|
Vortigaunts are a fictional extra-dimensional species in the ''Half-Life'' series of video games by Valve Corporation. In ''Half-Life'' and its three expansions, Vortigaunts are frequently encountered by the player as hostile non-player characters. The Vortigaunts are depicted in ''Half-Life'' as being an enslaved race in an alternative dimension called Xen, subservient to a large creature called the Nihilanth, which itself is a slave to undisclosed masters. In ''Half-Life 2'', the Vortigaunts have broken free of their slavery, and actively assist the player and other humans in resisting the Combine occupation of Earth. Vortigaunts are shown as a very communal and cultural race, believing in a force that binds the fabric of the universe and each Vortigaunt together, as well as producing a tradition of poetry and music. Vortigaunts also display the ability to summon and command electrical energy without the need for technology. This ability is used for various activities, such as a means of attack, powering electrical equipment, and healing. The fictional creatures have received a range of critical responses from their various appearances. In addition to their role within the ''Half-Life'' series, Vortigaunts have been adapted for machinima productions and have been made into a plush toy by Valve. ==Character design== Louis Gossett, Jr. provides the voice for the Vortigaunts in ''Half-Life 2'',〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=''Half-Life 2'' – Credits )〕 and was partially chosen due to his role as the alien in the film ''Enemy Mine''. In ''Episode Two'', the Vortigaunts' voicing was done by Tony Todd.〔(【引用サイトリンク】title=''The Orange Box'' – Credits )〕 Graphically, the Vortigaunts in both ''Half-Life'' and ''Half-Life 2'' were designed by concept artists Dhabih Eng and Chuck Jones.〔 Initially, Vortigaunts were planned to begin ''Half-Life'' as enemy non-player characters, which the player has to win over as allies and lead in rebellion. This idea, however, proved impractical and was abandoned in favor of keeping the Vortigaunts as adversaries.〔 The plan re-emerged for ''Half-Life 2'', in which the species are active allies of the player. The Vortigaunts in ''Half-Life 2'' were originally going to be fully integrated in City 17 alongside the humans under Combine rule. This did not reach fruition; due to the focus on developing the city combat, the resources to accomplish this were not available. As there were so few resulting Vortigaunts in the city, the developers instead decided to involve the Vortigaunts far more substantially in the sections of the game taking place in the countryside surrounding the city. The few Vortigaunts placed inside the city were used to hint at the story arc for the Vortigaunts later in the game. Midway through ''Half-Life 2'', the player witnesses a scene with a deceased Vortigaunt in a prison. Originally, the developers were intending to feature this Vortigaunt as an ally character who, if players rescue him, would fight enemy characters alongside the player. The developers liked this idea, but it was too late in the development to attempt this; instead, the idea was preserved for use in ''Episode Two''.〔 The concept was later showcased in an ''Episode Two'' trailer shown at the Games Convention in 2006.〔 〕 According to series writer Marc Laidlaw, one of the most important goals with ''Episode Two'' was to expand on the Vortigaunts as characters, as opposed to just "purveyors of bugbait or Xen koans". As such, Valve added new behaviours, new animations, and new audio to the Vortigaunts.〔 Combine devices called "Vorti-Cells" were to be encountered in ''Half-Life 2''. They were meant to siphon power from captive Vortigaunts in City 17. The player would then be able to free Vortigaunts from these devices to gain their assistance.〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Vortigaunt」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|