How do you interpret the word "Combine"?

[SFLUFAN]

I think their name says it all - they "combine" their civilization with others through oppression and/or extermination.

Or you can interpret it another way. A "combine" is a machine that harvests crops. So they "harvest" other worlds for whatever raw materials, etc. they need and then leave a dead, desolate world in their wake.

What do you think?

 

[Asuka]

Thats some cool stuff there. thx for that.

 

[songwriter]

That they are a COMBINATION of human and alien. Breen is turning humans into some sort of man-squid. They are combined.

Thats what I think.

 

[Petabyte]

Both. And what's with with the sarcasm, raziel-Jcd?

 

[Asuka]

Both. And what's with with the sarcasm, raziel-Jcd?

Who said it was sarcasm?

 

[Eon Blue]

Humans with alien upgrades, to me.

 

[PvtRyan]

As harvesters.

 

[Ghost Freeman]

Isn't a 'combine' some form of farming equipment?

 

[Cole]

hmm..i think i would interpet combine as.. Vivendi.
There evil and should die.

 

[SFLUFAN]

Isn't a 'combine' some form of farming equipment?

Yes - it's a large harvesting machine that's used to harvest wheat, barley, etc. Which is why I thought of the word in the context of "harvesting" the Earth.

 

[StardogChampion]

Neither of them, but I pronounce "combine" like "combine harvester".

 

[Ghost Freeman]

Here are some anagrams: http://wordsmith.org/anagram/anagram.cgi?anagram=combine

 

[Ownzed]

I think they are havesting farmers with gas masks.

 

[Lash0r]

I think it might be a situation where G-Man took Shephard and breeded him with "alien" properties.

As it's a combination of Shepherd and the Aliens.
That's why if they ever decide to make a "Source" version of Opposing Force, it would probably make more sense in this way... As the opposing force in this case would be the Combine.

It would be pretty sweet to be able to play as a Combine soldier..
I can only imagine how their field of vision and HUD would look like

 

[Lanthanide]

com·bine

n. (kmbn)

2. An association of people or groups united for the furtherance of political or commercial interests.


Most likely, IMO.

 

[Matthias]

A combine harverster is so called because it combines harvesting, threshing and cleaning (of wheat)*. Thus, in terms of HL2, combine means some sort of assimilation rather than anything to with farm machinery!


*previoulsy these three stages were performed with seperate machinery.

 

[ytinupmi]

I think their name says it all - they "combine" their civilization with others through oppression and/or extermination.

Or you can interpret it another way. A "combine" is a machine that harvests crops. So they "harvest" other worlds for whatever raw materials, etc. they need and then leave a dead, desolate world in their wake.

What do you think?

double meanings, valve likes to do that, i'm sure it has both meanings, how overtly that is shown is another question, but im sure they included that on purpose.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

lol the best anagram is the bottom one 'nob mice' im so immature!
Yeah but are we sure its comb-ine or comb-ine. Not that it makes a difference. However i dont believe it means a combination of races, something more to do with that deffinition of a group or sumthin :imu:

 

[f|uke]

It is pronounced with the emphasis on "com", not "bine". Therefore its combine as a noun.

Two possible definitions:

1 : a combination especially of business or political interests
2 : a harvesting machine that heads, threshes, and cleans grain while moving over a field

Think about how the cidadel walls eat into the city. Its just like a tractor eating through crops. A harvesting machine is the clear metaphore that fits with the Citadel.

So why isn't the Citadel called the Combine, and the Combine called something else? I dunno. Must make sense somehow. But I definitly think 'Harvester'

Then again, the first definition works too, if they are humans. Thats definitly a combination of interests.

So, I guess its both.
More clever wording from VAVLe.

 

[KagePrototype]

I always saw the Combine as a bit like the Borg, or the Tyranids from Warhammer 40K. They jump from planet to planet, take over, eat up all the resources, and then move onto another planet when the current one becomes useless.

 

[nick_t]

2 : a harvesting machine that heads, threshes, and cleans grain while moving over a field

there's no point in hiding the truth valve! we all know your secret of the combine:

 

[RhapSidious]

That they are a COMBINATION of human and alien. Breen is turning humans into some sort of man-squid. They are combined.

Thats what I think.

That's pretty much what I thought since I heard about & saw them.

Breen's dialogue in the binks sort of supports this as well (ie the lack of procreation might be because they want to replace the human race with the combine race (mixture of human and alien) and are phasing out the human population while still using them as slave labor in the process (ie WWII German)).

 

[[Dragoon]]

I'm gonna go with the harvesting thing. Think of the combine wall things slowly eating their way through town.

 

[Hectic Glenn]

Sorry but what are those big jagged wall structure, combine palaces or something? and what are their purposes, if anyone knows. They go mental in the striders video, and i dont understand what its for? :imu:

 

[manny_c44]

I think its taken from 'One Flew Over the Cukoo's Nest', the chief referred to the outside world and the hospital staff as the combine...he also thought the walls were filled with monitoring equpment and that he himself had eqipment inside of him.

They probably ripped it off from that....which indeed was originally based on the harvester meaning of the word.

 

[johnnypoopoopant]

they are a combination of human and alien :rolling:

 

[Cole]

No they are vivendi!
There evil people trying to piss u off! Vivendi is the combine! Why cant you people see that!

 

[Petabyte]

Who said it was sarcasm?

Sorry, I just interperted it as sarcasm. My bad, just ignor please.

 

[Hazar]

I think they're some sort of advanced tractor.

 

[figge]

They come from the Harvester (the combine) so they can be called Combines ;P

 

[Yellonet]

What are you guys talking about?!?!
The word combine means syndicate in this context.

Edit: As you probably won't believe me: Look it up!

 

[The Monkey]

They are they product of a wonderful night starring Dr. Breen and Big Momma from HL1.