Black Mesa Inbound

Black Mesa Inbound is the first chapter of Half-Life (1998). During this chapter, the player as Gordon Freeman views sections of the Black Mesa Research Facility from a small tram inbound to the Sector C Laboratories whilst an automated voice describes the facility and makes administrative announcements.

The chapter title is not actually shown in-game as other chapters are, but it appears in the title of any games saved within the first six maps.

Criticism

The Black Mesa Inbound trainride mechanic proved a popular one at the time of its release, introducing the player to the simultaneously mundane and interesting world they inhabit by showing a number of complex moving machines. The trainride chapter emerged as a signature 'Half-Life' narrative method, and similar sequences are to be witnessed in official expansions, modifications and even the otherwise unrelated GoldSRC engine title Gunman Chronicles. A sequence from X-Box / PC title 'The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay' wherein the player is marched into a prison facility is said to be inspired by Black Mesa Inbound in the game's developer commentary mode.

Valve have since grown more weary of using Inbound type sequences: whilst Half-Life 2's vastly different setting was once to be introduced by a train journey from the Wastelands into City 17, Valve eventually cut the sequence and chose a more hands-on introduction to the game's opening chapter 'Point Insertion'. Though the Black Mesa Inbound chapter is one of the original game's most memorable, criticism points out that the sequence rarely impresses after multiple viewings, and the forced lack of interactivity often puts people off replaying the game in its entirety. Nevertheless, the Half-Life 2 chapter 'Our Benefactors' includes two lengthy non-interactive on-rails sections revealing the interior of the Citadel in Black Mesa Inbound style and the Train journey has otherwise been adopted as a motif in the Half-Life series with Blue Shift, Half-Life 2 and Episode Two all beginning aboard trains (and Episode One ending on one.

Black Mesa Inbound's (unreachable) locations proved to be popular material for not only Gearbox in their official Half-Life expansions, but also for mods made by amateur level designers (for example, Azure Sheep) looking to explore the mysteries of the Black Mesa compound.

Trivia

• Black Mesa Inbound consists of the six maps c0a0, c0a0a, c0a0b, c0a0c, c0a0d and c0a0e. Progression through these maps is strictly linear.
• Sections of previously unreachable level design are explored in Opposing Force's third chapter, 'We are Pulling Out'. These sections come from the maps c0a0c and c0a0d
• Blue Shift's train-riding opening chapter 'Living Quarters Outbound' climaxes with a retread of map c0a0. The player passes Gordon Freeman and gets out at the first stop on this map, revealing that the security guard knocking on the door in Half-Life is the player character from Blue Shift.