Black Mesa: Blue Shift - 03 - Duty Calls
Chapter 03: Duty Calls
After the cataclysmic events of the Resonance Cascade, Barney awakens from the elevator crash deep in the bowels of Sector G. He soon discovers that the entire facility has been rocked by interdimensional portal storms, which have brought in hostile and terrifying alien creatures. Making his way through the remnants of the facility, he is told by his surviving colleagues that the only way to safety is through the canals. Armed with nothing but his flashlight and sidearm, Calhoun sets out on his perilous journey to escape Black Mesa.
GAME INFORMATION:
ModDB page: https://www.moddb.com/mods/black-mesa...
Playlist with all completed chapters:
• Black Mesa: Blue Shift (Full Playthrough)
NOTES:
Due to video description word limits, notes for this chapter can be found in the comments section instead
TRIVIA:
If Barney receives damage, he may sometimes scream out in pain
Shooting the Houndeye before opening the elevator doors (0:51) will cause it to run away
In HL:BS, Barney picks up a crowbar right after leaving the elevator (1:02). In BM:BS, it is attained at 10:58
In BM:BS, the first zombie is encountered at 2:48 – in HL:BS they are instead encountered during the sequence at 49:11
There are two different reload animations for the pistol when it is empty (3:48, 31:25)
In HL:BS, the initial area that Barney wakes up in immediately transitions into the lab with the toxic spill (8:55) once he passes through the doors at 3:43, whereas BM:BS adds a storage warehouse between the two areas
Barney’s crowbar in BM:BS (11:19) is black, compared to the red and grey of Gordon’s. Barney also swings the crowbar at a slower speed, similar to HL2
The Guard that Barney meets at 13:32 is not present in HL:BS, as is the sequence where Barney leads him to the elevator
The Guard is impervious to damage if Barney shoots him from outside the door at 13:32
If Barney shoots the generator at 17:34 before his buddy does, the Guard will comment “Woah – nice shot Calhoun!”
The EAS broadcast at 23:10 is the exact same one that Gordon hears during his journey in Office Complex
The pair of Vorts at 29:49 are inspecting the corpse of another of their comrades lying dead on the ground
The maintenance worker that Barney meets at 32:36 is not present in HL:BS, as is the control room for the crusher (34:02)
In HL:BS, only one crate of explosives is required to destroy the crusher. In BM:BS, three are needed (35:29)
Barney can simply shoot the hook of the crane at 36:41 to release the explosive crate, instead of lowering it all the way down to the water (41:55)
Barney is shown unfolding the stock of the SPAS-12 upon picking it up for the first time (40:11). In HL:BS, the HD model of the SPAS-12 also has a stock but it is left ontop of the weapon
The shaft at 40:07 is the same one that Barney arrives at the top of at the end of the video at 1:01:06
If Barney was to first visit the freight elevator control room (41:33) before approaching the elevator itself (36:25), he can observe the Vorts on the lift with the security monitor at 41:45 prior to the explosion that sends them careening down the shaft (you can also noclip to the top of the shaft to do this). If this is done, it can be seen that one of the Vorts is conjuring a green energy field whilst another is tending to a wounded companion in their last moments
The room at 45:19 is inaccessible, but if one noclips into it, they can see the following words written into the ground: “The donut guru was here!” – a probable reference to Otis a.k.a. The Donut Destroyer
Touching the light fixture at 49:01 will cause it to break
In HL:BS, the sequence on the catwalk at 49:15 plays out differently – two Zombies grab hold of the Guard and eventually causes him to fall off. As well, there is no exhaust fan in HL:BS’s version
The body that falls into the drainage canal at 59:29 is Otis, which can be confirmed by inspecting the corpse
Shooting the two HECU soldiers at 59:36 will cause them to aim at Barney, but they won’t engage and cannot be killed
Barney can return to the maintenance worker after witnessing the HECU tossing the bodies into the canal, but he cannot tell the worker that the HECU are hostile
The conversation between the soldiers at 59:55 mentions a soldier by the name of Shepard. Adrian Shepard is a corporal in the HECU that is the main protagonist of Half-Life: Opposing Force. In the opening moments of that game, Shepard’s team’s Osprey is shot down before they received their mission briefing. It is implied by the two soldiers that Shepard’s team, if they did make it onto the base, would’ve been responsible for killing and/or disposing of Black Mesa personnel
TIMESTAMPS:
0:00 - Map 1: Engineering
19:59 - Map 2: Canals
31:59 - Map 3: Waste Disposal
45:43 - Map 4: Power Generator
56:31 - Map 5: Surface Access