Talk:Pre Retail Era

More realistic and immersive ??/3-9/2002 This era is characterised by an updated visual style, being less cartoony and more realistic, some enemies from the first game are struggling to adapt such as starving houndeyes while others are thriving such as the bull squid

changes from last era:

Alyx design update

• o No more invisibility power
• o No more acrobatic skill
• o New face texture/geo, same hair
• o Old design was thought to be too generic and abiding by the tough stereotype (find where this was mentioned again)

Combine re-engineered technology rather than re-used, previously utilized technology initially made by humans such as the chopper

• o Hunter chopper

Eli Maxwell was combined with captain Vance

• o Bull squid got his leg instead of the particle storm now
• - Particle storm Idea dropped (possibly recycled into the Ion storm?)

2002 gravity gun

• o Earliest gravity gun design currently known, the physgun was implemented before this and considered for gameplay uses
• o gravity gun was chargeable, variables for this still exist in the 2003 code and the variables are compiled into vtmb (https://valvearchive.com/archive/Half-Life/Half-Life%202/Videos/Making%20Game%20Trailers/4.jpg)
• - Long physics manipulator with stock

• - new breen consul design, portrait
• o tile era
• - Merge of dhabih Eng combine visuals and older designs
• o Advisor blue anti-gravity
• o Early gunship at e3 2003 blue

Dog Tbot re-design

• o Takes skitch’s role as Alyx's pet
• o Combot eye and different colour scheme

• - Combine stun stick redesign
• o Originally needed ammo as battery is completely modelled
• o Unsure if present earlier

• - Hydra 2003
• - bullsquid re-design crocodile
• - Stalker re-design

• - More enemies
• o Sewer fauna x 2
• o Cut hl1 enemy flocking floaters
• o Starving houndeyes

Key dates

• - 25/03/2002 first strider map implementation
• o 2/11/1999 first strider sound reference
• - March ??/03/2002 failed demo to Gabe
• o Kleiners lab too long and boring
• - 10/04/2002 redesigned scanner
• - 22-24/05/2002 e3 2002 planned trailer
• - ??/06/2002 Harry Teasley leaves valve
• o Designed concepts for another valve game
• o Some of these concepts were moved into hl2 beta
• - 25/07/2002 physcannon sounds
• o Making game trailers presentation
•  Screenshots of early chargeable gravity gun
• - 16/08/2002 combine scurry mines last edit
• - 27/08/2002 bugbait sounds
• - September ??/09/2002 better concept reel
• o Buggy race along city 17 coast
• o Headcrab encounter on a pier
• o Strider attacking downtown
• o Some re-tooled earlier sequence
•  Kleiners lab but shorter