What facets of the Combine do you want to see in future games?

[Rennmniscant]

In C17, we've probably only seen comparatively domestic military craft. I think C17 is to be thought of more like a large prison than a battlefield. Sure, they must've used bigger and better air support during the actual war, but they wouldn't keep it around just for babysitting a population of enslaved humans.

And space crafts I think would be completely redundant. What're they going to achieve by flying to Mars? Of course they would have the technology, but they've got no need. It would be really cool if we get to see something like that in their home universe though. And their fleshed-out army! Probably not going to happen in the episodes thought. Valve'd probably save it for HL3. Plenty of time to create a plethora of brand new models!

 

[GreatEmperor]

They aren't aerodynamic, and rotors don't work that well at supersonic speeds.



They're accurate enough to shoot the fireports from a kilometer away now?



Which makes my point of them having and needing an effective spacefleet even more relevant.

They are probably able to adapt to different needs, looking at the Strider and the Hunter, it is clear that they can take one type of creature and adjust it fairly well. Forming new units from the same basic creature. These things can no doubt be installed with engines, probably already is space worthy, you see it go from one different atmosphere to another without lack of breath or decompression, showing them to be pressurized. These ones were meant for hovering over my head while shooting ground forces.

 

[Narvi]

They are probably able to adapt to different needs, looking at the Strider and the Hunter, it is clear that they can take one type of creature and adjust it fairly well. Forming new units from the same basic creature. These things can no doubt be installed with engines, probably already is space worthy, you see it go from one different atmosphere to another without lack of breath or decompression, showing them to be pressurized. These ones were meant for hovering over my head while shooting ground forces.

Er... what? I don't think any synths have ever moved into a different atmospheric pressure...

 

[Planetary]

Well, we have no idea what the conditions are like on the other side of Breen's portal, but since the 2 gunships that come though there have no problems, one can assume that at the very least there is an atmosphere on the other side, because you need one if you want your rotors to generate lift.

Same reason seagulls can't fly on the Moon, or boomerangs won't arc around there. No aerodynamic surfaces without "aero".

 

[GreatEmperor]

Well, we have no idea what the conditions are like on the other side of Breen's portal, but since the 2 gunships that come though there have no problems, one can assume that at the very least there is an atmosphere on the other side, because you need one if you want your rotors to generate lift.

Same reason seagulls can't fly on the Moon, or boomerangs won't arc around there. No aerodynamic surfaces without "aero".

Of course there is, I am saying that the pressures are no doubt different and it obviously does not breathe. This points to a pressurized carapace that is very difficult to rupture with this

 

[SpotEnemyBoats]

Becides just looking at The Combine's true military face, I would love to see their population if there is one, I want to see they're civilization, they're people.

I also want to see all the races of all the species that The Combine' have captured and enslaved from all over the universe (i.e Vortigaunts if applicable, and/or any other alien life form). I want see a good look at the heart of their empire, in it's entirety.

 

[HunterSeeker]

We have no reason to assume they have or need a spacefleet.

First, to have any sort of use of a space fleet you need enemies close enough for it to be relevant. Unless there is intelligent life on a planet in the same solar system as you, you need faster then light travel to be able to travel there in a reasonable amount of time. As far as we know, travelling faster then light is not possible in the real world. We have no reason to think that it is possible in the half life universe.

Even if it is possible in the combine home universe we have no reason to belive that the tech that enables that (or even that special technology is needed there) works in our universe.

Even if it is possible, the combine would not need it if they discovered dimensional teleportation first. If they conquer one world in another universe they can travel anywhere in their own universe from that world.

You have no need of a space fleet if you can just teleport ground forces to the enemy, and if you for some strange and unlikely reason would have need of destroying a world just teleport a lot of nukes or other WMDs to it.

 

[soulslicer]

hehe, could not help but put this here again..

anyway, i always thought that the combine never actually needed a fleet of ships. they must have had a large array of citadels to directly transport troops and ships through to the planets via what we see as portal storms. they are merely direct links to the citadels on their homeworld..

 

[Narvi]

First, to have any sort of use of a space fleet you need enemies close enough for it to be relevant. Unless there is intelligent life on a planet in the same solar system as you, you need faster then light travel to be able to travel there in a reasonable amount of time. As far as we know, travelling faster then light is not possible in the real world. We have no reason to think that it is possible in the half life universe.

Teleportation isn't possible either. And you don't need to have enemies nearby to have a space fleet. You think one planet will sustain somebody forever? Lots of resources in space, after all.

Even if it is possible in the combine home universe we have no reason to belive that the tech that enables that (or even that special technology is needed there) works in our universe.

Actually, we have plenty of reason to believe that it would work. The Dark Energy technology that the Combine use work here, Vortigaunts and so on don't, you know, explode when they arrived here, Vortigaunts can use their funky lightning attacks and hive mind here...

Even if it is possible, the combine would not need it if they discovered dimensional teleportation first. If they conquer one world in another universe they can travel anywhere in their own universe from that world.

And the vast majority of the universe would be unusable, because, you know, it would be in space. They don't teleport everything, recall: "dependent on local transportation"? Besides, you can jury-rig FTL with what the Combine have presently, even if it is not exactly energy-efficient.

You have no need of a space fleet if you can just teleport ground forces to the enemy, and if you for some strange and unlikely reason would have need of destroying a world just teleport a lot of nukes or other WMDs to it.

You're being unimaginative here. Teleporting and destroying worlds are nice and compatible, yes, I'll give you that, but when capturing worlds a space presence on the opposing side would give that side an astounding advantage, so the Combine (whom, as RTB states, have a huge armory at their disposal) would need appropriate countermeasures for said space presence. Which, logically, should be their own space presence.

 

[HunterSeeker]

Actually, if you have teleportation and the location of the target. Teleport a nuke into it...

And yes local teleportation is something they can not do, but they can still construct their telporters on another universe and teleport to anywhere in thier home universe from there.

And we still have no reason to believe that FTL travel is possible in their homeuniverse.

 

[SpotEnemyBoats]

Anyway, i always thought that the combine never actually needed a fleet of ships. they must have had a large array of citadels to directly transport troops and ships through to the planets via what we see as portal storms. they are merely direct links to the citadels on their homeworld..

Nice picture and all, but I don't think the Combine overwatch is the primary army for the Combine. The Overwatch, is just the newest entity to be part of the Combine empire's vast aray of weapons. We have not seen the primary army, or even they're entire military force. Although, I could imagine some Citadels there.

 

[Narvi]

Actually, if you have teleportation and the location of the target. Teleport a nuke into it...

And yes local teleportation is something they can not do, but they can still construct their telporters on another universe and teleport to anywhere in thier home universe from there.

And we still have no reason to believe that FTL travel is possible in their homeuniverse.

Even if they don't have FTL, FTL communication is quite possible, simply because it seems easier to communicate between universes than to teleport matter through them. Slower-than-light expansion is still possible. If they can teleport a bunch of Citadels onto Earth, it should be child's play to teleport that mass of spacecraft from system to system.

 

[Eejit]

Actually, if you have teleportation and the location of the target. Teleport a nuke into it...

Unless the nuke materialises in the middle of a wall rendering it inoperable.
You have to know a location VERY VERY precisely. e.g. you couldn't teleport something into a spaceship or moving object unless you had some kind of beacon in it.
Teleporting to the surface of a planet or whatever would be easier I imagine. Fewer walls, and more predictable movement

 

[Rennmniscant]

Becides just looking at The Combine's true military face, I would love to see their population if there is one, I want to see they're civilization, they're people.

I also want to see all the races of all the species that The Combine' have captured and enslaved from all over the universe (i.e Vortigaunts if applicable, and/or any other alien life form). I want see a good look at the heart of their empire, in it's entirety.

I'm curious about that too.

A theory that just popped into my head:
The combine rely on a specific creature genetically modified to create the super-happy-bio-juice that they use to keep all their armies, synths, bio-machines, etc. well fed and opperational. Like a goop that contains all vital nutrients, because really... doesn't look like they eat much, advisors having no visible mouth and all...

A nice climax might be Gordon getting shipped off in the rocket under construction in the Ep2 trailer, through the portal storm into the Combine homeworld, and bashing our way around there before poisoning the main creature crop - disabling the combine's ability to provide sustinance quickly and easily.

That would throw their whole economy (or equivalent) out of whack, so now there would be a fair competition between the humans and combine all set up for HL3.

After all that rattling on about a vague idea, I'd like to see how the combine can afford to run their massive operations. Not just the dark energy what-chi-ma-jiggits, but the whole industrial side, which can churn out citadels, convert the local wildlife and basically keep themselves alive. How many times have you seen an Advisor eat, or for that matter, go to the toilet?

And we've seen converted alien species (I think the hunter's a converted Houndeye), but no earth species other than humans and the helicopter. I want to see a kangaroo with bio-synth implants!

 

[victor]

teleportation is ftl travel.

suspension of disbelief.

 

[99.vikram]

Unless the nuke materialises in the middle of a wall rendering it inoperable.

That makes no sense! Teleportation works by displacing a volume of the wall and replacing it with the nuke.

 

[Planetary]

But where would the wall go?

Two objects can't be in the same place at the same time, a fundamental axiom.

 

[Acepilotf14]

Combine Assassins of course!

ASSASSIN's CREED: Combine

 

[Narvi]

But where would the wall go?

Two objects can't be in the same place at the same time, a fundamental axiom.

Do you know what displacing means? I assume it would explode outwards. Of course, this really wouldn't affect the nuke positively...

 

[HunterSeeker]

You do not even have to teleport it in, just besides or something. Besides you do not need a space fleet to fight a space fleet. In fact, biulding space ships for combat (with the possible exception of capital ships, used as a launch platform) is a waste of resources. Its much more effective to build intelligent missiles, as you do not have to build a cockpit or lifesupport systems.

 

[Eejit]

That makes no sense! Teleportation works by displacing a volume of the wall and replacing it with the nuke.

Depends on the 'version' of teleportation being used.
As far as I know the HL universe has never clarified what would happen with the type they use if one solid object was teleported to the same space as another solid object. I imagine it wouldn't be pretty.

 

[Narvi]

You do not even have to teleport it in, just besides or something. Besides you do not need a space fleet to fight a space fleet. In fact, biulding space ships for combat (with the possible exception of capital ships, used as a launch platform) is a waste of resources. Its much more effective to build intelligent missiles, as you do not have to build a cockpit or lifesupport systems.

Point defense systems can eliminate missiles. You can just make a space synth, if you can make an intelligent missile. Of course, both would fill different roles.

 

[Tyrone Slothrop]

Hi there. I'm new.

Personally, I'd rather not see half-life go all "star wars." Seeing the Combine a bit more intimately would be cool[and I'm sure we will], but personally a lot of the reason I enjoyed both half-life games to begin with was how they insinuated fantastical elements into a believable real-world environment with a plausible explanation (quantum physics/multiple universes). A relatively short end-game sequence in a more or less "alien" environment only works because they contrast it against the more recognizably terrestrial environments where you've spent most of the game (a Bulgarian city, a retrofitted U.S. military base). Spending an entire game fighting aliens on some other planet would kind of ruin the effect for me. After a while, you just go "OK, weird alien shit,... seen it" even if it's really creative weird, alien shit. Half-life works because it's based on a pretext of realism that gives the player context for the more otherwordly things they're seeing. I don't need to see the Combine in their living rooms, just the parts of their society involved in the conquest of the dimension I live in.

Certainly there are some interesting possibilities that go along with the interdimensional-empire concept, but trying to show too much of it might be counter-productive, since you can only do so much with computer graphics to simulate the experience of traveling to another universe. I just think Valve can do better than "Gordon travels to Combine Prime and singlehandedly lays waste to their whole empire."

P.S. What I really would like to see is the unit in the Combine army that's been trained in the same squad tactics as the Marines in Hl1.

 

[Narvi]

P.S. What I really would like to see is the unit in the Combine army that's been trained in the same squad tactics as the Marines in Hl1.

They've showed us this.

It's called a Combine soldier.

Or you could enjoy Hunters. Whichever.

 

[Asknoone]

P.S. What I really would like to see is the unit in the Combine army that's been trained in the same squad tactics as the Marines in Hl1.

What? Their skin becomes bullet-proof and only penetrable after 50+ shots?

 

[ríomhaire]

P.S. What I really would like to see is the unit in the Combine army that's been trained in the same squad tactics as the Marines in Hl1.

You mean run out, stand still, shoot a few bursts and then drop a grenade on their foot?

 

[Rennmniscant]

You mean run out, stand still, shoot a few bursts and then drop a grenade on their foot?

Yup... as much as it pains me to find a flaw in HL2, that is definitely one of them.

As brilliant as they make the AI, it still has to look good. I think the semi-crouched shuffle doesn't look realistic. Has anyone ever seen someone run like that in real life? Even if they DO have a back problem?

I want to see the intelligent facets of the Combine. Or non-human combatants. That would solve it.

Hunters! More stuff like that! Oh, and all the other crud I rambled on about before.

 

[kupocake]

I especially love the way that Marines can't run and shoot at the same time. What tactical ingenuity!

 

[ríomhaire]

Yup... as much as it pains me to find a flaw in HL2, that is definitely one of them.

I was talking about HL1, the soldiers don't do what I've described in HL2.

 

[L3adCannon]

I`d like to see whole squads of Combine with desert/winter/woodland/ camos, each soldier has specific equipment on him so you could tell what role he is playing in the squad. Of course, the bulkier/scarier, the better, and the squad should function fully (heal eachother, take cover, maneuver, flank, etc).

Basically a combine version of a real-life heavy weapons/reqular squad, pumped up on steroids, wearing all sorts of futuristic armor n s*it.

Atm, the combine is just too pussy. I`m still wondering how stupid arses like that could take earth over.

 

[Asknoone]

You haven't seen the forces that took over the Earth though, have you?

 

[Laivasse]

And besides, L3ad, what you describe is just too...human. Healing eachother? Camouflage?

They're meant to be like semi-drones, manipulated by an overarching intelligence which doesn't give much of a shit about them. It doesn't matter in the slightest to the Combine if their shock troops stand out too much or if they lose a few soldiers to the human meatgrinder that is Gordon Freeman. The role of the human overwatch soldiers is just to be chucked at opposition until it wilts.

Of course that didn't work too well for them in HL2, so the idea is that now they're employing slightly smarter, more individualistic troops like the hunters.

@Tyrone - nice first post, welcome to the forums! But:

P.S. What I really would like to see is the unit in the Combine army that's been trained in the same squad tactics as the Marines in Hl1.

What? Their skin becomes bullet-proof and only penetrable after 50+ shots?

You mean run out, stand still, shoot a few bursts and then drop a grenade on their foot?

I especially love the way that Marines can't run and shoot at the same time. What tactical ingenuity!

Here...are these your rose-tinted specs? Looks like someone's been jumping up and down on them.

 

[L3adCannon]

And besides, L3ad, what you describe is just too...human. Healing eachother? Camouflage?

They're meant to be like semi-drones, manipulated by an overarching intelligence which doesn't give much of a shit about them. It doesn't matter in the slightest to the Combine if their shock troops stand out too much or if they lose a few soldiers to the human meatgrinder that is Gordon Freeman. The role of the human overwatch soldiers is just to be chucked at opposition until it wilts.

Of course that didn't work too well for them in HL2, so the idea is that now they're employing slightly smarter, more individualistic troops like the hunters.

@Tyrone - nice first post, welcome to the forums! But:

Samon, if earth would be attacked by something that can be beaten by one professor in a hazard-suit, I will have no problems sleeping when it happens




Here...are these your rose-tinted specs? Looks like someone's been jumping up and down on them.

I quess it`s true.

I was just expecting an A.I. that is better than the average, A.I. that is hard to beat, I didn`t get it.
They said HL2 is gonna have an awesome A.I, damn bastards lied.

Atm, combine is a bloody joke. Something scarier, bulkier, more menacing and powerful would fit my taste. Like those supersoldiers from Wolfenstein would be perfect, combine versions ofcourse

But that`s just me. I`m a huge fan of tactical games where you just can`t pwn a whole map in 5 minutes.

 

[Asknoone]

Actually, the AI is really damn awesome, it's just HL2 doesn't showcase it.

 

[L3adCannon]

Which brings me to another question. Why the hell develope an "awesome" A.I if you`re not gonna use it. Smells like bs to me.

God I hope EPtwo is gonna be better than your average shooter, I did skip the first one cause HL2 wasn`t that impressing.

 

[GreatEmperor]

Had some bad parts and I hated the exploding barrel stuff, but it was conceptually the best game i have played and it can improve other areas with more concentration