Poll Question 107 – Would you kill Alyx for her ammo?

18th January 2009

Single Player First Person Shooter Maps and Mods for Half-Life 1, 2 and Episodes 1, 2 and 3
Seriously, would you?

This is really the very first Poll Question back on 26 October 2006: Have you crowbarred Barney for his ammo?. I decide to ask it again but this time with Alyx.

When I asked the first question I was more referring to HL1 but of course as the series has developed, so have the characters. Beside the technical issue of whether the game would stop if Alyx died, it’s more a question of does killing a friend matter more than the final outcome.

Perhaps I am looking too deeply and it’s just a character in the game but for those of us that believe the story is stronger than the game it’s important.

I definitely wouldn’t but then again, I’ve never been in a situation where I had to choose.

The Poll

33 Comments

  1. CrowbarSka

    Wow, “no” across the board!

    To be honest, ammo is so plentiful in HL games that you would rarely need to make such a sacrifice. Coupled with the fact that Alyx is an invaluable companion (useful in combat and for ‘direction” purposes), there really is little need.

  2. Ricki

    Why to kill her? She’s an ally. I have never killed Barney or any other friend for ammo. I never had problem with it in HL. There’s more than anyone needs. And for more she aims better than most of players 🙂

  3. Luke L

    Assuming she carried a decent amount and the situation was dire enough, sure. I used to love crowbarring Barney as well, who didn’t?!

  4. It’s perhaps a stange filling but assuming it’s simply a game and regarding the real special weapons she has, just to test it…I could defenetly do the unforgiven 🙁

  5. i’ve not killed her but the game does end if she dies as she died on me a few times in the the dark basement firefight with the combine on the way to get her dad from novaprospekt.Either way I wouldn’t kill her as she has a pretty good shot lol.

  6. MikeS

    Would I kill her then save my progress? No.
    Would I kill her to enable me to explore a little further before reloading? Yes.

  7. T'krau

    Frankly, it never even occured to me, although I DID almost shoot her in Ep. 1 when she did her zombine impression…

  8. Pattom

    Doesn’t the presence of the gravity gun make this a moot point? It seems like ammo is a petty thing to kill someone over if you can just pull boulders out of the ground and hurl them at people.

    Also, a thousand times no, with or without the gravity gun.

  9. I’d never kill her. She does a pretty good job of covering you, at least long enough to find more ammo, and she seems to have an infinite supply herself.

  10. feckineejit

    Is she carrying crossbow ammo? If you killed her you wouldn’t be able to hack combine workstations to open doors and junk.

  11. Zaphod

    Kill her?

    Come on guys, aren’t we all (at least a little bit) in love with Alyx?

  12. MASTER74

    I wouldn’t kill Alyx, but I WOULD definitely kill (if I could) the lady at the crane that drops the buggy to the ground and leaves you in the middle of a horde of angry Ant lions (d2_coast_01). She should pay for her stupidity 😀

  13. shawn

    I never kiiled Alyx. I did, however, kill a Barney when he wouldn’t stop shooting me in the back during a firefight. It was some mod where it’s almost impossible to get through that section without him. I suppose I could have arranged to leave him in a nearby hallway, but it was damned! annoying.

  14. Jeff

    This question doesn’t make sense at any level for me, “cuz quite honestly… Alyx is a better shot than me. 🙂

  15. killing a nice girl doesn’t fly in my book

  16. IvanHoeHo

    I might kill her for being stupid, which she isn’t, but certainly not for want of ammo.

  17. Aniline

    Really depends on the situation as many others have said. On the whole she’s been very a robust gal, takes a lot of lead without complaint and is frankly a much better shot that me.
    Question is, would she shoot me for my ammo?

  18. Question is, would she shoot me for my ammo?

    HAHA, that’s so true.

  19. Passerby

    Haven’t been here in AGES…. but I think it was I who inspired the original 1st poll question….

    1) Can Alyx be killed?
    2) Does she leave any useful ammo?

    re. 1): yes: if you use the gravity gun with the spear you can find at the bottom of the cliff before you climb to Nova Prospect. This kills more or less everything.

    re. 2): No – if you want the precious Alyx_gun you need to hack via the console.

    Oh – you mean hypothetically speaking? No way – she’s far too cute!

  20. galocza

    no. not for the ammo.

  21. Ade

    I’m surprised no one noticed there’s a huge difference between Alyx and the old Barney. HL1 was full of Barneys and scientists, killing one at almost any time wasn’t a problem, especially if no one saw you. But she is only one, and I think Passerby just marked the question as being impossible to apply here, because Alyx doesn’t leave ammo behind for us to take.. So killing her is not only pointless, but would definitely ruin our game.
    Hypothetically speaking, killing her then reloading.. hmm, never thought of it until you gave me the idea (I always thought it’s like with the Vortigaunts, meaning you can’t kill them/her), but I’d like to give it a try just to see if she fights back and if I’ve got enough ammo for it, because a couple of days ago she got in my way and I accidentally shot her in the head and, well, nothing. How/when does she recharge, anyway?

  22. T'krau

    Now that Ade mentions it, I’m positive that I’ve shot her accidently at least once (ex – waiting for the elevator in Ep. 1 and the zombies attack) and the game either didn’t notice or didn’t care. I know that if Alyx is killed by enemy fire the game ends right here, so it IS possible for Alyx to die in-game (and I think it’s the same with Barney). I’m also tempted to load up an old save and see what happens…

  23. Gypsy Jim

    I took the spear post, from Passerby, as a challenge and loaded up (I think) d2_coast12 to have a go….

    It was virtually impossible to get the spear to the top of the cliff, but with a lot of perseverance….it simply doesn’t behave itself very well on the ladders….

    But, when you get into the buildings, and in particular the prison itself, you come to a room full of water, where the gravity gun simply refuses to keep a hold of it…I’m going to go back & try with noclip, but I’m curious as to why the physics of a prop should alter as you progress?

    Why can you carry it, admittedly awkwardly and only with the grav gun, rather than “e” (use) as far as that & then it rebels and becomes impossible!?

    For the record I don’t actually want to kill Alyx, but like I said, saw this as a bit of a challenge….

    I hadn’t tried to kill Alyx before, though definitely have tried to kill Mossman, and one or two others….with absolutely no success. Maybe because they’re vital to the story….But, and it is a bit of a big one, maybe future versions or mods, might be able to broaden the flexibility of a game to allow such broad variations to a story line? (Another question altogether I guess!)

    Oh, & did anyone else try the spear thing??

  24. Passerby

    Perseverance Gypsy Jim! If not to for killing Alyx, the spear comes in mighty handy as a means of killing an antlion queen with a single shot! Quicksave often and use the strategy of shooting the spear ahead of you and picking it up further on if you can’t carry it in places….

    Oh, and don’t try to shoot a turret with it. Turrets can’t die and the game’ll crash…

  25. Gypsy_Jim

    Got there in the end, and btw, was this an Easter Egg/Bonus feature that we didn’t know about until you told us?

    It would never have occurred to me otherwise & I’ve played the vanilla version many, many times….

    http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3345/3213129245_7b79ee5bd6_o.jpg

    🙂

    Good grief, I feel so guilty now…..

  26. Jigron

    I wouldent cause she;’s to hot

  27. Denizen T

    I would kill her just for being an annoying, disguised babysitter.

  28. Max

    If we kill alyx we lose the game 🙁

  29. Profbeaker

    It is testament to the quality of HL2 that this question can even be asked. The fact that we feel so passionately about the answer is another. As to the answer to the question – if you have to ask, then you have not felt the amazing immersion that valve have always managed to create with HL!

  30. SPY-maps

    i too would kill her without ANY (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) hassetation, haha.
    also because like Denizen T said so well; for being an annoying, disguised babysitter.
    but, this is not the main reason, my first real reason is because I HATE groupmembers in my sp-game. when I play sp, I want to play solo, and want to solve all taks myself, when I want to solve them, in my own tempo, etc.
    so, should it be possible, then I would kill her right from the start! but, like also already is mentioned, is this not possible in hl2, the game ends then, or, she just keeps standing, like nothing has happend. am not sure anymore, but know its not possible, (yes, I tried it, lol).

    leon

  31. I never kill friendlies for their ammo, not even when I have the option.

    Anyway, it’s not as if it’s a precious resource. There’s plenty lying around.

  32. Dave

    As others have said, theres so much ammo in HL games I dont see what would be the point other than just to test out parts of the game for fun once youve played through it a few times. Ive played all the HL games up to episode one (installing E2 soon). Since going to source, I feel the games are more about the adventure and beautiful visuals and in-game theatrics than tactics or puzzles. Theres nothing very difficult about any of these games. The puzzles have all been very simple to figure out with a little bit of trial and error, and there are so many fun guns to choose from theres never a need for any particular ammo.
    So, no I wouldnt kill Alyx for ammo. I didnt even know she could be killed…I have been known to reload a scene if I see alyx get hit by a grenade tho. Even though shes good to go like nothing happened, Its not realistic that she got blasted and is ok, so I make sure to play the game so that she doesnt get hit xD

  33. No. Alyx is actually useful.

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