it’s likely that it is not worth being playtested yet.
Which suggests that it’s in early stages of development.

If it is done enough to be worth a playtesting, then there is no conceivable reason to keep it from the testers.

So, in decreasing likehood:
-Xen is only started on.
-Xen is being near finishing, but still too buggy to play.
-They have been lucky with the leaks/Xen is only recently approached playworthy state - no time for leaks yet.
-Devs have a devious plan i have not considered.

#22

even if xen its self is not done it is started… if it wasn’t none of the enemies from xen would be there as they are part of xen so xen at least has the hostiles done, and some textures as you will see some xen textures in areas of the facility.

#23

Isn´t that image one of the recently leaked HL3 concepts?

Anyway, they have stated numerous times that they´re not working with Valve. If anything, they´re waiting for what Valve are doing with Xen and make it look similar in BM.

#24

Yeah it is, and I was joking, hence the “Citation needed” bit.

#25

Wrong.

There was a screenshot a couple of years ago that was leaked and it was hastily removed from Combine Overwiki.

First image if you google for “Black Mesa Xen”. Not gonna link it for you.

#26

There were xen leaks, the whole atomic mag gameplay shots. there are still some lurking around other gamer forums. how much of the atomic leak era xen remains is unknown, but there have been plenty of talk and leaked images. The gonarch is now an actual creature instead of a very long scripted sequence. Xen is readily being worked on

#27

What’s all this about Valve and the BM devs coordinating their picture of Xen, and this ‘new Xen’ thing? I thought the Xen of BM was just the devs’ own take on what they thought Xen should/could have been like in the original game. Didn’t realise Valve had anything to do with it.

#28

I hope the gonarch model in BM makes me want to throw up.

#29

the original did that

#30

Wrong too. It wasn’t the real BM’s Xen. It was an unused concept that Abe (former dev) made and put in his website. Later many made the wrong assumption that it was the real thing.

#31

Haha, no, no, like I said I was kidding. Valve has nothing to do with the Black Mesa team, and neither are trying to match their ideas of Xen with the other’s.
Oh, Lord, what have I done.

#32

I am spreading rummors for some reason.

any way my main hope is they implement the leading the vorts in a rebellion thing, the fact that they dropped it for reason os impractical at the time then used the “rebellion” which never happened as a reason for the vorts being allies in the second one, left a hole in things.

#33

The text-based nature of an internet forum can have that effect :smiley:

#34

CONCEPT:

Half-Life 3 will be announced concurrently with Black Mesa’s release.

Xen will be released concurrently with Half-Life 3’s release.

#35

Good point. That would help with the transition to HL 2.
I had trouble with the original since new mechanics were abruptly introduced- never made it to the end. Hopefully that will be adressed as well.

#36

What the fuck is wrong with the people in this thread? Of course they started working on Xen, it’s insinuated and talked about constantly.

#37

Of course the devs have a devious plan! Why do you think they’re called devs?

#38

^ic wut u did ther

#39

Thanks for clearing that bit up about the screenshot. Glad when it popped on the forums unexpectedly I didn’t potentially ruin Xen for me.

#40

Yeah, I mentioned that also (Got a question Thread).
It would be pretty awesome.

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.