Welcome To Black Mesa
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| Welcome To Black Mesa | |
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| Game information | |
| Designer(s) | |
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- "I was hoping that you soldiers had come to rescue us, but now it seems we are all in the same situation."
- ― Black Mesa scientist[src]
Welcome To Black Mesa is the second chapter of Half-Life: Opposing Force.
Contents
Overview[edit]
As the chapter begins, Adrian Shephard wakes up in a medical section of the facility. He and his comrades were saved by scientists, who appear to be unaware of their mission, after they were attacked by the aliens. He is sent to the crash site to radio for help, where he is told that the military is pulling out and he must make his way through the transit system to reach the extraction point.
At some point, Shephard finds himself trapped in a large room with rising hazardous waste. The G-Man appears and opens the door to the exit and then disappears. Eventually, he reaches the transit system and finds an empty tram, which automatically starts when he gets in it.
Behind the scenes[edit]
The chapter was created by Mike Wardwell, Rob Heironimus, and Randy Pitchford.[1] The demo version of the game contains the first three maps of the chapter. The last map has some minor differences. The multiplayer map Crash Site is based on the map of1a2 of the chapter. Near the crash site, an overweight security guard touches a fence, gets electrocuted, and dies. The animations for this scripted sequence were originally created for Half-Life but left unused. It was to be used in the desert section of the chapter Surface Tension. The design for the large freight elevator with two Vortigaunts on it appears to be based on a similar elevator seen in the manga Akira. The same design is also used in Half-Life and Blue Shift.
The original design for of1a3's control room can be found in the map of1a4, behind the level transition brush. In the map of1a4b, there is an unused ladder in an inaccessible sewer area. The same type of ladder can be found throughout the game. In the same map, there are unused nodes on the path that leads to the Loader room.
Easter eggs[edit]
The medical section of the chapter has two Easter eggs. In the clean room with CAT scanners, there is a computer screen with an ultrasound image on it. This is a photo of Randy Pitchford and his wife Kristy Pitchford's son.[2] The computer at the security checkpoint can be used by the player. When used three times, it crashes and gives a Blue Screen of Death message.
Gallery[edit]
Pre-release[edit]
The infirmary.
The medical section.
Ditto.
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The clean room.
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Early Zombie soldier.
Security checkpoint.
Ditto.
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The laser room.
Ditto.
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Radioactive leak.
The crash site.
Ditto.
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Ditto
A Vortigaunt attacking the player.
The waste room.
Ditto.
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of1a4.
Ditto.
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Staged screenshot.
Staged screenshot.
Retail[edit]
The infirmary.
The medical section.
Scientists observing soldiers in various states of zombification.
The clean room.
Ditto.
Security checkpoint.
The Pipe Wrench under a sparking cable.
The laser room.
Ditto.
The G-Man talking to a security guard.
The crash site.
The power generator.
The waste room.
Ditto, filled with radioactive waste.
The next room.
Transit system tunnel.
The blocked Loader.
Transit system tunnel.
Other[edit]
The ultrasound image.
The crashed computer.
Guard getting electrocuted.
The Akira elevator.
Unused room design.
Unused ladder.
Associated media[edit]
Additional images related to Welcome To Black Mesa- Half-Life: Opposing Force soundtrack
- The Awakening / Orbit
- Name
- Spooky Oozings / Listen
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Randy Pitchford's .plan update on Blue's News (March 23, 2000)
- ↑ Personal Touches in Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel on Gearbox Software's official website (December 11, 2014)
