WalkThru

This is a sub-page of Proto:Half-Life (Windows)/September 1997 Prototype.

WalkThru.doc#

HALF-LIFE ALPHA WALKTHROUGH

THE PORTAL DEVICE (C1A1):

The first map starts the player in the control room of the Portal Device. Adjacent corridors take the player through a series of laboratories and holding cells where specimens seized from the interdimensional portal have been kept for study. The player will navigate the area unarmed except for a crowbar, which he may use to pry open doors and airduct grills. Please keep in mind that this map is still in progress. Some switches have been disabled, some doors have been locked in an open position, and other temporary changes have been made to allow free exploration with a minimum of snags dead-ends. Even so, some judicious use of "noclipping" may be necessary in tight spots.

You begin in a laboratory, at the controls of an interdimensional portal. (Disaster FX still to come.) Throw the switch to get into the outer corridors. To your right is a broken airlock. You will need to duck through the broken panel and trigger the opposite door, which is also malfunctioning (a well-timed scurry is necessary to get through the far door). Beyond the broken airlock you will find a view into a room you cannot enter; it's blocked by fallen equipment. Another door leads you down into a power room where you will find a ventilation grill on the floor (look for the violet light). Eventually these grills will be removable with a crowbar; for the moment they will slide open when you touch them. You will have to duck to enter the airduct, then toggle on your flashlight. (To bind a key for this purpose, pull down the console (~ key), and type: bind [key] "impulse 100".) Switch the flashlight off when you are in bright areas, as it will currently slow down your framerate. Tour the ducts until you reach a dead end with a vertical shaft extending above it. At this point, if you turn to your left and jump, you will be able to scale the shaft and come out into a ceiling duct (it may be helpful to crouch as you step off the ladder. Ahead of you is another grill opening into the room with the revolving beacon. Both doors are blocked, but you can move the equipment away from one, and press on through this level. There is an airlock not far beyond, although triggering it can be tricky; you will need to activate the passcard slot, then hit the lever.

There are labs beyond this. One cannot be entered, although the door will open slightly. The other lab door opens all the way, but the floor is flooded with electrified water. Step right in and you'll be electrocuted. You must jump from table to countertop, then switch off the lights. Now you can get through the door at the back of the lab. From here, you can circle around to the second lab and imagine the fun you'll have with a bunsen burner and some ruptured gas tanks. For now, shooting the wall near the gas tanks will cause it to shatter. (Note that currently maps are not saved in-state; therefore, if you blast out a wall in one area and come back to it after having transitioned to another map, the wall will appear to have been restored again.)

Near a small room containing a High Voltage switch is a stairway shaft that will lead you down to a series of cages. (You can reach these cages sooner by avoiding the broken airlock outside the laboratory, and riding a large lift down to the lower level; but note that once you have stepped off the elevator and allowed the grill door to close, you will not be able to raise the grill again in this version.) Playing with the switches and levers in this area will open the cages in various combinations. You may find that if you enter certain cells, the sewer grates are movable. By jumping into the drains and ducking down, you can explore beneath the cells and reach otherwise inaccessible areas. You may have to "noclip" to get out of the drains, however. (Pull down the console by typing "~" then type "noclip"; you may also bind a key to toggle this function, following the example shown for the flashlight. Once you are in noclip mode, you can sail through walls and floors by working the mouse combined with the Alt key.)

As you explore the lower area of cells, you will discover an exit (triggered from inside the main green-lit holding room) and an emergency override switch which is accessible via one of the stairwells. Activating the emergency override will open a large door in the subbasement, and you can then proceed to the next map. (A transitional area is not currently in place; you will go directly to an elevator that opens into C1A2…)

THE OFFICE WARRENS (C1A2)

The second set of areas consists mainly of office complexes in a Cold War era style, full of shell-shocked civil servants and their scattered remains. The monsters got here ahead of you, pouring through numerous temporary dimensional rifts that gaped during the disaster. You will see offices, storage rooms, and a cafeteria with an enormous freezer. In some places it is necessary to climb onto crates and couches and then to jump; this will give access to areas above the ceiling, and permit you to get past blocked doorways.

When you begin the level, you will almost immediately encounter a locked door with a small viewing window beside it. The door is sealed, but if you shoot out the wiremesh glass, you can pass through the window. You will need to use a combined jump and crouch move to get through the window; this move will come in handy throughout the game.

Also at the start of this level you will see a locked break-room where a scientist has barricaded himself. Shoot near the fire extinguisher down the hall and you will gain access to an airvent that will take you into the break-room.

Most areas in the office complex may be explored freely, but you will encounter several serious obstacles that require dexterous maneuvering. The first is a locked door with several crates littering the hallway just in front of it. You will need to push the boxes into position beneath a ladder visible in the exposed ceiling area. After arranging the boxes, clamber from the shorter box onto the taller and jump. Now you will have access to the ceiling area. Leap up while moving forward, and you will find yourself scaling a ladder into the ceiling area. From here you can crawl above the sealed door and come down into the next room.

To gain the exit, you will have to reach the balcony that overlooks the large cafeteria room. The door to the stairwell is locked so you must travel through the freezer ventilation system to move up to the balcony. (The freezer vent is too high up to climb into without positioning a crate to climb on.) In one of the small rooms near this balcony, you will discover a grill in the floor which lets you down into the ventilation system. Eventually this leads you out into a very dark room of ductwork. You'll need your flashlight here, and you will also need to do some very dexterous jumping to get up along the tops of the ducts and into another section of ductwork. Through some very solid bars you'll get a glimpse of the Exit—but your crowbar won't be sufficient to let you at it. You will find that a bit farther along you will be able to stand up and enter an area of girders and ceiling tiles. Push a grill out of your way and you can pass across the ceiling by hugging to the girders; beware of the acoustic tiles, which cannot bear your weight. By this route you can eventually drop down into the hallway near the Exit door, and from here you'll gain access to two more elevators. One of these is out of service; the other will open but the car is far above. Make sure you have your controls set for "Run Always" and then leap across the shaft; you'll find you can scale the opposite ladder. By cautiously edging along the interior of the shaft, you must climb each section of ladder until you reach the top of the elevator car. Pry up the access hatch and drop inside, and this will lead you to The Security Complex (C1A3).

THE SECURITY COMPLEX (C1A3)

With the office complexes behind you, you step off an elevator into a corridor strewn with crates. A door labelled "Silo Access" to your right is sealed--clearly, this will be an important destination when you've gained proper access. The level is populated by houndeyes and human shock troops who have made their way down from the surface (which is very close at this point). You must fight your way through the troops to an airlock, which opens into a large area rimmed with a catwalk patrolled by troops and housing an airway shunt control with three colored handles. The air system is accessible through a floor hatch in this same area; you will find it in a small room cluttered with crates. To open the hatch, stand over it and activate the "use" function (bind a key for +use e.g. bind "u" +use). This leads to a cellar where you will see various ducts and a grate allowing you access to the ductwork.

You can reach numerous otherwise inaccessible areas by following the air ducts, including the guard room visible from the airlock (this room cannot be entered via the door). In the air ducts, you will encounter the three gates that are controlled by the three switches in the large room, and which are referenced on the legend sign next to the switches. You will also see a large double fan, with other ductwork that may be interesting beyond it (but unfortunately the fan will chop you to bits should you try to proceed through it. Perhaps if you could shut off the fan....)

Another route out of the main air shunt room is down a side passage into a smaller storage area, where you will see a storage ledge covered with crates, with a ladder leading up to them. Climb the ladder up to the ledge and push the button there; this will open the door at the other end of the room, under the stairs, taking you to a larger, flooded storage area. There are crates in the flooded room, with catwalks keeping you above the creatures infesting the floor (or so you hope...). You will find that jumping comes in very handy in this room—from crate to crate, and along the catwalk.

Following the ramps will take you through a computer center, beyond which sits an immense fan housing. There is a large elevator in the room as well, and it leads to what you suspect is the catwalk from the first large room you encountered, the one patrolled by the grunts out to exterminate you. The obvious switch for the elevator doesn't seem to work properly, though, so you need to figure out what's wrong with the switch and see if you can fix it. Should you fix the lift, leap onto it from the catwalk as it rises past and it will carry you to the upper level of the main room. (Getting the elevator to work means using the fusebox that the switch is connected to. There is a sparking fuse in there that needs to be set before the lift switch will work.)

As you suspected, it leads to the catwalk in the first large room. You walk along the walkway only to discover a sentry cannon that spins down from the ceiling, barring any chance of getting to the elevator at the far end of the corridor. There must be another way up, because clearly you cannot make it past this cannon...

The key is the air ducts. You will have to figure out how to turn off the big double fan, in order to gain access to the vents beyond. This requires opening the correct gates within the vents, and shutting off power to the fans. If you do this successfully, you can get to the ducts that take you to the surface and the security center there. The player must set Gate B open, and leave the others closed: Gate A will send the player hurtling into a blade-like fin that will slice them in half, and Gate C will send the player into a fan that will chop them up. Gate B shoots the player into the large fan housing, where they will find two fuseboxes. Open each and shoot them, thus disabling the power to all the fans. The player can then go up the ladder, back through the vents, past the now dormant double fan, and up into other ducts. This takes the player to the surface level.

From the you can look out over the dark landing field where a battle between human and alien forces will be staged. In the finished map, the controls in this room will allow you to disable security for the sealed door you saw at the very beginning of the level, and the turret in the corridor (allowing you to take the elevator back down). The player will then return through the level, having acquired access to that door, and raise the garage door that opens into Silo 2. (Currently, triggering the control-room switch has no effect on the silo entry.)

ALIEN RESEARCH LAB (C2A3)

You enter the research complex riding an elevator up into a crate storage room, the main storage facility for the missile base. The storage room leads through a tunnel and out into a large rocky cavern, which holds the exteriors of the three labs. The labs are color-coded: LAB1 is orange, LAB2 is red, and LAB3 is blue. Another tunnel at the far end of the cavern will take you to the entrances. As you pass up this tunnel you will see a blue-bordered door at your left; this entry to LAB3 requires special access, which involves two scientists having their retinas scanned in simultaneously. The retinal scanners are in place, but not yet functional. The player will eventually have to track down two scientists in red LAB2 and lead them back to the entrance to LAB3.

Walking past the entrance to LAB3, the tunnel will take you to the surface and back into a bunker-like entrance to the other two labs. You will encounter a large door marked "RESTRICTED." The button for this door is currently out of order, but there is a secret switch just to the right of the frame, which you must trip it by moving up against the outer right framework of the door. Beyond this point, entrance to LAB2 requires a key the player does not possess. The only lab you initially have access to is LAB1. Entering into LAB1, you must make your way to the emergency exit, then leap across the gap to red LAB2 and duck through the half-opened doorway. LAB2 is the largest lab. The two scientists are being held prisoner there. You must free both of them from their human captors and lead them back to the entrance to LAB3. In order to find both scientists, the player must negotiate his way through the maze of winding tunnels and rooms that make up LAB2. They are both held in rooms whose exit is controlled by a switch outside the room. Once freed, they can follow the player to the entrance to LAB3.

Currently, since the retinal scanner is not functional, to enter LAB3 you must summon the console and type "map c2a4c." This will transition you into LAB3. From here you can make your way to the inner lab, which is surrounded by a deep chasm. The inner lab contains two active containment chambers, each one holding a live Alien grunt in a stasis field. Once inside, the door closes. Since this is a restricted area and the only way out is with a key, the player must make use of the "only in emergency" switch that shuts off power to the facility. When this happens, the lights go out and the power to the containment chambers is shut off. The Aliens then break out of their prisons and the door to the lab opens. The player can then escape to the surface through the emergency exit, which is now open.

COMMUNICATIONS CENTER (C3A1)

The main goal of the Communications Center is to lower the security status of the base. A lofty goal indeed, but to get from the start of the level to the command center, the player is going to have to go down for a swim in the sewers. Near the start of the level you will find an elevator shaft with a grate at the bottom. Pry the grate (with the +use function) and drop down into the water below.

Exploring the conduits, you will find a ladder leading up to the Communications Center. There is a helicopter pad waiting for its chopper (still to come). In the observation tower above the helipad you can throw a switch to open the roof hatch. Eventually swarms of aerial creatures will swarm down from the sky, and you will have to put the chopper's blades to work dispatching them. For now, keep going.

You will find a green-lit Communications Control Room. With the base on high security status, the room has been sealed, and the center's head scientist is sealed inside. Farther on you will encounter a security guard at a wide console. Sighting you, the guard will activate several turrets which you will have to disable; you will also have to disable the guard and take a security card from him. You may now shoot out windows in the command center and get instructions from the scientist there about reprogramming a satellite dish elsewhere in the complex.

There is a second glass-walled communication center. Now that you have the guard's access card, shatter the glass and enter the center. You will be able in the finished map to use one of the consoles to lower the security status, which will automatically unlock the other doors in this level. Now you can climb to the satellite and program in the necessary settings. An important message will stream into the communications center. In addition, the scientist will reward you by activating an emergency lift that lets you advance to C3A2—the first of several research labs.

REACTOR LAB (C3A2)

The Reactor Lab currently allows free non-linear exploration with plenty of combat. Doors and unfinished puzzle elements have been removed for ease of navigation. In its final form, the level will be one large puzzle, requiring the player to disable and flood a reactor core.

As you explore the map, you will find a crew's locker room containing storage lockers where rad suits will eventually hang, and a radiation shower (useful in case you go swimming in the reactor core without your suit).

At some point you will find yourself in a glass-walled observation room with a door that refuses to open due to a reactor breach. Shoot out the glass and jump to the deck below. The cooling tanks along your way resemble lethal swimming pools, and if you jump in you will discover movable grates below. You must negotiate underwater pipes that will give you access to a sequence of pump rooms. Look for ladders leading up from the coolant into the pump areas. The player will have to disable these pumps and shut down the flow to the core itself. If you find yourself in the reactor core, remember that currently there is no way out except back through the pumping tubes. In the finished game, you will need to disable the pumps, shutting off the flow of coolant and causing the reactor to shut down. The lab will then flood the reactor with emergency coolant. Seeing this, you will switch on the pumps again, flooding the reactor to overflowing, and giving you access to the otherwise inaccessible catwalks near the upper rim. From there you can acquire a keycard allowing you to continue to the next laboratory.