Combine soldiers rank in squads?

[BWMASTER]

I just noticed that from some screenshots you can see the combine soldier's mask color to be white.

Is other screenshots you can see combine soldiers with black masks.

I think this is something to do with rank.

Maybe the combine soldiers with the white mask are the leaders of the squad and can call for backup etc.

That means you have to kill them first so you don't have any troubles later.

This is just speculation of course...

Here is the white mask(higher rank in my opinion) taking care of some people.

http://city-17.net/images/hl2_5.jpg

And here is the lower rank black mask soldiers.

http://city-17.net/images/hl2_1.jpg

 

[SnowBall]

I dunno If youve seen my theory or not, but I believe that one of the forces (ones with the black masks) are the Police force, and the ones with the white masks are Combine. They always appear in groups appart from eachother. (never see ones with a white mask around ones with a black mask) But thats just my guess.

 

[figge]

The Yellow/Blue with Black masks is some kind of guard, not ssoldiers, still combine, but not soldiers, u can see these black doods in the bugbait video, and i think that building they are in looks like a prison or something like that...
Just my thoughts

Edit: Damn u snowball u must been like 2-3 sec's faster than me

 

[LoneDeranger]

The black mask ones are the "heavy" version - like a SWAT team. It's in some interview - I forgot which. Both are combine though.

 

[BWMASTER]

Intresting

 

[SnowBall]

I would also like to point out how clear the guy's voice at the end of the Tunnels video is. Then again in traptown when they say "MAN DOWN" its not clear. Im probibly wrong and they just havent shown the police force. I should take a look at the markings on their vests.

 

[Z|insane]

Might be the distance of how far they were away...

 

[SnowBall]

Its not the volume of what their saying, its how they sound. The guy in tunnel's also had a european sounding accent.

 

[Dalamari]

well, they could stand for different ranks as was said, white could mean inlisted, and black could mean officer. and generals would not need a mask. Or they all have their armor and such made by slaves (like the postman) and when they run outa one type of matierial to make masks, they switch to another, that would explain the color change, and since the town seems lawless and run-down that would make more sence then there to be a orginized military/police force in the town.

 

[Z|insane]

Sorry for misunderstanding... *Feels bad*

 

[TriggerHappy]

Originally posted by SnowBall
The guy in tunnel's also had a european sounding accent.

I'm not trying to be a smartass, but the game does take place in a European city, so British, French, and other accents should be common place, right?

The idea about the rankings is interesting. I wonder if there will be any elite Combine soldiers who make an appearance.

 

[SnowBall]

Originally posted by TriggerHappy
I'm not trying to be a smartass, but the game does take place in a European city, so British, French, and other accents should be common place, right?

The idea about the rankings is interesting. I wonder if there will be any elite Combine soldiers who make an appearance.

My point being, why would an alien have a British Accent? (or even talk english for that matter)

 

[Dalamari]

it would suck if they made shepard a combine, wouldnt make much sence, doesnt seem right why he would choose to fight with them if he could work with freeman after seeing how he evaded all the aliens and army guys at mesa

 

[LoneDeranger]

They do not have accents (necessarily) - they are talking through a gas mask ..

 

[SnowBall]

Watch the end of the tunnels vid and listen to how he says HOLD IT THERE. Sure sounds like a british accent to me.

 

[TriggerHappy]

Originally posted by SnowBall
My point being, why would an alien have a British Accent? (or even talk english for that matter)

OK, sorry for the misunderstanding. I didn't get it because there is still controversy about whether the soldiers are aliens, humans, some kind of hybrid, or something else.

 

[lammmbda]

thats easy man, black masks are black combines, white masks are white combines....

 

[BWMASTER]

You can't get more obvious than that.

We are trying to think outside the box (not like your avatar suggests, no offense)

 

[Prince of China]

I've notice this: The Black masked, make an alien sound when they are killed, the white-masked sound human and their suit beeps when they are killed( or was it Vice versa?)

 

[figge]

Originally posted by Dalamari
it would suck if they made shepard a combine, wouldnt make much sence, doesnt seem right why he would choose to fight with them if he could work with freeman after seeing how he evaded all the aliens and army guys at mesa

¨

I don't think the Combine Soldiers that (maby) was human choose to be combine...

 

[DOOManiac]

Something else to point out:

The whole uniform of the two combine types are different. The ones w/ the white mask have the orange colored armband and a white stripe on their pant legs, whereas the ones with the black mask have a yellow stripe on their arms.

Barney is wearing the uniform of the white-masked Combine soldier (he has the armband and the white striped pants).

In the videos released, we've seen gordon shooting (and them shooting back) at both combine soldier types (although not together in the same area) so its a safe bet both are hostile.

 

[Mr.Magnetichead]

We dont even know if they are aliens yet so yes they could have different accents.

 

[Axyon]

We made some interesting assumptions in the IRC channel, alot of which has been mentioned here. Firstly, the grey/blacked masked guys are the humans, and the white-masked are alien. Every time we've come across a white-masked guy, they die with very... unhuman screams (Tunnels, Barney vid). We've also seen that the grey-masked guys speak english (Traptown, Tunnels). The grey-masked Combine also appear to have access to heavier weaponry (the one in Tunnels had an OICW, and some do in Bugbait), so I'd assume they have rank over the white-masked.

Anyway, most of this has already been said. Guess it's just a summary then

 

[3rd Impact]

I very much doubt the combine are aliens. And, IIRC, the white-masked soldiers are called MetroCops (according to PC Gamer UK).

 

[3rd Impact]

To add to my previous post: The reason the white-masked guys are poorly armed in comparison to the black-masked ones is because they are police, not soldiers. AFAIK, the MetroCops are the Combine's secret police, who keep the people of City 17 in order.

 

[Axyon]

Originally posted by 3rd Impact
To add to my previous post: The reason the white-masked guys are poorly armed in comparison to the black-masked ones is because they are police, not soldiers. AFAIK, the MetroCops are the Combine's secret police, who keep the people of City 17 in order.

PC Games magazines don't always get their information correct (As much as I do trust PC Gamer UK, they've been wrong on things in the past), so for now it's just speculation. Please also edit your first post to add this content, next time.

 

[3rd Impact]

Originally posted by 3rd Impact
To add to my previous post: The reason the white-masked guys are poorly armed in comparison to the black-masked ones is because they are police, not soldiers. AFAIK, the MetroCops are the Combine's secret police, who keep the people of City 17 in order.

Sorry about that, and i'll keep the speculation thing in mind.

 

[dawdler]

I think we need to know exactly what is placeholders before guessing details... I still think the police/military is the best guess yet... It makes sense in the whole picture.

Btw, chances are there are more combine soldiers that we havent seen.

 

[switch]

one thing i just noticed when watching tunnels again was that a black masked combine had the symbol on his arm that the 'freedom fighters' had on the back of their shirts in Barricades.avi. This symbol is also on posters in bugbait.

I originaly thought this might be the prison symbol or something, seen as the 'freedom fighters' looked like they had escaped. But the posters seem to be political propaganda; with clouds suggesting dreams, and the second lots of people rioting/protesting.

Just a thought but could this mean something? An organisation maybe?

 

[Typhon]

the symbol kinda looks like a comet or something...going through an atmosphere... combine invasion force?

 

[Plopfish]

well aliens could have euopean accents, if they abducted some Euros and used thier vocal syntax area of the brain to "learn" how to communicate to humans (and possibly thier vocal chords too) , also assume the Euros speak english in the english release and japanese for thier release of the game ;-)

 

[dawdler]

Originally posted by Plopfish
well aliens could have euopean accents, if they abducted some Euros and used thier vocal syntax area of the brain to "learn" how to communicate to humans (and possibly thier vocal chords too) , also assume the Euros speak english in the english release and japanese for thier release of the game ;-)

Logic wins the day!!!! :cheers:

 

[G-Man]

Originally posted by Typhon
the symbol kinda looks like a comet or something...going through an atmosphere... combine invasion force?

Looks to me like a symbol of a man with his hands in the air. Like switch said if u look at the second poster (yellowish green colour) u can sorta see loads of people rioting or sumthin.

 

[3rd Impact]

Originally posted by Typhon
the symbol kinda looks like a comet or something...going through an atmosphere... combine invasion force?

That sounds plausible.

 

[kdavey]

the symbol kinda looks like a comet or something...going through an atmosphere... combine invasion force?

well if you look in the sky on one of the level demontrations on the E3 video you look past the combine wall and see a tower going up in the sky past the clouds. That could mean many things. (The Strider Part)

 

[Logic]

Originally posted by dawdler
Logic wins the day!!!! :cheers:

I WON???!!!!!!!!!111 WOOHOOOO!!!!!!!1

What did I win??? Oh.. wait....

doh.

 

[CitrusC]

Finally, British accents in a good PC game.

I expect them to be overly English, or I'll be pissed off, lol

*yay, 200 posts*