Half-Life - Chapter 9: Apprehension
2,725 views · Published 20 May 2016 · 8:42 · Indexed 19 October 2026
Channel: Ross Mahon · 2016 · Gaming
Continuing towards the surface, Gordon encounters a terrifying new aquatic creature, the Ichthyosaur, and acquires a deadly new weapon to fight it. After an underwater battle with the creature, he manages to escape and get back on his way.
After battling with the Black Ops, another "rescue" crew trying to kill even the HECU, Freeman is captured by the HECU. Instead of taking him in for questioning, out of spite, they remove all of his weapons, and leave him for dead in a trash compactor. Once he escapes the trash compactor, the next level begins.
Trivia
The old level name featured on Half-Life: Day One, given in the "titles.txt" file was: Abandoned silo.
The player can skip battling the Ichthyosaur by allowing himself to be caught by the barnacle closest to the door exiting the area, then killing the barnacle while moving forwards.
After killing the Ichthyosaur, and going down stairs, the player can see a box with shotgun ammo. If the player goes for the ammo, the top of the box will break, and two Vortigaunts will spawn. This won't happen if the player ignores it.
There is an infamous glitch that prevents the finishing of the level. It may be caused by the player pressing certain buttons/trying to manipulate the controls during the cutscene at the end of the level, but certain causes are unknown. At the end of the level, there is a cutscene of HECU soldiers carrying Freeman and discussing what to do with him, before deciding to throw him in a trash compactor instead of taking him to their superiors. The screen is supposed to go black for the transition into Freeman being dropped into the trash compactor. However, it is a common occurrence for the screen to remain black and never progress to the trash compactor. Players using the noclip cheat to investigate have found that they are facing the black end of a walkway, instead of being in the next level, with a wall at the opposite end. Behind the wall, there are soldiers stuck in a walking animation, presumably the ones used for the cutscene.
In order to fix this, one simply needs to re-load to a save before the cutscene and try again. It may be important that the player not touch any controls, but the certainty of this is unknown. If successful, the player will begin in the trash compactor only a few seconds after the screen goes black as is supposed to happen.
It is possible to "operate" each wall of the trash compactor while being on them, appearing the same controls and sounds as the On A Rail tram, allowing the player to stop each wall or retract them.
In the Steam version, dropping down through the grate in the floor at just the right angle will cause the grate to break open. This causes the player to not get the crowbar and be unable to progress into the processing plant.
