Combine Soldiers?

[Zaffino]

where do these guys come from? i heard Dr.Breen calling them the "TransHuman Army". i know there part human,part something else. But than why are they killing other humans? why dont they just make them into soldiers? Im very confused about this whole situation.

 

[MorganFreeman911]

Well, the Overwatch have had their brains augmented. And the CP's just want more food / money.

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

Combine soldiers are the basic infantryman of the Combine. They aren't the actual slug Combine, but rather modified humans. They have had most of their vital organs removed and have been given some small enhancements.

Wait for Salmon or the other guys, they can explain it to you in more detail.

 

[Zaffino]

yes but why do they continue killing humans? i seen them slaughtering them in pits and bon fires and such, why not just capture them and make more combine soldiers? ugh!

 

[Tollbooth Willie]

They probably consider them inefficient or something. I dunno.

They seem to have a strict policy on giving people the death sentence for resisting or whatever.

 

[kupocake]

yes but why do they continue killing humans? i seen them slaughtering them in pits and bon fires and such, why not just capture them and make more combine soldiers? ugh!

Probably:
1. The Combine doesn't have the resources to do a mass conversion of Humans to transhumans, they can only do it gradually.
2. The loyalty of humans recruited through the lower, non augmented ranks (i.e. Metrocops) is assured whereas those who have rebelled cannot be assured to stay loyal to the combine.
3. Creating soldiers from resistance forces sends the wrong message to those who cave into the combine: compliant citizens get outranked by rebels.
4. Rewarding resistance with well-paid soldier ranks sends a mixed-message that is inferior to having those who resist burnt or turned into stalkers.
5. The combine can create as many trans-human soldiers as they need to in the long term through alternative reproduction techniques. It's up to human individuals to decide on whether they let their DNA die or whether they change species in order to preserve some of it.
6. If the combine transhumans are created solely to commit deplorable acts of violence and genocide, it's inevitable that people are going to be deplorably killed.
7. Capturing something is a lot harder than putting a bullet in its head.

 

[Zaffino]

i still want to know how there created...i highly doubt citizens say "hmm i want to be brainwashed and turned into a emotionless killing machine,and have some of my organs removed or altered...time to join the transhuman army!" sorry for being picky, but i just want to know!

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

i still want to know how there created...i highly doubt citizens say "hmm i want to be brainwashed and turned into a emotionless killing machine,and have some of my organs removed or altered...time to join the transhuman army!" sorry for being picky, but i just want to know!

Well, under Combine rule, that path seems like Paradise.

 

[Man|-|unter]

Wikipedia

The Combine is a vast empire spanning multiple parallel universes. The empire is inhabited by an unknown number of sapient species, and appears to be governed by a race of bizarre, artificially evolved Advisors (see below). The Combine expands its empire by invading worlds and enslaving the dominant species to be exploited as it sees fit. By manipulating these inhabitants through methods including bioengineering and implantation, the Combine creates a race of super-soldiers uniquely adapted for the environment of that particular world. This process results in a highly mobile and adaptive military force which is able to respond to any threat and crush any opposition. The reasons behind the Combine's imperialism remain unknown throughout the game.

Vocal stress is placed on the first syllable. The name is pronounced as the noun COM-bine, as in combine harvester, as opposed to the verb form com-BINE, as in "to join together or unite." Dr. Breen refers to the Combine Soldiers and Civil Protection as The Transhuman Arm of the Combine Overwatch in Nova Prospekt, verifying that "Combine" is an accepted name of the empire, even by the empire itself.

Until recently, many players speculated that the Combine may have possibly controlled Xen, based on the similarities to some practices and technologies used by the Nihilanth. However, Valve Software marketing director Doug Lombardi has stated that the Combine had, in fact, invaded a different homeworld from which Nihilanth's race was forced to escape. The defeated Nihilanth sought refuge in Xen, where the Combine could not (or would not) follow.

 

[GreatEmperor]

doesn't matter why they established their empire so i dont see why you have it so boldfaced, and the Combine soldiers are coerced into becoming Overwatch and are culpable for doing so.

 

[Asknoone]

Forced evolution.

 

[Sam]

I figured they turned the soldiers they captured initially into Combine Soldiers, and normal humans were turned into stalkers or left as citizens.

 

[Rapstah]

They only kill resistance members, or believed such.

 

[Zaffino]

we need an official explaination from valve, marc laidlaw to be more precise, this is a very serious matter, a very serious flaw in the story line.

just kidding, so many theories though!

 

[W4d5Y]

Dude, they do capture anticitizens. And turn them into stalkers. Worthless little working units.

 

[ríomhaire]

If all of humanity was converted into stalkers or soldiers then they would have made further research into human resources more difficult.

 

[GreatEmperor]

They wouldn't have needed to make soldiers from citizens for very much longer, their process for making human synths was developing dangerously close to completion and that seemed to be the purpose of their actions

 

[nokori3byo]

i seen them slaughtering them in pits and bon fires and such,

I read somewhere about a bonfire of human corpses that's visible somewhere along Highway 17, but I didn't notice it during my initial play through the game. Where is it, exactly?

 

[Narvi]

I read somewhere about a bonfire of human corpses that's visible somewhere along Highway 17, but I didn't notice it during my initial play through the game. Where is it, exactly?

It's in Sandtraps, not Highway 17. The first house you see.

 

[Llama]

yes but why do they continue killing humans? i seen them slaughtering them in pits and bon fires and such, why not just capture them and make more combine soldiers? ugh!

The Universal Union conquers by enslaving the strongest species on a planet and converting them.
Humans, after evolving to use tools and personal aids rather than natural strength, arn't a very good model for this bio engineering. It's safe to assume that the majority of humans that choose to stay human because either

1) They don't want to be Soldiers
2) They aren't seem as physically capable enough

Plus, they kill people that they deem rebels. Anyone outside of the authorized area of C17 would probably get shot. The Universal Union isn't known for mercy.

 

[Jintor]

Depressingly, to the Combine, we're pretty much a useless race. Only good for keeping our own kind in check.

 

[Llama]

However, we have some brilliant scientists...probably the only reason humanity wasn't wiped out years before HL2

 

[kupocake]

Depressingly, to the Combine, we're pretty much a useless race. Only good for keeping our own kind in check.

Humans are useful as a base for post-human species though. They were probably first alerted to the potential of human-kind when a single scientific community (or rather, a single scientist) was able to destroy an alien aggressor that the combine themselves had failed to eradicate.

 

[ríomhaire]

Depressingly, to the Combine, we're pretty much a useless race. Only good for keeping our own kind in check.

I dunno. We seem pretty adaptable to me. We may not be as fast as hunters but I'd say our ability to navigate awkward terrain could be useful to the combine. Go arms!

 

[Jintor]

I guess our brains are the most useful part.

 

[GreatEmperor]

So far the only non-flying creature made into a synth has been whatever made the Strider and the headcrab one which is ungainly so maybe they intend to make a more adaptable soldier but maybe its something else to do with mental prowess they are after to use

 

[ríomhaire]

Non-flying synths:
Strider
Crab synth
Mortar synth
Hunter

 

[:Suzake:]

However, we have some brilliant scientists...probably the only reason humanity wasn't wiped out years before HL2

IF I remember correctly (I read this some where) the combine were attracted to Earth byt the portal storms, so maybe they thought WE started (started as in controlled) the portal storms and just wanted to more or less interrogate ALL of our scientist and learn how to teleport. I'm pretty sure that Mossman makes a refference to that in Black Mesa East, or something along those lines.

 

[Asknoone]

Non-flying synths:
Strider
Crab synth
Mortar synth
Hunter

Mortar Synth floats.

 

[ríomhaire]

But they don't fly.

 

[Ashitaka]

we need an official explaination from valve, marc laidlaw to be more precise, this is a very serious matter, a very serious flaw in the story line.

just kidding, so many theories though!

You join the combine, you get Sex, Delicious meals, better living style, etc.

Citizens eat (as I believe) other dead citizens (like soylent green). Probably not, but you saw in the beginning of the game. "I'm ready to join overwatch to get a decent meal".

 

[:Suzake:]

I know that the CPs have it better, because they are VOLUNTARY soldiers, but the combine elite, and the ones you see with grey masks and Blue/Yellow goggles are (to my knowledge) forced into the Combine, so I'd say, they have it better but had to go through surgery and such. Ouch!

 

[nokori3byo]

Probably:
3. Creating soldiers from resistance forces sends the wrong message to those who cave into the combine: compliant citizens get outranked by rebels.
4. Rewarding resistance with well-paid soldier ranks sends a mixed-message that is inferior to having those who resist burnt or turned into stalkers.

Yeah, I bet the Civil Protection union rep would be pissed.

 

[ranmafan]

I know that the CPs have it better, because they are VOLUNTARY soldiers, but the combine elite, and the ones you see with grey masks and Blue/Yellow goggles are (to my knowledge) forced into the Combine, so I'd say, they have it better but had to go through surgery and such. Ouch!

I think they go through augmentation surgery after volunteering to be soldiers after serving the CP for some time. And the Elites are the white suited ones with one red eye. The yellow goggles are Nova Prospect guards, and blue goggles are regular troops.

 

[ríomhaire]

CPs seem to be voluntary but to gain promotions must go through futher voluntary augmentations. The first urge they please is decent food. Then to get things like non-mechanical reproduction simulation they need to earn more credits and to do that they need to undergo memory replacment procedures. They simply get people to give away their humanity bit by bit, first by satisfying needs, then by appealling to people's wants and vices.