"One group is wrong, but the other is spectactularly wrong"--Gabe Newell

[Max35]

I remember in a recent post Gabe gave comments on HL2's story saying "one group is wrong, but the other is spectactularly wrong". I think we're assuming that the opposing side of Gordon's is the one that is the "spectactularly wrong" one. Maybe its Gordon's team of resistance fighters that have the flawed plan?. And maybe its this consequence that sets the stage for HL3?. I wonder if its the Combine that are the other set of human resistance fighters, I mean it hasn't been confirmed that they are alien.

 

[Lobster]

I think its that, although what your side is doing is wrong, its better than what the other side is doing.

 

[Brian Damage]

I wonder if both sides are wrong in a way that only a newcomer such as Gordon can see...?

 

[Gossoon]

I wonder if both sides are wrong in a way that only a newcomer such as Gordon can see...?

That makes sense. It would be cool if the game was open-ended enough to choose either side, but somehow I doubt that it is. The story will probably be heavily scripted, which is OK if the script is really great.

 

[Max35]

Well, I remember Alyx saying in the kleiner's lab video "we should have listened to my father and done it his way", so it seems there should be some non-linearity in the story. It makes one wonder why Alyx and her father are on separate "sides", it seems like that anyway.

 

[Crusader]

I think the combine decided the best way for the human race to survive is to join forces with, or combine with the aliens. Which is why they look human but make like weird human/alien noises when they get killed in the vids. And gordons group just think we should splat em all

 

[Brian Damage]

I think it might be the other way around...

Or maybe the Combine want to ally with Race-X (Giving rise to the Voltigore-like bio-mechanics like the Strider and the Gunship...), and the resistance want to go with the Xenians (Hence the Vortigaunt allies)...

 

[Orange]

yeah, you see the combine never see the combine getting along with the bugs.
I think the combine is a faction made up of genetically altered humans.
Wouldn't it be cool if "his way" referred to going back in time and changing what's happened? Less costly perhaps than guerilla warfare.

Perhaps closing the gate is teh right solution, rather than genocide of a planet's species.
I don't think the aliens are necessarily evil. G-man
*HL 1 SPOILER*
did stage and invasion of a world by Xen you find out in the ending, with Gordan's help.
Maybe its humanity that's being jerks! I dunno.

 

[Cutey_Kaite]

wouldnt it be cool if in the end u find out that the side ur on is the evil one?

 

[Jackal hit]

wouldnt it be cool if in the end u find out that the side ur on is the evil one?

agreed/indeed/word, that would be sweet. but! what if the aliens, somehow, are the good guys. talk about a twist. :O

 

[Orange]

I think they are misunderstood : ( [the aliens]
g-man seems like Mr. evil. But would it be more of a shock to find out he was good or realllllly bad, or a low level messenger in an evil chain of command.


ooooo

 

[63]

but make like weird human/alien noises

I always assumed that the english words spoken by the Combine were just distorted through there com/gas masks...

 

[Crusader]

Listen closer =D

 

[tokin]

G-man is most likely a lower class messenger for a bigger boss. I mean to us in HL he seemed he was the biggest antagonist but i bet he isn't as big as he seems.

 

[Lethal8472]

I always assumed that the english words spoken by the Combine were just distorted through there com/gas masks...

In the Tunnels vid, you can clearly hear a combine speak english (right before he's impailed. :naughty: ) They also have their own little language.

 

[EVIL]

I think the combine decided the best way for the human race to survive is to join forces with, or combine with the aliens. Which is why they look human but make like weird human/alien noises when they get killed in the vids. And gordons group just think we should splat em all

I don’t know, I remember Gabe saying that you will know at the very beginning who the evil guys are. So that would be the combine, and somehow I think Dr. Breem is involved with the Combine (the combine allow him to spread propaganda in this combine controlled city17). maybe he thinks that the Combine are the humanity’s way to the survival of the Xen invasion but the Combine have other plans in mind about what to do with what’s left of humanity (assuming the Xen invasion have made loads of casualties on the human side).

EDIT: another thing that struck me is the allienace with the alien slaves. maby slavery has something to do with the combine, maby they want to make us all into slaves, and the alien slaves are warning us for this threath

I dont know, but I can sure tell that the story must be very complex

 

[Dr.Haggard]

Why does everyone refer to the police as the Combine? I thought the Combine was the big mechanical thing that's 'eating' the city - that's certainly what was said in the original shaky cam E3 vids when you could hear the voice of the presenter (Doug perhaps?).

I was under the impression the guys with the gas masks are human, a kind of military force on the side of Breen or whoever the guy on the big screens is, who are occupying the city and working with the Combine (whatever that really is).

Edit: just look at them, they are human, they're just allied with the Combine and helping to suppress the population, and presumably acting as the foot soldiers for the same organisation as the G-Man and Breen. I never realised their being human was in any doubt.

 

[Direwolf]

Even Valve has always refered to that military group as "The Combine," so its definitly their name.

 

[EVIL]

the police has been reffered to combine in some interviews I think therefore it was easy to assume that the combine is the name of the forces controlling city 17

 

[ComradeBadger]

Moved to Rumours & Speculation

 

[zex]

Hm

Spoiler

Didn't they say the combie was a huge fortress eating it's way through the city?

 

[Dr.Haggard]

Right, so 'Combine' is kind of an umbrella term for whatever groups are allied in (presumably) suppressing humanity, although it's odd that the huge city-eating machine has been referred to as 'The Combine' IIRC.

Either way, there's no doubt that the police are indeed human.

 

[EVIL]

Edit: just look at them, they are human, they're just allied with the Combine and helping to suppress the population, and presumably acting as the foot soldiers for the same organisation as the G-Man and Breen. I never realised their being human was in any doubt.

If we assume that the g-man is working for the combine just like Dr breen, then why did the g-man did not kill you. I mean obviously you are a very big threath against Dr breems plans. maby the g-man is trying to go against dr breen because he might see that Dr breem is indeed the one on the wrong side

EDIT: this slavery thing comes up strong. maby we havent even seen the "REAL" combine, and the striders and other "combine" aliens and the soldiers are slaves. to the "REAL" combine.

 

[Dr.Haggard]

If we assume that the g-man is working for the combine just like Dr breen, then why did the g-man did not kill you

But that's assuming that Dr. Breen wants to kill you. According to the newest previews there is a situation early on in HL2 where the police\soldiers have the perfect opportunity to kill you, but they don't. We don't know for sure who they're working for, but in the same scene Dr. Breen (or whoever) is on a big screen in the room spouting propaganda.

Sure the police want to kill you soon after that, when you presumably ally with the resistance and get yourself some weapons, but up until that point you're not a threat to them.

You may be right anyway though, the G-Man may not be associated with these people at all, and they might not know of your role and why you're important (even we don't yet).

 

[Jimlad]

I don't think there's too much you can read into that statement. It's something that can be said about pretty much all wars, and the one in HL2 won't be an exception. 'nuff said, really.

 

[EVIL]

maby Dr. breen wanted you (brilliant scientist) to join up with him and asked the g-man to revive you and bring you to city 17, but some how he looses you and you end up with eli and his resistance. you choose to be with the resistance and now dr.breen has lost a important possible allie. so that might be the case why they want to kill you afterwarts

 

[phantomdesign]

The combine are the things dressed in body armor.

The combine fortress is the thing eating the city.

 

[EVIL]

The combine are the things dressed in body armor.

The combine fortress is the thing eating the city.

the guy taliing on the e3 video said

EDIT: exact quote is

At this last sequence you will get a look at the citadel in the centre of the alien combine. The combine is a fortress that is slowly eating its way trough the rest of city 17.

just watch it again!

 

[el Chi]

Right, so 'Combine' is kind of an umbrella term for whatever groups are allied in (presumably) suppressing humanity, although it's odd that the huge city-eating machine has been referred to as 'The Combine' IIRC.
Either way, there's no doubt that the police are indeed human.

The tower is the Combine Citadel. The Combine are the forces and thing, etc.
The white-masked fellows are the Metrocops who, I think it is generally assumed, were/are the oppressive City 17 police force who work for the Combine. TheCombine "aliens" (Striders, FliyingManatee, etc.) aren't organims as such - they're bio-mechanical.
Jimlad makes a good point. Obviously your alliegences change at least once and it'll have to be to the lesser of two evils, it appears.
I don't think Alyx and her father are on different sides, merely that he made a suggestion of a plan that was ignored and things went tits-up after that.

If the G-Man is working for/with Dr. Breen in the first place, why are you in City-17 in the first place? It sort of looks like Dr. Breen is associated with the Combine, so...

 

[EVIL]

If the G-Man is working for/with Dr. Breen in the first place, why are you in City-17 in the first place? It sort of looks like Dr. Breen is associated with the Combine, so...

something i said in this thread earlier

maby Dr. breen wanted you (brilliant scientist) to join up with him and asked the g-man to revive you and bring you to city 17, but some how he looses you and you end up with eli and his resistance. you choose to be with the resistance and now dr.breen has lost a important possible allie. so that might be the case why they want to kill you afterwarts

Its sounds correct. I mean you are a desirable partner. You (because everyone knows you and thinks positively off you) would make an excellent partner to raise the "spirit" of city17's population and tell them that everything is going to be alright.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Well, my theory was that after HL, Freeman's crusade allowed the government to invade Xen, which is now an Earth-controlled and possibly heavily industrialised planet. Since it's a crossroads to all dimensions, it allowed the government to systematically invade and capture Earth in numerous dimensions. And then, out of one fo these worlds, came somethign we weren't quite ready for. Either the combine invaded back or they took control on earth declaring martial law in order to control the outbreak of whatever came through from the other dimension.

Opinions?

 

[Brian Damage]

Well, I think that the Combine infantry speak a human language, but it may come out scrambled/encrypted unless they specifically want to talk to a civilian... They certainly have a human scream(Watch "Tunnels" and listem carefully to the Combine soldier when he gets impaled by the Hydra...).

Sulkdodds... are you saying that the Combine are the thing we weren't quite ready for? Or that they were some kind of organisation formed to combat it?

 

[Sulkdodds]

One of those two. But the question is: which one?

 

[UDHA]

reading that quote I thought he was saying, regarding our persception of H-L2, that some peoples expectations are off, and then the others are WAY off, so that's not what he meant is it?

 

[DEATH eVADER]

Wrong= Gordons side is having doubts, low morale, or have a flawed plan that will ultimately lead to the conclusion to HL3
Spectaculary Wrong= Combine taking extreme measures to protecting the populace, until they can find a solution to overcome the invasion.

I just had an idea, there is a lack of satellite delivery systems (to create a portal), so the combine are growing a tower to establish direct link to xen.

 

[Brian Damage]

Now there's an interesting theory... sort of like that "Space elevator" one that popped up a while ago...

 

[Sprafa]

Spoiler

The Combine is a technology. Breen probably got it/created it, most probably with Xen if he adquired it(Xen is only a passage world, that then links to other places).
Whenever that tech is used, that thing becomes Combine, as they are some sort of Collective, not single beings. That's the point of Valve.

The 2 points are probably as someone alreay said -

wrong - shut down all Xen contact. Possible time travel back to Black Mesa and end with the experiments for teleportation. (Freeman's side)

spectacularly wrong - anihliate all offensive life forms. Invade Xen. Take over teh UNIVERSE!! (Combine/Breen)

And Breen, as someone said, prolly wants you with on his side. the G-man sends you to City 17 to stop the Combine after your criogenesis(mag info).

 

[Sulkdodds]

Erm...are you amking this up or do you have more reliable sources than your own brain?

 

[Sprafa]

Erm...are you amking this up or do you have more reliable sources than your own brain?

I have the info Valve gave us & my brain.

 

[Sulkdodds]

What I'm saying is, did you get that from any kind of software you shouldn't have, or is it speculation? Is it in fact a spoiler, or just a theory?

About the combine: Maybe their 'drastic measures' in order to keep the invasion at bay is to mutate themselves and meld themselves with alien DNA.