The Half-Life Fact File

[Mechagodzilla]

After visiting the Rumour & Speculation forum a lot, it dawned on me that it was missing something: A comprehensive list of confirmed, speculation-free facts.

So, whenever I got bored and fired up one of the classic HL games, I jotted down some notes.

One year later, here's:

The Half-Life Fact File!

A comprehensive zip folder that contains (almost) every bit of information about the storylines of Half-Life, Half-Life: Opposing Force, Half-Life: Blue Shift and Half-Life: Decay.
Eventually, Half-Life 2, 3 and their expansions can fit in too.

Now, the 'almost' part is where you come in, because you can help build the Fact File and make it great.

Do you have a good amount of knowledge about any aspect of the HL1 universe?
Want to write a detailed character bio of Gordon, or a description of your favorite gun, alien or whatever?
Got a good screenshot of something that defies description?

Post any important HL1 details or corrections to my poor writing in this thread, and I'll periodically update the fact file with any information provided, and contributors will be acknowledged for historical reference.

If enough people add stuff, this could eventually become the most comprehensive Half-Life trivia resource. Perfect for people writing mods based on the HL storyline, or fan-fiction writers, or people who just want to better understand the plot.


There are only two rules for submissions:

1: Submit only things about the Half-Life universe that are clearly factual. There are already many sites that combine the facts with speculation, but the point here is to provide a fully factual counterpoint to that speculation. Example:

Good fact: Gordon is an MIT graduate.
Bad 'fact': Gordon is the G-man!!

2: For now, please don't submit any information you get from HL2! I haven't played it yet, and the spoilers would broil my eyes. :O
(This rule will obviously be lifted once I play the game.)

Other than that, post whatever.

Thanks!

 

[Spartan]

That's very impressive. I honestly can't be arsed to read through the full summary. You've probably covered everything. The creature descriptions are nice.

 

[Koop]

What exactly is decay?

 

[Bing_Oh]

Decay was the HL expansion for the PlayStation (or, was it PS2?). It's probably the least-known HL expansion...most people (including me) havn't played it.

 

[Dipso]

What about xen attacks?

 

[Firefox]

Good job. Well written.

Not to be a jerk, but in your summary for Opposing Force. It's spelt Adrian in this case, not Aidrian.

 

[nagual678]

that's impressive, if this is update regularly and provides a consistent and exhaustive-to-the-possible content, it will lead to the unveiling of the story.

can't wait to see what you will do with HL2, but i'm "reassuring" you : there are TONS of hints, etc in the game, under all possible forms and it'll require much time and dedication to unravel all. i'm sure not even the half of what's in the game has been pointed out.

 

[Dipso]

We have been working on decifering the dialogue between the scientist and the g-man at the start of the original half life. Take a look and see, maby it could be included in your script for half life 1

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=24511&page=1&pp=15

(I've made a lengthy post in that thread trying to tie it up to the rest of the story)

Direct link:
http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showpost.php?p=1012636&postcount=163

 

[we11er]

people have tried to decipher that before, I don't think they ever got anything clear out of it...

 

[Rhalle]

Nice effort with the translation, but there's nothing specific in it.

All you need to know about what they say is:


GMAN= do the experiment at 110% so the resonance cascade will happen

Scientest= nono I just can't.

That's all there is to it.

 

[Asknoone]

GMAN= do the experiment at 110% so the resonance cascade will happen

Wrong actually, theres a line in the half life 2 script that wasn't used which renders what you just said rhalle usless.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

What about xen attacks?

For anyone who doesn't know, Xen Attacks is a bonus co-op mission that is unlocked when you beat Decay, where you play as two xen slaves.
I have the summary for it at the bottom of the big plot summary, but not much of note happens in it beyond showing how the aliens act, and showing a new type of car.

Not to be a jerk, but in your summary for Opposing Force. It's spelt Adrian in this case, not Aidrian.

That's weird. I remember double checking to see if it was spelt with two 'i's, because I always spell it with one. I'll have to check up on that, and fix it if you're right. :O

Nice effort with the translation, but there's nothing specific in it.

Yeah, the only important info from the mumble sequence is that the scientists are afraid the accident might go wrong, and the G-man doesn't care.

Wrong actually, theres a line in the half life 2 script that wasnt used which renders what you jsut said rhalle usless.

That reminds me, things that were cut from the game are sorta disqualified, because they may very well have been cut for a reason. So, edited content counts as speculation.

 

[The_Great_Walter]

I must say, that's some good stuff you put up there, but I think Decay isn't considered official in the HL series, thus it isn't really part of the storyline. I might be wrong, though

 

[Dipso]

Nice effort with the translation, but there's nothing specific in it.

All you need to know about what they say is:


GMAN= do the experiment at 110% so the resonance cascade will happen

Scientest= nono I just can't.

That's all there is to it.

Yea thats pretty much the jist of my post also, i make a general statment about the purpose and content of the discussion, and then make an attemt at joining the translation for the junkies who need every last bit and word of information they can get their hands on.

It does play a small role in understanding the g-man character a bit better, hes' emotions and role in it all, especially if i am right in my interpetation, and if the g-man realy says "You are a scientist, and a fraud, shut up! (or f*ck off)

The dialogue in no way states that the g-man wants an ressonance cascade. This comes down to pure speculation, the fact that he employs the opfor character before the incident, indicating atleast that they (his employers) know there is a chance of something happening.

It might just be that they know its risky and that the marines are trained and keept ready incase things get out of hand. (as they do )

 

[Dipso]

I must say, that's some good stuff you put up there, but I think Decay isn't considered official in the HL series, thus it isn't really part of the storyline. I might be wrong, though

But there is no harm in having the information there anyways. As its clearly stated that this is an expantion, and one has to assume there is a risk of inconsitancies with all the expantion packs, realy.

Maby a comment can be added to decay and xen attacks stating what they are and that they are done by a separate team from valve. Dunno, would make the document even more factual i think.

This makes sense in the way i see this document, as a valuable resource for the discussion and theorising concerning the events in the half life series.

 

[Wraithen]

made for an interesting read, thanks.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Well, Laidlaw has approved the gearbox stuff, and gearbox clearly did their research with their expansions. I think the best policy is to consider anything invented by gearbox official unless it is expressly contradicted by something in a valve game.

So far, I am unaware of any such contradiction, so Decay and Xen Attacks are in.

 

[mrshankly]

You should pop all that information into a Half-Life wiki. I bet you'd get a lot of additional information quickly.

 

[The Monkey]

Good work. I have never ever heard of Decay before, interesting.

 

[Asknoone]

Decay was pretty fun, actually

 

[Death Spike]

Very good, you have a lot of information. Hopefully you'll get more enemy descriptions. :thumbs:

 

[Cons Himself]

resurrected because:

which cut line from HL2 dialogue shows that gman didnt want resonance cascade to happen?

 

[ríomhaire]

resurrected because:

which cut line from HL2 dialogue shows that gman didnt want resonance cascade to happen?

It's a muffled conversation you hear in HL1.

 

[Cons Himself]

that shows he did want it to happen

 

[ríomhaire]

that shows he did want it to happen

It dosn't show anything because we can't understand it.

 

[Asknoone]

Stickied. I'm sure alot of people will find it useful.

 

[Sulkdodds]

Mechagodzilla = god.

 

[ríomhaire]

Stickied. I'm sure alot of people will find it useful.

Brilliant idea.

 

[Polaris]

Yes, this Decay part is VERY USEFUL !

 

[impakt]

Could need some spell/grammar checking. What's up with "Aidrian" anyway?
Good effort nonetheless.

 

[Sufferin-rebel]

dont forget to add this stuff in the fact file http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=91660

 

[Sulkdodds]

Here's something I made earlier:

-1:00 hours, 8:15 am 15/5

Black Mesa working day starts. Freeman is asleep.

-00:29 hours, 8:46 am 15/5

Freeman wakes up late and races to the train.

-00:05 hours, 9:10 am 15/5

Freeman reaches test chamber. Experiment starts.

Zero hour, 9:15 am 15/5

Containment failure.

+19:20 hours, 4:40 am 16/5

High-altitude launch centre breached. Rocket launched.

+21:35 hours, 6:55 am 16/5

Calhoun disappears through the old teleporters.

+21:40 hours, 7:00 am 16/5

Freeman’s capture reported.

+25:05 hours, 10:20 am 16/5

Shepherd’s chopper goes down over Black Mesa.

+26:25 hours, 11:40 pm 16/5

First reported sighting of Race-X.

+30:55 hours, 4:10 pm 16/5

Order is given for Marines to pull out. The evacuation of Black Mesa begins.

+33:10 hours, 6:25 pm 16/5

First sighting of Black Ops soldiers reported by an engineer who was with Shepherd and encountered them 30 minutes previously.


+33:15 hours, 6:30 pm 16/5

Freeman enters the Lambda complex.

+34:45 hours, 8:00 pm 16/5

Last evacuation chopper lifts off, leaving anywhere from 200 to 550 soldiers still trapped in the facility.

+35:55 hours, 9:10 pm 16/5

Freeman makes the jump to Xen.

+39:50 hours, 1:05 am 17/5

Nihilanth is destroyed and Freeman disappears.

+40:15 hours, 1:30 am 17/5

Race-X mount full invasion.

+44:20 hours, 5:35 am 17/5

The hydroelectric dam is destroyed, flooding much of the lower complex.

+48 hours, 9:15 am 17/5

The thermonuclear bomb is detonated, destroying Black Mesa and blasting a rather large crater in the Mojave Desert.

 

[Polaris]

Good work Sulkdodds!
But I miss times of Decay storyline...(Decay ends before Blue Shift btw)
And Mojave Desert is in California not in New Mexico...

 

[Sulkdodds]

I swear it says somewhere that Black Mesa is in the Mojave Desert (but also in New Mexico )

 

[Polaris]

Now I found this: Real place called Black Mesa is in Mojave Desert (CA) but not Black Mesa from Half-Life.

 

[MTG_Maro]

Im impressed with the summary.

 

[ríomhaire]

Im impressed with the summary.

Thank's for uslessly bumbing a stickied thread.

 

[Asknoone]

Thank's for uslessly bumbing a stickied thread.

Eh? He's welcome to make a remark, its no more useless than your comment. Its stickied, and so as long as its not spam, its welcome. Suprisingly, its only reached 3 pages. It'd be good to have it top again, the more people read this, the less "WHATS A COLLETE GREEN?" threads we'll see.

 

[Sulkdodds]

BUMP

Oh wait.

 

[A True Canadian]

Cool Summary Sulkdodds.


According to your timeline:

-Gordon Freeman's adventure lasts approximately 40:19 hours.
-Barney Calhoun's adventure lasts approximately 22:04 hours.
-Adrian Shepherd's adventure lasts approximately 23:35 hours.

Barney and Gordon both arrive around the same time, while Adrian doesn't come in until a good 25 hours after the accident. The times all make sense to me.