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[Truean]

Very simple, at least as I understand it, but I could be wrong....

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

The Space Jockeys had an ancient interstellar empire conquered using their ultimate adaptive bioweapon until that weapon either turned on them, or they turned it on themselves in a civil  war.... It would be dispersed in black goo form, which would produce the alien xenomorphs through the various cycles and as a side effect, contaminate certain victims' genetic codes. The type of xenomorph produced depends in part upon the host organism, thereby adapting the bioweapon to whatever environment it is sent to conquer. ( This is why aliens spawned from predators are scarier than say, the small alien spawned from a dog in Aliens III). When first introduced to a new area, the black goo must determine a dominate species to partially emulate, on earth it would be humans and would exclude "lesser lifeforms" like fish, birds, etc unless no greater forms are available. One race, the Predators grew to adapt its already formidable warrior/hunter tradition to exterminating the serpent aliens as the "ultimate prey," and a worthy foe.

Then again, it's currently deliberately left a mystery.

[Lord Dullard]

Hm.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I'm not certain the Space Jockeys actually wiped each other out in a civil war; in the film it's noted that their home planet still remains, so it's unclear whether they have all been wiped out or if they simply abandoned the installation because it was too dangerous.

The idea of the humans being created as guinea pigs for bioweapon testing is really intriguing, and would have lent the film a lot more creepiness if it were made more explicit and explored in depth (especially considering the religious slant and David's presence - I think they seriously missed a lot of opportunities here), but I'm actually not even sure that was the case. Exhibit A, Prometheus appears to have actually sacrificed himself for the sake of creating such 'guinea pigs', and I really can't see a Space Jockey going to that length to create something just for testing purposes. I find it unlikely that a Space Jockey individual (given their apparent aggressive tendencies) would willingly sacrifice himself to bring about life on Earth at all, actually, and I'd have even more trouble buying it if he wasn't personally invested for some reason more convincing than 'to create an awesome bioweapon'. What the hell good would a bioweapon be for the individual who sacrificed himself?

Another thing that bothered me were the anomalous properties of the black goo itself. It appears to have turned Prometheus into primordial life-goo, but when a human uses it, it turns them into a slavering death-zombie who impregnates people with xenomorph-spawn. Eh? That just doesn't make any damned sense. It would have made more sense if something other than black goop were used during the opening scene, or at least if they'd made it clear that they were two different kinds of black goop or that the Jockeys make all different kinds of black goop that do different shit, but no such luck.

[Truean]

Hm.

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I'm not certain the Space Jockeys actually wiped each other out in a civil war; in the film it's noted that their home planet still remains, so it's unclear whether they have all been wiped out or if they simply abandoned the installation because it was too dangerous.

The idea of the humans being created as guinea pigs for bioweapon testing is really intriguing, and would have lent the film a lot more creepiness if it were made more explicit and explored in depth (especially considering the religious slant and David's presence - I think they seriously missed a lot of opportunities here), but I'm actually not even sure that was the case. Exhibit A, Prometheus appears to have actually sacrificed himself for the sake of creating such 'guinea pigs', and I really can't see a Space Jockey going to that length to create something just for testing purposes. I find it unlikely that a Space Jockey individual (given their apparent aggressive tendencies) would willingly sacrifice himself to bring about life on Earth at all, actually, and I'd have even more trouble buying it if he wasn't personally invested for some reason more convincing 'to create an awesome bioweapon'. What the hell good would a bioweapon be for the individual who sacrificed himself?

Another thing that bothered me were the anomalous properties of the black goo itself. It appears to have turned Prometheus into primordial life-goo, but when a human uses it, it turns them into a slavering death-zombie who impregnates people with xenomorph-spawn. Eh? That just doesn't make any damned sense. It would have made more sense if something other than black goop were used during the opening scene, or at least if they'd made it clear that they were two different kinds of black goop or that the Jockeys make all different kinds of black goop that do different shit, but no such luck.

Unless of course he was dying anyhow or just plain old ... old and at the end. What a legacy to leave?

[shrugs] I'm terribly sorry the black goo of nightmare destruction didn't come with a user manual printed in English.

That also presumes something didn't go terribly wrong/his own weapon turned on him/the god damn getaway carspaceshipthing didn't just blow a radiator or whatever....

Space Jockey: "Alright that's it let's get off this fucking rock." [Tries to turn on spaceship engine.... Tries; fails] "O son of a bitch.... And I left the black death goo running.... Fuuuuuuuuuuuu. You try to bring unimaginable, unending destruction to the galaxy and what do you get for it? That's an ungrateful universe for you...." [Throws hands up in the air and lets them fall while very slowly shaking head in disappointment].

[Lord Dullard]

[shrugs] I'm terribly sorry the black goo of nightmare destruction didn't come with a user manual printed in English.

Well, that's the thing. Apparently the black goo of nightmare destruction is also the black goo of kill-you-and-turn-you-into-microorganisms... or... something like that. I like it when movies make me go 'huh, I wish I knew more about that', not, 'huh, well that didn't make any damned sense'.

Still, overall I liked the film, I was just disappointed by the lack of direction. I'd give it a seven or eight out of ten.

[MorleyDev]

Well in At The Mountains Of Madness,

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Humanity was created either to be a slave race by the Elder Things, or as a random side project. However, we didn't live up to their expectations and so they cast us out into the world. They later created the Shoggoths, primordial goo creatures that were far more adaptable. Only they soon developed true sentience and rebelled against their former masters, forcing them into the ocean.

Hmm, maybe in Prometheus

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

Humanity are the Shoggoths? They created us as a slave race, only we rebelled and somehow *won*, taking Earth from the for ourselves? They dismissed it as a minor loss and let us keep Earth, but now we have space travel the alien thought we must have become an actual threat to them hence the attempt to take us out.

[Knight of Fools]

Meh. I was just disappointed when it wasn't actually about Prometheus stealing fire from the gods.

And keeping the jewelry for himself, of course.

[SirAaronIII]

I keep losing my saws and cinderblocks in Half Life 2. It's not fun.

[Hanslanda]

You have the almighty and magnificient crowbar. You know what to do.

[SirAaronIII]

I'm trying to get that achievement where you use nothing but the gravity gun in Ravenholm, though. And I can't drop the crowbar to shoot it around.

[Descan]

There should be an abundance of saws and blocks. >_> At least in the early parts? Why are you having troubles?

[Hanslanda]

Oh. Achievements huh? I've never once in my life cared anything about achievements, so I have nothing to offer you. Good luck?

[SirAaronIII]

There should be an abundance of saws and blocks. >_> At least in the early parts? Why are you having troubles?

I got to the middle part (I think), directly after the priest guy threw me a shotgun. The blocks and saws do their jobs perfectly, but when I go looking for them after all the enemies are dead, I can't find them. It's probably my bad finding-eye.

Oh. Achievements huh? I've never once in my life cared anything about achievements, so I have nothing to offer you. Good luck?

Thanks. I feel like the game's not over for me until I get them all, so here I am, trying to get them.

[Hanslanda]

... That's good for play time I suppose. I always just play the way I want to, and achievements kind of happen. If I get them all, sweet. If not, well, meh. I had fun.

[Descan]

Oh. Well, I just hold right-click when I have the gravity gun equipped. It sucks up any usable item, even if I don't see it.

[Lectorog]

I carried DOG's ball with me through Ravenholm while getting that achievement. Very useful. Should be an achievement itself. Well, it technically is, but not a Steam achievement.

Achievements can either renew the fun of the game, or keep you playing it far past the point it stopped being fun. Depends on the person and game.