The Ending decyphered *BIG SPOILERS*

[clarky003]

, there is no time, time only exist's in the way it does to the perciever, time doesnt change.. its in constant flux.. (rythm , dance) .. the drummer plays his drum beat on in the background steadily but you dont have to percieve it for it to keep playing at a constant rythm, the vibrations of the universe are always there without light,, and at whatever speed its going at... I think that the game is ultimately getting us to 'think' and question, not only about the game, but about our own reality... in that way the connection with the game and our world is so deep...

it highten's our own perception and does the opposite of what the combine are,, forcing us as people to think more individually, through freedom we have the right to question. Through question we have the ability to learn and develop ourselves onto new levels of conciousness and awareness. I mean why else do we have so much unused space in our brain all that unused space is actually in use.. it just cant be percieved.. it works with more subtle energies.

i can really go off on one.. .. but you know it makes sense

 

[Bing_Oh]

there is no time, time only exist's in the way it does to the perciever, time doesnt change.. its in constant flux..

Or so Einstein's theory of general relativity says. Kinda depends on if you believe Einstein, doesn't it?

 

[Is This Tea]

Or so Einstein's theory of general relativity says. Kinda depends on if you believe Einstein, doesn't it?

You do realize that you’re referring to some of the most experimentally verified theories ever postulated… That’s like saying you don’t believe in preponderance of hard evidence in a trial.

 

[deathscent]

(I still need to read The Da Vinci Code... anyhow, my *theory*)
Jesus followed God's command without hesitation, but some regret.
Gordon followed G-Man's command without hesitation, and he (if you were Gordon, not playing him, because you were either admiring the graphics and not thinking about the hell he's going through...) regretted it.
God tested Jesus to see if he would be the carrier/messenger of sanity, peace of mind, and all that crap (no offence, Jebus!)
G-Man has either finished or is starting to test Gordon to try to carry out a message to the people that will listen.
One thing I have against this if it is true, why all the violence? Can't the G-Man give the poor guy a break and give him infinite health, and some sort of crazy mental attack that makes people followers?

 

[Spugmaster]

The G-Man comes from Earth's future and he is a time traveller. The truth will be revealed in the next installment, sometime around 2010.

So he is really John Titor...

http://www.johntitor.com

Just kidding - but on it does seem as though the G-Man is acting as Gordons agent/manager as it were...brokering out his services to whoever bids the most. This may not be about money - the G-man could be brokering Gordons talents in exchange for information/power/technology/anything...

 

[Bing_Oh]

You do realize that you’re referring to some of the most experimentally verified theories ever postulated… That’s like saying you don’t believe in preponderance of hard evidence in a trial.

Oh, I never said that I didn't believe Einstein. Personally, I've thought that his theory of general relativity has a kind of quiet elegance even since it was explained to me. However, it does remain a theory and, therefore, subject to interpetation and potentially being disproved.

 

[Arden]

Some very good discussion in here. I don't even own a PC, I haven't completed either game on my own where I play it (watched the HL2 Done Quick video enough times, though), and I can't stop reading about it. There's definitely lots of discussion on other games, such as those made by Bungie, but this story is just too engrossing.

I have a few points that I don't think anybody else has raised:

1. Why does Black Mesa East have at least 2 airlocks, one from the waterways and one from the scrapyard, but it doesn't have one leading to Ravenholm? (And why have no zombies found their way to the Ravenholm tunnel?)
2. What, exactly, are those energy core sphere things that you manipulate at the end of the game? They're physical enough to be affected by gravity (the gravity gun), but they travel through some sort of energy beams...
3. People seem to have accepted ant lions as a way of life: they talk about breeding season, they have the thumpers... where did they come from? Were the ant lions originally intended as a means of population control, like head crabs, but got out of control, or did they just appear with the rest of the aliens? And why do they live in coastal areas if they drown immediately?...
4. What form did the Combine take during the Portal Storms and the 7 Hour War? All the manifestations of the Combine we meet in the game are (or were) human at one point, it is generally agreed, so who or what attacked us in the first place? Xen slaves? And if the ultimate goal is the subjugation of the populace and harvesting of resources, why are there so many measures of despotic rule in place? Why not simply round up all humans everywhere and march them into the Citadel? And how did the Combine establish their presence on Earth before putting people into Civil Protection and the like, striders and gunships?
5. It seems odd that Breen somehow manages to surrender Earth, implying agreement on the parts of every major political body on the rest of the planet. How did he manage to get the governments of China, Germany, the United States, France, the UK, and everywhere else to surrender? We can barely get humans to stop fighting humans (case in point: the Middle East), what made everybody give it up to Breen's terms?
6. Are the gunships, drop ships, striders and anything else we haven't seen manned (some, possibly... others, doesn't seem likely), do they have their own sort of brain, or, perhaps, are they remote-controlled? Case in point: the gunships. They certainly seem to have some sort of biological aspect to them (eyes, flippers), but having seen one up close (I brought the one on Highway 17, that chases you on the road, and you can shoot down using ammo in a van in the middle of a pileup, right in front of me, and took great pleasure in shooting it with the gravity gun), there isn't any room for a humanoid pilot.

Anyway, these are just a few of the things that I've thought about since finding these message boards and reading all the discussion. I, like the overwhelming majority of you, urgently await the arrival of HL3.

Edit: Phew, when I hit Submit it told me I wasn't logged in and I was afraid I'd have to rewrite this whole post. Fortunately, that turned out not to be the case... :angel:

 

[Asknoone]

Why does Black Mesa East have at least 2 airlocks, one from the waterways and one from the scrapyard, but it doesn't have one leading to Ravenholm? (And why have no zombies found their way to the Ravenholm tunnel?)

Not sure about this one, also several zombies have found there way to it, you see one crumpled at the elevator shaft...and how exactly would they get down if they could?

What, exactly, are those energy core sphere things that you manipulate at the end of the game? They're physical enough to be affected by gravity (the gravity gun), but they travel through some sort of energy beams...

Theyre a power source. They power the generator in the square in ant citizen one and power the barriers and suppression device in the overwatch nexus.

# People seem to have accepted ant lions as a way of life: they talk about breeding season, they have the thumpers... where did they come from? Were the ant lions originally intended as a means of population control, like head crabs, but got out of control, or did they just appear with the rest of the aliens? And why do they live in coastal areas if they drown immediately?...

Well theyre obviously from xen and came via portal storms. Liek all other xen creatures they inhabit the wastelands of earth (prettyy much all the planet) and just started to live here. The thumpers have been placed by the combine, who most likley developed them when they were in control of xen. To humans, theyre just regular wildlife now.

What form did the Combine take during the Portal Storms and the 7 Hour War? All the manifestations of the Combine we meet in the game are (or were) human at one point, it is generally agreed, so who or what attacked us in the first place? Xen slaves? And if the ultimate goal is the subjugation of the populace and harvesting of resources, why are there so many measures of despotic rule in place? Why not simply round up all humans everywhere and march them into the Citadel? And how did the Combine establish their presence on Earth before putting people into Civil Protection and the like, striders and gunships?

They used the Synth army. The synth is a self replicating race that the combine conquerd long ago and absorbed them into thier ranks. The gunships and striders are synth. So basically, the invasion force consisted of the crab synths seen in the citadel and thestriders etc.

It seems odd that Breen somehow manages to surrender Earth, implying agreement on the parts of every major political body on the rest of the planet. How did he manage to get the governments of China, Germany, the United States, France, the UK, and everywhere else to surrender? We can barely get humans to stop fighting humans (case in point: the Middle East), what made everybody give it up to Breen's terms?

There were no governments left. Remember the xen wildlife came before the combine and they invaded first, forcing people into cities etc. The governments were weak and futile. And then the combine come? Who wipe out our forces...Raisign the bar states that breen gathered to him all power he could in a crisis and used it to address the combien forces via a radiotower. And he simply surrendered our race.

# Are the gunships, drop ships, striders and anything else we haven't seen manned (some, possibly... others, doesn't seem likely), do they have their own sort of brain, or, perhaps, are they remote-controlled? Case in point: the gunships. They certainly seem to have some sort of biological aspect to them (eyes, flippers), but having seen one up close (I brought the one on Highway 17, that chases you on the road, and you can shoot down using ammo in a van in the middle of a pileup, right in front of me, and took great pleasure in shooting it with the gravity gun), there isn't any room for a humanoid pilot.

As i said before, theyre alive, and theyre synths...just that they have c ombine tech forced on them.

 

[Arden]

Yeah, okay, I gleaned a lot of that from doing some further reading (on this site and the proposed story on Steampowered that someone linked to). But a couple things remain...

The power things, for one. Okay, they're an energy source. So's a battery. But what the hell are they? A battery is a metal tube filled with chemicals... what are these, something similar to the pulse gun alt-fire? Some kind of plasma? Condensed milk?

As for the zombies at the bottom of the tunnel, I either missed them or forgot about them, so apparently they tried to fall their way into BME. But it still doesn't explain why they don't have an actual airlock there.

Also, how was it that Mossman was in the airlock control room the minute you entered it? Especially considering how surprised she seemed to be upon discovering your identity.

 

[Asknoone]

The power things, for one. Okay, they're an energy source. So's a battery. But what the hell are they? A battery is a metal tube filled with chemicals... what are these, something similar to the pulse gun alt-fire? Some kind of plasma? Condensed milk?

Its the same thign you fire out of secondary fire on the overwatch pulse rifle..so they must be some sort of plasma. I think

As for the zombies at the bottom of the tunnel, I either missed them or forgot about them, so apparently they tried to fall their way into BME. But it still doesn't explain why they don't have an actual airlock there.

Well theres a blast door...i dunno why...mayeb its because it doesnt directly connect with the outside world like all other places do.

Also, how was it that Mossman was in the airlock control room the minute you entered it? Especially considering how surprised she seemed to be upon discovering your identity.
Reply With Quote

Basically its a story thing, its just one of those things you have to look past. I dont think of it as any relevance.

 

[Is This Tea]

Oh, I never said that I didn't believe Einstein. Personally, I've thought that his theory of general relativity has a kind of quiet elegance even since it was explained to me. However, it does remain a theory and, therefore, subject to interpetation and potentially being disproved.

Fair enough... Some additional thoughts...
Based on Dr. Mossman’s quote, “we think their portals are string based, similar to our Calabi-Yau models…” I think physics of hl2 (Plot wise not engine) are based on String Theory or M-theory. Whatever you want to call it. String theory’s original purposed is to unite the physics of Quantum Mechanics and Relativity together into a coherent unified theory. In which case I would wager that Einstein still holds a lot of clout in the plot of hl2.

Calabi-Yau space:
A space into which the extra spatial dimensions required by string theory can be curled up, consistent with the equations of the theory.

[*]What, exactly, are those energy core sphere things that you manipulate at the end of the game? They're physical enough to be affected by gravity (the gravity gun), but they travel through some sort of energy beams...

Don’t forget that “technically” it’s a zero point energy manipulator… not a gravity gun. I’m assuming that gravitons are not involved in this process. Since I don’t know jack about zero point energy I’ll just stop right there.

Zero Point Energy:
Energy in a substance at the temperature of absolute zero.

Graviton:
Smallest bundle of the gravitational force field; messenger particle for the gravitational force.

Hmm… I’m not so sure about this but… even if it were a gravity gun… Isn’t energy just as subject to gravity no mater what form it’s stored in? In other words… I didn’t think that energy had to be expressed as mater to interact with gravity. Somebody know if I’m right or wrong?

 

[NeLi]

Gordon is stuck in a Simulation. That's why the Gman can appear at the most vulnerable places and not be threatened by the combine or aliens. He also appears on a television which emits a very strange sound, just before Gordon enters a room, and then he dissapears, which is very shady.

He can also stop time. It's a simulation. A test for Gordon.

 

[Asknoone]

Gordon is stuck in a Simulation. That's why the Gman can appear at the most vulnerable places and not be threatened by the combine or aliens. He also appears on a television which emits a very strange sound, just before Gordon enters a room, and then he dissapears, which is very shady.

He can also stop time. It's a simulation. A test for Gordon.

I doubt it veery much.

Gman cant stop time, what stopped time was the singularity collapse, it makes things close to it go sloooooooooooooooooooooow and gman took advantage and took gordon out of there, but gordon remained with a fixed image of his head because its the last thing he saw, but he doesnt relise he isnt even there any more.

And, i believe the reason for nothing attacking gman is because he isnt even there, he can talk, but he isnt really around there

 

[Megalomaniac]

I do believe the G-Man slowed down time, I don't think he brought it to a stop, if you watch the explosion it changes...so time isn't stop...

Now I didn't read all the posts, I got to page 10 and was like screw it. so here is my thoughts(A bunch of random and not ordered theories)

I might as well start at the beginning. First you see the G-Man on the tain across from you, then before you "suit-up" you see him arguing with a scientist. If you remember the Scientist saying "weren't you supposed to be in the barrel 30 minutes ago".
In Half Life 2 Mossman says she shoulda been the one in the barrel that day.
From all this I think the G-Man had something to do with you be in the barrel. I also belive he gave the "Pure sample", push for it to be tested.
Next time he see's he you shakes his head and walks away(Doesn't even open the door for you..***de bugger). So I don't know if he expected it or not but he wasn't sure of how well you would do.

The next theory would be what the G-Man motive are. Him being owned like you being owned by him which doesn't make much sense to me...
He obviouly isn't in it for money. maybe power. but i strongly doubt money.
I also think he is on the Humans side and his "owner(s?)" are fighting the combine(or whatever there name is).
As for what the "G" means in G-Man, I think it is just the initial for his species name. I don't think it means anything special(unless it is a rank or something).

I don't think the G-Man controls you, I thinks he puts you somewhere and hopes for the best, that's why he watches, to let you know he is there.

There might be more buts that all for now

 

[Asknoone]

Mossman never worked at black mesa, she just wanted gordons job, Gordon was just late.

 

[Sid Burn]

wat if Mossman got the job and started the whole mess in Black Mesa?

 

[JohnnyL]

something different:
when i started the game first i played it with the german synch. i was put off because the g-man sounded really... shitty so to say. so i restarted the game in english. and still the g-man's talking sounded very... off. either these reverbes were generated by gordon waking up from his "statis" or it gives a hint that the g-man isn't quite as human as he seems to be at the first glance.

I think it's simpler than that. I think he just has a speech disorder or something.

another thing i wonder about: if the g-man is able to pop up in your head, why does he still have to keep a physical eye on you? is he for real when you see him watching over you or is he just in your head?

I don't think he can pop up in your head. I don't understand what he does at the beginning and end of the game, but trying to answer those questions is just a prelude to a ridiculous tale.

as far as the combine-soldiers go: i think if you'd be able to shoot off their masks you'd find these cyber-zombie like things you saw when gliding through the citadel in the pod.

Again, keep it simple. It makes total sense that they would be humans, if somewhat altered. If they were the cyber-freaks, I don't think they would cuss, or need to be roto-rootered like Dr. Breen did in Nova Prospekt. Remember that, during the trip into the citadel, you saw soldiers and cyber-freaks, and it looked like the former were being less than kind to the latter.

I also highly doubt that Gordon is kept in stasis. At the start, the G-Man alludes to his having been rather busy in the intervening years.

 

[JohnnyL]

As for what the "G" means in G-Man, I think it is just the initial for his species name. I don't think it means anything special(unless it is a rank or something).

If I remember, G-Man is an unofficial name, and that we really don't know who the hell he is. (I do have a few educated guesses as to his identity, but not his motives.) "Suits" who work for the government are often calle G-men, and so the G almost certainly stands for "government."

 

[NeLi]

About the combine...

Didn't you get to see a Combine without a mask in Nova Prospekt? First, you saw one of those cyberfreaks shaking in a tube on a wall through a monitor, and then, through the same monitor, you could see a Human on a table with Combine clothing. Only his face was uncovered. It looked as if he was on an operating table.

 

[Is This Tea]

About the combine...

Didn't you get to see a Combine without a mask in Nova Prospekt? First, you saw one of those cyberfreaks shaking in a tube on a wall through a monitor, and then, through the same monitor, you could see a Human on a table with Combine clothing. Only his face was uncovered. It looked as if he was on an operating table.

Yes…. Because the overwatch soldiers are modified humans… That’s why Dr. Breen refers to them as the “Transhuman arm of sector 17 overwatch.”

Transhumanism is the idea that new technologies are likely to change the world so much in the next century or two that our descendants will in many ways no longer be "human."

Humanity’s greatest challenge in the years ahead will be to try and remain fully human without shutting the door on technological and biological enhancement. (Which would doom us to extinction.)

The Overwatch and stalkers are a perfect example of a total failure in that regard.

Some pictures originally posted by Baldrick…
1
2
3
4
See… theyz gots sh*t in em were it don’t belongs.

 

[Phortuin]

I've read all the other theories/explanations/ideas in this thread, some of them are really good and got me on track of a lot of stuff - so here's what I think.

1 - Timeframe
2 - Teleporter issues
3 - G-man
4 - Contract
5 - Other stuff & questions

1 ///// Timeframe

HL2 takes place about 20 years after the Black Mesa incident. Clues: Gordon hasn't 'changed an iota', the photo of Eli Vance, Alyx and his wife are the only thing Eli 'managed to carry out of Black Mesa'. The picture was taken when Alyx is about 2 years old, and since Alyx is now 20something, my guess is 20 years have passed. I think that seeing the aging of Eli and dr. Kleiner that could be about right. Besides that, 20 years seems a reasonable time to pour Earth into the Combine mold; (with all the City ##'s (take a look at the departure/arrival times at the trainstation) and martial law type stuff). Also the way people you meet take a lot of stuff for granted make it seem like the situation's been around for a long time. But then again it's hard to judge; on some occasions it feels like this rebellion has just started. Which could ofcourse be indeed the case.

2 ///// Teleporter Issues

Something that I haven't seen being discussed is the G-mans timing. In HL1 Gordon has a whole life up until the point the Black Mesa incident happened (or DOES he!...), but in HL2 G-man just puts you on 'play' when the time is right. Apparently, the time is right on the 'Red Letter Day' - the day dr. Kleiner finished the local teleporter. So obviously the teleporter is really important - the reason being that from now on, people can escape City 17 by teleporting themselves to Black Mesa East, instead of taking the long, hard route along the canals. Is that all they can come up with!?! Granted, if you're in the position those people are in you'd probably use everything you can for the sole purpose of survival, but damn, building a teleporter to help people get out of the City somewhat easier... So on account of this teleporter thing, this puzzles me:

The teleporter, apart from helping you escape the citadel at a certain point which could have been played out otherwise, does not serve a perpose for Gordon or the G-man. All I can come up with is that by Lamarrs interference, the teleporter fails, you get put in Breens office who recognizes you - which only gives him a 10-minute head start - and you have to take the long way to Black Mesa East. And the week it takes for you to get back to Kleiner's place doesn't really affect City17, or it should be that the rebels are getting really itchy trigger fingers by now! And what's up with that week of delay, anyway? It didn't take Gordon a week to get teleported outside Kleiner's crib in the first place.

So all in all, the teleporter could play an important role to the rebels or others trying to bust town and ofcourse the technology is really important to the Combine, but in the course of the game, none of these roles are played out. So why, why I ask you, did the G-man choose this day?

3 ///// G-man

I think that originally the G-man was someone, some sort of watcher if you will, who stumbled upon Gordon, kept an eye on him and watched in surprise as Gordon managed to take care of things at Black mesa better than he could ever wish for. So he was ordered to hire him for future purposes. I don't think the Black Mesa incident has a lot to do with the incidents in HL2 (outside of a historical perspective, I mean) - I guess the G-man just pulls you out of his stock of World Saviours because at this point, with these variables, you're the man for the job - 'the right man in the wrong place' to be exact.

I do know that he cares for Gordon, he sees him as a very potential person and seeing as he tends to Alyx in the end at the explosion, you can tell he knows what's going on in Gordon's head and is willing to protect those that are important to Gordon. So that's why I think Alyx is definitely going to be around. Plus, she was one of the people who helped build the teleporter, so she'll probably be pretty important later on as well.

I also strongly believe in the concept of the G-man seeing you as his successor. It just... makes sense.

4 ///// Contract

Breen knows about your contract and is willing to buy you out (my guess is not to deliver you to the Combine, but rather as someone who can tell the rebellion to take a chill pill and happily join the Combine to spread some transhuman love). A lot of winking and nudging is going on at that moment: Breen's sarcastic smirk suggests he is intentionally discussing it in front of the others (and by mentioning he probably shouldn't do that he's not helping keeping it hushed either) and Alyx and Eli respond rather upset - like they know about your contract and don't want you to know they know. Then Mossman spoils it all by rescuing your lives. I'm not convinced Alyx and/or Eli do indeed know about your contract - Alyx's reaction could have been randomly, like she's saying Gordon would never pick Breen's side.

I don't think the resistance hired you - I believe the G-man has his own agenda, and why would he let the resistance hire you if his targets where the same as those of the resistance, namely kicking some Combine ass. It makes no sense. Gordon helps them help you help the G-man. Rather than letting them hire you (via the Intergalactic Hero Agency?!? Dial 0800-SAVIOUR?) had he informed them in some way that you were coming.

Because that is rather bizarre. Everybody knows you, nobody is surprised you were gone for all those years, they even knew what day you were coming (with Barney's perfect timing in stopping you from taking the train to the Citadel and Alyx stopping the CP's from beating you up some more) like you gave them a call: 'Hey, it's Gordon, I'm taking the 9:45 from City14, see you in a few hours'...

So who put you under contract... I haven't got a clue

5 ///// Other stuff & questions

Is Black Mesa East the eastern european branch of Black Mesa, or is it the east wing of the old Black Mesa facility? I can't imagine the latter, seen as Black Mesa is supposed to be in New Mexico, but after the incident, how could Eli, Kleiner and the others have taken all that equipment, blueprints and stuff and escaped to the other side of the planet? Of course, in 20 years (if I'm right there) a lot can be accomplished, but even then... And shouldn't some of the people on the streets be talking in strange tongues? Like, sdrnzdszj?

Are the gunships and striders alive? And what about the helicopters? I believe I saw something like turtle shaped tanks at some point in the Citadel, just before you get to Breen's office. Could be they were part of the gunships?

Did you guys notice the scratched out head on the group photo at Kleiner's place? I guess that was originally Breen?

Even if you haven't aged in all those years, aren't you a little... old for Alyx? You were born probably 30 years before her... Oh and by the way I had this real cute medic chick with a shotgun around all the time. Man I almost dumped Alyx over her. She didn't talk much, seemed like the Gordon type

I really liked a theory I read here in this thread (I shamefully forgot who mentioned it) on the terraforming properties of the Citadel. It really is a very, very plausible theory; slowly changing Earth's atmosphere, eating the cities and stuff. I like that.

And consider this: maybe, just maybe, Valve didn't put in as much thought as we all did...

/////

Maybe this isn't groundbreaking but these are the questions and thoughts I have. I don't really care for all that world domination by the Combine who are actually human who are actually a transgenic breed who are actually from Xen who are actually rulers of the galaxy who are actually dolphins and mice type of stuff. So. Just so you know

Thanks for reading, i'd like your comments !

Black Mesa group photo
Drawing for Kleiner by Alyx

 

[bboymatty]

guys, i know alot of you are like.. "Holy smokes batman! What type of transmutational flux drive oscillator do u think Dr Kliener uses?"

Come on! its just a game and its set in the future. I reckon even gabe newell wouldnt have a clue!

No offence intended to anyone here, im just saying enjoy the game for what it is!

 

[bboymatty]

Me again.

Just thought i would try to answer the questions/ make conversation posed by Phortuin

IM not saying im right about this stuff but it seems plausible!
also you gotta remember that it is just a game and maybe we are getting too deep into the "expanded universe" of half life!
but hey its fun.


1. Timeframe

The possiblity that the incidents are 20 years into the future is a very realistic possiblity. My guess however is that it is not 20 years, but instead only 10 years.

reasoning:
1. although its possible about the picture of alyx and eli being the only things he could take out of BMRF, no comment is ever made on it so we cant be sure. ALSO the picture COULD be from BMRF but not taken close to the resonance cascade. so really his picture could already be ten years old when the incident took place.

2. Dr Kleiner was old in HL1!! and 20 years is a long time! he would most certainly have died of old age before gordon came out of the portal!

3. the 7 hour war and portal storms serverly reduced earths defences (alas, 7 hours before we were defeated!) so as soon as it was all good for combine to come here, they started to set up shop and round up all the remaining populace into citys with propaganda like "Its safer here".
Really they just wanted everyone close so that resistance could be monitored and broken up by combine overwatch.

anyways thats enough on that.

2. Teleporter Issues.

first thing off the bat, when gordon and alyx teleported, they teleported 1 week into the future by accident as the teleporter was destroyed. kleiner looks confused at first coz he had lived through the week that alyx and gordon just skipped. so he calls it a slow time warp because the time to kleiner was travelling slower than it did for gordon and alyx.

secondly, the teleporter issue and travelling to BME is just a small portion of the story. regardless of whether it was there or not you were supposed to travel to BME to see vance and then later rescue him, but at the same time set yourself up for a confrontation with breen and destroy the dark energy teleporter thingo. which is what i believe G-Man wanted you to do.

So the answer to your question is, G-Man chose this day because the dark energy drive was ready to use and if gordon didnt stop it then the world would be destroyed.

G-Man is a funny name isnt it.

ok on we go.

3. G-Man

G-Man is cool. I agree with your comments although about the whole caring stuff, nar.

Alyx will be in Half life 3 because the player built a relationship with her in HL2 so the question of whether she dies or not is a huge cliffhanger which will make us crazy HL fans salivate for the next installment.
Hurry up Valve!

Personally, G-Man is a Alien who has used something to turn him into a human form, but not a very convincing one. His speech is laboured coz hes not used to English.

4.Contract

Contract? Breen thinks Gordon is working for the resistance, and i mean who wouldnt?! Hes been killing overwatch soldiers and shooting down gunships all day!

I think he makes reference to gordon being in league with the rebellion but has no real proof. He certainly cant be talking about the contract that gordon has with g-Man.

5. Other Stuff

Black Mesa East. Heheh.
I would say that its just a sentimental name to the old workplace of Gordon and Eli. and Not actually a outpost of Black Mesa.

Im pretty sure that East is just a reference of this new labratory against the old one in New mexico, as it is "east of New Mexico"

---

They probably took what they could from Black mesa or assembled it all again from what they could scavenge when they arrived. They are Ph.D's in advanced physics so it is very possible that they can have created everything.

Probably the only thing they brought with them from New Mexico was Dog, who Vance probably thought was essential for Alyx to be safe and still roam the streets.

Gunships and striders look organic and they are, as a post from before said they are creatures that make up the so called "synth" army. They are most definately creatures that the Combine have enslaved as part of there galaxy wide reign of domination and have been equipped with weapons of the combine

Remember that the combine enslaved the vortigaunts from xen just the same way and used their projectile electrical abilities to combat enemies.

--

Breen is most definetly the man who has been scratched out of the picture.

--

Old? HA! alyx has been ageing while gordon has been in stasis for 10 years, so nah they are fine.

dont get your hopes up: i dont think half life 3 will include a seduction of gordon by alyx.

I bet that medic chick got busted up bad like all of my soldiers who were unlucky enough to be under my command. hehe

--

The citadel and other machines run by the combine were consuming earths resources but their purpose is unknown. Maybe it was to transport resources to the combine homeworld or make earth habitable by other combine organisms?

--

Ok. I am done.

Bboymatty.

---
Id like to procrastinate one day but ive never gotten around to doing it.

 

[Is This Tea]

guys, i know alot of you are like.. "Holy smokes batman! What type of transmutational flux drive oscillator do u think Dr Kliener uses?"

Come on! its just a game and its set in the future. I reckon even gabe newell wouldnt have a clue!

Actually it seems like Marc Laidlaw is pretty up on his science to me… Maybe cause he writes sci-fi…

No offence intended to anyone here, im just saying enjoy the game for what it is!

Actually I think you might be missing out on part of the game if you really think it’s not that sophisticated.

 

[thehero_dies]

yay im a n00b here.. i've been reading this thread for who knows how long. really interesting i finished half life 2 last last.. last night and that game left me with a shitload of questions maybe cuz i havent played the original half life... hmm.

so i did some researching on the storyline and found some good stuff.. decided to find out more cuz im curious like that. and voila! here i am. i guess "The Ending decyphered *BIG SPOILERS*" doesnt exactly fit this thread but im enjoying this anyway.

har har. just a thanks to everyone for answering pretty much all the questions i had about the gman and combine and stuff.. maybe i still got some loose ends to tie up about the first game, but i'll figure that one out (; i must say, half life is the best game ive ever played! hoo ha.

 

[Talfrey]

I've been toying around with an idea here... want an opinion...

Ok...

I never really felt the G-Man was much of a rebel (as in the G-Man rebellion vs. Combine theory), nor do I see him as an interstellar hero pimp. (As in the whole Gordan is a contracted hero under G-Man theory).

But I DID have a thought...

Maybe he's not rebelling againest the Combine, but more... the combine is the rebellion, and he's part of the 'governement' trying to squash it's spread. It'd be a very very large scale, but it would make him seem a little bigger than what a lot of the theories put him as.

 

[Pegcrab]

I don't see how which side is rebelling really matters - either way, he's an agent working against the combine.

What I don't understand, however, is why the hell the rebel group would need to 'hire' mercenaries to fight the combine, the combine seems evil enough that people would fight it willingly. I don't think he's only against the combine, I think that Gordon has only been up against the combine because it was more comfortable to use him - he fought against the combine in the Black Mesa incident, so it would only make sense to use him again since he is familiar with many people running the resistance on earth etc.

i think that the combine isn't necceseraly THE interdimentional super power, but rather one faction fighting for conrol against others like it, and that the G-Man is working for a faction that plays all the other factions against each other using mercenaries - making a quick buck off the conflict. I also think the G-Man is more ambitious then his employers think, and wants to twist the situation to his own advantage, using "super soldiers" like gordon and Shepard to complete the contracts his company takes, and also further his own goals through them.

 

[Unvision]

Interesting stuff...

At the end, I think we can clearly say that the G-Man slows time. Why? Because some things still change (really slowly) and because you can still move (really slowly.) Combining this with the fact that Kleiner talks about the possibilities opened up after you take a week to teleport back to him in Black Mesa East and the fact that you are kept in stasis (I'd argue it's actually near-stasis, since we have no reason to believe that he can actually stop time) by the G-Man, it seems clear that basically he is all about teleportation technology.

We know that the Combine have inter-dimensional teleport technology, we know that humans have local and inter-dimensional technology (although only a few scientists at Black Mesa knew about it [and the G-Man, if he's human]) and we know that Xenians (well, Nihilanth) had some sort of innate mental ability to do both.

The Xenians thing is the most interesting to me, because of the whole "Border World" thing. When you travel to Xen in HL1, there are a lot of things that ignore "traditional" reality (including the seemingly impossible things established throughout the rest of the game.) Just as a quick example, there are floating chunks of rock that you jump across when you first arrive. They just spiral aimlessly around. Now, you could point out that there were other floating objects in the game (back in Black Mesa) but there were "scientific" explanations for these phenomena - the advanced experiments of the scientists. To explain this phenomenon, we have several hints, mostly dropped in the first game.

The argument I'm maintaining is that, as a border world, Xen exists interdimensionally, ignoring the rules of physics and "reality."
For: The role that Xen plays in teleportation (in the original HL games) suggests there is something "odd" about how reality works here, as does its name.
Against: This theory requires (well, not really, but still) an explanation of how and why life (in the form of Nihilanth, the Vortegaunts, headcrabs, etc.) exists there in the first place. It seems weird for a "dimension" (if it can be called that) that doesn't even have gravity in the normal sense of the word would lead to the evolution of multiple species... especially considering its value to other inter-dimensional space-faring species (a la the Combine).

I believe that the G-Man wanted to create the resonance cascade scenario - I'm not convinced he's working on humanity's side, he's just using them (especially Gordon) to thwart the Combine. His conversation with the scientists, asking them to go above the limits of the equipment in the name of science, was intended to create/weaken the boundaries between Xen and our dimension. You fight through the entire game, he watches your progress, you kill Nihilanth (which frees the Vortigaunts to be your allies in HL2) because the scientists believe it will end the disaster that they created. The truth, of course, is that Nihilanth was (probably through force) ruling over Xen as a figurehead - just like our white-haired friend in HL2 back on Earth. Based on what Nihilanth says in HL1, I think it's clear that the Combine already controlled Xen. When you killed Nihilanth and connected Xen to our dimension, you not only threw open the door to a resource-rich planet for the Combine to come take over, but because you were able to kill Nihilanth, you demonstrated that mankind could be a threat to the Combine's empire. Thus, they make the logical decision that Earth must be conquered. Thereafter we have the 7-hour war, the installation of Breen, etc.

So why does the G-Man want all this to happen? Because not only does the Combine perceive you as a threat - you really ARE. So it was in his interest (especially if he has no great care for humanity, only a great distaste for the Combine) to make humanity (and Gordon) meet with the Combine. He is totally Machiavellian - his hope is that, while Earth will have to suffer/die, at least the Combine will be taken down with it.

I'd say that gives us two options: he's either human but COMPLETELY cold and heartless and Machiavellian, interested only the the outcome, or he's an alien, appearing as a human in order to destroy the Combine, which, in typical cliche-ness, is probably a interdimensional evil empire.

 

[timbrewolf]

Univision - I like the idea about the "slow" teleport being in play at the end of HL2.

I had a feeling that the "slow teleport" was only to move the story forward a week, but it could certainly be possible that the explosion of the reactor core combined with the portal opened would set a teleport in the works.

That could mean a couple things:
1. If the G-Man is an "intra-dimensional being" he would be able to be unaffected by the slow teleport in the vicinty and able to talk to Gordon as Gordon was transforming into minute atoms to be whisked away and reassembled elsewhere.
2. If it took a week to teleport from the Prision (or wherever) to the Scientists lab in a slow teleport, then it could take years to teleport to the Combine home world. Of course, the question of a host body is still raised for that

Finally, it makes perfect sense - in a "controlled" environment, the scientists were able to teleport directly. Like Alyx. Although Gordon's teleport was messed up by the Llamar, it wasn't an explosion.
The first "slow teleport" occured during the explosion of the prison, that's when it took a week.
The second "slow teleport" theorized,happened during the explosion of the core reactor. Again, possibly setting off the slow teleport to wherever the portal was opened to.

So depening on the scope of the teleport, it's obvious that Alyx is going with us Potentially the others in the building. Although I would assume Breen is definitely dead. It would be interesting to see some sort of "half destroyed and mangled Breen that was teleported into a host body. Some sort of otherworldy teleportation failure resulting in something truly hideuos I'd especially like to see that on my new GeForce 6800!

Timbrewolf

 

[Pegcrab]

I think the G-Man does put Gordon into complete stasis, because otherwise he would have to activate a slow teleport to where Gordon will be needed next, which would mean that the G-Man is travelling back from the future. I think we can rule out the possibilty that the G-Man is a time traveller, so Gordon must be kept in some sort of non-dimension, a dimesion where there is no time, or space, or anything else. So basicly, Gordon doesn't get a break between HL1 and 2, it's all just one continous event for him.

 

[Planeforger]

1. Timeframe
I think 10 years is more likely, because the characters just don't look 20 years older than they were. For example, Barney might have been between 20-40 years old in HL, but in HL2 he doesn't really look 40-60.

2.Teleporter Issues
It would make sense that the G-man would choose the day that Kleiner finished his portal, but then (since he can apparently see into the future) why would he want Gordon to use the portal if he knew something would go wrong? Was it just another test? Did something important happen while you were travelling to Eli's lab? Maybe he was just timing everything perfectly so that Alyx would be there when Mossman betrayed them, so that she could tell Gordon how to escape (through Ravenholm, which Eli would never have waned Gordon to go).

3. G-man
I really don't thing there is enough information about the G-man, because Valve haven't decided what to do with him yet. And I still believe that the birds are his spies!

4. Contract
Another question about this: if the Combine knew you were working for the highest bidder, then why didn't they outbid the highest bidder (if they have near infinite resoures and so on)? Also, what was being bid?

 

[Asknoone]

because Valve haven't decided what to do with him yet

They have, they have written out the hl universe, they know who he is

 

[Pegcrab]

I agree with Samon, you don't hire a writer to do the story for you and then make it up as you go along.

Not only that, but Half Life 2 is obviously a middle chapter in a trilogy, because it only acts as build up for the next one by creating loose ends and such that will be solved later.

 

[Counterspy]

In reading this thread I am struck by the fact that nobody discusses two aspects of a videogame experience. The first is a coherent story and the second is engaging graphics that flush out the characters and the environment where the characters act out the story. In the case of Half-life, the original (part 1) provided a highly developed script with twists and surprises at every turn and a progressively complex story in which Gordon Freeman must conquer his own limitations as well as vanquishing a variety of increasingly complex characters. In Half-life 2 the richness of the original is not fulfilled. The story is linear and the exigencies of the graphics take over from the character development and story-telling as happened in Half-life 1. Half-life 2 is a poorly written shell of the original that cannot be saved by spectactular graphics, giving rise to the speculation on the meaning of the events we are asked to involve ourselves in as we move through the game.

Going back to HL1, IIRC that the arrival on Xen was an accident which created its own set of problems. We are never told where the original teleportation in Vol. 1 was intended as a destination. In HL2 the writing falls of the edge as is often the case with sequels. Unlike truly great sequels such as Lord of the Rings or Star Wars, we are never given a plausible reason providing continuity from Vol. 1 to Vol. 2. It cannot be the G-Man for his active intervention takes place only at the end of Vols. 1 and 2 and the beginning of Vol. 2. Some continuity is provided by Gordon Freeman's protagonists such as head crabs and zombies. It seems that Vortegaunts have morphed into allies in Vol. 2 without explanation. I was struck with the appearance of the zombies all dressed in similar fashion again without a passing reference. The ending was not a resolution of the story setting the stage for the inevitable Vol. 3. The bumpy transitions in Vol. 1 once arriving on Zen is repeated in Vol. 2 as we cocoon through the final stages once again.

This raises an interesting issue. Do the game producers have the same obligations to the reader or movie-goer to tell a coherent story as its own genre when they undertake to take us through successive chapters of the same story? Once that question is answered, what makes a successful sequel? The G-Man is nothing more than an artifact of the story-teller. The sayings of Nihilanth related here give us a clue that more is involved. Is this enough of a foundation for the next chapter? Is the power of the graphics a suitable means of engaging us?

Perhaps none of the above is relevant in the next world of gaming. You can probably tell by now that I was truly disappointed in Half-life 2. I expected more of the creativity that captured me in Vol.1, Opfor and Blue Shift. And while I am not a team game player, I can appreciate the many hours of entrancing play in Counterstrike and its many spinoffs. With that I leave the rest up to you.

Counterspy

 

[Graius]

according to the Prima Official Hint Book, the GMan has some connection to the "Eldritch Entity". It also says that his...unusual pronunciation of english is possibly due to an unfamiliarity with human speech.

 

[Bing_Oh]

The story is linear and the exigencies of the graphics take over from the character development and story-telling as happened in Half-life 1.

I'm afraid that I must take issue with this statement. The story in HL was just as linear as the one in HL2. HL provides no alternatives, no choices for the character. Even the ending, which appears to give a choice, is only a smokescreen...the choice between an unknown life and a pointless death is no choice, after all. I do agree that HL dusguised it's linear storyline better than HL2 (this was the only real issue I had with HL2, actually), but a linear storyline was just as evident in each game.

Could there have been more resolution within the story itself? Absolutely. Would it have been "better" if this were the case? That's a question which may not be answerable until HL3 is released. Perhaps the events of HL2 are totally necessary for the development of the story.

As a game, HL2 was quite fun...that's my personal opinion and I do not begrudge others their own. However, to critique HL2 as part of a greater story until the story is finished is unfair. By the same token, I might say that The Fellowship of the Ring was a weak story...long, drawn-out, and boring (a friend of mine, who had never read the Lord of the Rings, held this very opinion). In reality, as my friend discovered, it was a vital part of the story, developing characters and backgrounds.

 

[Bing_Oh]

according to the Prima Official Hint Book, the GMan has some connection to the "Eldritch Entity". It also says that his...unusual pronunciation of english is possibly due to an unfamiliarity with human speech.

el·dritch
adj.
Strange or unearthly; eerie.

While I havn't read the Prima Guide, I suspect that they may have meant that he IS an eldritch entity. Clearly, he seems to be strange and eerie.

 

[Is This Tea]

I'm afraid that I must take issue with this statement.

Well put!

By the same token, I might say that The Fellowship of the Ring was a weak story...long, drawn-out, and boring (a friend of mine, who had never read the Lord of the Rings, held this very opinion). In reality, as my friend discovered, it was a vital part of the story, developing characters and backgrounds.

It just goes to show the range of opinion… I read the books and saw the movies… didn’t like either of them. I respect the books for being highly original and well thought out, but wasn’t entertained. I respect the movies for having a high production value and being a faithful adaptation, but wasn’t entertained. It’s entirely possible for a person to just not connect with a piece of art for no apparent reason. That’s why we have such a broad array of choices… I like Peter Jackson’s “Brain Dead” AKA “Dead Alive” much more then his lotr trilogy…

 

[bboymatty]

thats a really cool idea - not only are you in the stasis after g-man leaves you, but alyx is with u there too! you just dont know it.

therefore she'll be in HL3 which goes without saying anyways.

Barney is King.

 

[dj_flameskull]

hehe. its amazing how the story writers have put a big mystery into the game's plot eh? THis really impresses me the most. that's why i love this game so much. its not just shoot-the-boss-and-save-the-earth type of game. More POWER HL PEOPLE!!!