HL Monsters
by SpiKeRs (view all articles)
unrated
A brief overview of the HL enemies to give mappers an idea of how they should be used.
by SpiKeRs (view all articles)
unrated
A brief overview of the HL enemies to give mappers an idea of how they should be used.
In this article I will give brief overviews of each enemy in HL and explain how and where best to use them. Note that this is not a deep study, it is more designed to give new mappers a better understanding of the enemies so they do not use them in the wrong context. If I have missed out any monsters please let me know.
Headcrabs are best in groups of at least three. Bear in mind that they cause little damage so you can afford to put them in tight areas where they are more likely to get the player. Add a shock factor by having them jump out of dark areas. In one map a headcrab was put just round the corner of a vent shaft. Never saw it coming
Barnicles are also effective in groups along narrow routes but offer enough room to get passed them without wasting ammo. They are also effective in dark areas as the player can unexpectedly get caught on one.
Zombies are pehaps the most scary and popular monsters when in groups especially if you have weak weapons. Though they move slowly, when up close the have a very strong attack so are best in small to medium sized areas where players are close enough to panic but have enough space to take them out before getting cornered. Its also great fun running into a pack of zombies and blowing them down with the shotgun.
Houndeyes are probably one of the least popular monsters. They dont have quite the same scare factor. They are just basically not as threatening and because they keep running away they are more an irritance. They are only really effective early on in groups of around three.
Alien Slaves are dangerous because of their long range electricity attack. In HL they often warp in and this is probably how they are best used but you must offer cover for the player. They are best in groups of around two or three. The best time they were used in HL was in the offices when loads warped in and you had to keep ducking in and out of corridors.
Bullsquids are dangerous monsters but not really great to fight so have them in medium sized areas, where they are more likely to charge, yet still give the player enough room to avoid the acid spit. They should not really be used in groups because they can take a lot of punishment.
Alien Grunts can be very nasty. Cover is limited because of it?s weapon but luckily its not especially powerful. Ideally they are most effective in medium to large sized areas. Because of their toughness players should have the stronger weapons before you introduce them.
Grunts are great fun to fight though never quite as good as you hope. They are most effective in groups of around three to five. The area where the player fights with Grunts has to be set up cleverly. There has to be different areas of cover because they will try to flush you out. They are regarded as a separate set of monster (obvious, seeing as the others are aliens) but there is very little significant variety between the different type of grunt so its not a good idea to have maps made up of just grunts.
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This article, and others, can also be found on my website, Creating Worlds
Headcrabs are best in groups of at least three. Bear in mind that they cause little damage so you can afford to put them in tight areas where they are more likely to get the player. Add a shock factor by having them jump out of dark areas. In one map a headcrab was put just round the corner of a vent shaft. Never saw it coming
Barnicles are also effective in groups along narrow routes but offer enough room to get passed them without wasting ammo. They are also effective in dark areas as the player can unexpectedly get caught on one.
Zombies are pehaps the most scary and popular monsters when in groups especially if you have weak weapons. Though they move slowly, when up close the have a very strong attack so are best in small to medium sized areas where players are close enough to panic but have enough space to take them out before getting cornered. Its also great fun running into a pack of zombies and blowing them down with the shotgun.
Houndeyes are probably one of the least popular monsters. They dont have quite the same scare factor. They are just basically not as threatening and because they keep running away they are more an irritance. They are only really effective early on in groups of around three.
Alien Slaves are dangerous because of their long range electricity attack. In HL they often warp in and this is probably how they are best used but you must offer cover for the player. They are best in groups of around two or three. The best time they were used in HL was in the offices when loads warped in and you had to keep ducking in and out of corridors.
Bullsquids are dangerous monsters but not really great to fight so have them in medium sized areas, where they are more likely to charge, yet still give the player enough room to avoid the acid spit. They should not really be used in groups because they can take a lot of punishment.
Alien Grunts can be very nasty. Cover is limited because of it?s weapon but luckily its not especially powerful. Ideally they are most effective in medium to large sized areas. Because of their toughness players should have the stronger weapons before you introduce them.
Grunts are great fun to fight though never quite as good as you hope. They are most effective in groups of around three to five. The area where the player fights with Grunts has to be set up cleverly. There has to be different areas of cover because they will try to flush you out. They are regarded as a separate set of monster (obvious, seeing as the others are aliens) but there is very little significant variety between the different type of grunt so its not a good idea to have maps made up of just grunts.
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This article, and others, can also be found on my website, Creating Worlds
