Combine and Xen Connection (A long, Comprehensive Theory of evererything HL)

[Angry Lawyer]

Or maybe I hate seeing people delude themselves?
Combine not being there works, and if Laidlaw adds Combine control in subsequent games, it's only because everyone was whining for him to take the most common route.
Then again, if that happens, maybe G-Man is Gordon from the future. Bwuh.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[ríomhaire]

Race X were from Xen. Proof:
When fighting the gene-worm (last boss of OP4) if you use the teleporter gun's secondary fire you teleport to Xen. What do you see? The gene-worm going through a portal to Earth.

 

[Asknoone]

Or maybe I hate seeing people delude themselves?
Combine not being there works, and if Laidlaw adds Combine control in subsequent games, it's only because everyone was whining for him to take the most common route.
Then again, if that happens, maybe G-Man is Gordon from the future. Bwuh.

-Angry Lawyer

He wouldn't do that, if he adds it, or reveals it, its because that was the truth from the beginning. Thus, you'd be wrong

If he says its different, then i'm wrong, and your right.

I do respect the fact that your opting for a different theory, better bieng aside from the central crowd. I just Xen/combine makes much more sense -- lets it flow better. All of out own opinons though...

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Race X were from Xen. Proof:
When fighting the gene-worm (last boss of OP4) if you use the teleporter gun's secondary fire you teleport to Xen. What do you see? The gene-worm going through a portal to Earth.

That was a bug - you weren't meant to see it like that. An error on the mapper's part, due to the way the skybox worked.

And Samon, I still don't know how Combine-Xen creates easier flow. The universe is a big place, it makes perfect sense for them to have never interacted before.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Jandor]

I thought people had agreed to let this one go. Well, I'm not getting involved again. People should know my opinions now, thats good enough, because I know damn well I'm (or anyone else) is going to convince anyone. .

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Yeah, I respect your opinion. Just mine's better

Okay, back on to the other point: The Geneworm in Xen's sky was a map bug. Anyone who disagrees is wrong.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[special-ed]

MY GOD-LIKE HALF-LIFE THEORY:

this dude with glassesz and da orange suit thingy killz stuff with da CROWBAR, DAT!!#$y892R

 

[ríomhaire]

MY GOD-LIKE HALF-LIFE THEORY:

this dude with glassesz and da orange suit thingy killz stuff with da CROWBAR, DAT!!#$y892R

Don't resurrect a thread unless you have something useful to add to the topic and especialy if you are going to add mindless dribble.

 

[Jandor]

Special-Ed is very special (in a bad way.)

 

[trizzm]

is it me or is it totally not the xen masters who enslaved the vortigaunts but the combine, since we see a vort in nova prospekt getting some collars implanted by the overwatch.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Don't be silly - they'd have a much more efficient way of doing it than sitting a Vort down on a dentist's chair and attaching it. I believe that Vortigaunt was a captured one that hadn't had a chance to remove it's collar after the Nihilanth's demise, and the Combine were roughing him up a bit.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Anoma|ous]

Xen were under Combine rule, the enemies of HL1 were beings from Xen under the command of the Combine. Freeman however made an unstable portal on Earth which caught the attention of the Combine. For more info go to this link:

http://fragfiles.org/~hlstory/

 

[Langolier]

Don't be silly - they'd have a much more efficient way of doing it than sitting a Vort down on a dentist's chair and attaching it. I believe that Vortigaunt was a captured one that hadn't had a chance to remove it's collar after the Nihilanth's demise, and the Combine were roughing him up a bit.

-Angry Lawyer

Considering that we've only ever seen two Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2 that had collars on, which were very similar to the original ones in Half-Life... then I think it is safe to assume the Combine put those ones on. Odd that one of the other Vorts had them, yes?

For the record: I'm not saying this means the Combine put the collars on them in the first Half-Life, but it's a strange coincidence that the only captive Vortigaunts we've seen have had similar restraints on.

Now I haven't read the whole thread (only six pages), but just where exactly did anyone come up with that transcript of the G-man and the Scientist talking in Anomalous Materials? I've listened to that 'speech, with the sound up numerous times and they aren't saying anything. Just jibberish. So far as I can tell at least.

However... there is strong evidence that the Resonance Cascade was not an accident. In "Decay", right after the Cascade, Dr. Rosenberg and Dr. Keller remark that the dampening fields should have kept the Cascade contianed within the test chamber (or Sector C, something like that), and that they couldn't fail. They were designed specifically not to fail. The only way they could 'fail' would be for someone to switch them off.

Interesting notes: We see the GMAN riding an Elevator in Sector C in Half-Life: Decay, we see him talking to a Scientist in Half-Life, as well as riding a tram. We know that he was involved, in some way, with the Marines because they were being prepped for a mission at Black Mesa at least a month prior to the incident. They knew something was going to happen. G-Man seemed to take an active interest with Shepherd durring the Black Mesa Incident. First he saves his life, then he stops him from escaping, and later he opens up a pathway for him. At the end of the game, he even goes so far as to argue to save his life (again)... against the initial wishes of his employers.

(paragraph break to keep it easy to read)

Dr. Keller had Gena Cross and Collete Green prepare the Lambda Satallite to reverse the Resonance Cascade. Freeman was the one who actually launched the Rocket... for some reason, the militar aborted the launch and attempted to prevent Freeman from from launching. Scientists had been encoutering Nihilanth's forces... and "race-X" prior to the incident. Somehow, Dr. Breen was either not present on the day of the Resonance Cascade, or he escaped. Somehow Portal Storms (which should have been prevented by the launching of the satellite) began on Earth. At some point, the Combine invaded. Coincidently, Dr. Breen became a very powerful man. At the end of Half-Life, Xen was under the G-Man's employer's control.

Now what is the point of all these notes? Well... the point is: the Resonance Cascade was definetly not an accident. While it is possible the G-man caused this... and while it is likely that he knew about it in advance... it is strange that Dr. Breen was able to gain so much power through the Combine's invasion. Why... why would they grant him that power? How are the Portal Storms and Resonance Cascade linked?

It seems to be, that part of the "CoX" theory is based on the assumption that Dr. Breen was in league with the Combine prior to the 7-hour War. Well we know the scientists at the Lambda Complex were sending regular expeditions into Xen and bringing back lifeforms and crystals. At some point the survey team members started being abducted by Xen-natives. Someone "...went to great lengths to get..." a very pure crystal from Xen, with the purpose of analyzing it in the Anti-Mass Specrometer. To do this, the Sector C Science Team personel were instructed to run the Specrometer at higher than normal power. There was a system crash 20-or so minutes before the test. The Administrator was nowhere to be found. Someone turned off the dampening fields.

Something is amiss here...

If Breen was in secret negotiations with the Combine prior to the incident... then how else would that be possible then if the Combine controlled Xen? Can anyone give me a rational explanation as to why the Combine would have given him any power at the end of the 7-hour War if he were not in league with them? One way or another, the Combine was drawn to Earth by the Resonance Cascade. The destruction of Nihilanth shoulnd't have caused the Portal Storms. The whole point in killing him was to seal the portal. If you didn't, "...there won't be much for you to come home to," and there wasn't, even though you killed Nihilanth.

It can't just be a coincidence that Dr. Breen ended up ruling Earth, and that he was also the Administrator of Black Mesa who had been very eager to have the analysis of the Xen Crystal performed.

Thoughts on this?

Why would the G-man want to take down Dr. Breen?

Why did he want to take down Nihilanth?

What role, specifically, did he play in preparing the Marines?

I doubt any of us can answer these questions.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Xen were under Combine rule, the enemies of HL1 were beings from Xen under the command of the Combine. Freeman however made an unstable portal on Earth which caught the attention of the Combine. For more info go to this link:

http://fragfiles.org/~hlstory/

Guess what? That's a *fan page*. It's not official. It's full of flaws and can only be taken at face value:

Who are the Combine? The Combine (also known as the Synth, or the Universal Union

Anybody else see the glaring error here?

And if the Combine WERE enslaving the Vortigaunts, don't you think we'd have seen more of them?

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Anoma|ous]

I know but Marc Laidlaw acclaimed it as accurate.

 

[Anoma|ous]

The Universal Union/Combine/Synth use genetic enhancement on those they enslaved. The Combine soldiers were comprising of normal humans and synths thus the name "Combine". The Combine are advanced worm-like creatures somewhat slugish in appearance. Their invading tactics is through genetic alterations or implants, they need 'soldiers' to do their bidding and in the case of Half-Life 2 were humans/humanoid because they are more adaptable to their envirorment which is Earth.

There are theories that the G-Man is a sort of agent from a higher race thats been monitoring Combine activities. Meanwhile Dr. Breen thinks that the arrival of the Combine is a sort of salvation from the horrors outside the massive walled cities. That explains his tremendous participation in the Combine not knowing their true motive. I think that's the same case to Nihilanth in Xen which Freeman took down.
The presence of the marines however was to indeed silence Black Mesa when everything went too messy to handle. It was only then that Gordon's exploits might have caught G-Man's interest especially when he killed Nihilanth. And thus ending him in statis for future use.

 

[Laivasse]

It can't just be a coincidence that Dr. Breen ended up ruling Earth, and that he was also the Administrator of Black Mesa who had been very eager to have the analysis of the Xen Crystal performed.

I speculated that Breen, as the head of a govt. funded project which ended up being involved with extraterrestrials, ended up as some kind of ExtraPlanetary Defence Liaison, or something, after it became apparent that Earth was in dire straits due to what happened at BM. Breen after all would bethe highest "official" figure left around who had any knowledge of Xenians. Then when the Combine arrive Breen would be the one most likely rushed out from behind the bunkers in order to try and broker a peace - which he then did with his own interests to the fore.

This was all just guesswork, but I actually had it backed up by something in-game on my last run through. It's on the bottom left of the BM-East noticeboard and it's a news cutting that says "Black Mesa Admin charged with Human Affairs Bureau", and appeared to be preinvasion since there was no mention of the Combine, and let's face it there probably wasn't much news circulation afterwards.

Eli also talks about Breen if you go to the noticeboard - all he says is that the Combine rewarded Breen with power for managing Earth's surrender. Eli's a smart guy, there's even a good chance he knows about GMan...wouldn't he have a theory about Combine on Xen? They could have had Eli say "Ah, Dr. Breen...looks like he could have been in cahoots with the Combine since Black Mesa". Another one of the pointers to Combine-on-Xen which is noticeable by its absence.

So no reason to speculate on any prior arrangement with Breen and the Combine - esp since the chances that both Breen and the Combine existed clearly in valve's mind at the time of HL1 are practically nil. If you make Breen exist retroactively in the story, it's easy to characterise him as some ambitious cheat out for his own ends - both through the questionable ethics of experimenting on aliens at BM, and through his management of the surrender. There's no need to go the extra step of adding all the Combine on Xen business, unless you just want that to be the story no matter what, in which case people should just say so. I've said myself that I prefer the story to be otherwise, but there's also a lot of evidence there as well.

 

[Anoma|ous]

Dr. Breen already knew the Combine's presence and communicated with them before Black Mesa went haywire, probably through experiments conducted there but of course these were all in secrecy. He was led into thinking that the Combine are (in short)friendly beings. That is where G-Man shows up, prepping the marines a month earlier for close quarters combat training. I dont believe that G-Man already knew about Freeman then. Still, G-Man is absolutely not a goodie two shoes type of person. I heard he was responsible for the killing of everyone on Black Mesa to avoid rumours concerning it. Freeman unknowingly helped the Combine when he launches the satellite in orbit.

 

[Laivasse]

Their invading tactics is through genetic alterations or implants, they need 'soldiers' to do their bidding and in the case of Half-Life 2 were humans/humanoid because they are more adaptable to their envirorment which is Earth.

Since Overwatch soldiers et al are modified humans, it means that there were probably no humanoid troops in the invasion of Earth. Also, the term Synth isnot interchangeable with Combine. "Synth" is used to refer to the large animal/machines that the Combine use. IMO Combine can be used to encompass anything from Overwatch, to synths, to citadels and walls, almost.

That explains his tremendous participation in the Combine not knowing their true motive. I think that's the same case to Nihilanth in Xen which Freeman took down.

His own self-interest explains his collaboration. There is no way Breen doesn't know what the Combine are up to. He makes a speech at Nova Prospekt which tells us humanity are going to be exterminated.

BTW that fragfiles site stinks, the only supporting evidence he has for anything he says is someone else saying that Marc Laidlaw said that his site was "pretty accurate for the most part". Everything else is "in the game for those who look hard enough", apparently :| How about I email Marc Laidlaw and get him to tell me that my theories are "not bad at all" or something similarly noncommittal, does that mean noone could argue with me any more?

 

[Anoma|ous]

They probably used their ships afterall whats the use of the portal if they didn't get in, come to think of it the war only lasted 7 hours. Surely a desctruction so fast could only be the work of a powerful vehicle or weapon so destructive. And for Breen lets just say he's confused to the whole matter he's obviously addicted to power and had doubts when the combine asked him to have his physical body altered to survive their world. And I dont think that site stinks, I think its helpful it might not be 100% but it lets loosens up things.

 

[Jandor]

I know but Marc Laidlaw acclaimed it as accurate.

That's a vague quote of a vague quote.

 

[Laivasse]

Considering that we've only ever seen two Vortigaunts in Half-Life 2 that had collars on, which were very similar to the original ones in Half-Life... then I think it is safe to assume the Combine put those ones on. Odd that one of the other Vorts had them, yes?

The collars are different, between games. Looking closely, it appears not just to be a graphical difference, but a stylistic one.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

The Combine on Xen thing can be paralleled to many people's belief in ghosts in their lives. Admitted, there are a number of inexplicable happenings that can be considered 'ghosts', but for the larger part, it's just natural happenings.

"Oh, the picture fell off the wall - there must be ghosts!"

People don't think that maybe it's just a weakened wall, or a small tremor, or anything.

Didn't Occam's Razor state that the simplest theory is the most likely? I'm sorry, but in a scientific sense, a lack of relationship between two objects is simpler than a relationship.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[ríomhaire]

I am quite confused. I strongly believe that the resonace cascade was an acedent but after that. I think the Combine had never noticed Earth so they weren't in touch with Breen and I think the g-man didn't want it to happen so that leaves no motive for anyone. Looks like I'm going to have to revise my theory.

 

[AJ Rimmer]

The Combine on Xen thing can be paralleled to many people's belief in ghosts in their lives. Admitted, there are a number of inexplicable happenings that can be considered 'ghosts', but for the larger part, it's just natural happenings.

"Oh, the picture fell off the wall - there must be ghosts!"

People don't think that maybe it's just a weakened wall, or a small tremor, or anything.

Didn't Occam's Razor state that the simplest theory is the most likely? I'm sorry, but in a scientific sense, a lack of relationship between two objects is simpler than a relationship.

-Angry Lawyer

Of course not ghosts, who'd be stupid enough to think that?
Pictures falling off walls, ghosts... pffft!
It's quite obvious it was aliens! Quagaar warriors!

 

[Angry Lawyer]

It's highly likely that the Combine only noticed Earth, and probably Xen, after the cascade. With all that exploding stuff and dark energy blowing up all over the place, it's sure to show up on some intergalactic telescope thing.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[ríomhaire]

Angry Lawyer, please open up some space in your inbox.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Christ, I didn't realise it got so full. Whoops.
I've emptied it. Fire away.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[The Fool]

I'll have to agree with Pai-Mei and Angry Lawyer. I know there are other guys who are against the Combine/Xen connection but I could only remember the name of the topic starter and the last guy who posted against it.

It's like, on one hand there's the Combine-Xen theory which is basicly based on a fanfiction that is

Pretty damn accurate.

and supported by an assjet.

On the other hand, there's this theory that Xen and the Combine had no relation. This is supported by a lot of very convincing and logical points.

Assjets are cool, but I'll have to go with the logic stuff.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Well, to be honest, there is no "Combine not on Xen theory". It exists through the absence of a link.

It's like - 'Theory - brussel sprouts make you grow grey hair earlier' vs. 'Theory - brussel sprouts have no effect on your hair'. The second one is not a theory, just what's left when the first one is disproved/disbelieved.

Anybody follow what I say?

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Jandor]

I follow it.

CPoXomn (Combine probably on Xen or maybe not) theory.

 

[The Fool]

It was a poor choice of words; The orgy of quotes left my exhausted.

Then for them, Combine not on Xen is still a "theory" because the "Combine on Xen" theory hasn't been disproved, in their opinion.

And whether they may or may not affect people's hair, brussel sprouts are very important. Not as important as a towel is, of course.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

And there's no evidence of the 'assjet' being any form of propulsion. Considering the Controllers levitated without machinery, and Nihilanth is a scaled-up one, it would seem that they would levitate through similar means. It could be a life support machine, though.

And towels aren't as important as jelly shoes.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Asknoone]

And there's no evidence of the 'assjet' being any form of propulsion. Considering the Controllers levitated without machinery, and Nihilanth is a scaled-up one, it would seem that they would levitate through similar means. It could be a life support machine, though.

And towels aren't as important as jelly shoes.

-Angry Lawyer

Like Lawyer said, its nothing to do with propulsion - i guess its something to do with teleportation.

Lawyer, we must stop agreeing with each other. Its happening to often.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Naw, I think the teleportation is stored in the head, just like with Controllers. Being a big, disemboweled monster, somethings gotta keep it alive, and I don't think good intentions are enough.

Give it time, you'll eventually agree with everything I say...

-Angry Lawyer

 

[amUous]

It's highly likely that the Combine only noticed Earth, and probably Xen, after the cascade. With all that exploding stuff and dark energy blowing up all over the place, it's sure to show up on some intergalactic telescope thing.

-Angry Lawyer

Surely Valve would have come up with a better storyline than that? "The Xenians invade earth! Omfg! And then the Combine invade, too! For no reason! Omfg!" :dozey:

 

[Asknoone]

Surely Valve would have come up with a better storyline than that? "The Xenians invade earth! Omfg! And then the Combine invade, too! For no reason! Omfg!" :dozey:

The Xenians dont invade. They accidently come through the portal storms (after the Nihalinth is dead) and xen wildlife starts to inhabit the planet.

The Combine enslave worlds, they have enslaved hundreds - and were next hard.

 

[Jandor]

Surely Valve would have come up with a better storyline than that? "The Xenians invade earth! Omfg! And then the Combine invade, too! For no reason! Omfg!"

The Xenians invade because your stealing there species to experiment on, and your stealing there resources to study. Nihilanth trys to open up portals to Earth and while doing an experiment Nihilanth finally gets his way and the resonance cascade happens. Nihilanth then keeps the cascade open so as to send in his troops for revenge and to destroy your base of operations.
However when you kill Nihilanth the portals grow unstable and the Portal Storms start to happen, bringing in the newly freed Vortigaunts as well as lots of Xen wildlife.

Now, depending on which theory you believe, the Combine overlords start to get involved and continue to invade Earth, or the Combine find out about both Xen and Earth and use the chaos to invade.


In my opinion, but I just formed that off the top of my head.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Just as a sidenote:

What would Laidlaw gain from having Xen and the Combine linked without explicitly stating it? I mean, if he wanted to make the link, he could have just had a Vortigaunt say it outright. The sheer vagueness of the evidence used for linking them just perplexes me. I mean, it's not a ground-shaking, far reaching thing to have one species dominate another, so why would he hide it?

-Angry Lawyer

 

[ríomhaire]

About the saying that the controlers don't seem to be mechanicaly enhanced.
This looks mechanical to me.

(I must take grammar lessons)