Half-Life (Windows)/Unused Entities

This is a sub-page of Half-Life (Windows).

Entities are the meat of the game. Weapons, monsters, items, npcs, etc. All are entities. While Half-Life does not contain the motherlode of unused entities, it has its fair share of development leftovers.

info_player_coop

Half-Life originally featured several multiplayer modes, one being co-op play. info_player_coop is a deprecated entity for defining spawn positions for multiplayer co-op. It's still functional in the case no singleplayer or multiplayer spawnpoints are defined.
In the final game, only the multiplayer map Subtransit features 3 co-op spawnpoints, which are overridden by the default multiplayer spawns.

cycler_prdroid

cycler_prdroid is an entity that was also seen in action in the September 1997 Prototype. It is essentially a cycler entity (an entity used for testing and showcasing model animations, which plays a different animation every time it takes damage) that is meant to use the "prdroid.mdl" that was used for the cut "Probe Droid" NPC. The model would later be removed during the game's development and so the game will crash upon forcing it to spawn, unless the model is ported back over from the same prototype. It was used to demonstrate engine's skeletal animation capabilities and was seen in the prototype's techdemo map.

cycler_weapon

cycler_weapon is a weapon model viewer used for testing weapon animations. It places a model that acts as a weapon pickup. When picked up, the model will be placed in front of the player as a viewmodel. Primary attack will play the current animation, while secondary attack will cycle animations of the model.

cycler_wreckage

cycler_wreckage seems to create a static, opaque fire sprite and generates a constant plume of smoke around it.

Video of a custom map demonstrating the effect.

monster_bloater

monster_bloater, also known as the flocking floater from its concept art, is an cut alien that uses the unused "floater.mdl" model. The entity has collision, but does not seem to possess any AI, simply opting to float in the same spot that it's placed in. It can be killed, though; when enough damage is dealt, the bloater immediately drops to the floor. It is also capable of being gibbed.

Code exists for the bloater's AI within the publicly released Half-Life source code. However, it is largely based on incomplete zombie AI.

monster_cine2_hvyweapons

This was a cinematic entity featuring the cut Hassault (Human Assault) enemy. Cine entities were meant to play a single scripted sequence and were rendered obsolete later in the development process.

monster_cine2_scientist

This was a cinematic entity featuring the Scientist. Cine entities were meant to play a single scripted sequence and were rendered obsolete later in the development process.

monster_cine2_slave

This was a cinematic entity featuring the Alien Slave. Cine entities were meant to play a single scripted sequence and were rendered obsolete later in the development process.

monster_cine3_barney

This was a cinematic entity featuring Barney. Cine entities were meant to play a single scripted sequence and were rendered obsolete later in the development process.

This particular cine entity can be seen in action in the September 1997 Prototype.

monster_cine_barney

This was a cinematic entity featuring Barney. Cine entities were meant to play a single scripted sequence and were rendered obsolete later in the development process.

This particular cine entity can be seen in action in the September 1997 Prototype.

monster_cine_panther

This was a cinematic entity featuring the cut Panther Eye enemy. Cine entities were meant to play a single scripted sequence and were rendered obsolete later in the development process.

This particular cine entity can be seen in action in the September 1997 Prototype.

monster_cine_scientist

This was a cinematic entity featuring the Scientist. Cine entities were meant to play a single scripted sequence and were rendered obsolete later in the development process.

This particular cine entity can be seen in action in the September 1997 Prototype.

item_airtank

item_airtank consists of an airtank that will refill your oxygen if used underwater. It is functional and includes a sound when used. It has a 30 second recharge time in-between uses, and it can also be blown up by shooting it.

item_antidote

item_antidote consists of an antidote canister. When picked up it will remove the toxin effect if it has been applied to the player. As there are no long-lasting sources of toxin in the final game, picking it up has little effect, however a voiceline will be played by the HEV suit.

item_security

item_security consists of a security card. The functionality of the security card is meant to be coded in the map itself, so the only effect this entity has is disappearing when the player picks it up.

monster_tentaclemaw

monster_tentaclemaw may have been the center of a cluster of tentacles in early development as seen in some entity guides but currently goes unused. Attempting to spawn this crashes the game, as it is calling for a model that does not exist in the game's files, "maw.mdl." When loaded into the game, the entity has no collision, and does not appear to demonstrate any behaviors. Textures for the missing "maw.mdl" can be found in Half-Life: Source, being composed of two generic Xen textures.

This model was found in the Nettest1 build in October 2024.

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  The Tentacle Maw model from the Nettest1 build.