Antlion origins

[Varsity]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antlion

Thoughts? IMO either Antlions were created with this creature in reference, or they are literally evolved descendants of it in the game's story.

 

[ríomhaire]

I think they are from Xeen but some think that they are mutant antlions even though when examined closly they are quite unlike any Earth insects.

 

[Boogymanx]

I do think that the sand traps were taken from Earth antlions.

 

[Is This Tea]

A similar discussion here:
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=84343

 

[the_rebel_medic]

Yea by me

 

[ZachAttack]

There should never have been an original thread. The Vort that meets you once you kill the first Ant Lion King/Gaurd/BadMofoThing seems to know a lot about it's anatomy. Almost as if they we're familiar with then. Almost as if they've come from the same place. Now, we have the grasshopper like wings that would make Zen easy to navigate plus the fact the Vort's seem familiar with them. This should be enough evidence to warrant a single 3-post discussion on the fictions origins of Antlions. The name shared with the actual insect is just something cool they did. They did a lot of cool things; move on to more important less obvious ones please.

 

[Polaris]

I think they are from some unknown desert alien planet. I never seen Antlion on Xen...

 

[iMMuNiTy]

There should never have been an original thread. The Vort that meets you once you kill the first Ant Lion King/Gaurd/BadMofoThing seems to know a lot about it's anatomy. Almost as if they we're familiar with then. Almost as if they've come from the same place. Now, we have the grasshopper like wings that would make Zen easy to navigate plus the fact the Vort's seem familiar with them. This should be enough evidence to warrant a single 3-post discussion on the fictions origins of Antlions. The name shared with the actual insect is just something cool they did. They did a lot of cool things; move on to more important less obvious ones please.

First of all, it's Xen, not Zen. Second, that "BadMofoThing" is an Antlion Guard.

And Vortigaunts are very intelligent beings, it's no wonder they know a lot about antlions' anatomy. For example, if I know a lot about Albert Einstein, it wouldn't mean I'm familiar with him.

I think they are from some unknown desert alien planet. I never seen Antlion on Xen...

Then again, you haven't seen a lot of Xen, have you?

To my opinion, all we can do now is to guess the origin of these aliens, which they are without a doubt. Or maybe it's a bad joke of Evolution itself? Dr. Breen did mention that he was to raise us "from the dark pit of evolution". We haven't seen any fauna familiar to us, maybe it evolved to a sick level?

 

[Polaris]

Antlions lives in dust and sand, I never seen sand in Xen. Only when you hear G-man and see dead troops and military tech. in Earth sand on Xen (end of HL1).
Antlions doesnt have good sorroundings for life on Xen. In world of Half-life are many unknown planets...

 

[ríomhaire]

Antlions lives in dust and sand, I never seen sand in Xen. Only when you hear G-man and see dead troops and military tech. in Earth sand on Xen (end of HL1).
Antlions doesnt have good sorroundings for life on Xen. In world of Half-life are many unknown planets...

We have seen very little of Xen, and can I bring up a point about how ignorant we are? Everyone assumes Xen is a clump of platforms, then why is there a working water cycle? There's lakes and streams, riddle me this.

 

[Sanjuro]

On Xen you do see some things that look like the "thumpers" in HL2 used to keep the Antlions away. Maybe that's why we don't see the Antlions? The thumper machines are being tended to by Vortigaunts as well.

 

[ríomhaire]

On Xen you do see some things that look like the "thumpers" in HL2 used to keep the Antlions away. Maybe that's why we don't see the Antlions? The thumper machines are being tended to by Vortigaunts as well.

no they were set up by the BM team to extract minerals.

 

[Polaris]

no they were set up by the BM team to extract minerals.

From Black Mesa? This "thumpers" looks like some alien technology.

 

[Sanjuro]

Yeah definitely. In HL1, the thumpers you see DEFINITELY look like alien technology, and there are Vortigaunts tending to them.

 

[iMMuNiTy]

I have to agree on the "thumper" bit. As much as you have to agree that the ground where "thumpers" are located are not antlion friendly. It's solid rock, and antlions would have a hard time digging through it. It's like trying to hunt down a polar bear in Sahara. So the thumpers were used for other alien reasons.

 

[ríomhaire]

Yeah definitely. In HL1, the thumpers you see DEFINITELY look like alien technology, and there are Vortigaunts tending to them.

Really? I must be thinking of something else. Do you have a pic?

 

[Polaris]

Yes, here is this picture. Sorry its low quality...
Its definitely alien technology.

 

[ríomhaire]

Did it make big thumps or dig into the ground?

 

[cquinn]

We don't know what they did, but the point is there was a lot more to Xen that
what we saw on the way to the source.

 

[ríomhaire]

Yes, but when they went up and down did they hit the ground and stop, making a thumv or did they go into the ground?

 

[Polaris]

I think its some mineral drill, not anti-antlion thumper.

 

[majormajor]

i was in Turkey last month and saw some ants that looked like antlions (obviously a lot smaller) running around some sand dunes. They were f* frightening.

I'm trying to find some pics on the net. No luck so far. I'd say these are the origins of antlions.

It's convergent evolution!

 

[NeptuneUK]

sorry to ruin the discussion, but..

marc: Those things came through during the portal storms, which continue
erratically to this very day. Some of the critters came early
(immediately after the Black Mesa Incident) and adapted to Earth. I
think the poison headcrabs must have eaten something poisonous at one
point, and liked it so much they added it to their repertoire.

The bullsquids are around here somewhere.

-----Original Message-----
From: meh
Sent: Tuesday, September 06, 2005 11:04 AM
To: Marc Laidlaw
Subject: so where did they come from? and where did they go?

never really thought of this before, but... where did poison headcrabs,
fast headcrabs and antlions appear from??
and will we find out where the all the bullsquids went? oh woe become
us!!

answ0redededed

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Well, at least I can rest assured when I stick Antlions on the Xenian team in Conquest: City 17

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Edcrab]

Well my fanfic is not one-hundred per cent accurate now (not that it ever was)... but hey, maybe the Vortigaunts lied about their presence or maybe they're from a very distant end of the Borderworld

 

[NeptuneUK]

its a fanfic, just because its based on HL2 doesnt mean that it has to follow the same story precisely

 

[Edcrab]

Heheh, quite true- I suppose its hypocritical of me to add entire civillisations and yet obsess over small details

I still wonder where Race-X fits into everything, particularily as they appear to be present in Op4 merely for combat variety and don't play a great part in the main, over-arcing storyline...

 

[Sparta]

Klendathu

 

[RaBiD WeAzEL]

Go into HL2.

Spawn a headcrab. Spawn an antlion. They do not get along.

Spawn an antlion. Spawn a combine soldier. They do not get along.

Spawn an antlion. Spawn a human. They do not get along.

My point is, because of this, they're most likely not xen, combine, or human.

They do remind me a bit of Race X in Op4, however, I'm not totally sure how valid those creations were...

I think that they're just pesky little creatures that came to city 17 (and where-ever else they may be) on accident.

 

[Bob_Marley]

Go into HL2.

Spawn a headcrab. Spawn an antlion. They do not get along.

Spawn an antlion. Spawn a combine soldier. They do not get along.

Spawn an antlion. Spawn a human. They do not get along.

My point is, because of this, they're most likely not xen, combine, or human.

They do remind me a bit of Race X in Op4, however, I'm not totally sure how valid those creations were...

I think that they're just pesky little creatures that came to city 17 (and where-ever else they may be) on accident.

You will kindly note however that in HL 1 that the head crabs and the bullsquids did not get along and we know that both of these are from xen. And also, Race X from Op4 is offical but they will not be continued (until we get to half-life 78 and they run out of ideas) and there fore ant lions are not Race X either.

 

[ríomhaire]

Go into HL2.

Spawn a headcrab. Spawn an antlion. They do not get along.

Spawn an antlion. Spawn a combine soldier. They do not get along.

Spawn an antlion. Spawn a human. They do not get along.

My point is, because of this, they're most likely not xen, combine, or human.

Why does an antlion not getting along with a headcrab mean they're not from the same place

Spoiler

Foxes and rabbits live on the same planet and don't get along

[SARCASM]SHOCK, HORROR![/SARCASM]

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Riomhaíre's right. We, as a species, don't get along with a large portion of our wildlife. And our wildlife eats each other constantly. Why should it be any different on Xen?

-Angry Lawyer

 

[NeptuneUK]

these are not 'intelligent' creatures who have allegiances and forth, but mere wildlife creatures

 

[MrWhite]

Hl1, spawn a bullsquid and a headcrab... they dont get along. Atleast, some of the time.

 

[cabbs]

You will kindly note however that in HL 1 that the head crabs and the bullsquids did not get along and we know that both of these are from xen. And also, Race X from Op4 is offical but they will not be continued (until we get to half-life 78 and they run out of ideas) and there fore ant lions are not Race X either.

I think it is possible that Race X was the combine's preliminary force, they certainly have a few combine-esque qualities (shocktroopers have living guns, annoying green things shoot spikes from their heads etc [clearly altered]).
We were never told exactly what troops were used, apart from synths, to take control of earth initially.

Also, i believe that headcrabs were combine created, introduced to Xen previously, in the same way as they now are on earth.

 

[ríomhaire]

I think it is possible that Race X was the combine's preliminary force, they certainly have a few combine-esque qualities (shocktroopers have living guns,

Sorry, but (unfortunatly) the Combine didn't control Xen.

annoying green things shoot spikes from their heads etc [clearly altered]).

Arn't there animals on Earth that can shoot spikes?

We were never told exactly what troops were used, apart from synths, to take control of earth initially.

I am under the impression that all the Combine's army are Synth.

Also, i believe that headcrabs were combine created, introduced to Xen previously, in the same way as they now are on earth.

Again. The Combine were never on Xen.

 

[cabbs]

Sorry, but (unfortunatly) the Combine didn't control Xen.

arg!

Again. The Combine were never on Xen.

arg!

Arn't there animals on Earth that can shoot spikes?

not from their brains...

I am under the impression that all the Combine's army are Synth.

aha!

you are wrong.

synths are the former organic robots that the combine assimalated, and are now the striders, walker things in the citadel, mortar synths, gunships etc, not the foot troops.

 

[Asknoone]

I am under the impression that all the Combine's army are Synth.
.

I highly doubt this. Perhaps the main Combine force on Earth, but certainly not elswhere.

 

[ríomhaire]

synths are the former organic robots that the combine assimalated, and are now the striders, walker things in the citadel, mortar synths, gunships etc, not the foot troops.

I think it's more like they were once organisms but are now organic robots under the control of the Combine.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

I am under the impression that all the Combine's army are Synth.

The majority of the Earth invasion force seemed to have been Synth, and Cremators, as suggested by Raising the Bar.
As for the rest of the army, nobody knows. But the Synth seem the most versatile, so I'd say Ríomhaire might be almost-right with that comment.

As for Race X - they're even more organically-focused than the Xenians, which puts them even further from the Combine than the Xen (which aren't Combine controlled, but are likely to have been in a long war with them).

-Angry Lawyer