Stalker - Half-Life 2. (Stalkers are humans who have been drastically altered, both physically and mentally. This book and the game Half Life 2, has had a massive influence on me. Seeing the art and the world of Half Life 2 inspired me to 3d modelling and computer games design/level design. I now work in the games industry, and even after all these years looking back at the game and this book still makes me think wow.

Half-Life 2 is great at describing a worst-case scenario about first-contact with an alien species, or in this case multiple alien species. Here you won't find aliens expressing greetings from far away star systems, in Half-Life 2 humanity is still dealing with the aftermath of a seven-hour war with the Combine after they first teleported onto Earth. That wasn't a typo, the war with humanity literally lasted seven hours before humanity had to surrender, giving you an idea of how powerful this enemy is.
In previous articles, I've covered some of the horrors that arose as a result of alien species mingling with earthlings, such as the zombies and the town of Ravenholm where you first encounter them in abundance. Today we're going to look at another disgusting result of the Combine invasion, which are Stalkers.
Believe it or not, Stalkers were once human beings. Through heavy surgical modifications, they have been transformed into disturbing Combine slaves whose main purpose is to maintain Combine machinery. As you can see, their hands and lower legs have been removed and replaced with some form of multi-use prosthetic tools.
Their internal organs and gender-defining..um..features have also been removed. Whatever form of nutrition the Combine is giving them is obviously not enough, seeing as their skin clings tightly to their skeletons. It appears that their vocal chords have also been messed with, because the only sounds they are capable of making are hisses and growls.

At some point before becoming Stalkers, these people were either resistance members who were captured and sent in to be converted, or they lived in a location such as City 17 and were unknowingly shipped to the processing facility. The processing facility, a level in Half-Life 2 called Nova Prospekt, is a former prison which is now mainly used to create Stalkers and Combine Soldiers (they are heavily modified humans as well).
Although they make only a brief appearance near the end of Half-Life 2, Stalkers are encountered much more frequently in Half-Life 2: Episode One. Here you will cringe in disgust as you see these mutilated beings working frantically to repair the collapsing Citadel in City 17. Also you will be forced into some claustrophobic locations where you're forced to see these monstrosities up close. It is in the Citadel where you discover that the metal plate attached to a Stalker's face contains a functioning laser beam.

Note the Stalker in the background using his head-mounted laser.

Attacking any Stalkers or interrupting their repair efforts will cause them to focus those laser beams on you. Thankfully protagonist Gordon Freeman is always armed to the teeth, so these battles aren't too difficult. Also, these former people deserve to be put out of their misery, don't you think?
That concludes our quick look at one of the most unsettling things in Half-Life 2. Seeing a human being who is so disgustingly altered is sure to bring about a shudder now and then. What did you guys think of the Stalkers?npc_stalker is a point entity available in the Half-Life 2 series.

A Combine worker.The product of extreme, brutal Synth engineering by the Combine, a Stalker is a human who has been drastically altered both physically and mentally.

Warning: The Half-Life 2 stalker model does not have a ragdoll - when one dies, the game crashes! Make sure the player cannot kill any stalkers in your HL2 map. This problem was fixed with the release of Episodes 1 and 2 (Source 2006). This was also fixed in the Orange Box update of Half-Life 2 although the ragdoll physics are extremely broken

Dedicated Console Variables

sk_stalker_health <int>

A stalker's spawn health (Default: 50).

sk_stalker_melee_dmg <int>

Melee damage (Default: 5).

Keyvalues

BaseNPC:

Relationship <string>!FGD

<string targetname or classname> <string disposition> <int rank>

Changes whether this NPC likes or dislikes certain others. Used like the ai_relationship entity, with this NPC as the subject. This keyvalue is not included in Valve's FGDs.

Values for disposition are:

• D_HT: Hate
• D_FR: Fear
• D_LI: Like
• D_NU: Neutral

Target Path Corner (target) <targetname>

The path_corner that this NPC will move to after spawning.

Squad Name (squadname) <string>

NPCs that are in the same squad (i.e. have matching squad names) will share information about enemies, and will take turns attacking and covering each other.

Hint Group (hintgroup) <string>

Hint groups are used by NPCs to restrict their hint-node searching to a subset of the map's hint nodes. Only hint nodes with matching hint group names will be considered by this NPC.

Hint Limit Nav (hintlimiting) <boolean>

Limits NPC to using specified hint group for navigation requests, but does not limit local navigation.

Sleep State (sleepstate) <choices>

Holds the NPC in stasis until specified condition. See also 'Wake Radius' and 'Wake Squad'.

• 0: None
• 1: Waiting for threat
• 2: Waiting for PVS
• 3: Waiting for input, ignore PVS
• 4: Auto PVS
• 5: Auto PVS after PVS

Wake Radius (wakeradius) <float>

Auto-wake if player within this distance

Wake Squad (wakesquad) <boolean>

Wake all of the NPCs squadmates if the NPC is woken

Enemy Filter (enemyfilter) <targetname>

Filter entity to test targets against

Ignore unseen enemies (ignoreunseenenemies) <boolean>

Prefer visible enemies, regardless of distance or relationship priority

Physics Impact Damage Scale (physdamagescale) <float>

Scales damage energy when this character is hit by a physics object. With a value of 0 the NPC will take no damage from physics.

DamageFilter:

ResponseContext:

Shadow:

Disable Shadows (disableshadows) <boolean>

Prevents the entity from creating cheap render-to-texture shadows, or lightmap shadows if the entity is a prop_static. Does not affect shadow mapping.

Disable ShadowDepth (disableshadowdepth) <boolean>(New with Portal 2)

Used to disable rendering into shadow depth (for projected textures) for this entity.

Projected Texture Cache (shadowdepthnocache) <choices>(New with Portal 2)

Used to hint projected texture system whether it is sufficient to cache shadow volume of this entity or to force render it every frame instead.

• 0 : Default
• 1 : No cache - render every frame
• 2 : Cache it - render only once

Disable flashlight (disableflashlight) <boolean>(New with Portal 2)

Used to disable projected texture lighting and shadows on this entity.

RenderFields:

Render Mode (rendermode) <choices>

Set a non-standard rendering mode on this entity.

• 0: Normal
• 1: Color
• 2: Texture
• 3: Glow
• 4: Solid/Alphatest
• 5: Additive
• 6: Removed, does nothing
• 7: Additive Fractional Frame
• 8: Alpha Add
• 9: World Space Glow
• 10: Don't Render

Render FX / Transparency (0 - 255) (renderamt) <integer>

Transparency amount, requires a Render Mode other than Normal. 0 is invisible, 255 is fully visible.

Render Color (R G B) (rendercolor) <color255>

Color tint.

Disable Receiving Shadows (disablereceiveshadows) <boolean>

Prevent the entity from receiving shadows on itself.

RenderFXChoices:

Render FX (renderfx) <choices>

Preset pattern of appearance effects.

• 0: None
• 1: Slow Pulse
• 2: Fast Pulse
• 3: Slow Wide Pulse
• 4: Fast Wide Pulse
• 5: Slow Fade Away
• 6: Fast Fade Away
• 7: Slow Become Solid
• 8: Fast Become Solid
• 9: Slow Strobe
• 10: Fast Strobe
• 11: Faster Strobe
• 12: Slow Flicker
• 13: Fast Flicker
• 14: Constant Glow
• 15: Distort
• 16: Hologram (Distort + fade)
• 17: Scale Up
• 22: Spotlight FX
• 23: Cull By Distance
• 24: Fade Wider Pulse
• 26: Fade Near

To do: 18-21, 25

Angles:

Biblia de bosquejos y sermones apocalipsis pdf printer. Targetname:

Name (targetname) <string>

The targetname that other entities refer to this entity by.

Entity Scripts (vscripts) <scriptlist>(New with Left 4 Dead 2)

Space delimited list of VScript files (without file extension) that are executed after all entities have spawned. The scripts are all executed in the same script scope, later ones overwriting any identical variables and functions.

Script think function (thinkfunction) <string>(New with Left 4 Dead 2)

Name of a function in this entity's script which will be called automatically every 100 milliseconds (ten times a second) for the duration of the script. It can be used to create timers or to simulate autonomous behavior. The return value (if present) will set the time until the next call.

GMODSandbox:

BeamPower <choices>

The power of the Stalker's eye beam

• 0 : Low
• 1 : Medium
• 2 : High

Flags

• [1] : Wait Till Seen

Prevents this NPC from seeing (or being seen) until it enters a player's viewcone.

• [2] : Gag (No IDLE sounds until angry)
• [4] : Fall to ground (unchecked means *teleport* to ground)
• [8] : Drop Healthkit

Causes this NPC to drop an item_healthvial upon dying.

• [16] : Efficient - Don't acquire enemies or avoid obstacles
• [128] : Wait For Script

Forces this NPC to 'wait' in an idle state until it finishes playing a scripted_sequence.

• [256] : Long Visibility/Shoot

By default, increases a NPC's sight range to 6,000 units and allows it to attack from anywhere within that distance.

• [512] : Fade Corpse
• [1024] : Think outside PVS

Allows this NPC to run its regular AI outside of any player's PVS.

• [2048] : Template NPC

Marks this NPC as a template for entities like npc_template_maker. The NPC will not spawn on its own. This is not needed for point_template.

• [4096] : Do Alternate collision for this NPC (player avoidance)

• [8192] : Don't drop weapons
• [16384] : Ignore player push(in all games since )

Don't give way to player

Inputs

BaseNPC:

SetRelationship <string targetname or classname> <string disposition> <int rank>

Changes whether this NPC likes or dislikes certain others. Used like the ai_relationship entity, with this NPC as the subject.

Values for disposition are:

• D_HT: Hate
• D_FR: Fear
• D_LI: Like
• D_NU: Neutral

SetHealth<integer>

Set the NPC's health.

AddHealth<integer>(New with Half-Life 2: Episode Two / Source 2007)

RemoveHealth<integer>(New with Half-Life 2: Episode Two / Source 2007)

Add to or remove from the NPC's health.

SetBodyGroup<integer>

HACK: Sets this NPC's body group (from 0 - n).

physdamagescale<float>

Scales the damage taken when this character is hit by a physics object. 0 means this feature is disabled for backwards compatibility.

Ignite

Burst into flames.

IgniteLifetime<float>

Ignite for the given number of seconds.

IgniteNumHitboxFires<integer>

Ignite with the given number of hitbox fires.

IgniteHitboxFireScale<float>

Ignite with the given hitbox fire scale.

Break

Smash into pieces. If this is not possible, disappear.

BecomeRagdoll(New with Half-Life 2: Episode Two / Source 2007)

Remove itself and instantly become a ragdoll with zero force (just go limp). OnDeath, etc. Outputs will NOT be fired.

StartScripting

StopScripting

Enter/exit scripting state, where NPCs ignore a variety of stimulus that would make them break out of their scripts. They ignore danger sounds, ignore +USE, don't idle speak or respond to other NPC's idle speech, and so on.

Assault<targetname>

Start an assault at the given rally point.

SetSquad<string>

Change the name of this NPC's squad. Leaving the parameter blank will remove the NPC from any existing squad.

Wake

Wakes up the NPC if it is sleeping.

ForgetEntity<targetname>

Clears out the NPC's knowledge of a named entity.

GagEnable

GagDisable

Gagged NPCs won't speak (or moan, caw, etc.) unless made to be a choreographed scene.

IgnoreDangerSounds<float>

Ignore danger sounds for the specified number of seconds.

HolsterWeapon(New with Half-Life 2: Episode One / Source 2006)

UnholsterWeapon(New with Half-Life 2: Episode One / Source 2006)

Force the NPC to holster or unholster their weapon. Ignored if the NPC is scripting or if the NPC doesn't use weapons.

HolsterAndDestroyWeapon(New with Half-Life 2: Episode One / Source 2006)

Same as HolsterWeapon, except the weapon is destroyed once it has been concealed.

ForceInteractionWithNPC <string> <string>(New with Half-Life 2: Episode One / Source 2006)

Force the NPC to use a dynamic interaction with another NPC. Syntax is <targetname> <dynamic interaction>

UpdateEnemyMemory(New with Half-Life 2: Episode One / Source 2006)

Update (or create) this NPC's memory of of the given entity.

SetMaxLookDistance<float>(Only in Garry's Mod)

Sets the maximum look distance for the NPC. Defaults are 2048 and 6000 for long range NPCs.

RenderFields:

Alpha<integer>

Sets the entity's transparency to a number from 0 (invisible) to 255 (fully visible). Requires the entity to have its Render Mode (rendermode) set to a number other than 0.

Color<color255>

Sets an RGB color for the entity.

DamageFilter:

ResponseContext:

Shadow:

Targetname: E sword for ipad.

Kill

Removes this entity from the world.

KillHierarchy

Removes this entity and its children from the world.

AddOutput<string>

Adds a keyvalue/output to this entity. It can be potentially very dangerous, use with care.
KV Format: <key> <value>
I/O Format: <output name> <targetname>:<inputname>:<parameter>:<delay>:<max times to fire, -1 means infinite>

FireUser1toFireUser4

Fire the OnUser outputs; see User Inputs and Outputs.

Use!FGD

Same as a player invoking +use; may not do anything depending on the entity. Can also be invoked by firing an output that does not specify an input.

RunScriptFile<script>(in all games since )

Execute a VScript file from disk, without file extension. The script contents are merged with the script scope of the receiving entity.

RunScriptCode<string>(in all games since )

Execute a string of VScript source code in the scope of the entity receiving the input. String quotation may be needed when fired via console. Warning: Never try to pass string parameters to a script function with this input. It will corrupt the VMF structure because of the nested quotation marks, which then must be removed manually with a text editor.

CallScriptFunction<string>(in all games since )!FGD

Execute a VScript function in the scope of the receiving entity.

SetLocalOrigin<coordinates>(in all games since )!FGD

Send this entity to a spot in the map. If the entity is parented to something, it will be offset from the parent by this amount.

SetLocalAngles<angles>(in all games since )!FGD

Set this entity's angles.

Outputs

BaseNPC:

OnDamaged

Fired when this NPC takes damage (activator is the damage inflictor)

OnDeath

Fired when this NPC is killed (activator is the killer)

OnHalfHealth

Fired when this NPC reaches half of its maximum health

OnHearWorld

Fired when this NPC hears a sound (other than combat or the player)

OnHearPlayer

Fired when this NPC hears the player

OnHearCombat

Fired when this NPC hears combat sounds

OnFoundEnemy<targetname>

Fired when this NPC establishes line of sight to its enemy

OnLostEnemyLOS

Fired when this NPC loses line of sight to its enemy

OnLostEnemy

Fired when this NPC loses its enemy. Usually due to the enemy being killed/removed, or because this NPC has selected a newer, more dangerous enemy

OnFoundPlayer<targetname>

Fired when this NPC establishes line of sight to its enemy, and that enemy is a player

OnLostPlayerLOS

Fired when this NPC loses line of sight to its enemy, and that enemy is a player

OnLostPlayer

Fired when this NPC loses its enemy, and that enemy was a player. Usually due to the enemy being killed/removed, or because this NPC has selected a newer, more dangerous enemy

OnDamagedByPlayer

Fired when this NPC is hurt by a player (activator is the attacker or vehicle driver (if friendly fire))

OnDamagedByPlayerSquad

Fired when this NPC is hurt by a player OR by one of the player's squadmates (activator is the attacker or vehicle driver (if friendly fire))

OnDenyCommanderUse

Fired when this NPC has refused to join the player's squad

OnSleep

Fired when this NPC enters a sleep state

OnWake

Fired when this NPC comes out of a sleep state

OnForcedInteractionStarted

Fired when the NPC starts a forced interaction.

OnForcedInteractionAborted

Fired when the NPC aborts a forced interaction for some reason (target NPC died, couldn't be pathed to, etc)

OnForcedInteractionFinished

'NPCs in actbusies can no longer perform dynamic interactions.' To do: What does this mean?

Targetname:

OnUser1toOnUser4

These Outputs each fire in response to the firing of the like-numbered FireUser1 to FireUser4 Input; see User Inputs and Outputs.

OnKilled(Only in the Left 4 Dead series)

This Output fires when the entity is killed and removed from the game.