City 17 IS somewhere ex-Soviet Union

[ZeeM]

Don`t know if you noticed this:

On one of the new screenshots on Gamershell (pcg screens), one the one with the two combine troops in a small corridor (5th row 4th screenshot) there are some posters on the right wall with some cyrillic text written on it. Don`t know what it means, but its not Russian. It looks like some random text.

This clarifies that HL2 takes place somewhere in ex Soviet union (or some other place where cyrillic alphabet is used)

Unleash flames

 

[kaellinn18]

Well, it's an eastern European city. Eastern Europe was under the control of the Soviet Union after WWII. So, yes, in a way you're right.

 

[Danimal]

OMG my friend was about to post the same thing about 5 secs ago :bounce:

 

[Dagobert]

WOW! ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS LOOK AT THE ARCHITECTURE TO NOTICE THIS.

Screenshots of the Eiffel Tower - ZeeM - 'This game is set in Paris'.

 

[MadGuy]

This clarifies that HL2 takes place somewhere in ex Soviet union (or some other place where cyrillic alphabet is used)

hmm..I live in a ex soviet union country, but we dont use cyrillic alphabet or whatever, I can't even read it (who cares about russia anyway ?)

 

[pixartist]

WOW! ALL YOU NEED TO DO IS LOOK AT THE ARCHITECTURE TO NOTICE THIS.

Screenshots of the Eiffel Tower - ZeeM - 'This game is set in Paris'.

there are quite some parts of german cities which look pretty similar!

 

[Kouler]

OK, a couple of points to be made. Since I cannot post the screenshots, i will just say which ones.

City 17 is most likely in a Russian area

Eastern Europe = Russia

In screenshot image7b (the one with Dr Kleiner's lab) there is a red carpet with a detailed design and patterns on it. That is a Russian carpet.

As ZeeM said, those letters are indeed Russian, but I can't make out what they say.

Look at screenshot image02 (the one with Gordon in airboat chasing dropship). The architecture of the buildings in the background is just like in Russia.

The environment generally looks Russian.

Oh BTW, Danimal, I still posted it.

 

[Danimal]

Oh BTW, Danimal, I still posted it.

^^;; lol

 

[Dagobert]

City 17 is most likely in Russia

or Czech Republic, Slovakia, Slovenia, Estonia etc etc etc

Eastern Europe = almost Russia

Russia = Eastern Europe.

 

[Kouler]

Edited.

 

[Asuka]

OMG my friend was about to post the same thing about 5 secs ago :bounce:

OW-NE-DA!

 

[Kouler]

That would have to be me

 

[ZeeM]

City 17 is most likely in a Russian area

The thing is that text is not in Russian

 

[Sprafa]

It's been discovered by someone long ago that City 17 is a Russian military research city from the times of WWII or at least heavily inspired in it.

 

[loofy]

It is not Russian. 99 % of all Russian you see in game and movies is FAKE. Made up letters such as in Goldeneye and Red Alert to made up words in Red October spoken by Sean Connery. If you THINK you see Russian in a game just assume it is fake. Only one game I know has Real Russian - and that is Il-2 Sturmovik.

The Architecture of HL2 looks Romanian, Bulgarian and Slovakian to me. Mostly from the 1970s and 80s. And to those who reside in Eastern European states - learning Russian is not as important as during the cold war, but still something useful to have. Good thing that first everyone learns English though.

The place reminds me of bucharest or Sofia.

 

[Chronos]

(who cares about russia anyway ?)

I do, I happen to live there, is it really so hard to believe?

 

[Dagobert]

The place reminds me of bucharest or Sofia.

Or Bratislava.

 

[Maxi]

Holy ****! You guys remember the thread a long time ago that showed where the "real" city 17 is? well... perhaps this is there? since according to the pcg review the people there are american immigrants, and america IS pretty close to eastern russia!

 

[KingPing_NOR]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/secret-cities.htm

Then go down the list and press Shkotovo-17

Dont know if it means City-17. Anyway, that city had a big shipyard, just like City-17 in HL2. It was a military shipyard with nucklear subs.

Citys that the Sovijet made for weapons manufactoring and development. :O

EDIT: Can anyone translate Shkotovo-17? Dont know how to do it. :x

 

[Dr. Freeman]

http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/world/russia/secret-cities.htm

Then go down the list and press Shkotovo-17

Dont know if it means City-17. Anyway, that city had a big shipyard, just like City-17 in HL2. It was a military shipyard with nucklear subs.

Citys that the Sovijet made for weapons manufactoring and development. :O

very interesting find :O

 

[Chronos]

Translation of the word.

It is not Russian. 99 % of all Russian you see in game and movies is FAKE.

Okay, here's something from Russian Native Speaker.

Actually it used to be pretty fake, now it becomes pretty real. Sometimes it's funny though. The funniest lines for Russians were in Soldier of Fortune I (SOF 2 had pretty real Russian).

Now, to the point: the screenshot you are referring to mentions a piece of Theatre Poster, those could be found on the streets of Moscow. The word says "Meyerhold", and it is a name of famous Russian theatre director. The poster is referring to a Theatre Of Meyerhold in Moscow, named in his honor. The title of the performance probably starts with "DES" (Big Cyrillic letters under the Meyerhold word, partially occluded), but I cannot think of any famous Russian play with name starting with "DES".

If you want to talk about links to Regime in City-17, Meyerhold was actually convicted of being "enemy of the people" in 1939 and executed in 1940 :| , so there you have the connection. I doubt that designers meant it thought, just a small detail for you.

 

[ZeeM]

It's been discovered by someone long ago that City 17 is a Russian military research city from the times of WWII or at least heavily inspired in it.

Yeap thats why I posted it. Just more evidence

 

[exoeight]

russia is a neat place.

 

[aquadark]

City 17 is a fictional town, and the main inspiration came from the capital city of Bulgaria - Sofia and and some other East European cities. I quote Viktor Antonov - Art Director/Conceptual Designer of Valve Software and Half-Life 2, who was born in Sofia The interview is from the balgarian magazine Gamers' Workshop, June 2004.

The text says:

City 17 is one non-existent fictional metropolis, inspired by Sofia and it's architecture (with elements of other eastern countries in order not to be too specific). One of the reasons for City 17 to be in Eastern Europe is the fact that I wanted to drift away from the existent hollywood and game cliches.

Btw. sorry about the quality of the pic, it's a webcam - I'm too lazy to get my digital camera now.

You can actually see some pictures from Sofia from his Siggraph presentation back in August.

http://www.planethalflife.com/features/articles/sigg04/index2.shtm

Hope I was helpful.

 

[Barnz]

the city landscape reminds me of the homeland!

 

[mitchferrari]

if its Russia it explains that the combine mask look like soviet union gas masks

 

[Harryz]

I do, I happen to live there, is it really so hard to believe?

It says Indiana, USA in your location.

 

[SFLUFAN]

It says Indiana, USA in your location.

Some parts of Indiana are pretty darned close to being like the old Soviet Union :E

 

[mashed]

My guess is Romania. It fits the eastern europe requirement, "Tren" is romanian for train (look at the train station bink video), and it's right next to the black sea. You'll notice in a ton of pics that a lot of combat occurs near a receding ocean line.

I remember before the forum re-design (looks very nice btw) someone said to me in the speculation forum that City 17 is a fictional place... DUH. But it still takes place in "what used to be" a particular territory that had political borders just like anywhere else... until all hell broke loose on earth.

 

[Bobcat]

This is where I believe City 17 is located...

 

[mayfer]

edit..

 

[Kifpe]

In the Strider-bink there is a holtel called Hotel Metropol and that is, if i'm not mistaking, a hotel in Rusia not far away from the Red Square...

 

[stanr]

This is where I believe City 17 is located...

Care to explain WHY you believe that?

Besides, the place you highlight is somewhere in Georgia/Ocetia region, pretty close to where all the Chechen trouble is stirring.

The architecture is indeed eastern European, if I were to guess I would say Bulgaria, where Antonov is from...

 

[arcy]

Shouldn't this go in another forum or something? Isn't this technically a spoiler?

jerkface!

 

[Bobcat]

Care to explain WHY you believe that?

Besides, the place you highlight is somewhere in Georgia/Ocetia region, pretty close to where all the Chechen trouble is stirring.

The architecture is indeed eastern European, if I were to guess I would say Bulgaria, where Antonov is from...

Because of the first test, or just before, or just after, can't remember, some people found some longtitude and lattitude info on some pictures from a visit at Valve, and shoved it in mapquest, and that was the result.

Although I doubt it's very precise, because if you switched the info around, it was a little closer to Europe, but still close to where it is in that picture.

 

[Pjotr]

Don`t know if you noticed this:

On one of the new screenshots on Gamershell (pcg screens), one the one with the two combine troops in a small corridor (5th row 4th screenshot) there are some posters on the right wall with some cyrillic text written on it. Don`t know what it means, but its not Russian. It looks like some random text.

This clarifies that HL2 takes place somewhere in ex Soviet union (or some other place where cyrillic alphabet is used)

Unleash flames

FYI, cyrillic is also used in Serbia, ex-Yugoslavia.

It has been stated as an "East European style" city. Soviet Union did occupy it's near neighbours sort of, so cyrrillic could be found in many east european countries also.

 

[Bongfarmer]

Dont forget about Poland!

 

[SFLUFAN]

^^^
LOL! Very funny - good job to work in a Presidential debate reference.

 

[Pjotr]

Dont forget about Poland!

Ploand uses latin characters.

 

[aquadark]

Why do you continue bitching? I think the interview explains everything... City 17 is an entirely fictional town, based on the architecture of Sofia, Bulgaria and minor parts of other Eastern European cities... Perhaps I should post the entire interview, but I don't have any copyrights or what so ever.
Resemblance with other ex-soviet cities is natural - it's all the so-called Lenin architecture...