Consider

[MFL]

If I am correct in assuming the Combine are still after short-range portal technology, then I must then think that they have the perfect motivation for getting to the Borealis ahead of Gordon, besides just setting up to try to kill him again. We all discovered that the aforementioned is an Aperture Science Research Vessel. What did they research? Short-range portal technology. I'm gonna be so bold as to say that they perfected it too. The thing is, the kind and amount of information it takes to be able to produce a hand-held portal gun is more likely than not unable to be contained in the mind of any one human, it would take a team of specialists in the field to be able to reproduce the technology, which is what the Combine would want out of the situation. I'm also assuming that since we haven't heard back from anyone on the Borealis that most, if not all, of the crew that was transported to the Arctic, did not survive. Then what kind of thing could hold the data that would hand over short-range teleportation technology to the Combine? A... computer? A supercomputer? I do not have the pictures on me right now, but I seem to remember that the technical readouts on the Borealis that were supplied to us at the end of Episode 2 seem to imply that GLaDOS has something to do with the Borealis. And she is indeed, still alive out there, somewhere. And within her data bank's she holds the information that the Combine wants so dearly. Short-range portal technology that doesn't have to slingshot through Xen (which, as we saw in Half-Life 2 (and verily, Half Life 1), takes a significant amount of power and time to do anyways). I believe that there is a copy of her on the Borealis. I believe the Combine would do anything they could to get that technology. And I think Gordon has to stop them. Even if he has to kill GLaDOS do to it.

p.s. when was the last time you saw the portal gun get influenced by the powers of the G-Man. Never, to my knowledge. Xenian portals though, get influenced by the G-Man all the time. In Half Life 2, Gordon is put where the G-Man wants him, exactly when the G-Man wants him to be there (always guided along by the hand of his employers). Xen portal technology has always seemed to me to involve dimensional teleportation, via you port to Xen, and then when you port back to our dimension, you can port to wherever you want to go. I also believe that this multi-dimensional characteristic of the Half-Life continuity is one of the key clues as to the nature of the G-Man, but that's just me. Aperture Science portal technology has a very different flavor to it though. It is just tearing little holes in our own universe so to speak. Tunnels in an apple as apposed to two apples connected by straws.

p.s.s. If you all need an example of how the G-Man has influenced Xenian teleports, then you can look directly at the beginning of Half Life 2. When you first get to Kliener's Lab, and the port to Eli's Lab is messed with (supposedly by Lamar), you are ported to a number of different locations. It is my belief that this is as a result of the G-Man's manipulation. You are showed where you need to go (Administrator's Office, Citadel tower) and put exactly on the route that you need to be on to get there. Also, on the port from Nova Prospekt, I seem to remember you showing up after a solid week has gone by. A week that was not programmed into the port. Why is it that every time that Gordon gets a teleport in Half-Life 2, it goes horribly wrong? I believe it is because the G-Man can manipulate the flow of multi-dimensional teleportation, but yet again, that's just me. Feel free to comment on my thoughts, i always enjoy criticism.

p.s.s.s. HARGHEBLARGHA!

 

[Xendance]

You need to add a TL;DR at the end.

 

[MFL]

Is that my que to become an hero?

 

[Justincase3]

Very well thought out, I'll say that. But I honestly don't think Glados is on the Borealis, just because Portal was made to create a simple story (as mentioned in the commentary) and mainly the corporation of Aperture Science is just made to tie into both Portal and Half-Life, not the events of Portal itself. There may be a future use of Portals (maybe even in Episode Three) like we saw in Portal, but not necessarily the characters and story thereof. I would expect an easter egg or something like that referring to Glados on the Borealis, nothing more though. But I also expect a very dangerous power on the Borealis. Reason? The Combine were supposed to find the Borealis, not Gordon. At least, not originally. So now all the G-Man could do was warn Gordon, Eli, and Alyx about it.

 

[MFL]

Look closely at the readouts appearing on the screens for the Borealis at the White Forest facility near the end of Episode 2, and you should see where I got the correlation and connection between GLaDOS and the Borealis. I'll be back with pics soon enough, the forums do not easily give up the secrets i'm looking for (note: if anyone can link the old pics of the technical readouts i am referring to, it would be greatly appreciated).

Also, Aperture Science may very well have been implemented purely for the sake of streamlining the portal gun's introduction into the continuity, but now that it's in, it's here to stay. I think it would make for a very interesting confrontation were Gordon to have to fight against not only the Combine, but also the manipulations of GLaDOS. Assuming that she even has a problem with Gordon killing her, if new theories as to the motivations of GLaDOS have any truth to them (ala the GLaDOS bondage posts , referring to this article http://www.game-ism.com/?p=91 )

 

[Omnomnick]

tl;dr

Anyway, read the first bit, and I wouldnt say Aperture Science perfected anything. If they did perfect Short range portal technology, at a price, aka the price of their facility and human researchers. And we don't know if the combine are after the borealis or not, they might just be hunting Gordon and Alyx in an attempt to destroy the rebel moral. However, we arent sure what is in the borealis, it could be a new portal gun, a new teleporter, glados's new body, heck it could be anything. Except Gordon's left nipple, that would just be stupid...

 

[Humita]

In response to the G-Man relationship with the xen portals, I don't think he messes up the first one. You end up getting to black mesa east anyway, I honestly don't think that the G-Man wanted you to go through all that trouble to get to some place you could have just got to in a few seconds.

 

[MFL]

First the G-Man is sighted on the television screen in Kliener's Lab.
Then:
Mossman - "Something is pulling him away."
Kliener - "I'm encountering unexpected interference."

There are a number of reasons the G-Man might want Gordon to take the long way. Perhaps there is an element of timing involved, wherein Gordon shouldn't get to Black Mesa East until the time is right (according to the G-Man's plans). Perhaps the G-Man might want Gordon to know what his objective is (via teleporting him the Breen's office so soon in the game). Perhaps the G-Man likes watching Gordon wander around like the little pawn that he is.

 

[f_combineftw]

or mabye it was to make the game longer mabye? jk

anyone know whats going on in that one tv in the beggining of Anti-Citizen One, when you get past that combine wall that dog lifts up, then when you go over the fence you here this music and you look into the last door on the right and you see a tv with g-man on it somewere?? anyone know were that is or whats going on?

 

[kineaesth]

or mabye it was to make the game longer mabye? jk

anyone know whats going on in that one tv in the beggining of Anti-Citizen One, when you get past that combine wall that dog lifts up, then when you go over the fence you here this music and you look into the last door on the right and you see a tv with g-man on it somewere?? anyone know were that is or whats going on?

It's just another G-Man sighting. The only interesting aspect of it is that he has a raven or crow on his shoulder, and he's standing in a boat.

 

[Ennui]

good lord, you have gloglebag in your signature... only about 2% of this forum probably recognizes that anymore

 

[kineaesth]

good lord, you have gloglebag in your signature... only about 2% of this forum probably recognizes that anymore

I certainly don't.

 

[f_combineftw]

glogelbag?? sorry im new if you havent notest by my post score.

 

[MFL]

Yeah, I've been lurkin moar... I only really post when I have something worthy to say or discuss.

 

[Laivasse]

I still don't think the Combine care about short range portal tech any more. They had that portal up at Nova Prospekt for god knows how long, so there's no way they don't know how to pull it off by now. If there's anything on the Borealis that's important to them, it would probably be something that would allow them to hook back up with off-world forces, enabling them to invade in a large scale once more as they did in the 7 hour war, and were aiming at doing over the course of Ep2.

 

[MFL]

That portal in Nova Prospekt takes an extremely inefficient amount of time to charge and is the same type of teleportation technology that uses Xen as a medium. The only reason they had that built in the first place was because they had Mossman working in cahoots at the time. I believe that the Combine want short-range portal tech that cannot be manipulated by the G-Man. Yes, I believe that the one-week delay in the port from Nova Prospekt was caused by the G-Man. How? Well, if the Xenian teleportation method involves multi-dimensional travel, and the G-Man can manipulate your destination in between the dimensions, can't he just kind of loop the tunnel again and again between the dimensions until he is ready to place you where he wants you when he wants you? The G-Man's manipulation is the only explanation I have heard thus far as to how that one-week delay happened. The vortigaunt's have something to do with that kind of teleportation too. How can you tell? Green. Lightning. They use the Xen method naturally, I believe. In their mastery of "Vortessence", they are more advanced in harnessing it. That term has had me on edge ever since I first heard it. Ever since the vortigaunt's intervened between Gordon and the G-Man I knew there has to be a connection between the vortessence, teleportation, Gordon's cold storage, and the nature of the G-Man.

 

[Azner]

Is that my que to become an hero?

No, but thats your Que to become a Ever.

You know Que ever? HAHA Que ever, Oh lawdy *Shifty eyes*

*walks out of thread*

tl;dr

 

[f_combineftw]

well considering that g-man has something against the combine, sense he sent gordan to interfear with their plans, im gessing that the combine will deffinetly want short-ranged and also long ranged teleportaion tech, beacuse of g-mans constant fumbling and messings with almost all teleportaion scenes in half life 2, its safe to say that g-man must have some kind of mastermind over anykind of teleportaion (much like the guild in the Dune universe who hold a monopoly over space travel), and the combine hope to find some kind of teleportaion tech on the borealis that will isoloate g-man from his powers of messing with their teleportaion for a period of time, or even beging able to by-pass g-man alltogether (sorry for the bad grammer if there is any )

 

[MFL]

I'm not so certain about the G-Man as it comes to his relationship with the Combine. At times in the story, he seems to work against them, or for them. The G-Man to me seems to be a mercenary who will work for whoever has developed a contract with him.

Breen - "Didn't you know you're contract was up to the highest bidder?"

G-Man - "I have agree'd to abide by certain restrictions."

I think the Combine want short-range portal technology simply because it is something they do not have, and they are the Combine. The takes a civilizations technology and best biological aspects and makes it apart of itself. Short-range portal technology is something do not have. Thus, they want it. What is the extent to which the Combine will go to achieve the assimilation of technology? Well, look at the Advisor's for example...

 

[f_combineftw]

that is true, but i remember g-man having said something about benefactors in not only half life 1 but also somewhere in half life 2 or one of the episodes. When i heard Dr. Breen talk about benefactors and whatnot i suddenly thought "wait, are they talking about the same benefactors, and if they are who are they and what are their plans??". If they are the same people, then we got a paradox on our hands here!

 

[MFL]

I should probably now elaborate on the different distinct groups I have seen operate in the Half Life continuity and the one's which we can only theorize about thus far.

Half Life One
Gordon Freeman Himself
Black Mesa Scientific Community
The Marines
Black Ops
U.S. Government
Black Mesa Maintenance (Barney and behind the scenes folk)
The Vortigaunts
The Controllers and their Controller Nihilanth
G-Man
G-Man's Employer's
Xenian Wildlife (Hell, as far as we know, the G-Man might be collective unconsciousness of the headcrabs (which would be bloody insanity))

Half-Life 2
The Combine (I'm not going to seperate the different factions, but I could if the cohesion of the Combine were to fall apart (alas, Halo has already done this))
The Resistance
The Non-Resistance Citizens
The Vortigaunts, allied with the resistance (felt it best to mention them again, but then again, all of the previous groups are theoretically still active out there somewhere (except for the controllers, Gordon blew them all to hell).
Other mysterious group(s) that have contracts with the G-Man. (there could be any number of them, the multiverse is a big place)
Antlion colony(ies) (apparently part of the Vortigaunt social structure.)

Miscellaneous
Aperture Science Personnel
Aperture Science Surviving Test Subjects
GLaDOS
Other individual's being held in stasis by the G-Man (or other such entities).

Non-Canon
Race-X

 

[f_combineftw]

non-canon?? what do you mean by that (race-x = most bad ass army ever created).

 

[MFL]

<_<
>_>
*hides under a desk*

 

[f_combineftw]

lol but seriously could someone tell me what non-canon is...its going to **** bug me all day

 

[MFL]

From wikipedia:
Canon, in the context of a fictional universe, comprises those novels, stories, films, etc., that are considered to be genuine or officially sanctioned, and those events, characters, settings, etc., that are considered to have existence within the fictional universe.

Opposing Force was an expansion pack that was produced by Gear Box, and has been said by a few members of Valve to be non-canonical, I believe. While it has also been said that the story's protagonist Adrian Shepard, might return to the series in the future... some... individuals... around here would tear out their eyes rather than see Race-X return to the Half-life continuity. It is unlikely we will see them again.

Note: Staunch supporter of the return of Adrian Shepard (as long as his character is expanded upon and made to make a difference within the context of the current story).

p.s. Holy crap I just realized I made it to headcrab after the last 4 years. Woohoo!

 

[Justincase3]

p.s. Holy crap I just realized I made it to headcrab after the last 4 years. Woohoo!

Congrats. Have an iced tea.

There is definitely a link between the Vorts and the G-Man. The Vortigaunts are very likely to be aware of the G-Man's presence, but they don't always do something about it. This also seems to comply with the Vortigaunt's nature of possibly knowing the future and what else may be happening around the world and the universe. But I'm not saying the G-Man is from the future (oh, boy, now I started it).

I don't think the G-Man is hired by multiple corporations, but probably more by one.

The G-Man stated in Episode Two that he used to be a bit more restricted or unable to go behind the backs of the people he works for, either because it was too dangerous to do or doing so would cause results he did not want. To quote directly, "...when quelling them was out of the question." "Was" is said in past tense meaning that he knows or believes that he can go behind and usurp the people he is working for now, possibly because he can gain more dominion over the current situations and turn these situations towards the outcomes he wants.

As for teleportation I could see him doing most of what you have stated. And there is definitely a link with the G-Man and the Vortessence. But other characters such as Alyx and Gordon do not necessarily have the ability to use this, they can only be controlled while in it.

 

[MFL]

It should please you to know that as I was reading this, I was having a cup of iced tea.
Hmm... I have not yet seen any evidence as of yet that the Vortigaunts, or anyone else in the game, has knowledge of future events. (except maybe in the case of the G-Man, but the things he shows you in the visions presented to Gordon just seem more like foreshadowing on his part, leading Gordon to events that the G-Man wants him to get to) Also, it seems like a big jump in logic to say that the G-Man is hired by a corporation, but that's just me being picky about diction, so I'm not going to give you any crap for that.
The quote you provided from the G-Man is a bit out of context. The full quote is:
"When I plucked her from Black Mesa (something a bit like a harrumph), I acted in the face of objections that she was a 'mere child' and of no practical use to anyone. I have learned to ignore such naysayers, when quelling them, hmm, was out of the question."
When you add that later he says, "I wish I could do more than keep an eye on you, but I have agree'd to abide by certain 'restrictions'.", the entirety is implying that if he wants something, he is going to get it, and he is going to ignore whoever is telling him that it's a bad idea, because well, he's the G-Man. The fact that he isn't doing more than "keeping an eye" on Gordon in the face of such an attitude implies that at this point, the G-Man is being limited more than he has before in the entirety of the series. Hell, he couldn't even contact Gordon until the Vortigaunts, which I can only assume have been blocking the G-Man's direct interference, were otherwise distracted using their power to heal Alyx. ("I realize this moment might not be the most convenient for a heart to heart, but I had to wait (glare) until you're friends (chuckle) were otherwise occupied.")
The issue with the Vortessence is a confusing one. We are not exactly sure what the hell it is at this point. We are not sure what it allows the vortigaunts to do, its advantages or its disadvantages. We don't know who can and who can not take advantage of it. At this point, I am not willing to say that the Vortessence and Xenian Teleportation are one and the same thing... mostly because of the machines that humans have built to take advantage of Xenian Teleportation. Maybe humans can take advantage of the Vortessence, maybe they can't. This discussion is actually taking place simultaneously on another thread, as to whether or not it could be used for weaponry in Episode III (so I'm not going into that here.)
So, if I can't assume that Xenian Teleportation and the Vortessence are mutually dependant, then I cannot say with any certainty that the G-Man and the Vortessence have anything to do with one another. I am almost perfectly certain Xenian Teleportation and the G-Man have a lot to do with one another though, because of what I have stated earlier in this thread.
Hmm... damn you, mysterious plotlines... The Vortigaunt's can hold the G-Man back though. That raises the question that if the Vortigaunt's can directly influence the G-Man, can the G-Man directly influence the Vortigaunt's? Not... necessarily...
Holy crap.
...
If Gordon ever wants to conflict with (and furthermore, defeat) the G-Man, if indeed that is what the series is drawing closer to (which it is not, right now), he might have to learn how to harness whatever power the Vortigaunt's have at their disposal. It is the only thing that has ever had a direct effect on him. Ever. I must think on this.

 

[f_combineftw]

From wikipedia:
Canon, in the context of a fictional universe, comprises those novels, stories, films, etc., that are considered to be genuine or officially sanctioned, and those events, characters, settings, etc., that are considered to have existence within the fictional universe.

Opposing Force was an expansion pack that was produced by Gear Box, and has been said by a few members of Valve to be non-canonical, I believe. While it has also been said that the story's protagonist Adrian Shepard, might return to the series in the future... some... individuals... around here would tear out their eyes rather than see Race-X return to the Half-life continuity. It is unlikely we will see them again.

Note: Staunch supporter of the return of Adrian Shepard (as long as his character is expanded upon and made to make a difference within the context of the current story).

p.s. Holy crap I just realized I made it to headcrab after the last 4 years. Woohoo!

Thank you for that, i could have looked it up myself but i dont realy have the time for that kind of stuff anymore ;(. An congrats on the headcrab thing.

 

[f_combineftw]

or maybe g-man is nothing but a mingebag who likes crashing telportaions and ruining combine servers.......or maybe not.