Barney Calhoun
Barney, from (l-r) Half-Life, Half-Life: Blue Shift with the High Definition Pack, and Half-Life 2.
Game series	Half-Life series
First game	Half-Life
Voice actor(s)	Michael Shapiro

Barney Calhoun is a fictional character in the Half-Life series of first-person shooter computer games by Valve Software. Although initially considered a "throwaway" character (in fact, an entire class of throwaway characters), Barney has played increasingly prominent roles as the series has progressed. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1425x560, 222 KB)[edit] Summary Barney as seen (left to right) in Half-Life, Blue Shift using the High Definition Pack, and Half-Life 2. ... Half-Life For a quantity subject to exponential decay, the half-life is the time required for the quantity to fall to half of its initial value. ... Half-Life: Blue Shift is the second expansion pack for the first-person shooter computer game Half-Life, developed by Gearbox Software and released on June 12, 2001. ... A comparison of the many zombie model incarnations throughout Half-Life. ... Half-Life 2 (HL2) is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game that is the sequel to Half-Life. ... Gordon freeman, the main protagonist, on the first Half-Life cover Half-Life is a is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game series developed by Valve Software and published by Sierra Studios. ... Half-Life For a quantity subject to exponential decay, the half-life is the time required for the quantity to fall to half of its initial value. ... Michaels musical studies began at an early age when his aunt noticed him picking out Beatles songs by ear on a piano (an instrument he had never before played) and donated an upright so that he could begin instruction. ... Half-Life For a quantity subject to exponential decay, the half-life is the time required for the quantity to fall to half of its initial value. ... Maze War, one of the two candidates for the first FPS. This article is about the video game genre. ... Namcos Pac-Man was a hit, and became a universal phenomenon. ... Valve Software is a Bellevue, Washington-based video game developer made famous by its first product, Half-Life, which was released in November 1998. ...

Whilst Barney Calhoun is the name of a specific character in the Half-Life story, the name "Barney" also applies to the Black Mesa security officers in general.

Background

Calhoun's reassigment to Blue Shift letter.

Barney Calhoun, an undecided two-year major from Martinson College, is employed as a mid-level security officer at the Black Mesa Research Facility, with Level 3 security clearance. His duties include guarding assigned sections, performing general maintenance, and assisting the Science Team as and when he is required. His "Disaster Response Priority" is to protect the Black Mesa facility and its equipment in the event of an emergency. His secondary priority is to safeguard members of the science team, whilst his own personal safety is of relatively low importance. During the course of his daily duties, he is required to repair an elevator in Sector G of the Black Mesa compound, and, while traveling in the elevator with two scientists, witnesses firsthand the effects of the resonance cascade on the facility. After the elevator plummets to the ground, killing the two scientists and knocking Calhoun unconscious, he wakes up and fights his way to the surface, seeing the panic of facility personnel desperate to escape Black Mesa by any means available. Whilst fighting his way through the facility, he stumbles across Dr. Rosenberg, a high-ranking researcher working on teleport technology. Rosenberg takes Calhoun to an abandoned area of Black Mesa filled with prototype teleporter machinery, and with the assistance of two other scientists, Rosenberg teleports Calhoun to Xen, where he reactivates an old triangulation device. When Calhoun returns to Earth, he and the three scientists are able to teleport to an overlooked entrance of Black Mesa. A momentary malfunction leads to Calhoun being rapidly transported through the facility, but he is ultimately able to escape with Rosenberg and the other two scientists in a Black Mesa SUV. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (700x800, 284 KB)[edit] Summmary Barney Calhouns reassigment to Blue Shift letter. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (700x800, 284 KB)[edit] Summmary Barney Calhouns reassigment to Blue Shift letter. ... The logo of the Black Mesa Research Facility, depicting a mesa mountain against the sky The Black Mesa Research Facility (also referred to as simply Black Mesa in the games) is a fictional complex located in the desert of New Mexico, United States, and is the setting for most of... Doctor Rosenberg, as seen in Blue Shift. ... This article is about the satellite communications facility. ... Islands in Xen Xen (pronounced Zen) is the origin of the alien species that appear in the science fiction video game Half-Life (Valve Software, 1998); the expansion packs Half-Life: Opposing Force (Valve Software and Gearbox Software, 1999); Half-Life: Blue Shift (Valve/Gearbox, 2001); and Half-Life: Decay... This article or section may be confusing or unclear for some readers, and should be edited to rectify this. ...

Half-Life

In the original Half-Life, "Barney" was the collective name for a class of identical NPC security guards. Never referred to by name in the game, the internal name of the character model was "monster_barney", and in multiplayer the model was simply named "barney". The name was born in the earlier alpha versions of the game where the model for the security guards held a resemblance to actor Don Knotts (screenshot), which combined with the status of being a security guard, inspired comparisons with Knotts's character "Barney Fife" from The Andy Griffith Show, which in the U.S. has long been a disparaging term for an inept policeman or security guard. An NPC from the video game The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. ... Software development stages In computer programming, development stage terminology expresses how the development of a piece of software has progressed and how much further development it may require. ... 3D computer graphics are different from 2D computer graphics in that a three-dimensional representation of geometric data is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images. ... Jesse Donald Knotts (July 21, 1924 – February 24, 2006) was an American comedic actor best known for his portrayal of Barney Fife on the 1960s television sitcom The Andy Griffith Show (a role which earned him five Emmy Awards), and as landlord Ralph Furley on the television sitcom Threes... Deputy Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show Bernard Barney Fife[1] was the fictional deputy sheriff in the American TV sitcom The Andy Griffith Show. ... The Andy Griffith Show is an American television series that aired on CBS from October 3rd, 1960 to April 1st, 1968. ... Motto: (Out Of Many, One) (traditional) In God We Trust (1956 to date) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington D.C. Largest city New York City None at federal level (English de facto) Government Federal constitutional republic  - President George Walker Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence from...

Initially, the "Barneys" were intended to be hostile NPCs who would attack the player. However, to test certain AI scripts and combat subroutines, Barney was temporarily changed to work with the player. Testers grew so fond of Barney's (occasionally bumbling) behaviors that his role and AI scripts were rewritten to set Barney as a friend.

Multiple guards could be encountered and allied at once. In the game, the Barneys served a role much like the equally ubiquitous scientists: providing conversations that revealed small parts of the story. Additionally, they could support the player as allies in combat. Although each Barney carried a handgun, their effectiveness in combat could often be hampered by poor pathfinding and slow response times. However, some players have remarked on Barney's unusual combat capability as compared to the HECU, as during their rare battles he is capable of killing one or occasionally several of the more heavily armed and armoured soldiers, most likely due to his accuracy at long range. This article or section may contain original research or unverified claims. ... The Hazardous Environment Combat Unit (HECU) is a fictitious military force featured in the first-person shooter computer game Half-Life, and its expansions. ...

Blue Shift would reveal that the Barney Calhoun was the security guard pounding on a door as Gordon Freeman (the player) passed by in a tram during the opening sequence. Gordon Freeman, Ph. ...

Half-Life: Opposing Force

The first Half-Life expansion, Half-Life: Opposing Force, confirmed Barney's first name in dialogue. Barney was joined by his co-worker Otis (named after another character from The Andy Griffith Show); both Barney and Otis helped Adrian Shephard, the protagonist of Opposing Force, in much the same way that Barney had helped Gordon Freeman in the original game, such as opening authorized access doors and killing some enemies along the game. Opposing Force is the critically acclaimed first expansion pack for the popular first-person shooter Half-Life, developed by Gearbox Software and released by Valve Software on October 31, 1999. ... Corporal Adrian Shephard is the player character and silent protagonist in Half-Life: Opposing Force, the first expansion pack, by Gearbox Software, for the first-person shooter computer game Half-Life. ... Gordon Freeman, Ph. ...

Half-Life: Blue Shift

Calhoun awaits his tram shortly preceding the events of Blue Shift.

Barney gained a starring role in the following expansion, Half-Life: Blue Shift. He was finally given a surname (Calhoun) along with an improved appearance. Unlike Gordon Freeman and Adrian Shephard, Barney lacked any form of power armor and was equipped only with a simple armored vest and helmet. Thus, instead of utilizing HEV recharging stations, Calhoun would restore his damaged armor by picking up fresh vests from fallen comrades along the way. Note that unlike Freeman and Shephard he does not come across any living security guards after the cascade except for one towards the end of the game who only lives long enough to tell him about recharging the power cell and then immediately dies. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (940x640, 190 KB)[edit] Summary Barney Calhoun awaits his tram shortly before the events of Blue Shift. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (940x640, 190 KB)[edit] Summary Barney Calhoun awaits his tram shortly before the events of Blue Shift. ... Half-Life: Blue Shift is the second expansion pack for the first-person shooter computer game Half-Life, developed by Gearbox Software and released on June 12, 2001. ... A family name, or surname, is that part of a persons name that indicates to what family he or she belongs. ...

At the beginning of Blue Shift, the player may notice strange material in the character's locker: books titled The Truth About Aliens and Government Conspiracies that show that Barney may be paranoid, or at least something of a conspiracy theorist. This could also be foreshadowing, since the game centers on aliens and government conspiracies. Also seen in Calhoun's locker is a picture of a young woman, which suggests, along with the fact that the Blue Shift manual says "Buy flowers for Lauren," that Calhoun has a wife or girlfriend. A box in his locker reveals, when destroyed, a chumtoad creature as a small Easter egg. A conspiracy theory attempts to attribute the ultimate cause of an event or chain of events (usually political, social, or historical events), or the concealment of such causes from public knowledge, to a secret, and often deceptive plot by a covert alliance of powerful or influential people or organizations. ... Foreshadowing is a literary device in which an author drops subtle hints about plot developments to come later in the story. ... A chumtoad. ... A virtual Easter egg is a hidden message or feature in an object such as a movie, book, CD, DVD, computer program, or video game. ...

At the end of the game Barney, along with a few scientists, manages to escape from the Black Mesa Research Facility, and he is described as being "Out of range" by the textual summary, as compared to Gordon Freeman, listed as "hired," and Adrian Shephard, listed as "detained". The logo of the Black Mesa Research Facility, depicting a mesa mountain against the sky The Black Mesa Research Facility (also referred to as simply Black Mesa in the games) is a fictional complex located in the desert of New Mexico, United States, and is the setting for most of...

It should be noted that the Barney Calhoun from Blue Shift never actually meets Gordon Freeman in the course of the game itself, although Gordon's tram passes by Barney at the start of Blue Shift as he is trapped outside a locked door, in a humorous nod to a scene from Gordon's perspective during the tram ride in Half-Life. Gordon can also be spotted through a security camera heading to the test chamber he was tasked to work in. After these encounters, Gordon can be seen for the last time at the end of the game as two Marines are dragging Freeman away. If in the original Half-Life the player, as Gordon, attempts to talk to a security guard before the resonance cascade, one of the responses possible is, "Hey, catch me later, I'll buy you a beer." In Half-Life 2, Barney jokes to Gordon, "Now, about that beer I owed ya!". In an early trailer for Half-Life 2, (featuring gameplay that was heavily edited in the final version of the game - Barney is not in the scene in the release) Barney says to Gordon, "Remember when we thought Black Mesa was as bad as it could get?". Gordon Freeman, Ph. ...

In Half-Life 2: Episode One, Alyx speaks about contests between Barney and Gordon crawling through air vents, racing to be the first to unlock Dr. Kleiner's office on occasions when Dr. Kleiner would lock his keys in. These, along with Barney's acknowledgement of owing Gordon a beer, proves that they did interact with each other before the Black Mesa incident.

Half-Life 2

Barney is one of the primary characters in Half-Life 2. How he ended up in City 17, or what has happened to him since the events of Half-Life, and what happened to the scientists he escaped with in Blue Shift, is not explained. Barney works undercover as an officer in the Metro Police Civil Protection Unit for the Combine. He is first seen at the beginning of Half-Life 2 and provides insider information to Gordon Freeman and the resistance on the Combine. It becomes gradually clear that Barney is one of the leaders of the rebellion against the alien empire. Half-Life 2 (HL2) is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game that is the sequel to Half-Life. ... The Combine is a fictional powerful alien race and empire from Valve Corporations 2004 first-person shooter computer game Half-Life 2. ...

Toward the end of the game, Barney participates in City 17's armed uprising against the Combine and briefly fights alongside Gordon through a Combine command nexus located in a former museum building. Barney's health regenerates extremely rapidly; although he is not invincible, it is highly difficult for him to die unless the player sends him in against overwhelming odds.

Half-Life 2: Episode One

Barney is also in the first episode after Half-Life 2, Episode One. Alyx and Gordon encounter him in an apartment complex along with some resistance fighters, looking a little worse for wear. His stubble has grown, his hair is somewhat ratted, and there's a patch of blood on his forehead. He provides Freeman with his iconic crowbar, as he already did in Half-Life 2, and comments amusingly that he can't carry many more of these. After splitting up, they regroup back at the train station, where Barney has brought some of the last of the resistance and citizens of City 17. He is then seen leaving the city on a train, while Gordon and Alyx act as a diversion so he and the rest of the evacuees can escape safely.

Voice and model

Michael Shapiro provided Barney's voice in Half-Life and its add-ons as well as Half-Life 2. Scott Lynch, Valve Software's Chief Operating Officer, lent his face to the game for use in-game as Barney in Half-Life 2. Michaels musical studies began at an early age when his aunt noticed him picking out Beatles songs by ear on a piano (an instrument he had never before played) and donated an upright so that he could begin instruction. ... Scott Lynch is a chief operating officer at Valve Software. ... A Chief Operating Officer (COO) is a corporate officer responsible for managing the day-to-day activities of the corporation. ... Half-Life 2 (HL2) is a science fiction first-person shooter computer game that is the sequel to Half-Life. ...