Zombification

[ríomhaire]

Not really what meant but that makes sense too. I mean like the gonarch would control the number of gonomes per hive.

 

[RandomX]

The Combine control human reproduction, thereby limiting the food provided for the headcrabs. The combine, in turn, have been able to stop them from growing past certain stages by cutting areas off from human access. Ravenholm was shut down because the fast and poison zombies have reached a phase of mutation that the combine did not want. Those zombies don't have any place to eat because they are able to synthesize their own food. This would explain why Gregori is the only human you find in Ravenholm - he's the only one left; and he must have studied the crabs and watched them grow and evolve so he is able to stay one step ahead of them in their movements.

 

[Flyingdebris]

i don't think there's much evolving going on, the way things look, headcrab mutation doesn't seem to take all that long. You see zombies already shambling about not long after headcrab canisters rain from the sky.

 

[r2000]

OFFICIAL R2000 Theory of Headcrabs

All headrcrabs were from Xen. In the resonance cascade, headcrabs were teleported to Earth. Most likely along with Gonarchs. Anwyays, what follows is headcrab zombies. Headcrab zombies evolved soon enough into Gonomes, which are the result of zombies having ample food supply, and time. Gonomes do not become Gonarchs. Something else, still unseen gives rise to gonarchs. Why do I say that? Because a gonarch is a big creature, shaped unlike any headcrab out there. Its more logical that Gonarchs give birth to special headcrabs which become Gonarchs, every once in a while. Anyways, the combine arrive, capture gonarchs and use them to make headcrab shells. The combine mutate headcrabs with other creatures, and create poision headcrabs. Fast heacrabs are the result of a evolution, to do with the faster speed of humans, than Vortiguants (the prey of Xen headcrabs).

 

[ríomhaire]

I think it takes a mawman 2-6 hours to form.

 

[Flyingdebris]

i don't think gonarch needs to give birth to a special headcrab. (Queen heacrab?) Although it would be an interesting premise.

In raising the bar, it says clear as day that the gonarch is just a fully matured headcrab.

As far as zomification time, i think it might be closer to minutes than hours. Remember how every time that a place is getting crabbed, you almost immediately see zombies? 2 to 6 hours would be way to long

 

[ríomhaire]

It also says clear as day that the Vortigaunts are hive-minded which based on evidence from the game is not entirely true.

As far as zomification time, i think it might be closer to minutes than hours. Remember how every time that a place is getting crabbed, you almost immediately see zombies? 2 to 6 hours would be way to long

But who said the area wasn't being crabed previously?

 

[Flyingdebris]

actually in the game, they do have evidence of the vorties being hive minded. At one point in nova prospekt alyx mentions something about how when vorties get captured by the combine, all the other vorties are aware of what the captured one sees and are able to relay that information to the rebels.

As for the areas being crabbed. In the end of route kanal/beginning of water hazard when that area is being crabbed, the implication is that it had just begun, judging from the fact that people were still running away and one guy had just been headhopped. Also the big red barn seemed to be considered safe by the resistance up until the last minute.

 

[ríomhaire]

actually in the game, they do have evidence of the vorties being hive minded. At one point in nova prospekt alyx mentions something about how when vorties get captured by the combine, all the other vorties are aware of what the captured one sees and are able to relay that information to the rebels.

they are group minded not hive minded. There's a difference. Hive mind=all of one concious but a group mind means they share information but have their own personalities. If they were hive-minded they wouldn't have to talk to each other and they wouldn't have a "greatest poet".

 

[Jandor]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Headcrab
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gonarch

also, rather interesting:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullsquid
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnacle_(half-life)

 

[ríomhaire]

Cool, I did a little editing BTW. Don't worry I didn't asert any of my theories as fact, just added a few things clearly labeled as theories.

 

[Flyingdebris]

very nice read

 

[CombinePolice]

Thread

I have a thread of ideas about wha they'd do if they were headcrabbed or were about to be turned into a zombie.

**CLICKY** :afro:

 

[jimmyjam]

I've always been fond of the idea that headcrabs were nothing on xen (what with, as the wikipedia article says, them being eaten by vorts and bullsquids) but by virtue of earth's unique wildlife became a highly dangerous predator after the RC

and riomhaire, I don't think headcrabs prey on vorts like they do humans... for one, the two won't fight if put in a room together, and I suspect a vort's body electricity would be a good deterrant to parasitism
you also mentioned something about a vort's mouth being free for fast zombies, but it would seem that headcrabs enter through the mouths (on humans at least...would they make it harder for themselves on their native prey?) so uhhhhh yea I don't have a point

 

[ríomhaire]

For God's sake people stop saying they don't fight when spawned together, try that in HL2.

 

[jimmyjam]

except that vorts in HL2 fight in one sequence in the game... they are just coded to fight 'enemies'
explanation in the fiction: as allies of humans they attack things that could harm their more defenseless pals

 

[Dag]

How do Zombies (fast and poison) eat anyway? They have no real mouth.

 

[jimmyjam]

please read the thread

 

[Dag]

Sorry, my bad. But as to hive minded Headcrabs, the fast ones seemed to be pretty coordinated and whatnot. They always attacked in groups, they flanked. (Or rather, climbed up different Gutters.) Mabey there is a special type of Gonarch for each Breed? Kind of like Fireants would be equal to fast head crabs, Army Ants would be equal to poisen, ect.

 

[mrkab00m]

Everything seems okay except for 4. The chest splits open to create a new mouth for the zombie. And it would be highly unlikely every single zombie would rip their chest open because of the pain. It's just the zombie mutating. Also like TheSmJ said, if the headcrab is controlling the human they wouldn't be able to do that anyway. One of my theories is that because the zombie is so slow is because the headcrab is having a constast fight for control over the body against the human but the headcrab is just a bit stronger.

It's also very unlikely that every single human was male before becoming a zombie, or that every single human wore the same exact clothes before becoming a zombie, or that every single male and every single female sound exactly the same.

 

[ríomhaire]

or that every single human wore the same exact clothes before becoming a zombie

Standard issue citizen clothes.

except that vorts in HL2 fight in one sequence in the game... they are just coded to fight 'enemies'
explanation in the fiction: as allies of humans they attack things that could harm their more defenseless pals

And why do the headcrabs attack Vorts?

 

[WacK]

..... Cake?

 

[Flyingdebris]

i do think the crabs naturally did attack the vorts in Xen. However due to the fact that vortigaunts are able to naturally produce electricty with which to defend themselves plus they have like 5 eyes on their heads. Dealing with headcrabs was fairly easy. Headcrabs were at most a minor pest unless that rare headcrab managed to mature to gonarch status. Kinda like how in some lakes there's that rare catfish that grows to 20 feet, while the rest are still under a foot in length.

However due to the fact that on earth, headcrabs have no natural predators, and humans are ill equipted (naturally speaking) to dealing with the crabs. Its no surprise that they have become a big problem. On earth it is 20x or more easier to mature to gonarch status, plus once they get to that stage they breed crazy fast.

 

[ríomhaire]

i do think the crabs naturally did attack the vorts in Xen. However due to the fact that vortigaunts are able to naturally produce electricty with which to defend themselves plus they have like 5 eyes on their heads. Dealing with headcrabs was fairly easy. Headcrabs were at most a minor pest unless that rare headcrab managed to mature to gonarch status. Kinda like how in some lakes there's that rare catfish that grows to 20 feet, while the rest are still under a foot in length.

However due to the fact that on earth, headcrabs have no natural predators, and humans are ill equipted (naturally speaking) to dealing with the crabs. Its no surprise that they have become a big problem. On earth it is 20x or more easier to mature to gonarch status, plus once they get to that stage they breed crazy fast.

But vort's don't have eyes on the backs of their heads.
Oh, and I'll have a felling we'll see some bullsquid-headcrab pwnage in Aftermath.

 

[Flyingdebris]

they do have eyes everywhere else though, way bigger field of vision than a human, therefore can better spot something about to leap on its head

 

[SsmitzZ]

........zombies for president

 

[Jandor]

they do have eyes everywhere else though, way bigger field of vision than a human, therefore can better spot something about to leap on its head

They have one large eye and a ring of smaller eyes around that eye. I wouldn't say that is all over x-ray vision .

Also, the Vortigaunt electric attack takes a while to fully charge.

 

[r2000]

Standard issue citizen clothes.


And why do the headcrabs attack Vorts?

Not standard issue clothes. Its a matter of it being damn hard, to make every zombie an individual creature. With its own clothes and voice.

 

[ríomhaire]

Not standard issue clothes. Its a matter of it being damn hard, to make every zombie an individual creature. With its own clothes and voice.

So everyone except rebels were wearing the new fashion of the month?

 

[Dag]

So everyone except rebels were wearing the new fashion of the month?

I know I would if it was my last day as a living person. :thumbs:

 

[Jandor]

However due to the fact that on earth, headcrabs have no natural predators,

I bet your Bullsquids and Antlions can deal with them easily. Also, Earth species like Wolfs, Tigers, Lions, all the agile fast ones could deal with them. Also, I forget the name, but the Birds of Prey that hunt Meer-Cats (sp?) etc. could catch them. That is, assuming any Earth wildlife is still around (Cats and Seagulls don't count .)