Gun ship,strider, look like alien to me!

[Antlion Hunter]

Maybe the combine just design the synths after powerful creatures that live on their home planet or on dominated planets.

 

[DarkStar]

I don't get it, everyone says the Synth are Organic/Robotic, yet, Organic material isn't the impression I get from a name that is short for Synthetic

Arrg! Synth is not short for "synthetic!" It is short for "synthesis!"

I can't believe so many people cannot easily see that the combine raid planets for their dominant species and then ENHANCE them with technology. "Synth"esizing animals and machines. Just like the combine soldier on the operating table in Nova Prospekt with all those surgical scars and FREAKING METAL BITS sticking out of him.

Striders obviously have some kind of flesh, oh, but they also have a giant freaking EXHAUST PORT on top of their heads. Gunships are the same -- obviously part animal, but with a ENORMOUS METAL ROTOR forcibly inserted into their asses.

Go here: http://fragfiles.org/~hlstory/

 

[Laivasse]

Arrg! Synth is not short for "synthetic!" It is short for "synthesis!"

I can't believe so many people cannot easily see that the combine raid planets for their dominant species and then ENHANCE them with technology. "Synth"esizing animals and machines. Just like the combine soldier on the operating table in Nova Prospekt with all those surgical scars and FREAKING METAL BITS sticking out of him.

Striders obviously have some kind of flesh, oh, but they also have a giant freaking EXHAUST PORT on top of their heads. Gunships are the same -- obviously part animal, but with a ENORMOUS METAL ROTOR forcibly inserted into their asses.

Go here: http://fragfiles.org/~hlstory/

Quoted for truth and emphasis. Also the first time I've approved of someone linking the fragfiles site Although ignore what it says about the Combine on Xen

Incidentally, the rotor on the gunship is itself organic. It looks like the wings of some kind of giant beetle or insect. The big gun in the middle of its face, however, seems to be an addition.

 

[Laivasse]

Just thought I should add that I don't necessarily believe that the rotor/insect wing thing is not an addition. Just that with the gunship there seems to have been some splicing between different organic elements, as well as the usual metal bits and big gun.

 

[Jandor]

Arrg! Synth is not short for "synthetic!" It is short for "synthesis!"

So the Overwatch are Synths then?

I can't believe so many people cannot easily see that the combine raid planets for their dominant species and then ENHANCE them with technology. "Synth"esizing animals and machines. Just like the combine soldier on the operating table in Nova Prospekt with all those surgical scars and FREAKING METAL BITS sticking out of him.

Your not including me in your 'so many people' are you? Because I never said they didn't.

Striders obviously have some kind of flesh, oh, but they also have a giant freaking EXHAUST PORT on top of their heads. Gunships are the same -- obviously part animal, but with a ENORMOUS METAL ROTOR forcibly inserted into their asses.

Yeh, It's so damn obvious isn't it. Sparks come off when you shoot them, not blood.

 

[huntingbear]

*shakes head in shame of stupid people*

 

[Laivasse]

So the Overwatch are Synths then?

Actually I'd say they are. They're the result of the Combine's synthesis of humanity and tech. They don't seem to have had much done to them, so you could speculate that it is a working prototype, with the Combine Elite being closest the human version of synths like striders, etc.

People seem to just look on the Overwatch, etc. as brainwashed guys in suits, but I think that's missing the whole point of the Combine. If you think of their gasmask/helmet augmentation as their actual face, and their suit/armour as part of their body (at least to some degree), then it makes a bit more sense, seems cooler and fits in more with the Combine MO as seen in the striders, etc.

Admittedly, these modifications seem to have done nothing to the soldiers except make them weaker than your average scruffy vagrant in a bobble-hat...It would be nice to have Overwatch be stronger than npcs, but your npc allies get butchered so much already that to make them weaker than they already are, or to make the Combine any stronger, would upset the game balance IMO.

Just ignore the inordinate amount of damage npcs can take, and pretend you're impressed by the fact that Overwatch can withstand the best part of an smg clip before dropping. "Wow, these Overwatch are tough", etc. Besides gasmasks are a cool and worthy enough modification in themselves :thumbs:

 

[specialmax]

The reason they look so weird is this...

The strider comes from a bug called a WATER STRIDER!!! An ant lion (well I just had to post this) is a small ant that has very painfull bites.
So basicly an antlion and a strider so far come from real things... :rolling:

 

[Jandor]

*shakes head in shame of stupid people*

Do you have anything constructive to add? Or do opinions different to yours cause a problem?

Actually I'd say they are. They're the result of the Combine's synthesis of humanity and tech. They don't seem to have had much done to them, so you could speculate that it is a working prototype, with the Combine Elite being closest the human version of synths like striders, etc.

Fair enough.

People seem to just look on the Overwatch, etc. as brainwashed guys in suits, but I think that's missing the whole point of the Combine. If you think of their gasmask/helmet augmentation as their actual face, and their suit/armour as part of their body (at least to some degree), then it makes a bit more sense, seems cooler and fits in more with the Combine MO as seen in the striders, etc.

The Metrocops do seem easy to infiltrate, and it is very plausible that the Metrocops are simply brainwashed citizens, although there are hundreds of possible explanations for Barney getting through the net.
However I wholly agree the Soldiers, Guards and Elites have been modified.

Admittedly, these modifications seem to have done nothing to the soldiers except make them weaker than your average scruffy vagrant in a bobble-hat

Hahaha.

Your opinions make a lot of sense, but that dosn't mean the 'Synths' being wholly mechanical is implausible. although knowing my luck theres probably a caption in the Prima Guide that shows I'm wrong. .

The reason they look so weird is this...

The strider comes from a bug called a WATER STRIDER!!! An ant lion (well I just had to post this) is a small ant that has very painfull bites.
So basicly an antlion and a strider so far come from real things...

I thought the Striders came from a novel.
and no offence, but that Antlion looks nothing like the HL2 Antlions.

 

[MarcoPollo]

The striders were taken from war of the worlds... The alien "ships" looked like them and shot a fire beam that looked similar to the Canon on striders.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

An ant lion (well I just had to post this) is a small ant that has very painfull bites.

Not exactly. And Ant-lion (also known as a Doodlebug, if I'm not mistaken) is a small larval creature that digs a small pit and eats ants that fall into its mouth. A little like that big mouth in the Star-Wars film.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[MarcoPollo]

congrats angry 1,000 posts, also A doodle bug is different, It is found in the south (North american)

 

[Antlion Hunter]

Yeah i agree i live down south and "Doodle bugs" as you call em' look nothing like antlions dude.

 

[huntingbear]

Do you have anything constructive to add? Or do opinions different to yours cause a problem?

i'm just showing the same emotion someone feels when they post, "Please use the Search Function" then closes a thread.

Oh and Jandor.......don't hurt me

 

[Angry Lawyer]

congrats angry 1,000 posts, also A doodle bug is different, It is found in the south (North american)

Bwuh, must have got mixed up when playing SimAnt then.

Thanks, 1000 posts makes me feel good. If I were a Metrocop, I'd make you pick up the can.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[MarcoPollo]

So does anyone know if The striders really were based on the ships in War of the Worlds? (Raising the Bar)

 

[Jandor]

If it says it in Raising the Bar it's a pretty good bet .

Thanks, 1000 posts makes me feel good.

Who's the Man!

 

[cabbs]

I dont know if the strider is based on the mechanical tripod/striders from the novel War Of The Worlds, but it would make sense. The idea of a large gun toting tripod (probably) came from War Of The Worlds.

The striders were taken from war of the worlds... The alien "ships" looked like them and shot a fire beam that looked similar to the Canon on striders.

I shouldnt think that the gun concept has anything to do with War Of The Worlds. The weapon used in the novel was a white hot 'heat ray' type gun, but the Strider's weapon appears to be some form of Singularity/Dark Matter cannon (what with the warping of light around the projectile and disintergration that is not a result of burning).

 

[MarcoPollo]

^^^ Yeh I know but im just saying they seem pretty similar in the sense they both fire something taht is hazadous to matter

 

[slaze]

my opinion now, striders look like giant mutated spiders with some bionic material attached. and the gun ships do jus look like 1 bit organic alien.

 

[Antlion Hunter]

I agree Dude.I agree.

 

[Edcrab]

Just regarding extensive Combine modifications to humans, I was vaguely surprised (disappointed would be too strong a word) to find how basic the Combine Elite were. I wanted to encounter the rumoured assassins, or perhaps the Combine Supersoldier (as seen in concept art rather than the odd looking unused models)- literally superhuman infantry that would actually make Freeman break a sweat for once.

I think that CPs are humans with minimum implants or none at all, and that the soldiers are the next stage of the Combine's experiment with our bodies. Just as the Synth were absorbed by the Combine long ago to serve as their "tanks", I suspect they planned to use humanity as highly adaptive infantry. Or possibly just rape the planet of resources, whichever...

 

[Langolier]

Just regarding extensive Combine modifications to humans, I was vaguely surprised (disappointed would be too strong a word) to find how basic the Combine Elite were. I wanted to encounter the rumoured assassins, or perhaps the Combine Supersoldier (as seen in concept art rather than the odd looking unused models)- literally superhuman infantry that would actually make Freeman break a sweat for once.

I think that CPs are humans with minimum implants or none at all, and that the soldiers are the next stage of the Combine's experiment with our bodies. Just as the Synth were absorbed by the Combine long ago to serve as their "tanks", I suspect they planned to use humanity as highly adaptive infantry. Or possibly just rape the planet of resources, whichever...

Yeah... the only thing, in-game, Overwatch Elite seem to have over basic Overwatch Soldiers is that they carry a few "pulse grenades" for their Pulse Rifle. However, I immagine that if you were to compare them in 'real-life', they probably are equiped with Infrared, Night Vision, and maybe other things all at once. So perhaps they can see through walls and stuff. They do have a little bit more health, but their armor doesn't look any more protective. Perhaps they have metal or something graffted onto their body? (pure speculation)

If you look at some of the Concept art for the Overwatch Troops, particularly the one holding the M16, they all look pretty damn tough, in-fact they look tough in-game. I guess story-wise they would be very hard, but to make the game playable they had to be nerfed a bit.

 

[Edcrab]

Yeah, I suppose if they were all superhuman killing machines it'd be game over as soon as you stepped into a combat situation. There needs to be a balance between atmosphere and gameplay, and ultimately gameplay is the primary aim. Unsurprisingly.

Still going to write some sort of uber-powerful Combine Commando into MC, mind Probably goes against everything Valve ever planned, but I need something that can kick an Arcadimaarian's arse...