*REAL* Citadel Exists in RL

[black_Whisperer]

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Zelenograd_-_Shtyki_Memorial.JPG

Hey I found this VERY peculiar-looking object on Wikipedia.org and it greatly reminds me of the Combine Citadel.

Scary, eh. Any thoughts?

Do you think it's just coincidence? Or did the VALVe team actually spot and chose this object and integrate it into Half Life 2?

 

[Xendance]

That looks most ****ed up.

 

[Barnz]

Get lost.

 

[black_Whisperer]

That looks most ****ed up.

Well, no one ever said that the Citadel was appealing.

 

[Mutley]

That's an awesome statue, love how all the text is carved out.

I guess it looks a bit like a Citadel.

 

[CyberPitz]

I can see where the resemblance is. I wouldn't be surprised if they saw that and used it for ideas.

 

[WriterforHire]

I also see a bit of a resemblance but did Valve use it during the development of the Citadel? Who knows. I think if your really interested you should try to email Gabe or Laidlaw, see whether its merely a coincidence or not.

 

[Warped]

http://foto.mail***/mail/spanishflyer/shukhovtower/i-2.jpg

http://foto.mail***/mail/spanishflyer/shukhovtower/i-1.jpg
http://www***ssiablog.org/MoscowRadioTVTower.jpg

be patient, we're getting there

 

[the cow says moo]

Did you ever consider that through a strange time machine accident, the people who made that statue jumped forward a little over sixty years, and played through HL2, where they felt inspired to go back in time to make a statue resembling the Citadel? That's the first thing that crossed my mind when I saw that picture.

 

[Omnomnick]

First pic looks sorta like the Citadel, those others in the 4th post look nothing like anything :|

 

[black_Whisperer]

I did not mention that the picture (the only picture) I originally provided is a Russian statue. Since there are speculations that City 17 is indeed the seaport of Odesa, Ukraine, I believe it is safe to say that there is a high probability that that statue could have sparked an idea on a VALVe's artist drawing board.

It seems VALVe borrowed heavily from both Eastern Europe, especially countries that speak and write in Russian.

Hence the Combine via the linky:
http://armchairgeneralist.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/the-combine-liv.html

 

[WriterforHire]

I did not mention that the picture (the only picture) I originally provided is a Russian statue. Since there are speculations that City 17 is indeed the seaport of Odesa, Ukraine, I believe it is safe to say that there is a high probability that that statue could have sparked an idea on a VALVe's artist drawing board.

It seems VALVe borrowed heavily from both Eastern Europe, especially countries that speak and write in Russian.

Hence the Combine via the linky:
http://armchairgeneralist.typepad.com/my_weblog/2007/11/the-combine-liv.html

But the Citadel was made by the Combine not the Russians. They would've been searching for otherwordly architecture, not Russian architecture.

 

[PJ]

But the Citadel was made by the Combine not the Russians. They would've been searching for otherwordly architecture, not Russian architecture.

it isn't exactly in-this-worldly architecture, though.

it looks a hell of alot like the citadel i think, however i doubt valve got thier ideas from it. its not even very big.

 

[black_Whisperer]

First pic looks sorta like the Citadel, those others in the 4th post look nothing like anything :|

Trolls go away when you ignore them.

 

[black_Whisperer]

But the Citadel was made by the Combine not the Russians. They would've been searching for otherwordly architecture, not Russian architecture.

Actually that is not what I was saying. What I saying is that VALVe appeared to be influenced a lot by Russian - what's the word? - things.

 

[WriterforHire]

it isn't exactly in-this-worldly architecture, though.

it looks a hell of alot like the citadel i think, however i doubt valve got thier ideas from it. its not even very big.

I agree, it doesn't look like regular architecture and it does look a lot like the Citadel, but I don't think they would have stumbled on it when looking for things specifically for the Combine. Perhaps they found it while they were looking for Russian architecture and decided to use the concept for the Citadel. Or it can be a freaky coincidence. Either can work.

 

[swan_song1973]

holy shit, thats awesome looking.

 

[Mech Man]

Its just a coincidence imo. In RTB it is stated that they designed the combine architecture first and then designed other things using that general template. Their over all theme changed several times too as it was originally more organic and then it changed to cubes and then it gradually changed in to what we see now , I believe they used the walls as a starting point when they designed new architecture for them although I am not sure about that.

 

[huntingbear]

wow everyone is overanalyzing each other waay too much in this thread....

 

[coheedswicked]

i think its just a neat coincidence.... or the combine also built that statue

 

[the cow says moo]

Don't double post, you can multi-quote by pressing the button to the right of the quote button.

I think it's a good possibility that Valve got ideas for the combine when researching the area they wanted City-17 to be in.

 

[<RJMC>]

from what I know the lead artist of the team is russian

 

[Barnz]

Antonov is from Bulgaria.

 

[AciD]

OMG CITADEL
But seriously, every tower must be a citadel?

 

[johnny]

The picture the OP put up is a Soviet WW2 memorial. Like all communist architecture it is meant to be grim and morbid-like. By no means, is it Russian in origin.
I do believe that the games designers hailing from eastern Europe (yes Antonov is Bulgarian), wanted to convey a sense of terror and desperation in that dystopian environment of City 17. The best parallel in history would have been the communist oppression faced by nations east of the iron curtain, so, my point is, the citadel is homage to the communist regimes, in its grimness and ugliness, it reminds us of that historical parallel.

Johnny out.

 

[PJ]

how bout this - the RUSSIANS copied VALVE.

that seems more likely

 

[HL2p0rTaL]

Cool pic!

 

[black_Whisperer]

@ WriterforHire

. . . . Perhaps they found it while they were looking for Russian architecture and decided to use the concept for the Citadel. Or it can be a freaky coincidence. Either can work.

I might have to email Gabe Newell about this. Though it is likely now that this is mere coincidence, as structures like the one shown in the original picture are just one of many Soviet structures in this nature of architecture.

@ Mech Man

In RTB it is stated that they designed the combine architecture first and then designed other things using that general template.

RTB? What is that?

@johnny

WOW.

The picture the OP put up is a Soviet WW2 memorial. Like all communist architecture it is meant to be grim and morbid-like. By no means, is it Russian in origin.

I see. It is very interesting to know that the Soviet Union wanted to convey this kind of architecture.

I do believe that the games designers hailing from eastern Europe (yes Antonov is Bulgarian), wanted to convey a sense of terror and desperation in that dystopian environment of City 17.

Now you've convinced me to visit eastern Europe and get thrown in some Combine Citadel. D:

The best parallel in history would have been the communist oppression faced by nations east of the iron curtain, so, my point is, the citadel is homage to the communist regimes, in its grimness and ugliness, it reminds us of that historical parallel.

This was exactly the info I was looking for. I always thought the Combine were representative of the Nazis. This communist theory is much more likely.

Godsend, mate!

 

[-Alyx-]

That is really cool! I would love a Citadel (Minus the Combine)