anyone have anyideas about what who and where the combine comefrom?

[jmjneary]

i have no idea

 

[Ames]

The Combine (also knows as the Synth, or the Universal Union ) are a ruthless empire that invades planets in order to leech resources, technology, knowledge, and power. As a race, the Combine are a "combination" of all the species they conquer. Through genetic technology, bio-engineering, and electronic implantation, the Combine is basically a "master-race" that combines together the best qualities of all the races they destroy. We can see from the events on Xen and Earth that the Combine are technologically advanced, methodical, systematical, and powerful.

Taken from http://members.shaw.ca/storage_4/hl2story/

 

[Edgar]

they came from Uranus, sorry couldn't help it >.<

they come from some random univerise inanother dimeinson.. combine different species for their fighting force..

 

[diluted]

Basically, they're the Borg from Star Trek.

 

[Brian Damage]

The Combine (also knows as the Synth, or the Universal Union ) are a ruthless empire that invades planets in order to leech resources, technology, knowledge, and power. As a race, the Combine are a "combination" of all the species they conquer. Through genetic technology, bio-engineering, and electronic implantation, the Combine is basically a "master-race" that combines together the best qualities of all the races they destroy. We can see from the events on Xen and Earth that the Combine are technologically advanced, methodical, systematical, and powerful.

Taken from http://members.shaw.ca/storage_4/hl2story/

Well, I disagree with that stuff (which is one person's speculation, anyway) slightly. The Synths are a sub-race (biomechanical semi-robotics), as the humans under Breen's control are becoming (cyborgs). The actual primary/core creatures, the Combine themselves, looking at the "Advisor" that Breen speaks to, seem to be creatures that are basically giant brains of some sort. I'l agree that they subvert other traces via addition of organisational and technological traits to them, though.

 

[czrsink]

According to 'Raising The Bar', The Combine are a bunch of c**ts.

They have basically just become [as Brian said] 'giant brains'. The rest of their bodies are not required, as the technology usurped from other races has replaced the need for biological limbs etc.

Synths are a combination of organic matter, merged with enhanced Combine technology. The Combine basically take away the non-essential organs, and add machine components instead. What has happened on Earth is the Combine basically stripping down humans and turning them into humanoid killing machines. The weird folks that we see at Nova Prospekt are the next step on from the soldiers, as the Combine move more towards stripping down the human form and keeping the only essential part, the brain.

 

[Brian Damage]

Yeah, the Synths are a race of living robots (unknown whether they were created by the Combine, or the Combine enslaved them). Sounds like they're capable of reproduction, too, which is a singularly weird thought. Synths include the Strider, Dropship, Gunship, Crab Synth, and Mortar Synth, as well as, by the looks of it, the Type II scanner, which seems to be some ort of mini-Synth.

The humans under Combine (or Breen's) control are all either:

Stalkers (heavily-modified slave workers, who have had most of their organs removed and are now being run on a saline solution for ease of maintenance).

or,

Overwatch, which consists of various ranks (Metrocop, Soldier, Elite), which, I gather, are all at various stages of modification (Metrocops are probably almost completely human, hence Barney being able to pass for one when undercover, whereas you can see in Nova Prospekt that the Soldiers are heavily modified, with technology replacing some organs and some kind of ports implanted into several points on their bodies. I'd hate to think how heavily altered the Elites are...).

 

[Bad^Hat]

Pfft, and for all their augmentations, the Elite are just a Soldier with alt-fire

 

[Brian Damage]

And a big orange eye! And a big shirt collar!

 

[Mad-Larkin]

all i need to know is that they die when i shoot them.

 

[DrkBlueXG]

Basically, they're the Borg from Star Trek.

I was thinking the same thing.
That sums it all up in a nutshell.