The graphics look unreal, the game world oozes the familiar foreboding atmosphere, and the gameplay seems to recapture the frantic firefights and patient exploration of the old titles. 2: Heart of Chernobyl (or just STALKER 2, to simplify) shown at E3 2021 is prime hype material. To give up all in the name of the Combine.This discussion of STALKER 2 contains spoilers for the novel Roadside Picnic, the film Stalker, and for the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Over the development of HL2, the Stalker became less of a fearful and terrifying creature robbed of it’s humanity and sanity, it instead became a more docile and pitiful figure, one that doesn’t elicit fear, but rather a symbol of the Combine’s effect on the world, to show the world what would become of them if they disobeyed, that rebellion would lead to servitude. Instead of just being a horrific and quick creature, the Stalkers at release were just as terrified as you would’ve been, still human, but heavily broken.Īll designs of the stalker support them being mentally unhinged and physically deprived, with modifications to make them more suitable for working under the Combine in a servile demeanor and attitude in the same way that Combine Exploder With Rockets are also modified humans made to serve the Combine’s needs without hesitation or thought. This moment strikes similar to an unused animation in the 2003 Stalker model where it was supposed to scare the player by popping in front of a window that the player would be looking through, both scenes are meant to scare the player in some way or another, but the wildly different tones further show just how much the Stalkers had changed in the retail release. One of the most memorable scenes with the retail Stalker involves Alyx being pinned by a Stalker that’s stuck in it’s pod, showing that they’re easily frightened and suffering from a deep panic attack, further demonstrating how mentally broken they are. This model’s walkcycle is arguably the most drastic change from it’s previous incarnations, it’s not walking with the same kind of determination as it used to, it ambles along, apathetic to whatever’s on the ground, it’s torso following the rhythm of it’s rounded footsteps, it’s arms swaying lifelessly, a perfect example of how braindead and docile it is. While the player can’t kill any Stalkers during HL2, Episode 1 allows you to come face to face with them, and their rage at you for killing other Stalkers shows that their emotions are still intact, but are at extreme levels, however their method of combat is far different than what the Stalkers in the beta would use, their slow movements means they can’t readjust themselves easily and from where they’re position they’re already in a prime spot to attack the player. The retail model or course is a significantly different design but still with the same idea in mind, it’s a more human and painful to look at representation of the Combine stripping away humanity for servitude, leaving the player feeling more pity than fear, though they can still be frightful. The walkcycle here is more like the retail model’s walkcycle, there’s a less determined pace, and more of am careful stride towards it’s destination, watching the ground and hunching, fighting it’s way forward with conviction and some degree of malice. The Borealis was cut somewhat late in development, but Stalkers are encountered frequently within the ship, the tight corridors and areas leads to them acting in a similar fashion to the Assassins in HL1, with them diving in and out of view, attacking, and running away to find a new position to attack from. They were very quick, and could easily outrun the player, escaping into the distance to attack the player from afar, although cornering them could still be fairly easy, they were very much hostile and deployed as more expendable than even the Metrocops.
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The 2003 model has thicker thighs and appendages used for manual labour to fulfill their more slave-like role, though they’re still intended for more direct confrontation at that time of development. While the following 2 GIF’s might show placeholder animations, they’re still worth noting the 2002 model’s walkcycle is more defined in it’s pace, like it’s actually stalking something, eyes ready to incinerate whatever it sees, further cementing the idea of actually stalking, it’s still struggling to move with it’s stilt like appendages for legs, but it’s more determined in it’s steps. In terms of design they were supposed to come off as horrifying and scary, but in retrospect that design doesn’t suit them well, sure they’re unsettling, but they do also shoot lasers out of their eyes. It’s sort of interesting seeing how they developed, it was likely one of Valve’s earliest ideas when it came to the Combine’s enslavement of Earth, and the Stalkers are seen as prominent enemies within the HL2 Beta, as they’d appear on the Borealis as a regular enemy. The Stalker models over the late years of the development of HL2.