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-------------------[Weapon Enemy & Hardware Guide - The Thing]-----------
----------[By Tom 'Da Bomb' Brookes]----------
-----------[Disclaimer]----------
No part of this guide may be reproduced electronically or linked to
without my prior written permission. Doing so is an infringement of
copyright and therefore illegal. This is Copyright 2003 Tom Brookes.
This guide may be seen only at www.gamefaqs.com and at neoseeker.com
----------[Version History]----------
Version         Date               Work Completed
Version 0.1    July 30, 2003       Started the guide and finished up
to shotgun in the conventional
section
Version  0.2   July 31, 2003       Finished up to blowtorch and
started editing
Version  0.75  August 2, 2003      Finished all weapons & hardware,
and most of the enemies
Version  0.9   August 3, 2003      Finished enemies section and
added a few combat tips
Version 1.3    August 19, 2003     Performed some editing and
finished the FAQ
----------[Contents]----------
1.   Introduction
2.   Conventional Weapons
- Pistol
- Machine Gun
- Shotgun
- Sniper Rifle
- Taser
3.   Explosives & Incendiary
- Grenade Launcher
- Blowtorch
- Flamethrower
- Regular Explosive Frag Grenade
- High Explosive grenade
- Incendiary Grenade
- Stun Grenades
4.   Medicinal Hardware
- Medical Kit
- Adrenaline Shot
- Blood Test Kit
5.   Others
- Torch
- Flares
- Fire Extinguisher
- Keys/keycards
6.   Enemies
- Scuttlers
- Biped Beasts
- Bull Beast
- Tentacles
- Shock Troops
- Enemy Rankings
- How the thing works
7.   Combat Tips
8.   Disclaimer
9.   Conclusion
----------[Introduction]----------
Hello, and welcome to my guide about this great game, The Thing.
Included in this FAQ is a description of each weapon, its strengths
and weaknesses and when to use them, as well as an explanation to all hardware
used in the game, and a description of all enemies (other
than bosses). Plus, several combat tips wil be included to help you
in
your struggle against the Things...
----------[CONVENTIONAL WEAPONS]----------
Pistol
--------
The pistol is, in my opinion, a highly underrated weapon. This trusty
sidearm may lack the power of the shotgun or sniper rifle, but its a
smooth, fast firing weapon (that takes 8 seconds to use a clip) with a
high degree of accuracy will surely take down scuttlers in 2-3 hits and bipeds
in around 10. Ammunition is easily found in the first level, but
soon becomes increasingly hard to find, so it may be beneficial to ditch
this weapon when ammunition for it is low in exchange for a weapon with
more plentiful ammo. With a clip capacity of 10, this is best used in
the first 2 missions against all scuttlers and the few bipeds that are
at large. Give this to a teammate for a small trust increase. This is
found on the 1st level, which is the level it should be used the most. Overall,
this sidearm gets a 4/10, mainly because ammunition is
somtimes sparce.
MP5 Machine Gun
---------------------------
This is your starting weapon and will remain your main firearm for most
of the game. This fast firing weapon comes with a 50 round clip, but 7 seconds
of auto fire will use a whole clip, so reloading is quite
common. In short bursts, the machine gun offers reasonable accuracy,
but the full auto fire needed to take down enemies quickly (due to the
poor damage caused per round) will spray bullets only in the vicinity
of a target. Therefore, this should be used against medium sized
enemies such as biped beasts or bull beasts to ensure that you do not
waste too many bullets. On the other hand, ammunition is common at
the start of the game, so picking up about 6 clips at a time is a
common occurence. In the probable event that you fight a scuttler or
other small enemy with this, remember controlled bursts, and you will
be fine. The machine gun is also useful aganist the first boss, because
its fast firing will
make quick work of the tentacles and other monsterous 'things' on the
boss, and you will nearly always hit the target due to the fact that it
is stationary and large.
Give this to a comrade for a medium trust boost, but also to prevent
fear. Overall, this versatile weapon gets a 7/10 due to its many
strengths,
and only 2 weaknesses.
12 Gauge Tactical Shotgun
---------------------------------------
Now we are talking! This powerful weapon is one of the best in the game,
and it shows. With large damage caused to anything at close range, and a
clip capacity of 12, the shotgun will easily dispatch most common enemies
in a few shots. Ammunition is relatively common, though not a common as
that of the machine gun's, but the good accuracy caused by the spread
and the medium firing rate (it takes 9 seconds to use up a clip) ensure
that ammunition will seldom be wasted. The main problem with this weapon though,
is that, like all other stereotypical shotguns in games, it has
a very poor range. You are usually ofrced to fire within a 2 meters of
a target to have any significant damage caused. This means that you have
to wither creep up on an enemy to pump a quick shot into it, or otherwise fire
at close quarters when the enemy's back is turned. This limits the
times when you can use this safely and effectively, which lessens the
rating of this particular weapon. Use against scuttlers for a 1 hit kill, bipeds
to injure them quickly or bulls to weaken them enough. Give this
to another squad member for a medium trust increase, or to reduce fear
drastically. Overall, the shotgun, though extremely powerful, gets only
a 6/10.
Sniper Rifle
-----------------
This is sadly, the worst lethal weapon of the game. Why? Usually, sniper rifles
are great for taking out all kinds of enemies in a single shot,
but in this game, that is not the case. With a small clip capacity of 5,
a way too fast fire rate that will burn the whole clip in 4 seconds and
a surprisingly weak shot, the sniper rifle will rarely be used and should
be given to a teammate once recieved for a large trust increase. Unfortunately,
doing that may backfire because there are very few rounds available for this
weapon, so you will end up fighting hordes of enemies
on your own while your squad member screams for ammo. There is also no
auto aim feature for the sniper rifle, so that makes things much more difficult
for beginners. The only saving grace for this is that a sniper scope is
available, so you can take out enemies from far away with
supreme accuracy. Use this only when you can pick off a trooper when he
is unaware of your presence or too far away to pose an immediate threat.
Overall, stay away from this because it gets a 4/10.
Taser Stun Gun
-----------------------
As it's name depicts, this weapon is used only to stun enemies, but may
come in handy from time to time.Taser stun guns are the premier non
lethal weapons in the world, mainly by leading police agencies and
security organizations. In the game, it can be used to hamper muscle
cohesion and tension, forcing the enemy to immediately drop their weapon
and fall to the ground unconciously. Unfortunately, the taser only works
on humans and costs about 40% trust loss, and it cannot be given to a teammate
either. Use this only when you need to disable hostile squad
members without too much force, or if you need to knock out an infected
squad member so that he does not retaliate when shot. Overall the taser
gets a 3.5/10 due to its speed, but it loses points because it can rarely
be used. Discard this if needed, as it is not worth an item slot.
----------[EXPLOSIVES & INCENDIARY]----------
Grenade Launcher
--------------------------
The grenade launcher fires grenades faster, further and with more
accuracy. Most enemies hit with this will be blown to pieces, therefore
you should use it to damage multiple enemies. Enclosed spaces are not the
way to go with this, though, as being hit by a grenade causes and instant kill.
Ammunition is also scarce in some areas, but not too many rounds
are needed to get you through the harshest parts of the game. Use this against
groups (as previously stated) or just tough bosses, as using it against anything
else is a waste. Detonating explosives is also not to
be done with the grenade launcher. Unfortunately, this cannot be given
to teammates to improve trust or lessen fear, so that may cause a little havoc
during combat.
Blowtorch
---------------
This is a competent substitute for a flamethrower, as it too launches
flames and toasts any nearby enemies. Fuel will last for about a minute,
so only quick bursts should be used. Use the hit and run technique by
running at an enemy, flaming it, and then retreating, to make sure that
this weapon's short range does not harm the effectiveness. Use this also
to pen things in so that you can shoot freely (while the flames last)
without the chance of inury. Note that you should not fire near teammates,
or pen yourself in with a few other aliens. Overall, this gets a 6/10.
Flamethrower
-------------------
This is one of the better weapons of the game, as it is one of three
weapons that will kill all adult things by the use of fire. Use the same
"hit & run" technique described above, but take note of the larger range
this weapon has over the blowtorch. Give this to a squad member for medium trust
increase and/or medium fear reduction. A good trick to use in order
to kill many small scuttlers is to send a few bursts to a common spawning place
or position where many scuttlers land so that they will all be set
on fire quickly, without the use of much fuel or ammunition. Use against
all adult things when they are at low health, but not on scuttlers or troopers
(though it is fun to watch them run around on fire). Overall,
the flamethrower is a powerful weapon that is very necessary in
completing the game, so it gets a 7/10.
Regular Frag Grenade
---------------------------------
These basic grenades are commonly found throughout most of the game,
but are the weakest lethal grenades to use. Throw them using , but note
that the longer you hold this button down, the further you will throw the
grenade. A maximum of 10 can be stored in your inventory, so use them
wisely aganist groups of slow enemies, or others that cannot move (either
because they are rooted to the ground, like the bosses, or because they
are trapped). Never use these in colose quarters, as they take off a lot
of health if you are nearby, or 100% health if you are on it. Overall,
the regular grenade (colour coded as green) deserves a 4.5/10 because
of their small splash damage, area of explosion and limited usefulness.
High Explosive grenade
---------------------------------
Also known as the abbreviated HE grenade, the high explosive delivers
much more power than the regular grenade, as well as more splash damage
and explosion area. Colour coded in white, the HE will quickly take off
90% of the health from bipeds & bulls, and will hurt bosses a great deal. That
is where you should use them: against stationary bosses to wear down their
health quickly, or against a group of troopers, but nothing more.
The regular grenade can handle everything else. 10 can be carried in your
inventory, and as before,  throws the grenade. 5.5/10 is the score for
this grenade, as though it is more powerful than the above, it is still limited
in terms of versatility.
Flame Grenades
------------------------
These are in two words, The Best! With many bipeds, bosses and bulls to
kill only by flames, these grenades come in real handy. When thrown, the grenade
will explode, taking off the first set of health. This may be
less than the regular grenade's damage, but the flammable fuel that leaks
out over a large blast radius will cause any nearby foe (or friend) to be
set on fire. Because of this, keep teammates out of the way, and once you have
thrown the grenade, run back several paces to avoid unnecessary
health loss. Only 10 can be carried, so use this only for bosses when
they are nearly dead, or stationary adult things. Overall, the flame
grenades get a 7/10 because of the larger blast radius, and because it
is the only thing that can actually kill an adult thing.
Stun Grenades
----------------------
The stun grenades are similar to the SWAT flashbangs, but they are pretty
useless in this game, mainly because they cause no harm. The blast radius
is small so only an esoteric few are actually dazed, and the few that are
can continue in a few seconds. Stunning things is useless, because it is
very easy to fight off 1 or 2, but feel free to use it against large
groups (excluding scuttlers) or a band of troopers. Only 10 can be
carried, but it is unlikely that you will ever find that many. Overall,
the stun grenade gets a 3/10 because it causes no harm.
----------[MEDICINAL HARDWARE]----------
Medical Kit
----------------
A compact medi-kit can heal all wounds in a matter of seconds and add
around 35% health, with a maximum of 200. 10 can be carried in your
inventory at 1 time, so you are usually well prepared for whatever
waits. Remember to check the medi-bins or carcasses for spare health
packs. The mei-kits used by the medics heal 100% health, but they are
unattainable for you. Remember to use medkits wisely; only for use when
near death or if a teammate needs to be healed. Let medics heal you
instead of using your precious medkits, though.
Adrenaline Shot
-----------------------
This small syringe can mean the difference between life and death for
NPC's, so conserve these for when you need them most. The adrenaline
shot will drastically lessen fear so that the teammate performs better
and will not enter a crack up stage. Note that if someone cracks up,
they will not be able to fight and will eventually shoot themselves.
Use against squad members that scare easily and are currently
terrified.
Blood Test Kit
--------------------
This handy device will prove that you are not infected, and may shed
some light on the credability of others. If infected, this kit will
show that, and the case will smash. This is very useful for showing
others that you are not infected (to imporve trust) or to show that
others are. Note that after you test Pierce, all other NPC's will not
submit to a test. torch flares fire key
----------[OTHERS]----------
Torch
--------
The torch lights up darkened areas to improve visability and therefore
help you see the horrors that await. This will also help guide you up
unsafe areas (shadowy ramps) and locate bonus items that you can pick up. Each
torch has unlimited power, so only 1 is needed, but many lie around
over the course of the game.
Flares
---------
The flares are similar to the torch, as they pierce the shadows to reveal items,
enemies or passages. A maximum of 10 can be carried at a time, and these only
last for 3 minutes each. The flares are useful because you can throw several
down on the ground to provide extra light. As these sport a small flame, they
can be used to detonate fuel barrels in order to injure enemies or clear a path
without the use of ammo.
Fire Extinguisher
------------------------
This handy tool is commonly found and will help put out flames to reveal
pathways or just prevent you from getting hurt. Many of the facilities featured
in the game are badly damaged, and so fire prevention systems
may not be working. Also use this to stop teammates from dying if they
have accidently been engulfed in flames. Note that you cannot use this
on yourself (if you are on fire) and cannot be aimed. Make sure to put
out all the flames before continuing on your path.
Keys & Keycards
--------------------------
These can be used to open locked doors to gain access to usually
inaccessible areas.
----------[ENEMIES]----------
This section will describe the strengths and weaknesses of each enemy,
how many rounds it takes to kill them, what attacks they use and how to
beat them. Here goes...
Scuttlers
---------------
Description: Grotesque head resting on multiple legs with an overall
size of 40 cm. Usually white or red in colour.
Primary attack: The main attack is to jump up and lunge, which takes
off around 10% health, as these small, juvenile creatures use their surprising
agility to their advantage. This is easily dodged but can
prove very annoying and health consuming when there are several jumping
all at once.
Other Attack: At close range if you are barely moving, the scuttlers
will bite you and take off around  5% health per bite. That may not
sound like much, but they are quick gnashers that can kill you with
this simple attack in around 15 seconds. This especially happens in
enclosed areas such as vents, when movement is restricted. Be on the
lookout!
Forms: There are 3 types that loosely fit the description that you
will encounter. The first have a small pouch of liquid that can be fired
to slow you down. These make annoying screeching sound and mainly serve
to irritate you. The second are the Lab scuttlers, which are tougher
than the usual and sometimes take 2 shotgun hits to kill them. The third
are the weakest form that can easily be killed and appear in the first
few levels. Notice the colour change between the two.
Weapon to use: These scrawny creatures are mainly cannon fodder, so it
is best to use the pistol and take 2-3 rounds to kill one. In this way,
4-6 can be killed per clip, that is, if you hit the target. The next in
line is the MP5, as it can kill one in a burst or two (around 10 shots),
but that is mainly because of the bad accuracy. Ammo is common for the
MP5, though, so   that is why it is your second choice. The final is the
shotgun, which can kill in 1-2 shots, so up to 12 scuttlers can die per
set of shells. This is the third choice because spare ammunition is
limited, so do not use this to kill every scuttler.
Personality: The scuttlers like to use the element of surprise to get a
few quick hits, so always be on the lookout. Their favourite places to
hide are from bodies, vent shafts or from ontop of a building. Teamwork
in groups is also a usual ploy to hurt you, so prepare to be surrounded.
Scuttlers are also intelligent sometimes. If on fire, they will try to
spread the flames to you so that their deaths are not worthless.
Tips:    1.  Always to keep moving in order to avoid their jumps
2.  Grenades are pretty useless on them as they are too fast
to properly time the grenade.
3.  Try not to shoot other teammates while firing at the
scuttlers, as that could mean the end of them.
4.  If you see scuttlers comng out of a vent, then try to
shoot the vent so that no more can come out.
Overall, the scuttlers are nothing more than a nuisance that should be
dealt with quickly by using the pistol. 5/10.
Biped Beast (adult thing)
------------------------------------
I named these beasts as bipeds because they walk on two feet ('bi' in
Latin means 'two' and 'ped' comes from the Latin word pes, which means
foot, so it means two foot). Anyway, these are the first adult things
you will encounter that need to be dealt with in a certain way. Once
weakened to red health, you must flame these things in order to actually
kill them.
Description: Two footed creature with large claws. Usually the height
of 7 feet, but can be as low as 5.7 feet. Range in colour from red to a
tan brown.
Primary Attack:  The most common attack performed by the biped beasts is
a simple claw swipe, where they use their 35cm claws to take off around
8-10% health. This is easily dodged in open areas, but is fatal in
enclosed spaces due to the high speed the swipe can be performed.
Other Attack: Though this really is not an attack, the bipeds will
sometimes release a group of scuttlers ranging from 1-4. This can be
highly annoying, as it took a lot to kill the first beast, and now you
have to kill more!
Forms: Again, there are 3 types of bipeds in the game, which have a
variety of different strengths and weaknesses. The first group are the
usual bipeds, which are a tan brown in colour and walk with a slight
limp. The second appear to be insects, more specifically, an ant.
Imagine a red ant standing on two legs with a few small claws on the
rest of its arms, and you have an idea of what the second thing looks
like. Note that these are slower than    the usual things. The final
group are the hosts, which appear somewhat lobster like. These usually
only appear when one of your comrades turn into a thing, and are weaker
than the other two above, and also are around 6 feet in height.
Weapon to Use: The shotgun is your best bet against the bipeds, as 6
shots will usually take off most of its health. If ammunition for the
above is in short supply or you simply do not have a shotgun, then your
next best bet is the MP5. Full auto fire should be used, as the poor
accuracy will not waste too much ammunition due to the large size of
these monsters. 30 rounds should bring one down to red health. If one
is far away, then do not be afraid to   use the sniper rifle to lower it
to yellow health in 2 shots. Surprisingly, the pistol will also make
quick work of these, as a clip will lower the biped's health to the
required amount. To finish it off, use the flamethrower, or if not, the
blowtorch. Flame grenades are wasted on these.
Personality: The biped beasts are near relentless and merciless, so most NPC's
will quickly die at their hands. They have a habit of running away
if on fire, or if they have just been set on fire, and are sometimes
quite evasive. Fortunately, they are not too intelligent, and will
sometimes back into a corner or seal itself in, giving you the
opportunity to flame them.
Tips:    1.   Keep firing and moving. In this way, enemies will fall
quickly and you will not have taken a hit.
2.   Grenades are hard to use against these because they are
quite quick, so do not use them unless you have penned it
in.
3.   Many find it hard so set these enemies alight without
being damaged, so the best way to finish the job by
engulfing them in flames is to either flame them while
their back is turned or dodge its charge and flame it then.
Overall, the biped beasts are a huge step up from the scuttlers and
will take some getting used to, but they still only get a 6/10.
----------[BULL BEASTS]----------
These are another breed of adult things that need to be killed in the
same fashion as the above: weaken it to red health and then flame it.
Description: A fat, but agile beast with a muscular build. 1 meter in
length with small back legs, multiple front teeth and a horizontally
closing jaw.
Primary Attack: The bull beast gets its name from its primary attack:
the charge. Unfortunately, this is a powerful attack that is tough to
avoid somtimes. These monsters will somehow charge at a high speed
using their muscular front legs to propel it forward. 15% damage is
usually done by this attack, but somtimes more.
Other Attack: At close range, the bull beast will once again use its
powerful front legs by standing on its rear two legs and hitting you
with the remaining two. This takes around 30% health off, so avoid
it at all costs.
Forms: So far, I have found no variations of the bull beast, so this
section has no info.
Weapon to Use: To wear down its health, you should use the same weapons
you use against the bipeds: the shotgun, MP5, or if need be, the pistol.
The flamethrower is the only way to go to set these alight, as it is
very hard to do with the blowtorch.
Personality: The bull beasts are terrified of fire. The same is with
the biped, except this fear will blind the bull in terms of thinking,
so it is usually transfixed on the fire and will not trot away from it.
This is not always true, but it may help develop a tactic to use. The
bulls seem to mainly appear in groups, so it may be another part of
their personality to use teamwork.  Fortunately, they are not very
clever, and seem to be totally insinctive, and so have a tendency to
spawn scuttlers when near death.
Tips:    1.   The best way to flame one of these is to wait until it
has charged. When it stops and trots back for another,
you will have a good opportunity to set it on fire, but
note that the bulls somtimes will turn quickly and use
their secondary attack on you if you try this approach.
2.   Another way to flame these is to pen them in with flames
by using their fear of fire against them. When they are
stationary and have no where to go, chuck a flame grenade
to finish the job. This may waste grenades, though, so I
would vote against this unless a group of them is penned
in.
3.   A good way to injure this adult thing is to wait until it
charged. Backpedal as fast as you can while maintaining
fire on this beast with the shotgun or MP5 and i will soon
be nearly dead.
Overall, the bull beast is a tough competitor that will prove fatal if
not dealt with correctly, but their pure instinctiveness makes them predictable
and easy to confuse, so they earn a 6.5/10.
---------[TROOPERS]----------
Description:   Humans, wearing black, light armoured suits.
Approximately the same height and weight as Blake.
Primary Attack:  The troopers will simply shoot to kill when attacking,
so they can be extremely dangerous. Their arsenal consists of shoguns, machine
guns, pistols, and in rare cases, grenades.
Other Attack:  Fortunately, there is no other attack for the troopers,
so that makes them a little easier to predict.
Forms:  There are no forms of the troopers, though some can actually
turn into things on rare occasions.
Weapons to Use: The shotgun is a good bet to take these guys out, as
2 shots can kill, but I believe the best choice is the MP5. Its quick
firing will bring down troopers in seconds, and it will not run out of
ammunition because the troopers usually drop 50 MP5 rounds. The sniper
rifle is a good weapon to use if you want to pick off a trooper or two,
but be conservative with it due to very limited ammunition supplies for
it.
Personality:   This is part of the game which was badly done, because
the AI of the troopers ranges from intelligent and trained in fighting
to just plain stupid. For example, troopers will often hide behind
crates, throw grenades and attempt to surround you, which are a few
examples of intelligence. On the other hand, troopers will trot through
hot, harmful steam, will walk slowly when they are being shot at so that killing
them is easier, and will run away if being fired at. The latter
seems normal, but if I came up to you with a shotgun, would you run away, even
when there is no chance of getting away? They could at least shoot
me or find cover. So all in all, the troopers are just stupid.
Tips:    1.   Snipe off everyone that you can before entering an area.
Troopers are very harmful, so doing this will lessen the
chance of serious injury.
2.   Let the troopers fight the things while you either just
shoot the thing a few times to injure it further. In
other words, let the trooper fight it out, as they
nearly always die.
Overall, the troopers are too stupid and weak, even if they have good weapons,
so they get a 5.5/10.
----------[ENEMY RANKINGS]----------
Size = The size of the creature. 10 is small, and is the best score.
Agility = How agile the creature is. 10 means it is very agile and is the best
score.
Strength = How strong the attacks are. 10 is the best score.
Endurance = How tough the creature is. 10 is the best score.
Name         Size     Intelect  Speed  Strength  Endurance  Overall
Scuttler     8 (small) 3        8.5    3         4          5.3
Biped beast  2 (large) 5.5      6.5    8         8.5        7.8
Host beast   3.5       5        6      6         7          5.7
Trooper      3         7        5      7         5          5.4
Bull thing   3.5       5        6      9         9          6.5
Note that these are not the same score given in my explanations, but
that is because there were more factors to weigh that were not
mentioned here.
1.   Biped beast things
2.   Bull beast things
3.   Troopers
4.   Host Things
5.   Scuttlers
---------[HOW THE THING WORKS]----------
This section will describe how the thing impersonates an individual
and what happens to the victim.
----------[Imitation Process]----------
"What we are dealing with is not human, but it takes on human form."
In order to properly assimilate a sentient being, the thing has to
attack its victim on a molecular level. After attacking the victim in a violent
manner, the cells of the thing start to assimilate the victim's cells:
O = Victim's cells
E = Enemy cells
1. The enemy cells mix with the victim's. It has
been theorized that thing cells somehow
O O     EEEE          disguise themselves to prevent immune system
O   O    E  E          response.
O O     EEEE
O O
O   O
O O
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
2. The intruder cell attacks the other cell and
O O                  pierces the cell wall with small strands.
O   O \               This leaves the victim's cell helpless.
O O   \
\
EEEE
E  E
EEEE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
O O             3.  The intruder cell merges with the victim's cell.
O               The victim's cell bulges to near breaking point
O    EEEE            as the new cellular material enters it.
O  EO  E
EEEE
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------------------
4. The enemy cell is now totally inside the victim's.
O   O         It now rewrites the victim DNA with its own, and
O EEEE  O       then it exits the cell. Note that the enemy cells
E  E          are smaller, but are more densely coded, so they
O   EEEE   O      contain the same amount of DNA.
O   O  O
Now that 1 cell has been taken over, the thing cell will now attack
another while the infected cell attacks its own kind. The immune
system cannot respond because the victim cell appears to have been
untouched. So within 60 minutes, depending on the size, complexity, and
type (whether it is a mammal, animal ect.) the whole body is taken over.
It is still unknown if things can imitate other forms of life such as
plants or insects.
----------[Thing Physiology]----------
"It could have impersonated a million life forms on a million planets.
It could chnage into any of them at any time."
The things store genetic codes from past victims to help to conceal
itself. I doubt that it could turn into any of its past victims, but
only the most recent. The thing cells are densely coded and can probably store
genetic codes from only the past few victims. The main advantage
of having several different genetic codes stored in a cell is that the
thing can use hose past codes and transform itself partially or fully.
For example, in the movie, Blair turns into a monster, and has part of himself a
head of a dog. The Blair imitator still had the dog genes in
it, so it could partially turn itself into one. This is also seen in the game,
when the Norweigean is shown in the first boss. Most things will
revert back to their supposedly original state when exposed, and add on a
few 'adjustments' from past victims to make it more of a threat. That is
why there are several forms of each thing.
It has also been theorized that things can alter the size of their cells.
In the movie, Blair turned into a huge monster, which means that either Blair
increased the size of his cells drastically, or just gave us
the impression of bulk, without having the volume. But then again, Blair could
turn into the Husky at any point, so we must assume that he
decreased the size of his cells to fit the size of the dog.
---------[COMBAT TIPS]----------
The thing is a tough game to survive in, especially on the harder difficulties,
so I have provided a few tips to help you. If you have any
more not mentioned here, please send them in!
1.  Protect all important NPC's; if you lose one necessary to the
mission, you fail it.
2.  Do not let your NPC's do what they want; some are to headstrong
and like to race into battle, so you must prevent them from being
killed.
3.  Try not to go full auto fire - short bursts are more accurate
and therefore effective.
4.  Try to keep your medics alive so that they can heal you if you
are injured.
5.  Unccoperative squad member should be coerced by pointing your
gun at their head.
6.  Try to load your teammates up on plentiful ammunition such as
MP5 ammo. The last thing you want in the middle of a battle is
for your squad to keep asking for ammunition. They only have 1
weapon; you can have many.
7.  Pay attention to your squad members, as fear is incredibly
important. If a member is terrified, simply give him an
adrenaline shot. If you have none, then give him some more
ammunition or a better weapon and kill all enemies nearby.
This should calm him down.
8.  Peer around corners by using the 1st person perspective.
9.  Try to take out sentry guns before they notice you either by
turning them off or firing at them from aound a corner.
----------[Conclusion]----------
I hope you have found this guide beneficial, useful, or just interesting, and I
would like to thank the following:
- My hands for typing
- Gamefaqs, for being such as great site
- The Thing, for being such a great game
- You, for reading.