About the Headcrabs

[Ikagura]

1) How could an extraterrestrial life form adapt to zombify a host they didn't encounter until recently?

2) I mean how did they survive and parasited before going on the Earth?

3) Finally how could they quickly zombifies their host? (3 minutes since the ressonance cascade to see the first zombies)

[Agustín Ariel]

Freeman has been probably sleeping for a while after resonance cascade. Well we can assume that. Headcrabs seem to be able to survive without having to zombify someone, Xen lacks people. But... maybe they are capable of zombify other animals... we will never know.

By the way, open Google and type Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis, this will blow your mind.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by Agustin Ariel:

Freeman has been probably sleeping for a while after resonance cascade.

Probably, I mean nobody knows how much time pass between the Earth and Xen, or even during his black-out

Originally posted by Agustin Ariel:

Headcrabs seem to be able to survive without having to zombify someone, Xen lacks people. But... maybe they are capable of zombify other animals... we will never know.

Yeah, I would assume that they would maybe host some vorts or bullsquid (even tho it's their predator), too bad Valve doesn't really got further to explain Xen's fauna and flora.

Originally posted by Agustin Ariel:

By the way, open Google and type Ophiocordyceps Unilateralis, this will blow your mind.

Oh yeah I've heard about this, it's the basis of the Last of Us (even if it's very unprobable that this mushroom could evolve to zombify a human because a mamal brain is way more complex than an insect)

[9seed]

THANK YOU! I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE TO NOTICE THAT!

I think that headcrabs are a weapon genetically bred to fight humans.
Given that the nihilanth is capable of mass-production of alien grunts, I don't think a gonarch is far-fetched.

[SURVIVOR-DUP]

Huh, interesting. I'd pay to see a headcrab controlling a vortigaunt along with other aliens.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by 9seed:

THANK YOU! I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE TO NOTICE THAT!

I think that headcrabs are a weapon genetically bred to fight humans.
Given that the nihilanth is capable of mass-production of alien grunts, I don't think a gonarch is far-fetched.

Well you're welcome.

During the beta of Half-Life 2 there was something called a "big mama pod" which was a Gonarch sack with mechanised elements to mass produce headcrabs. Maybe the headcrabs could adapt to host humans after all

[^(DNR)^JROD]

there is a cream you can buy to get rid of them

[phillippi2]

Because humans have been going to Xen since before the resonance cascade. (Note Black Mesa has headcrabs, houndeyes and Alien Grunts in captivity). It's possible the headcrabs have met humans on Xen.

[9seed]

Originally posted by phillippi2:

Because humans have been going to Xen since before the resonance cascade. (Note Black Mesa has headcrabs, houndeyes and Alien Grunts in captivity). It's possible the headcrabs have met humans on Xen.

Except headcrabs are specifically shaped to fit human heads.
Just encountering humans would not be enough.

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by phillippi2:

Because humans have been going to Xen since before the resonance cascade. (Note Black Mesa has headcrabs, houndeyes and Alien Grunts in captivity). It's possible the headcrabs have met humans on Xen.

So they evolved to capture humans in less time than any specie on Earth?

[Agustín Ariel]

lol

[Blame My Teammates]

You're arguing about why video game aiens aren't realistic. That's kinda the point. A realistic alien shooter game would have no aliens. Hooray for unrealistic aliens!

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by black_falcon_10:

You're arguing about why video game aiens aren't realistic. That's kinda the point. A realistic alien shooter game would have no aliens. Hooray for unrealistic aliens!

I know it's just a videogame. But considering how Half-Life went into some realism I thought it was kinda funny how an alien is capable to parasite a human...

[java.lang.NullPointerException]

It was maybe a trait from their evolutionary past

[Ikagura]

Originally posted by λНет ВАК Банλ πGSUπ:

It was maybe a trait from their evolutionary past

Yeah, maybe that's why they evolved to make fast and poison headcrabs

[9seed]

My personal theory is that the nihilanth "invented" headcrabs to discourage human invasion of xen.

When the combine invaded, they found the headcrabs, and modified the ♥♥♥♥ out of them to stop them from reproducing, as well as creating the variants we see in half life 2.