Alien Grunt
| |
| Alien Grunt | |
|---|---|
| General information | |
| Alternate names |
Alien Warrior[1] |
| Faction |
Xen military |
| Type |
Soldier |
| Individual information | |
| Health |
60/90/120 |
| Weapon(s) |
|
| Game information | |
| Entity |
monster_alien_grunt |
| Designer(s) | |
Alien Grunts are the primary combatant force of the Nihilanth's Xen army, alongside the enslaved Vortigaunts.
Contents
Overview[edit]
Tough, strong, and extremely hostile, Alien Grunts stand about seven feet tall and are armed with a biological weapon called the Hivehand which launches living projectiles: autonomous, insect-like creatures known as hornets which home in on their targets. At close range, they will also use hand-to-hand combat. Alien Grunts share many physical characteristics with their Vortigaunt counterparts: multiple red eyes, backwards-jointed legs, hoofed feet, and a short arm extending from their mid-torso which is used for feeding.
They are equipped with metallic-like armor around the groin and shoulders, as well as helmets and shoes. However, several areas of their body are still left exposed. Alien Grunts take significantly reduced damage if shot in the armor rather than their exposed flesh with a .357 Magnum or Crossbow; lower impact rounds, such as pistol or Submachine Gun bullets, buckshot, and even the primary fire of the Tau Cannon, will outright ricochet off the armor without doing any damage at all since the protection negates 20 points of damage from many sources.
Alien Grunts use intelligent soldier-based combat tactics, for instance running between cover and firing at unseen enemies so that the hornets will track foes around corners. They have almost twice as much health compared to HECU Marines. Combined with their bullet-deflecting partial body armor, this gives them high durability in battle. They also demonstrate superhuman strength in various scripted sequences seen throughout the game, such as punching a soldier through a concrete wall, quickly prying open a large set of heavy blast doors, and thriving in harsh conditions and high radiation areas.
Alien Grunts can be found being transported through the mines on Xen stored in pod-shaped containers. They are also often transported by Alien Crafts. At one point in the game, a group of Alien Grunts appear to have set up an Energy Cannon, implying the necessity for external weaponry.
Behind the scenes[edit]
The Alien Grunt was initially known as the Alien Warrior Vortigaunt.[1] Before the Hivehand, the Alien Grunt was planned to use different types of weapons.[3][4] An early version of the Alien Grunt model had blue armor (initial concept art featured green armor while early model renders depicted a bright silver armor) and lacked the Hivehand, instead firing hornets directly from its right hand.[5] This model was kept in the retail Half-Life as a sprite for the Alien Grunts forming the distant back rows in the "bad" ending. The final Alien Grunt model also features an unused variation in which it lacks a Hivehand akin to its early model.
In Online Gaming Review's early Half-Life Monster of the Week Feature preview, Alien Grunts were given the taxonomic designation "Xenotherium myrmex." The creatures discharged from their Hivehands are referred to as "thornets," and their regeneration is explained as being as a result of continued breeding in their host's para-coelomic cavity. The Alien Grunts' armor is described as not being a product of alien technology but rather a biologically extruded exoskeleton synthesized from a diet rich in certain xenotic minerals. Their preferred ration is said to come in the mobile form of Chumtoads, an alien type which ended up being cut and not appearing in the original Half-Life.[6]
Gallery[edit]
Half-Life Alpha[edit]
Alpha version.
Alien Grunts near the helicopter pad in the Communications Center.
Alien Grunts in Alien Research Lab, being held in containment chambers.
Ditto.
Alien Grunt outside of its chamber.
Pre-release[edit]
Concept art.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Promotional artwork.
Ditto, with Gordon Freeman.
Facing off against Gordon.
Ditto.
Promotional image.
The Alien Grunt in a promotional image for the Intel Pentium II processor, featuring both iterations of the Hivehand.
The Alien Grunt in a promotional image for Falcon Northwest Computer Systems.
Early model.
Front view.
Model renders.
Head variants.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Ditto.
In a technology demo.
Ditto, close-up.
Alien Grunts attacking the player (note the built-in Hivehand).
Human Sergeant, Alien Grunt, HECU grunt, and dead scientist in a tunnel.
Ditto. Note particle tracers.
Alien Grunt firing an early Hivehand which resembles the Alien Organic Assault Rifle.
Early Alien Grunts firing Hivehands. Note the blue tracer used instead of red.
Retail[edit]
Alien Grunt.
Ditto, without Hivehand.
Dreamcast version.
Ditto, without Hivehand.
High Definition version.
Ditto, without Hivehand.
PlayStation 2 version.
Ditto, without Hivehand.
Decay version.
Ditto, without Hivehand.
In sprite form.
Ditto, Source version.
Alien Grunt in the Advanced Biological Research Lab.
Ditto.
Ditto.
Alien Grunts being unloaded by an Alien Craft.
Alien Grunts attacking soldiers.
An Alien Grunt fighthing off HECU soldiers leaving the M2A3 Bradley.
An HECU soldier being kicked through a wall by an Alien Grunt.
A Grunt standing near a Snark Egg.
An Energy Cannon.
An Alien Grunt at the entrance of The Lambda Complex.
An Alien Grunt near a teleporter.
Barrel-like containers with Alien Grunts inside.
Alien Grunts facing Gordon if he refuses the G-Man's offer at the end of Half-Life.
List of appearances[edit]
Main games[edit]
- Half-Life (First appearance)
- Half-Life: Opposing Force
- Half-Life: Blue Shift
- Half-Life: Decay
Other[edit]
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Chuck Jones' personal website
- ↑ Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, page 27
- ↑ Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, page 18
- ↑ Half-Life 2: Raising the Bar, page 19
- ↑ Half-Life (pre-release)
- ↑ Half-Life - Monster of the Week feature on OGR.com (archived)
