Black Mesa East - A missing link in the story?

[Draculas_Guest]

Recently there's been some heated debate over the story of Half Life 2. While some feel that its non-existant or undeveloped, others feel its fantastic and brilliantly told. Currently, my opinion lies somewhere between the two. Overall I loved the game and I think that there is a good story hidden away in there, but that Valve needed to communicate some elements across more clearly.

Now I'm well aware that the story is apparently "out there" in the form of newspaper snippets and various tidbits, but as I've said before, I want to play Half Life 2 and have fun doing it, not spend 5 hours in Nova Prospekt hunting for a coke can that has the answers to the G-mans existance hidden under it. People have praised HL2 for not "spoon feeding" the player, and while I can see where those comments are coming from, I think that there was one instance when there needed to be something a bit more substantial for the player to sink their teeth into. Remember that bit in Terminator 2 when Arnie describes the future history of Skynet, and Dysons role in the development of the neural processor? That was one of the elements that made T2 a great sequel, it made the viewer go "ooh" and "aaah" as it got much deeper into the story.

One opportunity I think would've been good for a moment like that would have been in Black Mesa East. After the intrigue of the introduction, and the excitement of the airboat chase, you arrive at this hidden base where some major characters like Eli Vance and Judith Mossman are secretly working on teleporting technology. This feels the most natural point in the game to find some answers out on whats been happening. Unfortunately though, there's very little content there other than some scraps of newspaper. Soon after you turn up, you head off to play catch with a robot dog, and then its more run and gun action. Apparently, thats "sophisticated" storytelling.

While I'm glad that Valve took a lean approach to the storytelling in general, I think that BME was one instance when they needed to get heavier with some of the details. Obviously I dont want the game to get bogged down in lengthy speeches, however in this case I think it would have been much more rewarding for the player to learn more about the "7 hour war" instead of being shuffled off to the next bit of shooting.
Think of the original Star Wars, with the scene where Obi-wan reveals to Luke that his father was a Jedi knight, that was "murdered" by Darth Vader. Its a great scene by itself, but it also sets the stage for the conflict between Luke and Vader in the rest of the trilogy. Couple that with the recorded message from Princess Leia and it helps put the rest of the film into some perspective.
In a similar fashion, BME needed to reveal more in order to put the rest of the game into some kind of perspective. It also would have been a good opportunity to develop Eli's character more as Gordon barely has time to get re-acquainted with him. (which in turn would make Eli's rescue even more urgent as his character would have heavier grounding)

While I enjoyed Half Life 2 a great deal, and had fun finding the clues dotted around the game, I feel that Black Mesa East was a weak link in the chain.
My experience of playing HL2 is like that of watching the original version of Aliens. Its great, but a Special Edition could really help flesh out some of the details.

 

[Brian Damage]

The way the story is set up, though, it seems the other characters think he's been hanging around somewhere on Earth since the BM incident... they seem to assume that Gordon already knows what's happened... which is part of the humor, as he hasn't got the faintest idea.

And, of course, Gordon isn't a talkative bloke...

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Well, Raising the Bar had an extract of cut script that had Eli telling you exactly what had happened during your absence, I think. A real shame it wasn't included though.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[L337_Assasain]

It is true, why would a citezen see you and go, "hey, you wanna hear what's been going on for the last five years?"
And Eli and Alyx and the others expect you know what has happened, I doubt they even know much more if even close to as much as you know about the G-man, or how he has kept you in stasis for years.
Remember, this is told from GORDONS point of view, so you shoudn't know what's going on, but all the answeres will hopefully be found in the third and final HL...So be patient.

 

[AJ Rimmer]

Well, Raising the Bar had an extract of cut script that had Eli telling you exactly what had happened during your absence, I think. A real shame it wasn't included though.

-Angry Lawyer

I don't know why they cut that, from what I've heard, it sounds absolutely awesome!

 

[ThrasherX9]

Well, if Gordon would just say something, like "WTF's going on?" then all our storytelling dilemas would be over.

 

[urseus]

Think of the original Star Wars, with the scene where Obi-wan reveals to Luke that his father was a Jedi knight, that was "murdered" by Darth Vader. Its a great scene by itself, but it also sets the stage for the conflict between Luke and Vader in the rest of the trilogy. Couple that with the recorded message from Princess Leia and it helps put the rest of the film into some perspective.

Well that whole "certain point of view" was one of the biggest cop outs of any story. Lucas just threw it in when he realised that he would be making sequals to what he thought was a one off chance to make his space movie. Darth Vader killing Lukes father was just there to strengthen the drama of the first one.

Later he had to figure out a way to weasle out of it. Still, he wrote some good storys back then. Its a pity that his goiter has taken control of his body and is now writing the new ones.

 

[FISKER_Q]

I don't know why they cut that, from what I've heard, it sounds absolutely awesome!

Well then they would obviously know that he was kept in stasis by the G-Man.

I would rather want the story as i progress instead of getting it told.

 

[Draculas_Guest]

Well that whole "certain point of view" was one of the biggest cop outs of any story. Lucas just threw it in when he realised that he would be making sequals to what he thought was a one off chance to make his space movie. Darth Vader killing Lukes father was just there to strengthen the drama of the first one.

Very true, as there is an early draft of The Empire Strikes Back that depicts Anakin as a wholly seperate entity from Vader, but even so, that scene is still necessary and adds a lot to the drama. If you were to take it as the original idea that Vader murdered Lukes father, it instantly sets him up as a villain.

And Eli and Alyx and the others expect you know what has happened, I doubt they even know much more if even close to as much as you know about the G-man, or how he has kept you in stasis for years.

Whoah hold on there, are you saying that Eli wouldnt want to know how Gordon managed to survive? The last time they saw each other was at Black Mesa. For all Eli knew, Gordon died getting to the surface. It was bought up by someone in another thread, but if you had fought in WW2, and 10 years later you ran into someone that you last saw in the battlefield, surely you'd want to exchange stories and find out what happened to them? Obviously we cant hear Gordons voice as such but there should be a sense that the two are re-acquainting with each other.
Its the only point in the game that I feel let down, the opening with Barney was spot on as there wasnt much time for explanations and Barney had to get you to Kleiners lab ASAP, but BME should have been the eye-opener of the game. The "aah" moment for the player before being thrown back into the action with a new sense of purpose.

 

[Gray Fox]

Well then they would obviously know that he was kept in stasis by the G-Man.

I would rather want the story as i progress instead of getting it told.

We would also like to find out the story as we progress, but the fact is you hardly find out anything, although what is givin is givin in a brilliant way, but it's just to little, I don;t feel that much wiser than before hl2, it would have been nice if they had givin anwser but at the same time raise new ones more intersting, 6 years of waiting and this is it, in a movie you can pull it off cause a movie can be made in 2 years, but lets be honest we are going to have to wait for hl3 way longer than that, lets just hope the expansions give us more story ir atleast just enough clueas that with hard work we can figure out thing out on or own, you know that some things in hl2 start making sense.

 

[Draculas_Guest]

Another comparison I've been thinking of is Rivendell from Lord of the Rings. (The movies primarily).
In Fellowship of the Ring, Frodo and the hobbits convalesce in Rivendell and a council is held to decide on what needs to be done with the ring. They reach the conclusion that it needs to be destroyed in the fires of Mordor (as it cant be contained in Rivendell, or destroyed by any methods that they have at hand), and the characters set off again with a new objective, a clear goal on what needs to be done.

Thats partly what Black Mesa East should have been for HL2. It should have been a real turning point in the game, instead of a stop off point to get a new weapon. It still could have ended with the place being attacked and Eli getting kidnapped (as it would make sense the combine would gather on your last position and discover the base), but it should have imparted more information across.

 

[Lanthanide]

I must say I was kind of shocked when I played BME. You get to it, and meet Eli, then Mossman comes in and is all grumpy so Alyx takes you and leaves - I thought we'd spend more time with Eli first. Nope.

Then you go and play with the GG, I was thinking "hmm, hopefully we go back and see Eli soon and find out stuff" but at the same time I kind of got the impression you wouldn't (when you go past the entrance to Ravenholme). Then what happens everyone knows, I'm sure, and I was rather pissed off "what, that's it?".

 

[Grumpy]

I must say I was kind of shocked when I played BME. You get to it, and meet Eli, then Mossman comes in and is all grumpy so Alyx takes you and leaves - I thought we'd spend more time with Eli first. Nope.

Yikes, Mossman impersonating me, how sad
:hmph:

Remember they told Gordon they were expecting him, only the G-Man could have provided this info. The G-Man is working very closely with the resistance in HL2, though with motives far different to many

 

[Tim F]

Notice that Breen is the only character who knows where Gordon has been for five (ten?) years. Seems curious to me.

 

[Moquia]

Don't know of you tried this, but if you look at the familyphoto Eli will talk about that. Also looking at the newspaper, Eli will give you a little information about the 7 days war and Breen I think.

 

[Grumpy]

Actually Breen does not, but the Alien he is talking too does..it immediately recognises him and yells out Gordon Freeman during the Teleport mishap with Lamar

 

[KagePrototype]

Actually Breen does not, but the Alien he is talking too does..it immediately recognises him and yells out Gordon Freeman during the Teleport mishap with Lamar

Breen says Gordon Freeman, not the alien. Watch it again, watch Breen's lips.

 

[DarkTimes]

Yikes, Mossman impersonating me, how sad
:hmph:

Remember they told Gordon they were expecting him, only the G-Man could have provided this info. The G-Man is working very closely with the resistance in HL2, though with motives far different to many

They were expecting you because you were supposed to go through the teleported with Alyx, but when that malfunctioned you were told you'd have to make it on foot. They sent word to the rebels to give you the airboat and stuff. That's how I saw it anyway...

It's never made clear if any of the other characters even know that the G-Man exists.

I think this thread is interesting. I do like the way the story is told in the game, but I agree that there are points at which a few more details should have been given to the player. Black Mesa East seems like the perfect spot.

 

[CombineSoldier]

There wasent an alien there

 

[DarkTimes]

There wasent an alien there

I believe Breen was talking an alien on the screen the second time you teleport into the room. I'm pretty sure the alien didn't say anything though.

 

[Grumpy]

I have watched it a few times and I am thinking Breen starts to say it but the Alien finishes the sentence..time for a few replays to ease my insanity fears...New At Eleven

Oh, look at some of the Gman sightings, he is assisting the Rebels. Giving the Vortigon instructions, Rocket Launchers to the Resistance You really need a slow mo to catch it all, not to mention listen to some of the speech reeeeeeeeeeeeal carefully..there are tonal changes that give special meaning that are often overlooked

 

[Alientank]

third and final HL...So be patient.

HL3 was never announced as the final HL.

 

[Grumpy]

Hmmm, you are right, it does seem like Breen. But in the openingscene with Barney they tell you they were expecting you but would have like a bit more warning

 

[Apos]

What are you talking about: the whole point of Black Mesa East is that bit where you get to ogle Alyx's ass from directly underneath. Now THATS a story!

 

[HaloEleven]

ok if by the lack of story telling it means that Eli and Alyx etc just assume gordon knows whats happened to make it seem 'realistic' (from valve's point of view)...why don't they at least ask him where he has been and what he has been doing for 10 years???

i dont think they know he has been in stasis...

someone offer an opinin as to this

 

[Mechagodzilla]

I don't know why they cut that, from what I've heard, it sounds absolutely awesome!

I bet the scene where Eli shows you a slideshow of what happened over the last couple years was cut for a couple reasons.

Where/why would Eli find the time to make a powerpoint presentation of the last decade's history?
And amusing as it sounds, it would basically be a cinematic sequence. Not too involving.
Plus, it removes a lot of the mystery, while spelling out some things too clearly. I guessed 90% of what the script said before I read it, just by playing through the game.

why don't they at least ask him where he has been and what he has been doing for 10 years???

Even if they did ask, how would you answer? there's no "relate backstory" button.
It seemed to me as though they expected him to arrive.
Remember at the end, Breen implies that the resistance somehow paid to have Gordon join them.

It creates the question of whether the resistance knows what happened to Gordon at the end of HL1, and who you can trust.

 

[Grumpy]

Trust no one

 

[IHATEMANHACKS]

Does Black Mesa East have anything to do with Black Mesa (as in HL1)

 

[Spartan]

After the intrigue of the introduction, and the excitement of the airboat chase, you arrive at this hidden base where some major characters like Eli Vance and Judith Mossman are secretly working on teleporting technology. This feels the most natural point in the game to find some answers out on whats been happening. Unfortunately though, there's very little content there other than some scraps of newspaper. Soon after you turn up, you head off to play catch with a robot dog, and then its more run and gun action. Apparently, thats "sophisticated" storytelling.

Valve apparently feels that everything has to be so hyper real-time that you should never stay still. If you reach safety, you have to leave immediately, instead of spending the night etc. Valve's storytelling method is also very anti-realistic. Since Gordon doesn't talk (as such), he never asks important and obvious questions, such as "what year is it."

It also would have been a good opportunity to develop Eli's character more as Gordon barely has time to get re-acquainted with him. (which in turn would make Eli's rescue even more urgent as his character would have heavier grounding).

I agree. HL2 has no character development. You really have no strong motivation to rescue Eli. The game hints that you were probably good friends with him in Black Mesa, but it's never developed further. Gordon's muteness again limits and cripples the story.

It's as if Laidlaw came up with sublots and interesting reveleations and scenes, and then suddenly abandoned them half-way through but left them in the game anyway.

 

[Spartan]

It is true, why would a citezen see you and go, "hey, you wanna hear what's been going on for the last five years?"
And Eli and Alyx and the others expect you know what has happened, I doubt they even know much more if even close to as much as you know about the G-man, or how he has kept you in stasis for years.
Remember, this is told from GORDONS point of view, so you shoudn't know what's going on, but all the answeres will hopefully be found in the third and final HL...So be patient.

This makes no sense. While Eli would assume that Gordon knows where he's been (and Gordon doesn't, and he would tell Eli so), he'd still ask, because he is his friend and they haven't seen each other in a long time.

Don't know of you tried this, but if you look at the familyphoto Eli will talk about that. Also looking at the newspaper, Eli will give you a little information about the 7 days war and Breen I think.

Exactly. Eli says that "you remember my wife, don't you" (or something to that effect), but it's not developed further.

 

[Lanthanide]

Spartan - I believe everything has been fully worked out, as the cut info in Raising The Bar shows (detailed photots of the xeniens running amok, for example), it's just they've done a very poor job of portraying all but the basics of it during the game.

As for character development - you find out more about Mossman than you ever do about Eli. Cubbage would be the only other character that you find out less about than you do about Eli.

 

[michael_obrien]

I'm missing something. Cubbage?

anyways, you find out less about barney and gman and breen than you do about eli...

Anyways, the more I read these forums, the more I realize that way too many players felt uninvolved in the storyline. Regardless of the fact that I was pretty happy, valve clearly let the ball drop in the very area which they were so legendary in - the best part of HL1 wasn't realistic engine, it wasn't expressive characters, it wasn't AI, it wasn't even that the player really understood all that much about the story and the situation - if anything he was just as confused as in the second game. The best part of HL1 was that somehow it made people feel that they knew who they were, that they knew why they were doing what they did, that they were completely immersed in the persona of gordon freeman. They didn't manage to do this in HL2, and it's a shame, but I must say that the second game simply was not as good as the first.

 

[Bad^Hat]

Agree with Michael. The first one always had a clear goal: Get the **** out With Half Life 2 I'd reach an objective (ie - saving Eli), and think "Oh yeah, that's what I was doing".

 

[Grumpy]

I think HL2 is meant to take you on a confusing roller coaster ride. You are woken up by the Gman and dumped back into an Earth totally wasted with no real idea about anything. Youare hurtled into a wasteland of human misery and general chaos with only a shove in the generally right direction to help you out. No time to think, no time to ask questions, just help an old friend or two and survive to tell the tale

 

[Tim F]

Breen definitely has more of an idea where Gordon's been than anybody else. He defeinitely seems surprised to see Gordon in the first teleport, but that doesn't last. Later, during the Nova Prospekt level you hear him scolding the minions to the tune of something like:

"It baffles me that you have had so much trouble stopping this Dr. Freeman. He's only one man with no training in espionage or advanced combat; he's a theoretical physicist for pete's sake. And I have it on good authority that he's spent the last ten years in a state that would have precluded any supplementary training."

Not an exact quote, but you can see that unlike nearly everybody on your side Breen knows that you've been on ice for a decade. So either a) the G-man and Breen work for the same syndicate, or b) the G-man's boss has crappy counterintelligence.

 

[Dagobert]

I don't know why they cut that, from what I've heard, it sounds absolutely awesome!

A series of slides with Eli talking over them. Not awsome at all. I can see why it was cut. A lecture has no place in a game.

 

[PvtRyan]

Like that site about the story said: telling Gordon about what happened since BMRF is like telling a soldier in Afghanistan what happened on 9/11. Everyone would assume you know.

 

[Shadow112090]

you get out of the game what you put in. for instance, you can play straight thorough, or you can take time, and find every little detail. i know i found more my second time, like that dr mossman was gonna take the test chamebr job if you didnt do it. i know theres that thing that alyx says, but u go into the room with dr mossman, and then go to vance, he will say something about it.

 

[Spartan]

Like that site about the story said: telling Gordon about what happened since BMRF is like telling a soldier in Afghanistan what happened on 9/11. Everyone would assume you know.

Incorrect. If you didn't know, you would ask.

 

[Spartan]

Breen definitely has more of an idea where Gordon's been than anybody else. He defeinitely seems surprised to see Gordon in the first teleport, but that doesn't last. Later, during the Nova Prospekt level you hear him scolding the minions to the tune of something like:

Not an exact quote, but you can see that unlike nearly everybody on your side Breen knows that you've been on ice for a decade. So either a) the G-man and Breen work for the same syndicate, or b) the G-man's boss has crappy counterintelligence.

I never heard a speech like that. Then again, it plays while you're in the middle of combat. You basically have to stop playing, stand still and listen to it. So it's not really different from a cutscene, or a slideshow... I really, really don't like Valve's way of preventing the player from understanding things.