Chumtoad

A chumtoad is a fictional alien creature found in Valve Software's Half-Life series of science fiction video games. It was originally designed for the first game of the series, Half-Life, but was not included in any official game until one cameo appearance in Half-Life: Opposing Force and two in Half-Life: Blue Shift. It has not appeared in any official game since.

[edit] Description

Chumtoads are small, amphibious creatures found on Xen. Similar in morphology to Earth's toads, they are very low on the Xen food chain – serving as the favorite prey of many Xen creatures. The name is a compound of "chum" (i.e. shark bait) and "toad", in reference to these traits. Chumtoads are notable for their bright purple colouration, their single red, catlike eye, their spiked backs, and their long, blue tongues.

Unlike most Xen creatures, chumtoads are not inherently dangerous to humans. They tend to lounge on rocks until threatened, at which point they have the natural ability to teleport – vanishing in a puff of purple energy. Chumtoads are the only known Xen aliens whose teleportation energy isn't green.

Chumtoads maneuver around with short, quick hops similar to that of a real toad. They also have the ability to swim and to leap to great heights if ever startled. Chumtoads are known to play dead at times by rolling over onto their backs and twitching violently, most likely to confuse their predators. Additionally, they are apparently able to croak, but Chumtoads were not given any sounds in Half-Life. Habitat / "Chumtoad's Lair" To date, only one environment containing chumtoads has been discovered in a Half-Life game. Its location can be found in the chapter "Focal Point" of Half-Life: Blue Shift. Very soon after arriving on Xen, Barney Calhoun enters a series of cramped, narrow tunnels full of headcrabs. Nearing the exit of this maze, he passes through a large cavern with an extremely deep pool at its centre.

At the very bottom of this pool, between a boulder and three Xen plants, a small crack in the wall of the cave can be seen emitting bubbles of air. After widening this hole, the player can enter a small air pocket in a cave where the title "Chumtoad's Lair" appears on the screen. In the Lair, three chumtoads sit amongst Xen plants and snark nests, illuminated by Xen crystals. The creatures later vanish when approached. It is unknown whether these water-filled caverns are a typical chumtoad habitat or merely one type of lair.

Due to its extensively hidden and random nature, the Chumtoad's Lair is considered an Easter egg.

[edit] Other appearances

One in-game chumtoad appearance is found in Opposing Force. At the start of the chapter "We Are Not Alone", if the vertically positioned ventilation grille above the blast doors is shot 25 times (using any weapon), the horizontally positioned ventilation grille nearby will break and a hidden chumtoad will drop out if it.

Another in-game Easter egg appearance by a chumtoad is also found in Blue Shift. In the chapter "Insecurity", if the unlabeled cardboard box in Barney's locker is shot 68 times with the handgun(all of the ammo that can be acquired by the player at this point), it will break and reveal a hidden chumtoad that will stick it's tongue out repeatedly.

Unlike those in the Chumtoad's Lair, these chumtoads in both cases do not teleport away.

[edit] Development

The original role of the chumtoad in Half-Life was as bait that a player could use to lure or distract enemy aliens. The bait idea was never developed, and the chumtoad was eventually cut from the game.

The unused model, however, was included in the game's files and fully coded as an item. Instead of bait, this version served as a weapon. Normally docile until picked up, the chumtoad would begin attacking anything that strayed too close – including the player or allied NPCs if no other targets were available. This AI was implemented in the final game as the behaviour for the snarks.

Before settling on the name "Chumtoad", various other names were considered including "Chubtoad" and "Choad".

The source files for the chumtoad are included in the Half-Life SDK, where it is referred to as a "chubtoad". According to the textures provided, the chumtoad was once planned to have six eyes instead of one, and would have had green, orange, and blue-colored variations.

[edit] Mod applications

As the (mostly) unused chumtoad exists in the games' files, it is frequently appropriated by various unofficial Half-Life modifications. In Sven Co-op, a fan-made Half-Life mod, a heroic chumtoad (dubbed "Chubby the Chumtoad") appears in various maps. In Poke646, another mod, the chumtoad is called the "explod-a-toad". It secretes a purple pool, marking its territory. If the player, or anything else, wanders into the purple fluid, the toad will explode. Also of note, in the mod Point of View, the chumtoad is included, and is very much like the Snark, only more powerful. In Azure Sheep, a single player mod that lets the user take control of Barney, the Chumtoad is used as a weapon and is also an enemy that sometimes comes out of grates and attacks the player. When used as a weapon or when found naturally, the Chumtoad explodes after a given amount of contact with the player or enemy.

Also in several other Half-Life modifications, the Chumtoad made an appearance. In the USS Darkstar Mod, after the explosion when the player wanders back to where a scientist and a guard were studying two airborne creatures, the Chumtoad is seen on top of one of the lights. And in Heart of Evil, a Chumtoad navigates the player throughout a maze.