"Forget About Freeman!"
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| "Forget About Freeman!" | |
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"Forget About Freeman!" is the thirteenth chapter of Half-Life.
Contents
Overview[edit]
The chapter begins in Bay 3 of an underground bunker. With airstrikes taking place on the surface, Gordon hears a radio communication that tells him the military is beginning a full retreat from Black Mesa. Making his way through last section of the facility on his way to the Lambda Complex, Gordon finds this area infested with alien creatures and covered with Snark Eggs and web-like alien materials. To reach the elevator that descends to the complex, the player has to navigate through the canals and a large vehicle repair bay where Marines are battling with alien forces.
Development[edit]
Alpha[edit]
Communications Center is the predecessor of "Forget About Freeman!", and is the fifth chapter in the Alpha version of the game. Originally beginning in the loading bay, the player was to enter the Communications Center to unlock the door to the Reactor Labs at the beginning of the chapter. The loading bay survived into the final game while its general premise, including unused dialogue clips, were recycled for Uplink.
Other versions[edit]
The Energy Cannon is not present in the console ports of the game. The level code for the chapter in the Dreamcast version is "Soldiers Eat Tacos". The Source version contains a couple of test maps that include portions of the chapter.[2]
Behind the scenes[edit]
The original chapter title was "You're On Your Own".[3] The title "On Your Own" can be also found in the maps. The multiplayer map, Lambda Bunker, is based on the first two maps of the chapter. Unused Black Mesa Announcement System lines for the chapter can be found in the sentences file used for the speech system. The area is referred to as Central Command and Communications in the text strings.
The inaccessible Lambda Complex door before the canals is named c3a2_ncrdoor1, a leftover from the Communications Center era of the chapter. The early texture for the door had "USNRC" written on it. In addition to this, the brush work matches the room with the large lift from the beginning of the chapter Lambda Core. It is possible that the player was to unlock the door and enter the complex from here.
The desert area with the tank is named "comm start" in the source file of c3a1a.[4] This means this area was used as an entrance to the Communications Center at some point. The source file also includes a tank that faces the other way, an unused tank design, and a truck. It should be noted the wall in the same area is a mirrored brush work from the dam in the chapter Surface Tension. It is possible that the developers intended this to be the area behind the inaccessible door on the dam. In Opposing Force, the area behind the door is a large storage facility.
The inaccessible elevator at the beginning of the chapter was to be used as a shortcut for returning back to the loading bay after configuring the satellite dish of the Communications Center.[5]
There was to be a second tank in the place of the Energy Cannon in the tunnel that leads to the Lambda Complex.[6]
The freight elevator that the player rides down at the end of the chapter is based on the design of the freight elevator seen in the manga Akira. This elevator is also reused in Opposing Force and Blue Shift, while a previous different elevator in the chapter Unforeseen Consequences referenced Akira as well.
Gallery[edit]
Retail[edit]
The booth.
The loading bay.
The inaccessible elevator.
A Snark Egg.
The basement.
Vortiguants guarding hatch.
The canals.
Ditto.
A tank.
The radioactive leak.
The repair bay.
The debris.
The Energy Cannon.
The gate.
Dreamcast[edit]
The radioactive leak.
The repair bay.
The debris.
The Energy Cannon area.
Other[edit]
Lambda Complex door.
Early version.
Associated media[edit]
Additional images related to "Forget About Freeman!"- Half-Life soundtrack
- Apprehensive Short
- Hard Technology Rock
References[edit]
- ↑ Casali brothers article on Wikipedia (edited by Dario Casali on December 8, 2006)
- ↑ Half-Life: Source (
hl1devteste) - ↑ Half-Life: Day One (
titles.txt) - ↑ hl1-wc-maps (
c3a1a) - ↑ Half-Life Alpha (version .61) Notes (
Half Life Main v6.doc) (August 26, 1998) - ↑ hl1-wc-maps (
c3a1b)
