1. Headcrabs In Real Life Story

Unlike HL2RP lore which leaves Pulse Rifle's ID locked, AR-2's are used by rebels in-game and we'll assume they are available in real life too, which means that their weapon is easily cannibalized against them. For many Half Life was the greatest FPS ever made, the way scenes were played out in real-time in front of your eyes without the game having to switch back and forth between cut-scenes and gameplay hadn't ever been done that well before, and the way it all worked added a great atmosphere to the. While the original Half-Life only contains one type of headcrab, Half-Life 2 introduced two major variations: fast headcrabs and poison headcrabs. Headcrab zombies also receive these variations in Half-Life 2. Fast headcrab. The fast headcrab is a faster, more spider-like version of the ordinary headcrab.

Poison Headcrab

General information

Attacks

Game information

The Poison Headcrab is a venomous Headcrab variant, and one of the three known varieties of Headcrab. Like its relatives, the Poison Headcrab is able to convert humans into Poison Zombies.

Overview

The Poison Headcrab can be identified by its dark skin, bristly hair and red-and-white patterned legs. The creature's dorsal markings are similar to those of a species of orb-weaving spider (Araneus diadematus).

Behavior and skills

At a walking pace, the Poison Headcrab is the slowest of Headcrabs, but panics and runs away if attacked or set on fire. Poison Headcrabs move slowly and cautiously when maneuvering, but leap with incredible speed while releasing an angry squeal when a suitable host is in a clear line of sight. As an ambush tactic, it leaps at and poisons a viable host in an attempt to create a Poison Zombie.

It makes a sound similar to that of a Rattlesnake before attacking. When idle, it can be heard making mouse-like chirping sounds, possibly in an attempt to lure a prey to its location.

It is also one of the only Headcrabs that actively 'hunt,' whereas other headcrabs will simply wait for their prey.

The Poison Headcrab appears to be the most intelligent Headcrab, possessing enough self-preservation to run away if attacked and attempting to hide if close to death.

Venom

The Poison Headcrab delivers its extremely powerful neurotoxin via the four fangs on its chelicerae.^[2] In-game, the neurotoxic venom reduces the player's health to 1 immediately regardless of the current health amount. After a short period of time, the HEV Suit will administer an antidote to restore the lost health, with 10 of it being lost from the Headcrab's physical damage.

As of the 2010 update, it appears that Poison Headcrabs alone are indeed incapable of killing the player.

Poison Zombie

Like all other Headcrabs, Poison Headcrabs can latch onto a Human's head and take control of their nervous system, creating a mindless 'Zombie' that submits to the will of the Headcrab. Poison Zombies have a number of key differences from Standard Zombies, including increased health and the ability to carry 3 other Poison Headcrabs on their back.

Tactics

Poison Headcrabs can be difficult to deal with, as their bite can leave the player vulnerable to other enemies. Therefore, it is best to focus on these Headcrabs first, before attacking other foes. If there are Barnacles around, the player can lure Poison Headcrabs into their tongues to get a quick kill and conserve ammo. However, Freeman can hit them with the crowbar while it is lunging, and hide while his health regenerates.

The Shotgun is nearly always a one-hit kill at close range. Conversely, the .357 Magnum is a one-shot kill at any range, making it good for eliminating them before entering their range. Poison Headcrabs can be stunned and then killed with 3 blasts from the Gravity Gun. If the player is not interested in using this method, they must keep away from the Headcrab while firing into its body. If they are bitten, they should run away from the Headcrab(s) and let their health recover.

Their HP is higher than that of an average Headcrab.

Trivia

• According to Half-Life 2: Raising The Bar, the development team noticed that, upon hearing the Poison Headcrab's sound, playtesters would frantically start looking around for the Poison Headcrab so they could destroy it, regardless of any other present dangers.^[1]

• Its model contains an unused animation called 'Spitattack'. This suggests the Poison Headcrab may have had a ranged attack at some point.

• The Poison Headcrab's second scream, 'ph_scream2.wav', appears to be a sped-up version of the Fast Zombie's first scream ('fz_scream1.wav', the 'Howie Scream').^[3]

• Poison Headcrabs are extremely dangerous to NPCs, as they lack Gordon's HEV Suit and thus have no access to the antidote for the neurotoxin. As a result, a hit from a Poison Headcrab will permanently reduce an NPC's health to 1, causing them to be instantly killed the next time they receive damage. However, Alyx Vance and Barney Calhoun regenerate health, and thus the Poison Headcrab is less of a threat to them, provided they are not under attack by other enemies around the time of the bite. The Citizens, however, can be healed with Medkits to restore their health.
  • Grigori is the only NPC immune to the bite of a Poison Headcrab, which does not cause his health to drop to 1. Furthermore, he will not take any damage from this type of Headcrab.

• In Half-Life 2, the Poison Headcrab has a minimum distance for an attack: if the player is touching it, then it will not attack but instead crawl away to reach the minimum distance (unless against a wall).

• A Barnacle will instantly die upon eating a Poison Headcrab.

• Though there are two Poison Headcrab NPCs, npc_headcrab_poison and npc_headcrab_black, they are linked to the same entity definition, as found in the Source SDK file npc_headcrab.cpp:
  • LINK_ENTITY_TO_CLASS( npc_headcrab_black, CBlackHeadcrab );
  • LINK_ENTITY_TO_CLASS( npc_headcrab_poison, CBlackHeadcrab );
    • The file npc_headcrab.cpp also indicates that the npc_headcrab_poison NPC has slightly more defined AI, probably because the npc_headcrab_black NPC rarely (if ever) appears anywhere but on a Poison Zombie's back, while the npc_headcrab_poison appears elsewhere (ex. on the ground).
  • The names 'Black Headcrab' and 'Poison Headcrab' are used interchangeably by the developers; the name was probably changed during early development for the NPC.

• The Poison Headcrab appears to be more intelligent in Episode Two. When shot, they will almost always run unless they are in the process of leaping. This also applies in any games after the 2010 update. In older versions, the Poison Headcrab used to flee only when ambushed and rushed recklessly at enemies when spotted.
• If the player is of low enough health, Thrown Poison Headcrabs can act as a last ditch effort to obtain health as the amount HEV recovers is always the same, but this strategy is risky and is best suited for post-combat.

Audio

Gallery

List of appearances

• Half-Life 2(First appearance)
• Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar(Non-canonical appearance)
• Half-Life 2: Lost Coast(Non-canonical appearance)

References

1. ↑ ^1.01.1Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar
2. ↑http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelicerae
3. ↑Half-Life 2 sound files

Headcrabs In Real Life Story

A headcrab is a fictionalalienparasitoid found in the Half-Life video game series created by Valve Software.

• 1Attributes
  • 1.2Variations
• 2Appearances
• 3Cultural impact

Attributes[edit]

Depiction[edit]

Headcrabs are depicted as parasitic lifeforms roughly 2 feet (0.61 m) long.^[1] The common headcrab variant has rounded bodies with four legs for movement, two of which are long clawed legs at the front and two stubby legs at the back. Their pair of large frontal claws are for attacking, and as additional support when standing still. Under the headcrab's body is a large rounded mouth surrounded by mangled, rigid flesh with a sharp claw-like beak.

Physically, headcrabs are frail: a few bullets or a single strike from the player's melee weapon being sufficient to dispatch them. They are also relatively slow-moving and their attacks inflict very little damage. However, they can leap long distances and heights. Headcrabs seek out larger human hosts, which are converted into zombie-like mutants that attack any living lifeform nearby. The converted humans are more resilient than an ordinary human would be and inherit the headcrab's resilience toward toxic and radioactive materials. Headcrabs and headcrab zombies die slowly when they catch fire. The games also establish that while headcrabs are parasites that prey on humans, they are also the prey of the creatures of their homeworld. Bullsquids, Vortigaunts, barnacles and antlions will all eat headcrabs and Vortigaunts can be seen cooking them in several locations in-game.

Variations[edit]

While the original Half-Life only contains one type of headcrab, Half-Life 2 introduced two major variations: fast headcrabs and poison headcrabs. Headcrab zombies also receive these variations in Half-Life 2.

Fast headcrab[edit]

The fast headcrab is a faster, more spider-like version of the ordinary headcrab. Its skin is slightly lighter, and it has long, spider-like legs that allow it to move much faster and climb on walls (first demonstrated in Half-Life 2 in Ravenholm). It does not have a beak like the other varieties, instead using the sharp talons at the ends of its legs to latch to hosts. The zombies it creates are stripped of most of their flesh and muscle. When a fast headcrab is shot off the zombie itself it will reveal a completely bare skull with no tissue, which suggests that the fast headcrab completely takes over control of the host's muscles and nervous system and furthermore becomes the potential brain for the host/zombie. The resulting zombies are, like the headcrab itself, much faster than ordinary zombies. It also makes the same shriek that their standard cousins make.

Poison headcrab[edit]

The poison headcrab (also known as the black headcrab or venomous headcrab) is slightly larger than its counterparts with dark sage-green-colored skin and thick hairs on the joints of its body and inward-bending legs. To distinguish it further, it has white bands that encircle its knee joints, wider legs, and a more flattened body, giving it a generally more crab-like appearance. It also makes a chirp at range and a hissing-rattling similar to that of a rattlesnake's tail when it detects a viable host. Immediately before pouncing, they emit a loud, distinctive shriek. There is also a whipping noise as they pounce. Unlike the other headcrabs, the poisonous headcrab has some survival instinct, as it will retreat when injured. Although it is the slowest-moving version of the headcrab when calm, it can outpace an ordinary headcrab when retreating. Another difference is that the poison headcrab takes a longer time to burn to death than the other types. Poison headcrabs get their name from the neurotoxin they carry, which reduces the player's health to one point instantly on contact, meaning that minimal additional damage can easily kill the player. Gordon's HEV suit provides an antidote that will restore the missing health over a short period, minus the damage caused by the attack itself. While this makes a single poisonous headcrab unable to fully kill Gordon, it can make survival much more problematic if other enemies are present. Half-Life 2: Raising The Bar notes that play-testers would prioritize poison headcrabs as targets, regardless of any other present dangers. They will group together on a single host once one is found: the attacking poison headcrab controls the host, while the others use the new host as transportation, having it throw them at new victims. (It is also possible that these additional headcrabs are produced by the host human as a method of reproduction on the part of the primary headcrab).

Headcrab zombie[edit]

A headcrab's primary goal is to attach to the head of a suitable host using its mouth (typically covering the face and most of the head). The headcrab then burrows its claws and hind legs into the host and opens up portions of the skull with its mouth, incorporating parts of its biological workings with the motor cortex of the host's nervous system. The victim is thus taken over by the headcrab and mutated into a mindless zombie-like being known as a headcrab zombie, referred to as a 'necrotic' by the Combine Overwatch.

Once the headcrab has converted a host into a headcrab zombie, the torso of the host is open and the organs can be seen. In the first Half-Life the player can see the texture of the host's skull on the headcrab. However, this was removed in future installments. They are slow-moving but powerful, using their claws to beat their victims to death. They moan almost constantly, and growl when they detect prey. In Half-Life 2, they can swat loose objects when they run into them, creating potentially lethal projectiles. Half-Life 2 also introduced still-moving zombies which are severed at the waist and crawl toward the player using their arms. Host bodies are in an unconscious state immediately after infestation, and after a while, rise to attack.

There are four main variants of the headcrab zombie, the 'standard zombie, 'fast headcrab zombie', 'poison headcrab zombie', and 'Zombine', or Combine Zombie. These have multiple differences from each other and the normal headcrab zombie. As their names would imply, the fast and poison headcrab zombies are created when a fast headcrab or poison headcrab respectively attach to a host. The Zombine is created when a headcrab zombie is created from 'former' Combine Overwatch soldiers. Alyx Vance coins the term 'zombine' for them as a portmanteau of 'zombie' and 'Combine'. The introduction of the Zombine was meant to indicate that, in the wake of the devastation caused by the player in Half-Life 2, what was once a valuable weapon in the Combine arsenal is now just as dangerous to them as it is to regular humans. Along with being able to move faster than normal zombies, zombines also have the unique ability to pull out a live grenade and charge the player, killing themselves in the process.

It is as yet unclear as to what specific function in the Headcrab ecology or reproductive cycle that the zombification process serves.

Appearances[edit]

Half-Life[edit]

Headcrabs are one of the first enemies introduced in Half-Life. They are frequently encountered by players throughout Half-Life and its three expansions, Opposing Force, Blue Shift and Decay. They also see appearances in the official remake of Half-Life, titled Half-Life: Source, as well as the third-party fan modification remake titled Black Mesa. Because the games are remakes, headcrabs play essentially the same role as they do in the original Half-Life.

Half-Life 2[edit]

The design of the headcrab changes between Half-Life and Half-Life 2. Half-Life headcrabs have exposed teeth and intestines at their mouth, while the Half-Life 2 version does not. As such, it is initially apparent that the headcrab only walks with its large front claws and hind legs, while the stubby legs form part of the headcrab's mouth. The headcrabs found in Half-Life are also noticeably smaller than those in Half-Life 2, which have bodies approximately the size of a watermelon. Half-Life and Half-Life 2 also reverses the headcrab's tolerance to water and toxins: headcrabs in Half-Life can swim in water but die in toxic environments, while in Half-Life 2 they drown within seconds in deep water but easily survive in contaminated pools.

Half-Life 2 shows that rather than just wild parasites in Half-Life the Earth-occupying Combine have put them to use as an unstable but effective biological weapon against the human Resistance. A coffin-like missile is filled with headcrabs, and fired from a mortar (as seen in Half-Life 2: Lost Coast) The Combine will bombard distant areas with these missiles and the payload of each shell is released, free to infest or kill nearby victims without risk to the Combine forces. As is the unfortunate case of the devastated town Ravenholm, repeated bombings can neutralize entire towns and cities in a short span of time.

Half-Life 2 also featured the first appearance of Dr. Kleiner's 'pet' headcrab. Referred to as 'Lamarr' (apparently after Hedy Lamarr^{[citation needed]}), it serves as an important plot device for a number of scenes in the game, most notably in the first chapter of the game, when, by damaging the teleporter that the player is in, causes it to teleport Freeman outside Kleiner's lab, forcing escape through City 17's canals, and also alerting the combine to the players presence.

Appearances in other media[edit]

• A headcrab is an unlockable character in the Windows, OS X, and Linux versions of Super Meat Boy as an exclusive character for those who purchase the game from Steam.^[2]
• A headcrab helm was included in the April 1, 2011 event in Vindictus as an exclusive.^[3]
• A headcrab pet was made available in a 2013 update to the action role-playing gameTorchlight II.^[4] The headcrab pet is available in versions of the game purchased both from Steam and non-Steam storefronts.

Cultural impact[edit]

Merchandise[edit]

Due to popular request, Valve released a plush headcrab for sale at the Valve Store.^[5] It featured posable limbs, a number of teeth and claws and a gaping maw. For a 2006 Christmas special, along with the re-release of the plush headcrab, fans could buy a headcrab hat, specially designed to give the impression that the wearer is under attack from the parasitic alien.^[6]

Reception[edit]

In 2008, the poisonous headcrab was ranked the second most terrifying video game enemy of all time by Cracked due to their venom's ability to drain the players' health to one.^[7] In 2011, the poisonous headcrab was ranked at number one on the list of 'enemies that scuttle and jump at your face' by GamesRadar.^[8]

References[edit]

1. ^The description for the plush headcrab collectible item indicates that the six-inch toy is quarter-scale, meaning that a normal-sized headcrab would be typically two feet in length.
2. ^'Team Meat (Super Meat Boy!) - You've got Headcrabs!'. Super Meat Boy!. Archived from the original on 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
3. ^'Meet The Strange Travelers'. Vindictus.nexon.net. 2011-03-31. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
4. ^'Torchlight II gets mod editor, Steam Workshop support, pet headcrab'. PCGamer.com. 2013-04-02. Retrieved 2013-05-07.
5. ^'HL2 Headcrab Collectible'. Archived from the original on 2011-02-24. Retrieved 2009-02-18.
6. ^'HL2 Headcrab Hat'. Valve Store. Archived from the original on 2011-04-03. Retrieved 2015-01-07.
7. ^Wong, David (2008-05-13). 'The 10 Most Terrifying Video Game Enemies of All Time'. Cracked.com. Retrieved 2012-06-18.
8. ^'The Top 7... enemies that scuttle ...'GamesRadar. p. 3.