Combine Vs. Xen - the final solution

[Angry Lawyer]

There's also a point where G-Man is talking to a scientist in HL1, near the beginning. Someone went and cleaned up the sound bytes, and allegedly, the Scientist says something like "Push it to 100%? But that's crazy!" or something. Breen might not have been responsible, but he sure as hell knew how to make the most of a bad situation.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Llama]

I dont think Breen COULD have planned it, it isnt physically possible. The Combine had no access to Xen OR out Universe before the portal storms

 

[Sulkdodds]

Breen is evidently responsible for Resonance cascade - invasion Xenians, and he is leader of Combine on Earth. This connection is evident...

Even if this was true (it might well be) mightn't it be the case that the Combine either needed A. Xen clear before they could move in, or B. The Combine needed a whole to be torn in space-time so they could actually get in?

 

[ríomhaire]

I see I'm no longer needed on the forum ;(

 

[safetyswami]

We need to keep things in perspective here. Freeman teleported randomly around Xen until he stumbled across Nihilanth by pure luck (or perhaps engineered by Gman). None of the other locations he visited were centralized or industrialized at all, except the factory. And anyway, it's just a factory! How many factories are there on Earth? Thousands. What makes you think Xen is any different? Finally, there are no bullsquids, sound dogs, or headcrabs in the factory. Thus, they could just as easily be native life, and as such kept out of the factories by the Vortigaunts/Grunts. Also note that Vortigaunts eat headcrabs, which means they must be native. Nobody would ever transport thousands (or millions) of possible Gonarchs as a food source.

As for the Combine tech, well, there may very well be thousands of factories on Xen. It would be more efficient for the Combine to just leave them intact and have the slaves run them. No need to spend all that time and effort bringing in new technology when they have perfectly usable facilities already, especially ones that are inherently tailored to the local resources.

 

[Element Alpha]

Vortigaunts eat headcrabs

What?? How?? Where???

I've never heard that before.

 

[Asknoone]

You can see it in Water Hazard, a sewer pipe near the dam.

 

[Polaris]

I dont think Breen COULD have planned it, it isnt physically possible. The Combine had no access to Xen OR out Universe before the portal storms

And what is physically possible? Sorry I dont understand this part...

The Combine evidently colonized many worlds and planets before portal storms...

 

[Sulkdodds]

We need to keep things in perspective here. Freeman teleported randomly around Xen until he stumbled across Nihilanth by pure luck (or perhaps engineered by Gman). None of the other locations he visited were centralized or industrialized at all, except the factory.

Outlying floaty islands > outpost of some sort > teleportation chamber > gonarch pit > some sort of large base (thingummies flying overhead) > factory > deeper factory > sort of inner sanctum area with weird tech and lots of floaty things > Nihilanth.

I see a clear progression here, from outlying areas into apparently the very centre of Xen.

Finally, there are no bullsquids, sound dogs, or headcrabs in the factory. Thus, they could just as easily be native life, and as such kept out of the factories by the Vortigaunts/Grunts. Also note that Vortigaunts eat headcrabs, which means they must be native. Nobody would ever transport thousands (or millions) of possible Gonarchs as a food source.

Right, so that's what I said, that wildlife wouldn't be found in the middle of factories...What's your point?

 

[Llama]

And what is physically possible? Sorry I dont understand this part...

The Combine evidently colonized many worlds and planets before portal storms...

Prove that

 

[Angry Lawyer]

As for the Combine tech, well, there may very well be thousands of factories on Xen. It would be more efficient for the Combine to just leave them intact and have the slaves run them. No need to spend all that time and effort bringing in new technology when they have perfectly usable facilities already, especially ones that are inherently tailored to the local resources.

But on Earth, they've gone and put in their own factories to produce specialised, non-human based armaments - the synth. They're obviously using Earth as one big war machine, and its likely they're doing this with other worlds too. I think the Combine would have been manufacturing something a little more efficient than Alien Grunts. They'd be churning out Synth, or at least breeding Gargantuas.

And Llama, he's right, they must have colonised many more planets before Earth, otherwise they wouldn't have such a varied force. But notice how their armies stationed on Earth contain nothing overtly Xenian. The universe is a big enough place for the Combine to enslave a thousand races, and leave Xen untouched.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Asknoone]

Yes, they have colonized many other worlds - see Raising the bar for instance, the Synths come from aliens they've conquered during their wars and conquests. Its obvious, its what the Combine do, hence "Combine"

And, none of the aliens in half-life 2 are even Combine, so theres more evidence for you. Lama, were not waging a war here, quit being so defensive.

 

[Llama]

All synths come from one race (probably). Im not being defensive, but how does anyone know how many races the Combine have enslaved? We dont, that's the point im making...i think

 

[Sulkdodds]

Im not being defensive

Yes you are.

Icant see why these people are in denial. The Combine have not entered Xen. It is so fricking obvious.

The Combine are NOT allied with Xen, and could not enter Xen. Its pretty much spelt out on the first ****ing page

Yes i have, smartarse. I was one of the first to reply. I have far more of an idea about these games than you think, dont ever DARE try and call me an idiot. If you beleive the Combine were on Xen, face the facts. YOU. WERE. WRONG.

Perhpas, if you took the time to read the 10 or so pages of size 10 size ive typed about things like this, you'de know I know what im talking about. Do you think that i might BE REPEATING WHAT HAS BEEN SAID because some people still refuse to accept the truth?
No, of course you didn't think of that. :dozey:

 

[Asknoone]

Im not being defensive

You are, and you are going to stop.

We don't know how many, but its a fair few - RTB, emails and such prove this.

 

[Llama]

And what is physically possible? Sorry I dont understand this part...

The Combine evidently colonized many worlds and planets before portal storms...

Okay, ill clarify. Im not saying the Combinbe couldnt take over new worlds (They obviously do) What im saying is, the Combine cant reach Breen to make a deal because the only way for them to get through is the Portal Storms, or the teleporters in the Citadels - which they cant use, because until the Portal storms they cant get over here to use them
The reason is probably Xen. The "border World" needs either a) Local Teleportation, or b) a Portal Storm to pass through into whatever is on the other side(s?)

 

[Element Alpha]

But didn't research teams go to xen before the portal storms and HL1? So could Breen have been contacted by combine at that point? As a matter of fact, isn't this the only time there could have been arrangements made? So doesn't this mean the combine must have had at least some business on xen while the first scientists were there? Or nothing would have ever happened.

 

[Laivasse]

But didn't research teams go to xen before the portal storms and HL1? So could Breen have been contacted by combine at that point? As a matter of fact, isn't this the only time there could have been arrangements made?

So doesn't this mean the combine must have had at least some business on xen while the first scientists were there? Or nothing would have ever happened.

Only if you base everything on the assumption that the Combine contacted Breen during HL1, which there is absolutely no need to do. AFAIK this theory originated with the fragfile HL2 timeline/story site, and it's already been demonstrated that that guy is just plain off on a lot of points.

 

[Llama]

(IN reply to Element Alpha)

No, because the Combine (at this point) cannot Enter Xen through any means possible. That is why there are trying to obtain the Local Teleportation tech, so they can teleport locally to Earth, Xen and anywhere else. The portal storms enabled them to travel to Earth, but they could not have reached it otherwise.

Hope that clears it up :cheers:

 

[Asknoone]

No, because the Combine (at this point) cannot Enter Xen through any means possible. That is why there are trying to obtain the Local Teleportation tech, so they can teleport locally to Earth, Xen and anywhere else. The portal storms enabled them to travel to Earth, but they could not have reached it otherwise.

No, they want the local teleport tech so they can teleport from one short distance to another. Nexus to trainstation, for instance. We don't know that they used the portal storms, theres hardly any evidence. They gained notice of Earth through the Cascade, and they most likely just teleported there. They can tunnel through from their universe, but once they go wherever they go, they need local transportation.

 

[Llama]

I would have thought the PT's were the bigger culpit, the Cascade was very small scale (IE Black Mesa only affected)
Anyway, they still need Local Teleporters because it "slingshots" through Xen. (I didnt word that correctly, but when i said locally "anywhere else" i meant literally anywhere) Obviously, they cant tunnel through to Xen because they would have tried it by now. It seems the borderworld is impervious to tunneling teleportation - probably why the Xenains fled there in the first place

 

[Asknoone]

I would have thought the PT's were the bigger culpit, the Cascade was very small scale (IE Black Mesa only affected)
Anyway, they still need Local Teleporters because it "slingshots" through Xen. (I didnt word that correctly, but when i said locally "anywhere else" i meant literally anywhere) Obviously, they cant tunnel through to Xen because they would have tried it by now. It seems the borderworld is impervious to tunneling teleportation - probably why the Xenains fled there in the first place

Eh, no, the cascade caused the portal storms. When Gordon puts that crystal in wham, there goes the portal storms. I'm certain they happen at the same time. Also, theres some good information in the strategy guide.

"Attracted to Earth by the dimensional rift caused by the Black Mesa incident"

 

[Llama]

Eh, no, the cascade caused the portal storms. When Gordon puts that crystal in wham, there goes the portal storms. I'm certain they happen at the same time. Also, theres some good information in the strategy guide.

"Attracted to Earth by the dimensional rift caused by the Black Mesa incident"

The one problem is we dont know that the Cascade and Portal Storms are the same thing. As far as i gathered, the Portal Storms were casued by Killing Nihilanth. The Scientists in Lamdba talked about the portal held open by a single being, what if killing the big baby unbalnced and let to the portal storms? It still fits within that quote.
Maybe you could email Laidlaw and ask? (Or me if you give me his email)

 

[Polaris]

There is mayby many portal storms events because in BM East is clipping with text "Portal storms" continues...

This Xen Relay on Xen for local teleportation could be device from Blue Shift called Focus emitters (Dr.Rosenberg and Calhoun used this device for same purpose)...but its just my theory...

 

[Llama]

As far as I recall, those crystals are used because the Teleporter they power is an early model. Look at the size difference between HL-BMRF teleporters and Dr.Kleiners, thre has been a massive improvment since the first prototype.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

The portal storms are almost certainly a continuation of the resonance cascade.

As for needing Xen to find out about Earth - that's a mighty absurd assumption, and putting a whole lot of faith in the importance of Xen. As the Combine tunnel through to our dimension (without slingshotting - and presumably entering - Xen), they must have a way independant of Xen to find us, or any other race, for that matter.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Llama]

Who are you talking to?

If the Combine didnt need the Portal Storms to find us - Why havent they done it before? Surely such an enomrous power would have a way of detecting life.
Anyway, as Xen is a seperate dimension between Earth and the Combine Universe, its up for assumption. For all we know, the Combine may have just conquered their Universe / Galaxy, and Earth is a new experiment for them.

The way I see it is the Combine cannot tunnel through unless a) They have a teleport at the other end, or b) They can get here without the border world blocking them (and the huge hole in space time caused by the PT's seems a rather likely method)

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Portal at the other end? How do you justify that?

Multidimensional space doesn't quite work, with things "blocking" it. Every dimension touches every other dimension at every point.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[ríomhaire]

Portal at the other end? How do you justify that?

Multidimensional space doesn't quite work, with things "blocking" it. Every dimension touches every other dimension at every point.

-Angry Lawyer

No, I'd say it's different in HL.
1: There's a boarder world
2: tunneling straight through just seems different to that
3: "Where the dimensions intersect"

 

[<RJMC>]

a litle offtopic questiong

whats that manta thing that was mentioned some pages back?

 

[Llama]

If there was nothing to stop the Combine attacking in the first place, why havent they done it a long time ago?

RJMC, The Manta was a large flying Xen thing that blasted chunks or rock or attacked human craft, or even carried Alien Grunts

 

[Asknoone]

why havent they done it a long time ago?

For where?

 

[Llama]

Sorry, i dont understand what youre saying. What do you mean?

 

[Sulkdodds]

he means do you mean attacking earth or attacking Xen why didn't they do it along time ago thats what he means

 

[Llama]

Attacking Earth.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Either because they couldn't get through until we tore an enormous hole in space-time with the Resonance Cascade, or they didn't notice us until we tore an enormous hole in space-time with the Resonance Cascade.

 

[Llama]

Um...thats what I said.
Lol :cheers:

 

[safetyswami]

While it is the height of foolishness to suggest that the Combine don't have their own way of finding worlds to conquer, the case for contact through Xen is still a good one. The Combine surely could have found us through their own means, but don't you think that the resonance cascade, followed by the death of Nihilanth, would have been pretty noticable? Especially since the Combine would certainly be monitoring Xen, even if they couldn't reach it.

And Grunts are far less inefficient than the Overwatch. One poorly-trained resistance fighter can mow down multiple soldiers with ease, whereas it would take at least three highly-trained marines to kill a single Grunt. Certainly the Combine would find those useful.

 

[Sulkdodds]

It's quite possible that the Combine never invaded Xen because of the Xenians - but were planning to when they had built up enough strength.

 

[Llama]

It's quite possible that the Combine never invaded Xen because of the Xenians - but were planning to when they had built up enough strength.

For what point and purpose? If they didnt know that was the hiding place for the Xenians, why would they invade it?