Talk:Antlion (Half-Life 2)
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[edit] Myrmidonts
Just out of interest, where does the name Myrmidonts come from? Is that how the antlion guards are referred to in the code, or is it something from one of those dubious Prima guides? --Plumbago 08:47, 9 August 2005 (UTC)
- The Vortigaunt that comes out after it's been defeated in Sandtraps and pulls out the bugbait glands calls it a Myrmidont. Of course, real antlions are very similar named, Myrmeleontidae, which makes me wonder if Myrmidont might be the species name as a whole and not just the Antlion Guard. Until more information is available, I'd keep it under the Guard section.
- Also, the Combine call all antlions "Exogens". They use this quite frequently in the Nova Prospekt chapter. --YoungFreud 06:54, 12 August 2005 (UTC)
Ah-ha. Now that you say that I half-remember that vortigaunt saying something like this. Thanks.
As regards the antlions, it's not 100% clear (to me anyway!) in HL2 that they are the same species as the antlion guards. One would presume so, given that the guards contain bugbait, and the almost-ran "antlion king/queen" strongly suggests a social insect-like hive system. But it's also possible that, although much larger, the guards use the bugbait in their natural habitat (wherever that is) to stop the more numerous antlions from attacking them. Also, the guards don't strike me as a burrowing creature like the antlions. Anyway, my guess is that they will turn out to be the same species, and that Valve might resurrect the king/queen later (Aftermath perhaps?). Shame to waste any development hours they've spent on that.--Plumbago 08:05, 12 August 2005 (UTC)
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- Mytmi and dont apparently mean ant and tooth respectively. The origin of antlions has also been confirmed [1]
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- Myrmidont is a reference to the Myrmidons, the people created from ants infesting an oak tree (their king's city had been decimated by a plague, and he wanted subjects). They followed Achilles to the Trojan War and were known for their willingness to carry out orders, no matter how brutal. It fits because the Antlions react in exactly the same way to the Antlion Guard, carrying out its orders no matter what they are or the risk to their own safety. This also applies to Gordon after he gets the pheropods. AK-17 13:45, 12 May 2006 (UTC)
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[edit] Thumpers
Rusty2005, are you sure about these Half-Life thumpers? I don't recall seeing anything like that in Xen (though it's been a while since I played HL). Can you substantiate with a picture? It might be nice to have a picture of a thumper for the article anyway. --Plumbago 12:21, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
- I can't put up a screenshot but there are certainly thumper-like devices on one level in Xen (I was playing it just last night and noticed). If I remember rightly, it's the level before you enter the Grunt factory. It's the same Xen level which features the Gargantua - right before you encounter the Garg, you pass some alien machinery outside a cave filled with HEV corpses. I don't know exactly what the machines are, but they are definitely pounding the ground. Check them out! Rusty2005 (sorry about signature, my tilde key has broken!)
Think I know where you mean. I'll try to have a look myself. My first thought is that they're just another example of those structures with moving columns (you ride up one of the big ones at one point), but what you say does sound familiar. I'll see if I can grab a screenshot while I'm at it. Thanks for pointing this out. --Plumbago 16:05, 26 September 2005 (UTC)
P.S. As regards signatures, if you've not done it before, you can use the second from last button on the row of buttons that sits at the top of the Wikipedia edit window. I'd describe what the button looked like if it made any sense to me. Basically, the button immediately to the right of the one with crossed-out "W" in it.
- They could just be those large moving columns I suppose, but those big columns move up and down slowly and are free-standing. The ones we're talking about here move up and down constantly (and do seem to smack into the ground with each movement), and are enclosed by some sort of artificial structure. --Rusty2005 16:12, 26 September 2005 (UTC) (Thanks for pointing out the signature button!)
[edit] Antlion origin
Hey, anybody know where the antlions came from?, I wouldn't think that they would be native to earth. Maybe the antlions are mutated from a native earth species because of the combine inteference...just a thought:)
- See the last paragraph of this article. --Sum0 01:06, 4 February 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Antlions being from Xen
I've changed the part about the Marc Laidlaw e-mail in the "Antlion Guard" section to the section about thumpers. It seems to be that it fits there better. Even so, I dunno if that's a conclusive proof. Even thought that post says that it is an e-mail from Marc Laidlaw, it could still be a lie. Also, I'd like to suggest a section in the "Antlion" page about their original homeland, until we have a conclusive proof.
[edit] Exogens
I know someone was already speaking of exogens as the combines term of antlion, and this is true, there is continued evidence:
Overwatch, also know as "cityvoice" or the "Dispacher" talks about the invasion you trigger while traveling through the nova prospekt level; here are a few lines of diologue from cityvoice:
"Nova prospekt stabilization force; directive two, engage reserve, contain exogen incursion." I strongly believe "Exogen incursion" is the name of what you really do in nova prospekt with antlions.
"Contact lost in block B2, deploy, reinforce, intercept in central block; b4" erm, dont really know what that one means. B4 most important block?
"Priority alert... Nova Prospekt exogen breach. Perimiter communications statis zero, internal stabilization teams, deploy sterilizers (turrets) in suspected infection blocks: A5, A7, B2." cityvoice also uses the term "nonstandard exogen incursion" meaning nova prospekt deals with antlions all the time, since they are everywhere in the wastland, which overwatch calls "outland", just never this intense.
well, the point im trying to make here is that the term "biotic" is just a term describeing alien life breaching combine area sectors, exogen is the specific term used to describe it; could you change that? BTW, i do have the math:
nova prospekt sound Data referenceing biotic... 4 nova prospekt sound Data referenceing exogen... 7
Miish111 03:17, 13 May 2006 (UTC)
[edit] Antlion BULLS?!
Their name in the game files is "antlion_guard". Unless they are refered in Raising the Bar as "bulls", their official name is "ANTLION GUARDS". I'll change the name back to "Antlion Guards" until there is a claim that RtB calls them "bulls".
[edit] Antlion King
Isn't there any image of the Antlion King from the preview around? Coz people may be curious to see how the "leader of the antlions" really looks like.
- I doubt the model was ever actually made. It was cut from the storyline early on. There is some concept art, however, in Raising the bar, although several entries are conflicting.
[edit] Social Hive Structure?
I made an addition regarding the reproduction of the Antlions (no one has removed it yet, so I guess it's a good addition!). It just left me wondering... is there any more evidence other than what I included regarding the reproduction of Antlions? And how would you interpret the resistance member's remark about the Antlions' "Spawning season".--Name Theft Victim 18:54, 16 June 2006 (UTC)
I have always assumed that by spawning season, they meant the queen or whatever that produces them giving birth to antlions while the rest of the antlions(regular ones) getting more aggressive and terratorial in order to protect the mother and the young antlions. Could be wrong but that ones seems most plausible to me.
[edit] "C&C over biotics."
After Gordon has progressed into the facility, an Overwatch soldier can be heard saying, "Warning, primary target is...uh...has...uh...command and control tactics over biotics. Repeat: primary target has tactical C&C over biotics." Just out of curiosity, where do the say this excactly?
[edit] An Antlion "Queen"?
I was just browsing Episode One's site and noticed a particular alt image text in the following page - http://ep1.half-life2.com/media.php The alt image text in question is on the picture of Alyx fighting the Antlion Guard, which reads as this:
- alt="Screenshot - Alyx Fights Ant Lion Queen"
I find this a relatively interesting thought, although I admit that I'm not too fond of the whole Antlion race to begin with. What potential ramifications, if any, does an "Antlion Queen" pose to the whole Antlion story? Personally, I think the idea of an Antlion Queen has something to do with the blue Antlion Guard texture located (But unused) in the Episode One gcf. Since in the Episode Two trailer we see what I believe is this re-colored Antlion Guard running past some Antlion grubs, perhaps this means that it was a female of the species protecting some of its young. Or something. Edit: And if someone thinks this is just a typo of some sort, a "queen ant lion" is also mentioned in another alt image text of a thumbnail on the main page - http://ep1.half-life2.com/index.php MarphyBlack 21:31, 15 July 2006 (UTC)
- Well, I think this is somewhat interesting, and from an official source no less, so I'm adding a blurb of this to the article. MarphyBlack 12:40, 22 July 2006 (UTC)
[edit] There are no thumpers in Xen
I removed a bit of far-reaching and false speculation stating that there are devices resembling thumpers on Xen. This would imply that these devices could be thumpers. However, this is incorrect. These devices are definitely the mining equipment as they appear to be. The official Half-Life strategy guide refers to the lower underground areas seen in the Xen chapter as "The Mines". Obviously, mining equipment would go with mines. Although Antlions may come from Xen, this equipment has absolutely no relation to them. MarphyBlack 02:09, 4 September 2006 (UTC)
[edit] "Poisonus" Antlions
I didn't see any of those "poisonus" antlions (yeah well, somebody correct that thing; it's poisonous and further; I don't feel like correcting it myself until I get a confirmation of this) in the trailers.
[edit] Bugbait extraction.
The article states that bugbait extraction is usually performed by Vortiguants because it's "an act which is said cannot be done by humans." I don't recall this mentioned in HL2. Did I miss something? ╫ ２５ ◀RingADing▶ 11:16, 2 November 2006 (UTC) ╫
- The Prima game guide mentions this under the weapon section for pherapods:
- "Once secured from the dissolving remains of an Antlion Guard with the help of a Vortigaunt (harvesting cannot be undertaken by humans)..."
- The Vortigaunt in the game also hints of this, as he states, "The Freeman will do wise to heed our extraction of the myrmidont's aromatic pheropods. The process is not entirely hygienic. Therefore, stand aside." MarphyBlack 13:58, 2 November 2006 (UTC)
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- Thanks, although I'm aware of the quote in HL2 itself but wasn't sure if it suggest so, since the Vort simply appears to instruct the player to pay attention of the bugbait extraction and warns that the process is not clean. Oh well, if the Prima guide says so. ╫ ２５ ◀RingADing▶ 16:14, 2 November 2006 (UTC) ╫
[edit] glowing antlions
it says that the antlions have "glowing red and black abdomens." i dont remember them having red and black stomachs from the trailers, is this true?
[edit] antlion hives?
Early on in Highway 17, there are several structures which resemble Termite mounds, but on a larger scale. I was wondering, does anybody know who (or what) built them, and are they related to the Antlions?
P.S. someone get a better picture. Infinite_monkey_theory
