Combine vs. Xen - Absolution

[Azner]

But theorizing and debating are fun :cheese:

G-man works for freeman in the future where he is a pizza delivery boy, but freeman gets shot in a fly-by and G-man trains Gordon to withstand a laser pulse bullet...

 

[Llama]

...he said in confidence, before his cranium was ripped asunder by the almighty ban stick.



If the G-Man is under a different employ than his masters in HL1, he is most likely a Mercenary of some sort, or his previous owners are dead. Like Samon says, he could have been lying to Gordon in HL.

 

[99.vikram]

Well, I for one believed he was a government agent in HL1, so he could have been lying.

 

[Deleted member 56031]

Well, I for one believed he was a government agent in HL1,

Same here.

 

[delusional]

gman is a earth government entity. they orchestrated and planned the supposed takeover of the "combine". there isnt even city14 and city9s. city17 is being used to test human reactions to totalitarian governments so they can implement it into the rest of the world which never been affected the supposed "portal storms"

 

[Darkside55]

Who? The g-man? How the hell would you know? They must know about him in the very least, Breen even knows about him.

The Combine didn't know about Earth. If they knew about Earth and could contact the G-man, don't you think they would've invaded earlier? They didn't necessarily need the portal storms to activate their OWN teleporters.

And Breen knows him because BREEN HIRED HIM AT BLACK MESA. He was like his secretary for God's sakes; he was Breen's liason, his voice at Black Mesa. Of COURSE Dr. Breen knows the G-man!

No, the only way the "Combine/G-man" theory is plausible is if the G-man was hired out from the Combine to take over Xen, and Earth was just an unexpected opportunity. But that is really speculative and again, we don't even know if Xen belongs to the Combine now. Furthermore, G-man seems to be working for humanity, as well as the fact that we know he wasn't always a mercenary...he only takes certain offers that fit in with his designs, up until recently. There'd be no reason to take a combine offer, then take a human offer, unless he has the biggest machinations of all and is trying to overthrow one or both of them. But again, Gman.cpp, he's working for humanity.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

gman is a earth government entity. they orchestrated and planned the supposed takeover of the "combine". there isnt even city14 and city9s. city17 is being used to test human reactions to totalitarian governments so they can implement it into the rest of the world which never been affected the supposed "portal storms"

No.

 

[delusional]

i wasnt serious everyone knows gman works for the barnacles

 

[Deleted member 56031]

nah he works for the chumtoads

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

In HL1 the Barnacles hire him to cause the Black Mesa incident because they are spies for the Combine.
In HL2, the Barnacle reveal their tearchery, and the Chumtoads get anrgy. So, they hire Gordon to kill the Barnacles.
The Vortigaunts have made an alliance with the Chumtoads, so when the G-Man takes Gordon away before all Barnacles are destroyed, the Vorts get Gordon. It all fits together :O.

 

[Llama]

BREEN HIRED HIM AT BLACK MESA.[/B] He was like his secretary for God's sakes; he was Breen's liason, his voice at Black Mesa.

Um...proof?

 

[Darkside55]

"This place is crawling with the administrator's men today."

Remember back before HL2 when people assumed that the administrator was the G-man? And then Valve told us Breen was the administrator? That means that the G-man was one of Breen's officials.

He is definately his liaison at Black Mesa, because of the clout he holds. If only going by Half-Life, we could assume he was only someone in charge of monitoring Sector C, as this we see him coercing scientists in this area, going around and checking on things, etc. He might also serve in some capacity as a recruiter or someone with enough influence to act as a sponsor, for Gordon Freeman.

Throw OpFor into the mix and we see that he has enough clout to not only recruit the military but to have them form a new special team designed specifically for fighting in Black Mesa, the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit. Were he just some suit who checked up on Sector C test labs I doubt he'd have the authority to do this. He wouldn't even have the say to BRING troops to Black Mesa, let alone assemble a team a month ahead of time.

Of course, there's always the possibility he did this behind Breen's back, but even so, he would've needed a sufficient level of clearance to go through with this plan. He had to have the authority to do it all. And the only position that has such authority would be Breen's liaison.

Plus I think Valve might've said it somewhere in more absolute terms. Can't back that up though and I'm not going to dig around the Valve answers thread to look for it. But, suffice to say that LOGIC dictates this is the only thing the G-man could've been. He was DEFINATELY, 100% WITHOUT A DOUBT one of the administrator's men the scientists remark about. If nothing else then he is at LEAST on familiar terms with Breen, having met him, Breen knowing him; they probably had meetings together. Breen would be receiving reports from him as well (although Breen probably wasn't the person the G-man was referring to in OpFor when he said he had to make a report).

 

[Que-Ever]

"This place is crawling with the administrator's men today."

What game is that from? Not from any of the originals.

Remember back before HL2 when people assumed that the administrator was the G-man? And then Valve told us Breen was the administrator? That means that the G-man was one of Breen's officials.

No, it means people were wrong. How does the g-man NOT being the administrator suddenly make him working with breen?

He is definately his liaison at Black Mesa, because of the clout he holds. If only going by Half-Life, we could assume he was only someone in charge of monitoring Sector C, as this we see him coercing scientists in this area, going around and checking on things, etc. He might also serve in some capacity as a recruiter or someone with enough influence to act as a sponsor, for Gordon Freeman.

No one says the G-man was gordon's sponser. His sponser was unknown.

Throw OpFor into the mix and we see that he has enough clout to not only recruit the military but to have them form a new special team designed specifically for fighting in Black Mesa, the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit. Were he just some suit who checked up on Sector C test labs I doubt he'd have the authority to do this. He wouldn't even have the say to BRING troops to Black Mesa, let alone assemble a team a month ahead of time.

I duobt he was in charge of sector C at all, in the first place. Second, who says that HE was the one who called in the military? And there was no special fighting unit, the HECU was the vest that shepard wears. Any time you might have seen G-man in OpFor, was because he was interested in you and your survival skills, as he was in freeman.

Of course, there's always the possibility he did this behind Breen's back, but even so, he would've needed a sufficient level of clearance to go through with this plan. He had to have the authority to do it all. And the only position that has such authority would be Breen's liaison.

Breen's not the highest level of authority in this world, and especially not back in the HL1 days.

Plus I think Valve might've said it somewhere in more absolute terms. Can't back that up though and I'm not going to dig around the Valve answers thread to look for it. But, suffice to say that LOGIC dictates this is the only thing the G-man could've been. He was DEFINATELY, 100% WITHOUT A DOUBT one of the administrator's men the scientists remark about. If nothing else then he is at LEAST on familiar terms with Breen, having met him, Breen knowing him; they probably had meetings together. Breen would be receiving reports from him as well (although Breen probably wasn't the person the G-man was referring to in OpFor when he said he had to make a report).

The scientists weren't exactly the most well-informed people at black mesa. Remember, "oh thank god you've come to rescue us!" *blam blam blam*?

I will agree taht Breen and the G-man probably met at some point, but not that the yhad some long-term thign going on with reports being filed and all.

 

[Darkside55]

What game is that from? Not from any of the originals.

Yes, it is. Please look in the Half-Life .gcf under Valve > sounds > scientist, c1a0_sci_itsyou.wav. "Oh, it's you. I thought it might be another of the administrator's men. They're everywhere this morning." I botched it a little, but it's still in there. Trust me, I'd heard it every time I played the game. Now aside from the security guards and scientists walking around, who else was there? I certainly only saw one person I could peg out as an "administrator's man." Clean suit, BMRF briefcase, well-groomed, and giving the scientists orders? Well I certainly don't think we were dealing with a janitor, do you?

No, it means people were wrong. How does the g-man NOT being the administrator suddenly make him working with breen?

Because if he works at Black Mesa, and he is NOT the administrator, then he must be one of the administrator's men.

No one says the G-man was gordon's sponser. His sponser was unknown.

No one's fooled by the "unknown." His sponsor was the G-man. The G-man's entire purpose in Half-Life 1 was to turn Gordon into a tool for his purpose. He was setting this plan in motion for a month, probably more than a month. He was interested in Gordon Freeman and he was the one who sponsored him.

I duobt he was in charge of sector C at all, in the first place. Second, who says that HE was the one who called in the military? And there was no special fighting unit, the HECU was the vest that shepard wears. Any time you might have seen G-man in OpFor, was because he was interested in you and your survival skills, as he was in freeman.

If he was not in charge of Sector C, what was he doing there? Why would he be so adamant about getting the test done today, pressuring the scientists? They all say that the administrator has been breathing down their necks about it, but I didn't see Breen anywhere. Someone was telling them what the administrator wanted...who else would it have been? If he was not completely "in charge" of Sector C, he at least is in a position to go around and make sure certain areas of the facility are operating how they should.

The G-man was actually NOT the one who called in the military. That was Dr. Rosenburg. However, HECU had been set up long before then; a month before, in fact.

Que...you really need to read your manuals, my friend. The HECU isn't Adrian's vest. Adrian's vest is called a PCV. HECU is Hazardous Environment Combat Unit, a team that was trained for combat in close-quarters, high-radiosity areas. And the G-man wasn't just there for Shephard; he'd been there for a MONTH, overseeing training of these marines.

Breen's not the highest level of authority in this world, and especially not back in the HL1 days.

Indeed. I'm not disputing that. Simply that he was the highest level of authority in Black Mesa. I even said that the G-man probably could have done this all behind Breen's back. There's nothing saying that G-man doesn't have higher clearance than Black Mesa, either...it's a popular theory that the G-man may work for a shadow government that has the pull to do what they want with the military.

The scientists weren't exactly the most well-informed people at black mesa. Remember, "oh thank god you've come to rescue us!" *blam blam blam*?

There is an incredible difference between knowing who is in the chain of command at your place of work and knowing the orders of a military unit that suddenly comes bursting into the facility and guns up you and your coworkers. I fail to see the correlation between your argument and mine.

I will agree taht Breen and the G-man probably met at some point, but not that the yhad some long-term thign going on with reports being filed and all.

No, they definately had a close working relationship.

 

[Inyssius Grey]

My god. Darkside, this is the most horrifying piece of baseless lecturing I have ever seen committed in the name of "logic". Where to begin?

And Breen knows him because BREEN HIRED HIM AT BLACK MESA. He was like his secretary for God's sakes; he was Breen's liason, his voice at Black Mesa. Of COURSE Dr. Breen knows the G-man!

This seems to be the cornerstone of all your pointless ranting; can you back this up? No. You have no proof whatsoever, and all the CAPS LOCK in the world won't cover up this little fact.

Remember back before HL2 when people assumed that the administrator was the G-man? And then Valve told us Breen was the administrator? That means that the G-man was one of Breen's officials.

This means nothing. If I say that Adrian Shepard is the president, and then you prove that George Bush is the president, does that make Adrian Shepard the vice president? I'll give you a hint, since you seem to be having trouble with this: No.

If he works at Black Mesa, and he is NOT the administrator, then he must be one of the administrator's men.

By that logic, you could say that the Vortigaunts were the administrator's men. They were "everywhere" that day at Black Mesa, and they certainly were "NOT the administrator" either. You could just as easily say that the G-Man is a member of the resistance (which is debatable, and you seem to be arguing that he works for the Combine, as "one of the administrator's men"), or a farmer (what with him working out of a big red barn) or a canal maintenance worker.

As well as the fact that we know he wasn't always a mercenary...

How, exactly, do we know he wasn't a mercenary? We don't.

There'd be no reason to take a combine offer, then take a human offer, unless he has the biggest machinations of all and is trying to overthrow one or both of them.

And of course he has no interest in, say, overthrowing the united governments of Earth by plotting to bring about a Resonance Cascade, or anything like that. Of course not. He is, as you say, working for humanity.

Throw OpFor into the mix and we see that he has enough clout to not only recruit the military but to have them form a new special team designed specifically for fighting in Black Mesa, the Hazardous Environment Combat Unit.

Right. Because no one on the face of the earth could have done anything autonomously. Do you have any sort of proof that the G-Man created the HECU? Let's go out on a limb here and say no. You don't even have some sort of half-assed theory like "The G-Man was totally Breen's man because Valve says he's not the administrator" this time. Let's take this kind of bizarre, twisted reasoning a step further and say that he formed another team designed to fight in Black Mesa: the freaking Black Mesa Security team.

Why would he be so adamant about getting the test done today, pressuring the scientists? They all say that the administrator has been breathing down their necks about it, but I didn't see Breen anywhere.

First of all, the G-man said nothing about the test (at least, not to any scientists). Secondly: ohmygod memos. You assume that since you didn't see something in the two minutes before the test took place, it never happened. To again delve into what you call "logic" (please stop calling what you type "logic"; may I recommend H. P. Lovecraft's works for a replacement moniker): do you remember "that incident with the cat", in Kleiner's lab? No? You weren't there when it took place, and we didn't see any cat around, so he must have been referring to Lamarr! Lamarr had an incident with a teleporter, right? Obviously Lamarr is a cat, right? IT'S LOGIC!

I'm terribly sorry if my quotes are a little disordered; I'm still feeling a little dizzy after reading this sudden blast of "logic".

 

[esplin]

When you see lots of little quote boxes you know the thread is in trouble.

 

[Darkside55]

When you see lots of little quote boxes you know the thread is in trouble.

Yeah, there's going to be a world of trouble going on in this thread.

My god. Darkside, this is the most horrifying piece of baseless lecturing I have ever seen committed in the name of "logic". Where to begin?

And Breen knows him because BREEN HIRED HIM AT BLACK MESA. He was like his secretary for God's sakes; he was Breen's liason, his voice at Black Mesa. Of COURSE Dr. Breen knows the G-man!

This seems to be the cornerstone of all your pointless ranting; can you back this up? No. You have no proof whatsoever, and all the CAPS LOCK in the world won't cover up this little fact.

It can be backed up, if you take a moment to look at the facts. My "baseless ranting" is backed up with so much of the obvious that I'm surprised I even have to write another response to this. It would seem that "proof" for some people must consist of nothing less than a written testimony from no less than three members of Valve Software even for something so blatant. But, let's take yet another look at this...and I'll spare you the caps lock. Let it never be said I'm not accomodating.

If I say that Adrian Shepard is the president, and then you prove that George Bush is the president, does that make Adrian Shepard the vice president? I'll give you a hint, since you seem to be having trouble with this: No.

You're quite right. However, if Adrian was addressing the cabinet and walking around with the presidential seal on his briefcase, I would at least assume he was connected in some way to the president of the United States.

If I, for example, saw Adrian Shephard monitoring and overseeing the White House, I must at least assume that he works there and is not some lost tourist or official from another branch.

If I witness Adrian Shephard hanging around a certain area, and people say, "this place is crawling with presidential aides today," I would at least have to infer that Adrian Shephard is a presidential aide. Likewise if someone says, "Did you see the vice president in the lobby today?" and I saw no one else in the lobby who would fit the description of the vice president, well, then I put two and two together and what would I get? I would hope it would not be seven.

By that logic, you could say that the Vortigaunts were the administrator's men. They were "everywhere" that day at Black Mesa, and they certainly were "NOT the administrator" either. You could just as easily say that the G-Man is a member of the resistance (which is debatable, and you seem to be arguing that he works for the Combine, as "one of the administrator's men"), or a farmer (what with him working out of a big red barn) or a canal maintenance worker.

When vortigaunts start ordering around scientists and checking up on the status of things in Black Mesa, then I will consider that they worked for the administrator. Until then, I'll assume they worked for another power. I'd go back, play HL1 again, and question them about it face-to-face, but they have the nasty habit of shooting at me before I can formulate a question.

And while I don't know anything about the G-man's habits of milking cows or sewer diving, I will say that he's obviously rented out Gordon to the resistance. I never said he worked for the combine; completely the opposite. Have you even been reading what I say? He was one of the administrator's men at the time of the Black Mesa Incident. That was twenty years ago. I would imagine he'd had a change of occupation since then, what with that facility (as well as a sizeable chunk of New Mexican desert) having gone up in a mushroom cloud.

How, exactly, do we know he wasn't a mercenary? We don't.

No, we do not. However we do know that he was manipulating events from inside Black Mesa for a sufficient amount of time, and he did work there. I believe I also said that within a context...he wasn't always a mercenary because he stated he had employers.

And of course he has no interest in, say, overthrowing the united governments of Earth by plotting to bring about a Resonance Cascade, or anything like that. Of course not. He is, as you say, working for humanity.

Oh, no. You're very wrong, my friend. I do not say anything for the G-man working for humanity. Rather, that's Valve's job, isn't it? Which is why I'll point you to reading the npc_gman.cpp, the information tag that says:

//misunderstood servant of the people

You're free to check on it yourself. My baseless logic, while powerful indeed, cannot fabricate things inside every copy of Half-Life 2 in existence. How I wish it could...

Right. Because no one on the face of the earth could have done anything autonomously. Do you have any sort of proof that the G-Man created the HECU? Let's go out on a limb here and say no. You don't even have some sort of half-assed theory like "The G-Man was totally Breen's man because Valve says he's not the administrator" this time. Let's take this kind of bizarre, twisted reasoning a step further and say that he formed another team designed to fight in Black Mesa: the freaking Black Mesa Security team.

I read manuals. I always have; I read manuals as soon as I get them, even if it's for something simple like operating a toaster oven. Even if I've had one, two, ten toaster ovens before, I will still read the manual for THIS one, simply because that's the type of person I am. I suppose that might be strange or unnecessary to some, but it has made me quite a cautious and observant person. I'll prove it to you! You see, I observed some things from the OpFor manual. In brief:

Page 2, entry 1, dated March 3:
"Weird civie spotted at base. Rumor is he's from some government branch looking to recruit; others say he's with some secret research group."

Page 7, entry 2, dated March 7:
"Finally saw the government guy today...I did notice him checking me out...several times throughout the day I spotted him just watching me during my training."

Page 9, entry 3, dated March 9:
"...our drill instructor tells us we have one week to become experts at indoor strategic combat...as far as I know this is a specialized training not taught in boot camp...are we being readied for a specific mission?"

Have you ever played, "connect the dots," Mr. Grey? Yes, the childhood game where you draw a line to form a picture. I see dots in the above messages, perhaps you notice them too? G-man spotted. Recruiting. Special mission. Training not taught at boot camp. HECU formed shortly after and deployed to Black Mesa; do you see a line there, Mr. Grey? I hope you will. I would draw it myself but I find it fun if more than one person participates in the game, and I have already done the task of pointing out the dots for you.

First of all, the G-man said nothing about the test (at least, not to any scientists). Secondly: ohmygod memos. You assume that since you didn't see something in the two minutes before the test took place, it never happened. To again delve into what you call "logic" (please stop calling what you type "logic"; may I recommend H. P. Lovecraft's works for a replacement moniker): do you remember "that incident with the cat", in Kleiner's lab? No? You weren't there when it took place, and we didn't see any cat around, so he must have been referring to Lamarr! Lamarr had an incident with a teleporter, right? Obviously Lamarr is a cat, right? IT'S LOGIC!

Lamarr is certainly as fickle as a cat. But we're not here to discuss cats, are we? That's a pity; I like cats. Alas, another time, another thread, perhaps.

The G-man did say something about the test. He was talking to a scientist about the test in one of the office rooms in Sector C. Wait, wait, don't interrupt me; I know what you're going to say. "We don't know what the G-man was talking about in there because it was garbled; how can you know what he was talking about? More of your logic?" (Ooh, that was the perfect time to use caps right there, but I'm a man of my word)

Yes, actually, I can explain it with logic. You see, there is a suit working in Black Mesa. He is down in Sector C. There is only one thing going on that day in Sector C, one thing only, and it is arguably the biggest thing going on in the entire facility that day. The purest sample, a chance for a big breakthrough. And yet the scientists aren't happy about it. "Our equipment wasn't made to do this in the first place!" "We tried to warn them!" "The administrator just would not listen."

Now, what would a suit be arguing about in this place, on this day, with a scientist? Remember our game from above, Mr. Grey. Dots. The dots are telling another story. They tell of a locked room and a heated argument, with lots of sweeping, agitated gestures from the G-man; a hand held up as if for silence or to say "it's alright"; we have a scientist at a loss, trying to reason with him. Well, I certainly hope this wasn't some kind of inter-office relationship argument going on. That's just all kinds of nasty.

Memos are nice, but so is Occam's Razor. The simplest solution is probably the most likely one. And when I hear scientists arguing about being pressured by the administrator, when I hear them talking about the administrator's men, and I see a man in a suit with the Black Mesa logo on his briefcase down in the Sector C test labs on the morning of one of the facilities most auspicious occassions, then clearly I must draw the conclusion that--oh, but I'm filling in the dots for you.

I'm terribly sorry if my quotes are a little disordered; I'm still feeling a little dizzy after reading this sudden blast of "logic".

Then sit down, my friend. Have a cuppa, maybe a cookie or two, and take it all in at your leisure. It can be overwhelming, I know.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

I stand with Darkside, creater of the grand Headcrab Files.

 

[Tagaziel]

Actually, I don't believe Darkside's theory, in part due to the fact, that if G-Man was the head of Sector C Test Labs, he would have little need to argue with the scientist, he would cut the argument short and order him.

Second, don't believe everything that is written. Shephard's notes were him PONDERING what G-Man's purpose at the place was, not definite statements. Also, there is no mention of transfer, only that his unit (presumably HECU) was taken for training in indoor training.

Next, you don't have to wear a clean suit and carry a briefcase to be one of the Administrator's men. Black Mesa has a strict dress code it seems, and G-Man is too much out of place to be an employee. The mentioned Administrator's men could be some of the the scientist you see scurrying around, and quite possibly the one which cuts short the conversation in the Test Chamber Airlock. a Also, employees of Black Mesa are supposed to display their badge at all times, something G-Man does not do.

I believe that rather than being a part of the science team, G-Man was acting as the government figure, rather powerful one. Representing the federal government would give him much, much larger authority, as well as access throughout the facility. Cigarette Smoking Man anyone?

Last, you mention Occam's Razor. Well, this rule goes haywire, 'cause there's too much "if's" in your reasoning, as well as assumptions. Besides, you take some things literally, which aren't supposed to be taken that way, see Shephard's notes.

-- Mikael Grizzly

 

[Darkside55]

The G-man might not be the head of Sector C (in fact, I doubt that too), but he's definately there to oversee it. I really can't imagine a government official being so agitated about something he probably wouldn't even understand (or pretend not to understand). Besides, how could the G-man have possibly engineered everything to such a micro-fine degree if he was not an employee of Black Mesa, with a very clear idea of what was happening all across the facility?

Also, even if he were in a position to terminate that scientist's job over the experiment, even that would not really deter someone from arguing, especially if lives are in danger or there's a possibility the machine might break. And you don't get compliance out of telling people, "You'll do it or I'll have your job!"

In addition to that, three other things about his dress code: first, BMRF does have a strict dress code, like you said. However, the G-man is neither a scientist, security guard, nor a maintenance worker. These are the only three groups we see represented other than the G-man. In certain businesses, aren't there certain levels of dress? If you are a scientist, you wear a labcoat. If you are a security guard, you wear a blue shirt, blue slacks, and a blue vest. If you work maintenance and repair, you wear a hardhat to protect your head and an orange jumpsuit so that you are easily visible. Someone who works as a manager, or other type of high official, would of course wear a clean, tailored suit to work.

The next thing is his briefcase. A government official who operated outside of BMRF would not carry a briefcase with the Black Mesa logo on it. This briefcase came from Black Mesa, and I doubt the facility is giving out briefcases as welcome gifts to visiting agents.

As to his id, he has it tucked in his briefcase. You can see it if you look at the briefcase texture for HL1. Why he does not wear it on his person, I don't know. Maybe he figures it clashes with the suit?

Now, about Shephard, the thing is that while yes, Shephard is only writing from his personal experiences and hearsay around the camp, and does not know anything for certain about the G-man, we can at least see that something began once the G-man arrived. He was speaking to what I presume was the head officer in charge of the boot camp, overseeing training of the marines, and a few days later this group begins a nonstandard training regime? HECU was not formed before then. I will have to admit that I cannot back that up 100%, but if you really think about it, what purpose would a group like HECU really serve before Black Mesa? I don't think marines often fight in high-radiosity areas. This training was far too specific for Black Mesa to have been formed for any other location or contingency.

 

[Eejit]

I believe I also said that within a context...he wasn't always a mercenary because he stated he had employers.

Having employers is the whole point of being a mercenary.

Carry on.

 

[Darkside55]

Well, I believe he meant stable employers. But who knows with the G-man, eh? Maybe he was a mercenary. But he had a big plan during the incident, and a big part (maybe the biggest part) was to recruit Gordon Freeman. So he was working for his own ends in that way.

Maybe he was his own employer? "You will get me...misssster Freeman--OK, it'ssssss a deal."

 

[Absinthe]

As to his id, he has it tucked in his briefcase. You can see it if you look at the briefcase texture for HL1. Why he does not wear it on his person, I don't know. Maybe he figures it clashes with the suit?

That texture was never viewable in-game, and as such should be considered an easter egg at the most.

And I too think the "Breen's liason" theory rests on too many suppositions. But don't kill me.

 

[Darkside55]

That texture was never viewable in-game, and as such should be considered an easter egg at the most.

Very true, but if it's in the model I'm going to suppose that's what's really in his briefcase.

And I too think the "Breen's liason" theory rests on too many suppositions. But don't kill me.

I choose to believe he was that high in Breen's confidences, but he could easily just be another one of the administrator's lackeys. The important thing to note here is that he worked under Breen in some capacity, and he had authority. Actual position is irrelevant and people can choose to believe how high he was in the chain. So you live...for today.

 

[Tagaziel]

Actually, if you check the high-definition models, the briefcase texture is removed, therefore it's contents remain unknown. As for the patch on the briefcase, well, a non-marked civilian would pretty much get questioned every-time he passes a guard, while a person carrying a Black Mesa briefcase would be assumed to be one of the employees, not the science wing, but the accounting, legal etc.

Also, you poke holes in the G-Man = Government Man theory. Keep in mind, that the BMRF is a decomissioned military base converted into a high-security research facility, with all manner of sinister research going on, for instance teleportation and Xen specimen analysis. Also it seems, it performs experiments of doubtful moral nature and despite loss of human life does not hesitate to further the projects (eg. Xen Exploration). The regular Government representatives would be unappropriate for monitoring this base. G-Man was quite propably acting as a representative of the shadow government, much like the CSM, a visible inspiration for his character, was.

Next, you say the HECU was formed with misison in the BMRF in mind. While this is possible, I believe the HECU was more of an elite task force, that would be sent into dangerous, often highly-polluted territories or used in possibly embarrasing assignments, the BMRF being one, as the G-Man remarks. Let me ask you a question:

If you had to send a team to, let's say, take a biological/chemical weapons facility into an enemy country, which if discovered would have great international repercussions, would you send Rangers/Marines/Navy SEALs with official uniforms, or a strike force like the HECU, which is fiercely loyal (notice how they fulfill their orders without questioning, executing civilians in Black Mesa on the spot) and extremely effective (full takeover of the facility in a matter of hours, despite Xenian infestation) as well as mostly faceless (majority wear balaclavas or masks, uniforms lack any insignias). Biological/Chemical weapons factories can become an extremely hazardous terrain, if the tanks are ruptured, sabotaged or prolly destroyed.

Also, listen to the remarks of Marines sitting in the intro Osprey:

Pvt. Tower (black, heavy weapons): "Man, if this is another search and rescue operation, I'm gonna be pissed" [intro_fg01.wav]
Pvt. Tower: "Smells like... smells like another baby-sitting job to me, man!" [intro_fg11.wav]

So, judging by their remarks, HECU is an already estabilished force, and Black Mesa was another operation of their force. Also, notice how the soldiers know each other, clearly suggesting they've been in the squad for some time.

-- Mikael Grizzly

 

[99.vikram]

As for the patch on the briefcase, well, a non-marked civilian would pretty much get questioned every-time he passes a guard, while a person carrying a Black Mesa briefcase would be assumed to be one of the employees, not the science wing, but the accounting, legal etc.

BM security must suck then. Kind of like our PM's office.

 

[UndeadScottsman]

Ah, Marc finally comments on the whole shebang in nice, plain, clean terms. Cool beans.

 

[Eejit]

BM security must suck then. Kind of like our PM's office.

I'm sure an interstellar mercenary agent would be able to forge extremely convincing I.D.

 

[NJspeed]

Too bad that none of this will ever be explained in the actual game.

That's what annoys me... It's like if you don't get "Raising the Bar" or read the forums, then nothing makes sense. And yet somehow I find it difficult to just read stuff on here and apply it... I mean I do, but it's soooo annoying that nothing is actually explained in game.

What regular player actually understands how we got from HL1 to HL2?

None.

 

[Asknoone]

Erm, pretty much all of them? I think anyone who has actually played the game can tell you what happens inbetween. :|

And yes, these things will eventually be explained in the game.

 

[ríomhaire]

I understood what happened before I joined the forum or got RtB (except I didn't know a handfull of things and I thought the Combine where on Xen D. If you care about the story enought to look for it, it is there.

 

[XIII]

not everyones smart like you

 

[ríomhaire]

not everyones smart like you

 

[esplin]

Erm, pretty much all of them? I think anyone who has actually played the game can tell you what happens inbetween. :|

And yes, these things will eventually be explained in the game.

I'll have to disagree with you there Samon. I found their wasn't nearly enough information about the events between 1 and 2. All you know is that the Combine are now in control of earth and that it has been a few years. If you didn't see that newspaper in Eli's lab (which I didn't for awhile) you would never have known the Combine arrived because of Black Mesa.

This is the only point in the story that really irks me.

 

[Absinthe]

Even then, the newspaper article doesn't cut it for me. Not necessarily from an exposition aspect, but it seemed like it trivialized a major plot point. The transition from HL1 to HL2 is dealt with in a period of five seconds and the Combine are just dropped onto your lap out of the blue.

 

[Atomic_Piggy]

Well, if they showed you the 7-hour war now, then wanted to make a game of it, it wouldn't be a surprise. If you saw the mental-ness of it now, if a gmae was realeased (as I suspect there will) explaining it, it wouldn't be anywhere near as good. Y'see what I'm saying?
Hence the fact the 7-hour war intro was cut.

 

[Asknoone]

I felt the exposition regarding the transition from 1 to 2 was fed to you throughout the game. You pick it up in dialogue, scenery and, as mentioned, little things like the newspaper article.

 

[Tagaziel]

I concur with Samon. I praise Valve for creating a game with such an unusual storytelling method. In the times of idiot-friendly games with everything laid out etc. they decided on a subtle, yet very efficent method of conveying the story.

I'm surprised how people find it hard to make out what happened during the 7 Hour War or about the Combine. All it takes is reading a few books, most notably 1984 and knowing a bit about history, most importantly the Third Reich and the stalinist USSR.

Also, little bits of backstory are given to us, as Samon said, throughout the game. Point Insertion being the most blatant one:

- Uniformisation of citizens foreshadows the totalitarian government, reminiscent of the way the Party ruled Oceania.
- As does the Scanner photo when exiting the train.
- The enslaved Vortigaunt gives a hint, that the combine was at least partially involved in the Xen case (Note: This doesn't mean that they were there, it means they we're involved, like chasers or such.)
- Metrocop beating a citizen for trying to retain his briefcase - firsthand demonstration of the regime's brutality.
- Lonely woman waiting for her husband to return from Overwatch's... questioning
- A striking contrast between Breen's propaganda ("...it's safer here...") and the Metrocop pushing over the citizen.
- Train tables, showing the change of city nomenclature.
- Different citizen's reaction in the waiting room.
- Noiva Prospekt ramp selection (Nazis, anyone?)

And so on...

Keep your eyes open

-- Mikael Grizzly

 

[Absinthe]

I resent this notion that I'm somehow an idiot for wanting more exposition.

The problem with the scattershot storytelling that endures throughout the whole experience is that a lot of it is up to speculation, debate, and sometimes outright guesswork. In worse cases, you actually need to buy and read something like Raising The Bar or, read in interview with one of the developers. I've said this elsewhere and I'll say it again. I want key aspects of the story to be hammered home to the point where there can no longer be any doubt or speculation about them. And I want it in some confirmatory sequence, not more "clues".

Grizzly, most of what you list is thematics. I doesn't take a lot of thought to figure out you're in an oppressive totalitarian society. I'm referring to the transition from the Xenians to the Combine, the confirmation of the role Nihilanth played, wether or not Breen is dead, and so on. Laidlaw reportedly wrote an entire Half-Life bible. If that's the case, I'd certainly like to be exposed to some of that precious lore instead of guessing about it.

I felt the exposition regarding the transition from 1 to 2 was fed to you throughout the game. You pick it up in dialogue, scenery and, as mentioned, little things like the newspaper article.

Care to elaborate? Because aside from the newspaper clipping, I don't recall much of an explanation as to how or why the Combine suddenly portaled through to Earth. All that's provided in-game is that they had some relationship with Xen, but that's never elaborated upon.

Basically, it seemed like Half-Life 2 had little to do with Half-Life 1 sans the portals. The alien force you were thrown up against in the first game was largely forgotten and replaced by a new enemy. That's why I hope future episodes or sequels have some sort of fleshing out in mind.

 

[Tagaziel]

Mr Green-alcohol-man, I wasn't implying that you're an idiot. I was stating, that in the flood of idiot friendly game, a gem like Half-Life, with unique storytelling is actually the best thing that could happen to us.

What happened is explained both throuigh those clippings, as well as in-game sceneries (drained oceans, disused facilities) and character monologues (Breencasts, Alyx, Barney, Eli...). Plus, it wouldn't be Half-Life if we were told what happened, staying in the dark is part of the setting.

And would you REALLY want the bible to go public?

-- Mikael Grizzly