Combine Psyiology

[Direwolf]

Found this odd graffiti behind a propane tank on Highway 17. It gives a little idea of what they've got going on behind the mask.

 

[JackFrost]

You don't say.

 

[Paravel]

Wish I knew what psyiology is.

 

[Kingreaper]

Wish I knew what psyiology is.

I'm guessing physiology(sp?)

 

[Adrien C]

Old But good

 

[Flyingdebris]

you can see a combine trooper lying on his back on a table without a mask or a shirt on one of the nova prospekt security monitors. He looks human and has a metal implant in his neck

 

[jimmyjam]

really? for serious?
well I'll be!@

 

[Direwolf]

I'm going to blame the missing 'h' and incorrect letter order on my keyboard, since theres no way I could have made a spelling mistake...yes, that'll do nicely.
I've been going over a lot of the graffiti in the game trying to find all of it, and figure out what at least some of it means. The time put into some of this stuff is incredible.

 

[Dr.Pratt]

Im not sure if you heard near the end the "old admisistrator" of black mesa refers to the combine as a part of there own. He talks about having eli will help with the negotiation with the combine. I think the metal peices on the back of the combine must have been some sort of control device.

 

[chimpmunk]

It's simple, man evolved from monkey, and look how the combine looks like the monkey (but mechanical, instead of organic), either it means man is degreding itself or is ready to take to the next step of evolution.

 

[Is This Tea]

Maybe this is just stupid… but something that has always bothered me with this pic is that it doesn’t read left right. Wouldn’t you want to start with an ape at the left and then have Australopithecus etc etc until homo sapiens at the end… or in this case transhumans? Maybe some tree hugging hippie who thinks that apes are more noble then humans made it

 

[Tyguy]

or they read right to left.......

combine are a "combination" of the species they destroy

 

[big_king_frosty]

Is it me or have i read this exact thread about 100 times, they all seem to be the same, must have?!

 

[MiccyNarc]

Old find. Thanks anyway.

 

[Is This Tea]

or they read right to left.......

combine are a "combination" of the species they destroy

Well uhm… yeah? My point is that valve is based in America and speak English…. So if they decided to tell stories sequentially from right to left, I would guess that there is a conscious design decision behind it… and I wonder what it would be…

 

[Doppelgofer]

really? for serious?
well I'll be!@

THEEEEEEERE it is

 

[Is This Tea]

THEEEEEEERE it is

I hate to be the ass that points this out but…Jimmy was using a word called sarcasm...

 

[DevgruSeal]

My theory is that (from the pic):

Combine > Human > Ape

Saying that the combines dominate Humans, Humans Dominate Apes.

 

[Pressure]

Maybe combines aren't human but apes with machines in their heads! It's Planet of the Mechanical Apes!

 

[Is This Tea]

My theory is that (from the pic):

Combine > Human > Ape

Saying that the combines dominate Humans, Humans Dominate Apes.

I agree that i could be read that way... however... why would a resistance member pain that statement? I don’t find it plausible that the combine painted it either... so lets just clear that up right now.

 

[moggy]

i believe its a resistance graffiti, simply implying that with the combines shape of helmet/ mask , that the combine have made the voulnteers like mindless apes. or that the combine are like ape brained and how the combine disintergrate a species by using its own converted organisims against it.

 

[Onager]

Here are some good screens of the stripped combine

 

[TheMtR]

Well i think this picture means our evolution.
In begining we were apes, then homo sapiens (humans), and at last we are combines...
Combine thinks that they are next step in our evolution, more advanced human (homo combine?). They think that they are gift to us, not curse.

 

[Asknoone]

Thats the overwatch, the soldiers...

 

[Combine Hybrid]

I thought the combine species are those ugly ass worm like looking creatures? I saw it from one of the concept art book from Valve.

 

[Onager]

Ugly ass worm looking creatures??? Do you mean the white worms that were in HL1?

 

[kirovman]

I find it a bit matrixy with the plugs in the skin of the guy, and the giant storage centres for humans.

 

[Combine Hybrid]

Ugly ass worm looking creatures??? Do you mean the white worms that were in HL1?

No, the benefactor which Breen was talking to was a Combine, it looked like a worm looking creature, and no I'm not talking about white worm from HL1. I didn't even know there were white worms in HL1.

 

[Onager]

I wonder what that liquid stuff near his belly is..

 

[Teta_Bonita]

0mG !'v3 nev@r s33n dis b4!!!111!!! :rolling:

 

[DarkGhost86]

Old News but Thank away

 

[Mouldy Punk]

Yeah, I thought that the combine were just giant maggots and all the soldiers and stuff are just "converted" other races. Like, they get a human, wack in some technology and viola! you have a combine soldier.

 

[Mouldy Punk]

Ah, can't edit my post, here is a screenie anyhoo;

 

[Is This Tea]

Yeah, I thought that the combine were just giant maggots and all the soldiers and stuff are just "converted" other races. Like, they get a human, wack in some technology and viola! you have a combine soldier.

No proof that those maggots aren’t converted pawns to higher power... Perhaps something beyond the descriptive power of our “limited vocabulary.” As Breen so termed it.
My personal theory…
I think the combine represent something much more impersonal then a “race” of beings… They are an idea… the idea of transforming all intelligent life into a “combination.” Not just of Races but of Technology and presumably artificial intelligences as well. (If sentient AI is possible that is). Its kind of like thinking of democracy as an idea… democracy is a way of doing things… not a specific country. It doesn’t have a “leader of democracy”… Unless you’re an American… then apparently it’s you’re job . Once an idea like that, which the combine embody, is realized and has gained significant force… it would no longer need a leader or a spokesman. It would act of its own accord. Like capitalism does. Perhaps the first “race” that started the combine has been forgotten to memory?

Well i think this picture means our evolution.
In begining we were apes, then homo sapiens (humans), and at last we are combines...
Combine thinks that they are next step in our evolution, more advanced human (homo combine?). They think that they are gift to us, not curse.

I cant stress this concept enough! Why does that message appear painted onto a wall? Combine didn’t do it! Rebels don’t believe in it… so they didn’t paint it either….

i believe its a resistance graffiti, simply implying that with the combines shape of helmet/ mask , that the combine have made the voulnteers like mindless apes. or that the combine are like ape brained and how the combine disintergrate a species by using its own converted organisims against it.

Much better logic… thanks moggy… Ape < Human > Transhuman… That makes sense as resistance propaganda… TheMtR’s theory is flawed because it has no explanation as to how the image appeared painted on the wall.