Combine "Sniper" Elite

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Combine "Sniper" Elite
Ghost front01.png
The torso and face of the model using the original textures.[1]
Bigguy.jpg
Concept
Condition
Model Low model ver within v31-35; animations broken.
Texture All present; multiple unused.
AI None; only stands in one spot

The Combine "Sniper" Elite is a "elite" enemy that was cut by the time of the Half-Life 2 Leak, but still has leftovers in the files.

Overview

The Combine Elite was, as the name implies, an elite Combine foe the player was presumably to meet. In the Leak, the model for this NPC exists (in an outdated model version), but has some severe issues with the rigging.

A few different weapons have been apparently intended to be in the "Sniper" Elite's hands, from the HMG1[2], to the Sniper Rifle, to even the shotgun.

The leak's skill.cfg mentions it having 100 hp in comparison to the final Elite's 70.

An NPC pointing to the model, npc_combineelite, exists in the leak's source code, but it has the same functionality as the combine soldier with the only difference being the model. Aditionally, this NPC appears in very few maps from the WC mappack - most notably vert_04_001, where four appear in some sort of courtyard arena in the level.

Shimmer Camo

Interestingly, this NPC was to use a "shimmer camo" type of gear, which is no longer functional by the time of the Leak. However, this was restored by user VXP for the LeakNet patch. A copy of its "shimmer" armor texture lives on in the /materials/dev/dev_camo as an example, however.

Textures

The Combine Elite's materials folder has a large number of unused textures in it.

There is a complete set of unused bumpmaps, including one for the unused pouch, 2 unused brownish textures, and three unused "invisible" camos.

Used Textures

Unused Textures[3]

Alternate Camo textures

Included in the Combine Elite's folder are 2 textures seemingly before it was supposed to be in an "invisible" suit:

How it looks on the model:

Relation with Sniper Rifle

The Combine Elite has a HL1-esque[4] relationship with the Sniper Rifle.

  • An SMD of it is included in the 2016 leak's source files of it, posed to fit in the sniper's hand.
  • The texture of it is included in the Elite's texture folder, despite the .vmt pointing to the normal worldmodel's texture.
  • The sniper rifle is loaded alongside the normal model, without any additional loading required.

2016 Leaks

This model found its sources released during the 2016 Facepunch Leak.

The version present in the source files is functional rigging-wise, aside from an animation oversight where his left hand does not reach his gun. It contains bodygroups for the shotgun and sniper rifle.

Source Art

Aside from the model files, two pieces of source art were released.

While M7cm0 is not of note (higher-quality version of an unused pouch texture), the facemap is much more interesting.

It is a full-size version of a very early Ted facemap, well before any of its later incarnations in the Conscript and leak Citizen folders. The two unused facemaps in the Conscript folder seem to be later versions of it.

VRM Reference

Notepad 2018-06-11 18-27-59.png

Within ragdoll.qci, a reference to "ragdoll.VRM" is made, which implies that the VRM format, which was otherwise used by TF2: Brotherhood of Arms[5], was in use in Half-Life 2 at some point. The referenced VRM model is not present.

Files

Crazybubba's fix-up with cleaned material folder: (Dropbox) (Mediafire)

References

  1. Crazybubba's fixed version used here
  2. See the second sidebar image. Though it is not clearly the HMG1, the silhouette is very similar.
  3. Not including the unused textures in the section below
  4. In HL1, weapons were attached directly to the models, as an extension of the hand. This is carried over in HL1Ports, where the weapons are still attached in the ragdoll's rig, being seemingly glued to their hand.
  5. As a Valve-made adaptation of advertised "MRM" technology, more information at ValveArchive