Aperture Science working for the Combine ???

[astiacortes]

If you think about it, It would make perfect sense for aperture to be working for the combine.

• Aperture is testing portal technology - the combine need more efficient means to open portals.
• The turrets you see in portal very closely resemble those that the combine set up to kill both zombies and rebels.
• GlaDOS announces in portal that one of your test chambers have been replaced with a live-fire course. Perhaps this course was created for overwatch training.
• Aperture has been competing with Black Mesa for government funding, as you can see in a power point presentation in aperture labs. Maybe out of spite, aperture used the black mesa incident as an incentive to the government to fund their research more. And as a result, were forced by Dr. Breen, to work for the combine, during their occupation of earth.
• In portal, GlaDOS informs you that things have gotten much worse since the last time you were outside. This prompts you to imagine that Chell has been outside, but only before the combine invasion ?

Thoughts ? Comments ?

 

[kineaesth]

If you think about it, It would make perfect sense for aperture to be working for the combine.

• Aperture is testing portal technology - the combine need more efficient means to open portals. Yet even though Aperture have developed Portal tech, the Combine don't have it?
• The turrets you see in portal very closely resemble those that the combine set up to kill both zombies and rebels. That's because they're pretty much the exact same thing. It was just convenient to base them on the turrets from Half Life 2.
• GlaDOS announces in portal that one of your test chambers have been replaced with a live-fire course. Perhaps this course was created for overwatch training. Perhaps, or perhaps it was for military androids.
• Aperture has been competing with Black Mesa for government funding, as you can see in a power point presentation in aperture labs. Maybe out of spite, aperture used the black mesa incident as an incentive to the government to fund their research more. And as a result, were forced by Dr. Breen, to work for the combine, during their occupation of earth. Which we have seen no indication of them doing.
• In portal, GlaDOS informs you that things have gotten much worse since the last time you were outside. This prompts you to imagine that Chell has been outside, but only before the combine invasion ? No, just that she's been inside for a long time.

Thoughts ? Comments ?

The Combine are an inter-stellar race. I highly doubt they'd planned ahead to employ Aperture Science to make portal tech. It just doesn't add up that a hugely powerful alien race would employ or even need a small company on Earth, just to make them portals.

 

[Darkside55]

GLaDOS has stated she has no idea what's going on outside, but it's bad. Since gaining control of Aperture Science she's locked down the facility, killed almost everyone, and has drowned out the outside world so that she could carry on Aperture's experiments. The "live fire course" is what you run through as Chell; its purpose is purely scientific, not for training.

GLaDOS has no idea about the Combine and their intentions, and I doubt she would even care. She's far too absorbed doing SCIENCE!

Go ahead and leave me
I think I prefer to stay inside

 

[G(ordon)-man]

No, this game takes place in almost 30 years before the Half life 2 takes place. I read it somewhere.

 

[kineaesth]

No, this game takes place in almost 30 years before the Half life 2 takes place. I read it somewhere.

Yeah, somewhere like 'nowhere official'.

 

[G(ordon)-man]

No, it was on Wikipedia or somewhere, i'll find it. And I'll Be Bahhk

 

[kineaesth]

Yeah, somewhere like 'nowhere official'.

No, it was on Wikipedia or somewhere, i'll find it. And I'll Be Bahhk

Oh, oh, oh, I love this site.

 

[Druckles]

KA, you're frickin' hilarious.

I think the most viable theory I heard was that the Aperture Science had connections with the Gman.

 

[Pyroxic]

I've always pondered if the Combine really found the Borealis and such (after seeing that concept art with the Advisors around it) and that they found a GlaDOS 2.0 and just reprogrammed it and such and that's who you hear as the Combine Overwatch.

Oh crap, my fanboy is showing.

 

[MacBowes]

Portal almost definitely takes place during / right after the beginning of HL2. I'm not quite sure, but I think it was between 10-17 years that Gordon was in stasis. GLaDOS killed all the scientists in the Facility (presumably during the seven hours war / resonance cascade to stop them from escaping) and put all the daughters that were there because of the 'take your daughter to work day' into stasis to continue testing. Chell appears to be in her mid twenties, which would fit because that the time that she was put into stasis when she was between 8-15.

 

[Pyroxic]

Portal almost definitely takes place during / right after the beginning of HL2. I'm not quite sure, but I think it was between 10-17 years that Gordon was in stasis. GLaDOS killed all the scientists in the Facility (presumably during the seven hours war / resonance cascade to stop them from escaping) and put all the daughters that were there because of the 'take your daughter to work day' into stasis to continue testing. Chell appears to be in her mid twenties, which would fit because that the time that she was put into stasis when she was between 8-15.

You don't know that, that's only speculation.

Personally, I think Portal is before the Resonance Cascade. I assume that the 'Xen creatures' were "teleported" all over the world right after the Resonance Cascade happened, so why were they appearing everywhere, EXCEPT inside of Aperture Science?

I guess it could be explained they couldn't survive in that environment due to lack of food and such, or they were killed by turrets/GlaDOS/etc, but wouldn't you at least see SOME signs of them being there?

Edit: Perhaps the Energy Balls could be explained by the fact that Portal IS before the Combine events and that later on the Combine discovered what's left of Aperture Science and found their technology, such as the Energy Balls and incorporated it into their current technology discovering that some of it could be used as weaponry.

 

[kineaesth]

Except that the energy balls are just like the turrets - same model and basic functionality, but entirely difference. On that note I really think Valve should have made a new model for them.

It would be interesting if the Resonance Cascade had affected Aperture, just in some small way. Perhaps in one of the behind the scenes chapters you find a bullsquid corspe decaying, or something. But yeah, I really don't think Portal took place during or after the cascade.

 

[Druckles]

The energy balls might simply be a coincidence. We are all in the same universe here (or not), and it might be that some forms of energy just happen to be the correct way to do something.

Star Trek is a prime example. Every different world has (or is working towards) warp drive. I mean, aren't there other propulsion systems?!

I suppose it's like water.

 

[Fiberawptic]

Well, GlaDoS basically killed all the Apeture employees so they wouldnt be alive for the combine invasion. The only people the combine could hire from AS would be GlaDoS, but shes just AI, and they could probably manipulate her, or they dont even need her since the technology shes made of doesnt even compare to how advanced combine tech is.

 

[shotgun]

I believe Aperture Science was like Black Mesa. A respectable science research company, but it feel under wrong power and just unfortunate events happened. As far as that goes I believe Portal happened before the Combine invaded and the whole Black Mesa fiasco. Although we never know until more facts rise to the surface.

 

[amaranth]

Or, they just used the Combine energy balls because it was more convenient than inventing something else.

 

[G(ordon)-man]

Rebel energy balls. Made with soda and milk and glue.