My Xen Lifeform Metamorphosis Theory/Xen Lifeform Paradox

[Sulkdodds]

The gonomes throw their own guts at you. You can clearly see them ripping flesh from their chest cavity to lob at you. And they are pretty rubbish...damn scary thought.

 

[Brian Damage]

Actually in the high-def version I'm playing, it looks like they're scooping mucous... and the weird thing is that when they throw it, it's reddish, but when it splats, it's yellowish...

 

[Chainer]

Actually in the high-def version I'm playing, it looks like they're scooping mucous... and the weird thing is that when they throw it, it's reddish, but when it splats, it's yellowish...

They throw fluid from their chest cavity. And the part where the scientist yells, "I don't want to die!" What happens is a shocktroper teles in and kills the guard and grads the scientist and teles away. Makes you wonder if Race X was collecting specimens........

 

[Sulkdodds]

I have a feeling they were, in preperation for their invasion...

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Actually in the high-def version I'm playing, it looks like they're scooping mucous... and the weird thing is that when they throw it, it's reddish, but when it splats, it's yellowish...

Hm, that's weird. unless you mean when you splat the actual zombie via gunfire?

Because the red globs leave red stains in my game.

 

[Brian Damage]

They do? Interesting. You got Steam? Mine's just the basic version of OP4, installed straight from the CD. Well, plus the HD pack...

 

[Eejit]

My opinon is that it goes:
Gonarch -> Baby Headcrabs -> various types of Headcrabs (random variation within the species) -> Zombies -> Gonomes.
I think that eventually the headcrabs on zombies (more likely gonomes) detach (to become 'Beefy' HCs?)and become Gonarches - if they survive long enough.
Probably the gonarches mainly come from HCs which have successfully parasited, as this would increase their chance for survival, and allow them to live long enough to reach the gonarch stage.

 

[Brian Damage]

Sounds like a possibility.

 

[Nickzer_Teh_Pwn]

I concur.

It does make me wonder, though... we know very little about the life-cycle of Vortigaunts and such things... are they all clones (As the grunts supposedly are), do they come from eggs, do they divide like bacteria? What does a young Vortigaunt look like? How long do they live? Does the higher gravity of Earth affect them negatively?

Im pretty sure that things born in eggs still divide via mitosis.

Anyways all the vortigaunts look the same because they have all been exposed to the same genetic and environmental variation.

 

[el Chi]

It does make me wonder, though... we know very little about the life-cycle of Vortigaunts and such things... are they all clones (As the grunts supposedly are), do they come from eggs, do they divide like bacteria?

<Sighs> When a mummy Vortigaunt and a daddy Vortigaunt, who love each other very much, etc etc.
Genomes. Are. Sh*t.
Race-X were ok, but I hope/doubt they'll be in HL2.

 

[Brian Damage]

Nick:

First sentence: That's not what I meant. I mean, are they born from eggs, or do they (Not their actual cells, most cells do it anyway; I was talking about their bodies) split down the middle to reproduce?

Second sentence: Err... couldn't you say that about any other lifeform? Everyone around me has been exposed to the city of Melbourne, and we've all got human genes, yet we all look different.

[EDIT]: el Chi... so you doubt they'll be in HL2, but you hope they will?

 

[Eejit]

I'd say the simple reason all the vortigaunts look the same is that VALVe didn't create more than 1 model for them.

Actually I wouldn't be surprised if at least some of them are cloned/grown in vats or something. This seams to be supported by the fact that when playing the PS version of Half-life's bonus mission as vortigaunts for "Subject:" they have serial numbers. Also, if the controllers mass-produce their grunts in factories, why not do the same with slaves?

 

[Sulkdodds]

Second sentence: Err... couldn't you say that about any other lifeform? Everyone around me has been exposed to the city of Melbourne, and we've all got human genes, yet we all look different.

Yeah, but to a Vortigaunt/Vortigon (which one is it? Nobody seems sure) you probably all look identical, too.

Actually I wouldn't be surprised if at least some of them are cloned/grown in vats or something. This seams to be supported by the fact that when playing the PS version of Half-life's bonus mission as vortigaunts for "Subject:" they have serial numbers. Also, if the controllers mass-produce their grunts in factories, why not do the same with slaves?

I have a feeling the Vortigons (as I'll choose to spell it - or maybe I should just say 'slaves') are bred as opposed to cloned like the Grunts. The serial numbers would be because they are raised and bred as slaves. Over a very long time they have had any sense of rebellion bred out of them, been tortured psycologically and physically, and forced to wear the shock-collars, which either control them or shock them if they don't do Nihilanth's will. I doubt they are cloned, otherwise they wouldn't be called 'slaves'.

Only one thing...where did it say that the Vortigons are the Alien Slaves from HL1?

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Only one thing...where did it say that the Vortigons are the Alien Slaves from HL1?

Hmm, I actually don't know, but pretty much everything else I've seen is based of the name of the model file. Vortigaunts are probably named that way too.
Did you know the 'official' name for a zombie is a Mawman?
In any case, Alyx calls them vortigaunts in the E3 movie.

Speaking of which, we know that vortigaunts will talk in HL2, so they might explain their former situation better.

It looks to me as though the controllers are behind everything. They're pretty frail, and use mostly the power of their minds to do anything.
I think that they enslaved the Vorts, and then used them to build their grunt factories.

Anywho, I subscribe to the theory that the Headcrab life cycle is ant-like, and works like this:
Gonarch
-makes-
Babyheadcrabs
-and each individual baby grows up into-
The HL1 Headcrab *or* A new HL2 Headcrab *or* A Gonarch

After all, the babies have traits of both headcrabs (same noises, behaviour and limb structure) and gonarchs (the egg sac).

If they are only the basic 'workers' the sac falls off, and is replaced with the mouth. If they are the 'queen', the egg sac stays, and their limbs change.

 

[Brian Damage]

Yes, VALVe also always refer to them as either "The Alien Slaves" or "Vortgiaunts". Vortigaunt, I think, is a word based upon taxonomic classificational terms. It may mean "Electric insectoid". I'm not at all sure.

"Vortigon" came from a misprint in the original PC Gamer preview, and since then, it's been confusing everyone. Blame PC Gamer.

I wonder how the Gonarch eats?

I also wonder continuously how the Vorts regard Gordon. A saviour who freed them? Or a monster who stranded them on Earth (Assuming they're the original lot that started to warp in from Black Mesa.) ?