The origins of Striders

Roland Deschain

Roland Deschain

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I read in this forum that the story of HL2 and based on Stephen King's The Mist. Man, am I stupid. I had read the story a couple of years, so I should have recognized the striders right away.

I don't want to give away the story of The Mist (if you want to know more just read it, it's a short story anyway), but a quick summery includes a mystireous accident and the sudden appearance of monsters.

Striders are in the story and while I was rereading it I could't help smirking. There are some other neat mosters in the Mist I hope that make it to HL2.
 
How Stridery are they? Guns and all, or just big three-legged monsters?
 
I'd always thought they were War of the Worlds based. If not... maybe the mist monsters are :)
 
I read War of the Worlds this past school year for en Enlgish research paper I had to write. As soon as I saw the picture of the strider WotW popped into my head...
 
yea, the Striders are based on the WoTW, but the original Half-Life story was infact inspired by "The Mist", as was the "Silent Hill" series.
 
wow, stephen king does desrve my thanks after all...and i said all those roten things...;(

Voldos not reading isn't cool and isn't big.
 
cool, as far as I know, they origionated on paper as concept art
 
clarky003 said:
cool, as far as I know, they origionated on paper as concept art
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Sweeet, there wasn't even an artist involved? :p
 
As i recall, Somone said that the basic story of Half-Life 2 was based off of one of Steven King's short stories. I think it was the mist but it may have been something else.
 
Eejit said:
I'd always thought they were War of the Worlds based.
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yeah, when i saw the striders for the first time, i emediatly thought *ripoff*
 
I just finished reading The Mist yesterday, and there weren't any Striders in it that I can remember. Unless you are talking about that thing that walks over their car near the end...that seemed like something entirely different to me.

Anyway, I enjoyed the story because the plot had similarities to Half-Life. FYI, if you want to read The Mist, it is a short story in Stephen King's, "Skeleton Crew."
 
i think its a combination of the Mist and War of the Worlds, because in the Mist the only description of the creatures are the monstrous legs that appear in the Mist, as everything else is covered by the thick fog. In War of the Worlds the monsters have the extremely long legs with the pod shaped body at the zenith. i assume they read the Mist and then used their immagination to help shape the rest of the creauture(s), based on the short description King gives. cool story though, and I can see where they got their ideas
 
Dali has a painting with some elephants with huge legs.. they look like a source of inspiration aswell
 
I actually just read The Mist a couple days ago. As far as I can remember there wasn't anything even remotely like a strider in it.
 
I always have to think about the Led Zeppelin - How the west was won album. There is a track (i think it was the ocean or smth) on there where the singer shouts (at least I hear it that way) STRIIDERR!! Always makes me grin..
 
I read the Mist back when I still liked King's books. The summary of Mist is as follows:
- a guy and his son go to the supermarket
- thick fog descends upon the area
- strange creatures attack (including a tentacled monster at the loading dock, how's that for HL influence :) ).
- people inside the store try to fend off the nasties with whatever tools they have
- one of the characters mentions a secret military base that might have ripped an inter-dimensional hole in an experiment gone bad (-> Black mesa)
- in the end, the main characters drive off in a car and almost bump into...

...a giant spider-like creature that can perforate a car with its colossal legs? Sounds like a Strider to me (sans the cannons).

Stan R.


Frosty207 said:
I just finished reading The Mist yesterday, and there weren't any Striders in it that I can remember. Unless you are talking about that thing that walks over their car near the end...that seemed like something entirely different to me. "
Click to expand...
 
Voldos said:
u wont ever catch me reading a book...hate em
Click to expand...

Hey man, stay in school and remember, just like metal slug taught me, WINNERS DON'T DO DRUGS...

anyway,

I've never read mist, might have to venture to my nearest friendly neighborhood library and forget my library card then go back home and get it then go back to the library and take out a copy.
 
I think it's really unwise to steer clear of books entirely... sure, school might make them seem un-fun, but if you don't read you're really going to miss out on some incredible experiences. I'm currently hooked on "House of Leaves".. amazing.

The fact that reading inspired Valve to make the Half-Life games as cool as they are is one of many good reasons why you should give it a try ;)

And yes, I definately think striders have been directly influenced by both Stephen King's short story, and War of the Worlds. Valve seem to have the ability to make cheesy old sci-fi amazingly cool...
 
i just finished reading the mist today, you can read it at http://dwalin***/books/King, Stephen/Mist.html.gz

anyway that last monster that could perforate their car was described as being covered in the pink fly worms, having 6 legs, and being massive, not just tall, i.e larger than a whale

doesn't sound anything like a strider

however the government facility accidently releasing loads of extradimensional horrors into the world does ring a bell
 
Half Life: Inspired by "The Mist"...

Half Life 2: Inspired by "1984"...

Half Life 3: ?
 
Brian Damage said:
Half Life: Inspired by "The Mist"...

Half Life 2: Inspired by "1984"...

Half Life 3: ?
Click to expand...

Inspired by 'Spot Plays Hide And Seek'? Who knows. :eek:
 
I thought more "Tripods", the 80s BBC series.


Half Life 3 will be based on "Men are from mars, women are from venus", and will feature Alyx heading into the real world to fight aliens in an equal opertunity environment, while Gorden stays at home with his APRON suit.
 
After reading that bit at the end of "The Mist", I'd have to say that the big creature described was just a little bit bigger than a Strider... Like... Oh, I dunno... Half a kilometer or so?
 
Logic said:
Then you.... etc etc, ad infinitum.
Click to expand...
and therefore you are ad infinitum+1 proud of YOUR ignorance. HAH!
 
Dan said:
and therefore you are ad infinitum+1 proud of YOUR ignorance. HAH!
Click to expand...

Very strange for a person with the name "Logic" to be making :eek: :stare:
 
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