The Combine

[PainLord]

This may have been discussed before, but a few searches came up with nothing so ill preceed.

Looking through the screenshots with the combine in them, I notcied that they have different coloured gas masks.
For example here
http://www.halflife2.net/image_files/17.jpg
they have black gas masks, but here;
http://www.halflife2.net/image_files/11.jpg
they have white gas masks.

Do you think this has any relevance? Such as ranks, assigned jobs i.e alien hunters/human hunters?

What do yout think?

 

[hamtaro]

Nah, I don't think so. They had two gas masks to chose from - some of the combine soldiers thought that the white mask is cool and the others thought the same about the black ones. That's my explanation

 

[OCybrManO]

I thought the ones in the streets were the "Metrocops" but I might be mistaken...

 

[SidewinderX]

maybe they didn't wanna be racist.

 

[niddhoggr]

If you pay attention, all the soldiers that are outside the city, wear blue and black, and act like "soldiers" wear the black ones.

The ones that are in the city are more of "police officers", and wear white gas masks.

 

[Sprafa]

niddhogr is right, its like a ranking thing.

But has anyone noticed the weird symbol in their baks - double d an writing under or something (?!!?!)
And of course the orange bandages

 

[niddhoggr]

You mean on the back of their neck coller? that says "City 17"

 

[Sprafa]

No, on the back of their flak jacket here
A big white thing

http://www.halflife2.net/image_files/17.jpg

 

[Crusader]

Where did my post go :/

 

[63]

I think that the Combine rounding up the resistance fighters are more of a police force (with white gas masks), and the Combine with the black gas masks are a military faction. The insignia on their armour could indicate where they are from.

 

[The Mullinator]

No, on the back of their flak jacket here
A big white thing

http://www.halflife2.net/image_files/17.jpg

Ya the symbol on their backs seem to be the markings of "The Combine" If you look carefully you can also see the symbol on the striders.

 

[KiNG]

i wouldnt be surprised if in the game there were several more colors, camoflagues, and combonations. actually im expecting it.

 

[Gorgon]

Well I think its an early design of The Combine Mask, it usd to be white and now its black. example Alex top used to be made of Jeans now its .....Normal.

 

[63]

i wouldnt be surprised if in the game there were several more colors, camoflagues, and combonations. actually im expecting it.

I agree. Plus it will be real cool to have a Combine army with all the ranks vs. a Resistance army in MP.

 

[arse_wipe]

why are the combine shooting the AntLions? arent they like on the same side or something ?

 

[63]

why are the combine shooting the AntLions? arent they like on the same side or something ?

The Combine and the Aliens seem to be on 2 different sides. You answered your own question when the shooting bit came up.

 

[Impulse147]

I've seen that symbol in my algebra book,it is used in infinite and finite sets.

 

[BigBoss9]

כולם פה פריקים חסרי תקנה....ואתם גם כנראה לא מבינים אותי...
LOL - sry about the first lone...i just couldnt resist
now - it think the Valve didnt want all combine to look the same so they have put some white gass masks on some of them and walla - we have different kinds of combine!

but if to think....i pretty sure that it has to do with something like ranks

 

[ComradeBadger]

Moved.

 

[Jackal hit]

is there a distinction between "combine soldier" and "metro cop?" ...maybe it's something like that?

 

[Moto]

Speaking of "The combine," I just watched Gamespy's huge HL2 video again and at the very beggining of the strider segment, one of the VALVe guys says:

"In this last sequence, you'll get a look at the citadel at the center of the ALIEN combine. The combine is a FORTRESS that is slowly eating its way through the rest of city 17."

So, the way I heard it, those soldiers we all know as "The Combine" are not really called that. The huge black tower fortresses are called "The Combine." So, those soldiers now have no name unless somebody at valve has confirmed that their name is The Combine.

Maybe one person heard it wrong and now we all refer to them as The combine.
That's pretty interesting really.

While we are on the subject of speculating, I also found these images in the gamespy video towards the very end when the G-Man shows up and says "Well, well, isn't this just like old times?"

Note the horse statue that is located in the middle of the citadel, the odd outlines of the g-man, the indistinct green images of an unknown character, the Hydra, and the skull-like appearance on the g-man's face in the first picture.

 

[Letters]

is there a distinction between "combine soldier" and "metro cop?" ...maybe it's something like that?

Well... 'metro cop' sounds kinda pansy... :O

 

[Sulkdodds]

Maybe they're the washout combine.

 

[OCybrManO]

"In this last sequence, you'll get a look at the citadel at the center of the ALIEN combine. The combine is a FORTRESS that is slowly eating its way through the rest of city 17."

That quote sounds like it backs up my theory from another of the "What is the Combine?" threads. That's the quote I was looking for...

 

[Brian Damage]

I personally think that the combine soldiers are like SWAT, and the metrocps are more like normal policemen...

 

[Sprafa]

1st - Metrocops are in charge in City 17. They're some sort of heavy Combine police forces.

Remember the HDR vid ? City 17 is in perfect state.

Then the Resistancer starts fuking City 17 up and Martial Law is declared.
Combine Army comes in and starts mass murder.
City 17 turns into the the shit we see in the HL2 Bink vids.