Information AboutRace X |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT RACE X | |
| first-person shooter creatures | |
| half-life characters | |
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Their intentions on Earth are unknown, as is their relationship with the '' (Calhoun), also developed by Gearbox, was retained for ''Half-Life 2'', this may be unlikely. The scripts for both games were also written by Valve employees. SPECIES Pit Drone Pit Drones are the first type of Race X aliens encountered in the game. They are short Biped al creatures with yellowish-tan skin and a small head which sports rows of sharp spines. This trait, along with the small arm-like appendages near their mouths are shared by the Shocktrooper aliens, suggesting that they are a related species. A Pit Drone's arms end in long Scythe -like claws, which it can use to make vicious attacks. Fast and fairly intelligent, they tend to appear in groups of five or six, and are capable of making flanking movements and quickly surrounding their prey. They have two forms of attack: firing their head-spines when at long range, or charging towards the target to deliver a deadly slash with their claws. Interestingly, some pit drones appear not to be capable of the head spine attack and, perhaps as a result, are superficially different in appearance to the others. Shock Trooper Shock Troopers are the most intelligent and dangerous of the Race X aliens. Physically, they are humanoid with four arms and vaguely resemble Vortigaunt s, but with many key differences suggesting that they are not from Xen. Their bodies are covered in plate-like sections, similar in appearance to Insect exoskeletons. Their skin is pale blue, and is not mottled or patchy like the skin of Xen creatures. They have a single large eye, whereas Vortigaunts have six. This eye is apparently part of a common Morphology between Race X creatures - every Race X alien with a large eye (including the Pit Worm) has two eyelids which regularly blink horizontally across the eyeball. Their primary weapon is the Shockroach; a living creature, similar to the Alien Grunts' hive-hand. The Shockroach fires bolts of electricity, which it constantly recharges on its own. The Shockroach cannot survive without a living host for very long; if its Shock Trooper dies, it will detach itself and pursue a new host. If it nears a player that already has a Shockroach, it will attack in a similar way to a Headcrab before dying. Shock Troopers also have the ability to spit spore Grenade s, which they tend to use against distant or concealed enemies. One of the weapons available to the player in ''Opposing Force'' is the Spore Launcher, (another "living weapon" like the Shockroach and Hive Gun) which fires the same type of spore. Some have speculated that this weapon is, in fact, an infant Shocktrooper. Interestingly, the spore launcher is first found in the Biodome laboratories of Black Mesa (BMRF). Such speculation suggests either that they had been collected from (and are indigenous to) Xen , or the BMRF portal experiments were not restricted to Xen alone. Shocktroopers are usually encountered in small groups, and often fight together with other Race X aliens, whom they seem to be allied with. Shocktroopers also possess a verbal form of communication, uttering strange electronic-sounding noises to each other. A skilled player can learn to recognize certain "phrases" muttered by a Shocktrooper prior to an attack and react accordingly. It is interesting to note that at one point the player observes a Shock Trooper grab a Black Mesa scientist prior to teleporting away; effectively kidnapping him. Voltigore Voltigore are known as gigantic and lumbering creatures, Race X's rough equivalent of a Gargantua . They have four legs and two arms that end in scythe-like claws, and are distinguished by vivid purple stripes on their bloated Carapace similar to those on a Houndeye , though in a different color. These aggressive creatures have a devastating ranged energy attack, bearing some similarity to the Vortigaunt 's green energy stream, although the Voltigore's energy attack is purple, and is much more lethal. At close range, they attack viciously with their claws. A player can recognize a Voltigore from afar by the unusual, electric-sounding bellows of the creature. When a Voltigore dies, its carapace explodes, causing massive damage to nearby creatures. Baby Voltigores can be found later in the game. They are much smaller and weaker, lighter in colour, and lack the energy attack. Baby Voltigores are only found in concealed underground nests and are closely guarded by the adults, suggesting that the Voltigores have a strong social structure. The Voltigores' appearance strongly resembles that of the antlion guards found in Half-life 2, possibly either indicating a xenian heritage or a 'Race X' presence in the world and story of Half-life 2. Pit Worm Encountered in a sewage processing area in the lower levels of Black Mesa, this dangerous creature resembles an enormous Caterpillar , and bears resemblances to the Gohma boss from the ''Zelda'' Series . Its segmented body supports a head dominated by a single large eye. This eye is the pit worm's primary weapon, capable of firing a searing energy beam at nearby enemies. If enemies get too close, the worm also has large claws to strike out with. If the worm is shot in the eye, it will recoil, shielding it with its claws for a few seconds before striking aggressively at the player. The worm possesses a fairly rudimentary intelligence, and appears to have the ability to communicate with high-pitched screeches that sound like an eagle. It is possible that the pit worm is not a fully-grown adult, but is merely the Larva of an even larger creature. Geneworm The Geneworm is the '', and the most mysterious of the Race X aliens. Physically, the creature resembles a green, worm-like creature with many tentacles, with a beak-like protrusion similar in both shape and position to that of the Xen Tentacle . The Geneworm attacks with its tentacles and also ejects a deadly biotoxin stream from its mouth. Its outer hide is impervious to damage; in order to kill it, the player must blind the creature by shooting both its eyes with the mounted laser guns on either side of the worm. This causes it to summon reinforcements by opening its abdominal cavity, revealing a portal orb that a Shock Trooper will teleport through. The player can inflict serious internal damage by firing at the orb. It is possible that the Geneworm is the leader of the Race X creatures as Nihilanth is the leader of the Xen creatures. The Geneworm is found deep underground in a seemingly abandoned industrial area of Black Mesa, and appears to be trapped in a portal opening. The fact that the room is already fitted with powerful fixed weapons suggests that unlike with the most recent accident, Black Mesa has been ready to protect themselves against anything that might come through this particular portal; maybe the creature or something as bad has come through before. A notable feature of the Geneworm is its stark similarity to the tentacle. It has been speculated that the Geneworm is really a parasite-infested tentacle, much like Headcrab zombies and gonomes. It could also be the "mother" of the tentacles, spawning or controlling them. ORIGIN AND PURPOSE There is much speculation on the origins of the Race X aliens. Of particular significance is that, when given a chance, certain Race X aliens attack certain Xen creatures, suggesting that they are not from the same dimension:
This has led to the development of several theories concerning their origin and purpose on Earth. Some players speculate that the Race X aliens are fighting for an Interstellar Alliance against the Combine; others propose that Race X represent a superior branch of the Combine Overwatch, and are tasked with enforcing the efforts of the Xen aliens (similar to the relationship between the Black Ops and the HECU); some suggest that they are the original inhabitants of Xen ; whilst others believe that the aliens are simply drawn into the portal storms by accident.
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