Accepted story for Race-X

[SavannahLion]

Howdie Hi. No real way to introduce oneself so here I am

I'm working on a new mod that may or may not incorporate Race-X back into the fold. After playing mods for years, one of my biggest gripes with them was how often they got a detail glaringly wrong. They were great mods, but when a mod depicts the Xenians as actually coming from outer space complete with spacecraft and all, well....

I'm going to avoid that myself. Sure I'll take some liberties with some of the details but they're for sake of game play, not to compromise the story line. So here's my Q. I know that Laidlaw probably isn't going to utilize Race-X since they're a Gearbox invention. That was further affirmed when I read the post by Solver with his email to Laidlaw. OK great, just what I thought. So what is the commonly accepted belief on Race-X? How they fit in? Where they come from?

It's been a while since I fired up Op4. But if I remember right, Race-X swamped Black Mesa after Gordon left for Xen. Since Race-X has different qualities than the Xenians, they're likely from yet another plane or dimension. Probably another locale the combine invaded before (or during? anyone got any idea on that?) the invasion to the Xenian home world. If memory serves me right, you never really see Race-X and Xenians fighting side by side. That would imply they're enemies of each other, which could further explain why you never see any Race-X in HL2 (ignoring Real Life® reasons )

How close am I?

 

[Adabiviak]

There's quite a thread about that here on the forums somewhere. Use the search function.
...and welcome to the forums.

 

[SavannahLion]

If you mean this thread about Race-X. My apologies. Did a search before posting, but it kept digging up some thread about Yahoo being racist. I decided to post and as luck would have it, found it about 15 minutes after I posted, then I got called away to tend to some other matters.

Watch, now that I have time to sit down and actually read. I'll get called away yet again. Might as well bookmark and read it at work. Seems I actually have time to do fun stuff there.

 

[Adabiviak]

Best of luck with that mod. As much as Gearbox's critters' membership in the Half Life canon is debatable, I certainly enjoy fighting them, and would warmly welcome another go-round.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

More is known about Race X than you might expect.

-Race-X live on Xen, but in an area far away from Nihilanth's nebula. In the area of the sky filled with giant microbes.
-They used the resonance cascade's portal storms as an opportunity to send energy to Earth.
-They then used that energy to create the massive portal used by the Gene Worm.
-The Gene Worm's arrival was to be an integral part of a full-scale invasion.
-This attack is probably revenge for the Baby Shocktroopers and other animals captured by the Black Mesa science team.
-Race-X are hostile to all species other than their own.
-They use no technology except living, organic creatures.

After the effects of the resonance cascade had ended (when Nihilanth was killed), the Gene Worm was the last alien link between Xen and Earth. Shephard's killing of the Gene Worm ended the portal storms completely (except for occasional sporadic activity).

Some Race-X may have managed to survive on Earth, out in the wastelands.

 

[Eejit]

Adrian's Baby_Strooper should work for the G-man now.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Race-X live on Xen, but in an area far away from Nihilanth's nebula. In the area of the sky filled with giant microbes.

Out of curiosity's sake, where was this confirmed, my Mechafriend? I seem to remember something to do with the teleport gun and a map glitch, but not much else.

Also, Savannah, make sure you look into the non-Combine theory of Xen before making any rash decisions about their point of view

-Angry Lawyer

 

[ríomhaire]

After looking into this problem I have concluded that Race-X are indeed from Xen. Probably somewhere undergound and very wet. They were either at war with the Controllers or just never met them.
The Gene-worm was indeed ment for invasion purposes.

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Out of curiosity's sake, where was this confirmed, my Mechafriend? I seem to remember something to do with the teleport gun and a map glitch, but not much else.

-Angry Lawyer

There is a map glitch that shows the Gene Worm flying through the air in Xen when you use the teleport gun during the boss battle, but I'm not taking that into account because it's just a (rather cool ) skybox error.

The conclusion that Race X do hail from Xen is still a rather safe one.
Black Mesa scientists managed to capture their young as specimens, which means that Race X at least keep their kids on Xen.
The spore grenades grow on Xen, which means that the Shocktroopers at least go there to harvest their food/weapons.
The Gene Worm's portal energy (in those glowing balls of whatever) comes from Xen.
and Race-X were affected by the resonance cascade in the first place, which is a pretty big indicator.

So the only conclusion from that is that a sizeable number of Race X control several permanent operations on Xen. They may even be native citizens.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Ahh, good point. I overlooked the teleport bit.

Riomhaire, empty your damn inbox, or you get no code lovin.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[SavannahLion]

Also, Savannah, make sure you look into the non-Combine theory of Xen before making any rash decisions about their point of view

Whose point of view?

I've always accepted the idea that the Combine come from some place other than Xen or the Xenites home world. I Googled for the theory you mentioned and it kind of falls in line with what I had in mind, though I didn't find the thread that goes into great detail on the subject. I kind of have my reservations about Xen and what it really is. I think the current belief around here is it's a border, "world," between planes? I think that's about the gist of it, but I think too many people are giving Xen too much of an equal footing with the other planes.

Point is, if you assume Race-X is not from the same plane as the Xenians, you have at least five planes accounted for in a finite eleven plane theory. That leaves six to allow for some breathing room. Seven if you elect to merge Race-X onto the same plane as Xen.

If you go with the MWI theory (which I suspect Laidlaw hinted at in an email and also the same theory I hold to) then there is no limit on the number of planes and branching stories. Marc could flat out write out Op4 and BS as occurring on yet a sixth plane. With City 17 being one of a string of cities, and Xen being what I think it is, I think there are greater possibilities than anyone is realizing.... Except for Laidlaw of course.

For the purposes of the mod, I'm actually more interested in what the Combine used to look like before the invasion on Earth and what brought Race-X to earth ala Op4. I'd like to evolve the mods story line I'm working on but I haven't lurked enough here to figure out how it would/should be handled.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=91660

There was a quote in a magazine that strongly alluded to the Xenians and the Combine being enemies, rather than the same thing. If you think about it, they're really different species with different ways of thinking. Biology versus mechanics.

As for eleven planes - that's more than enough for an infinite number of Xen-like worlds. Think of our universe as a four dimensional piece of paper, suspended in the fifth. Xen is also a piece of paper, laying on top of us in the fifth dimension. Therefore, any number of planes could exist, each being a seperate brane of space, stacked on top of each other - getting between them, however, involves moving in directions we can't really comprehend.

"Flatland" tends to go into detail there. http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/flatland/

For what the Combine used to look like imminently before Earth, it's likely safe to assume that they were using predominantly Synth forces, plus a few other species ("Prowlers" and Cremators being likely candidates). If you want to go further back, just start adding legs and arms to the Combine Advisor

I recognise your name. You were/still are a moderator at Planet: Half Life's forums?

-Angry Lawyer

 

[SavannahLion]

http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=91660

There was a quote in a magazine that strongly alluded to the Xenians and the Combine being enemies, rather than the same thing. If you think about it, they're really different species with different ways of thinking. Biology versus mechanics.

Uh... I don't think I ever gave the implication that I believed that the Combine and Xenians were one and the same. Not trying to be rude, but at least respect my posts by not making assumptions about what I write.

As for eleven planes - that's more than enough for an infinite number of Xen-like worlds. Think of our universe as a four dimensional piece of paper, suspended in the fifth. Xen is also a piece of paper, laying on top of us in the fifth dimension. Therefore, any number of planes could exist, each being a seperate brane of space, stacked on top of each other - getting between them, however, involves moving in directions we can't really comprehend.

"Flatland" tends to go into detail there. http://www.alcyone.com/max/lit/flatland/

Flatland by Abbot is a great book. It's been years since I've read it and a lot has happened in that time so I only remember bits of it vaguely. You'll have to refresh my memory on which chapter(s) you want me to refer to.

For what the Combine used to look like imminently before Earth, it's likely safe to assume that they were using predominantly Synth forces, plus a few other species ("Prowlers" and Cremators being likely candidates). If you want to go further back, just start adding legs and arms to the Combine Advisor

That's what I figured, but there really isn't a whole lot to go on. The enemy list I worked up is coming out unbalanced.

I recognise your name. You were/still are a moderator at Planet: Half Life's forums?

Still, yes. Now that you've written that, I'm probably going to get harassed for it. :|

 

[Solver]

RaceX are very convenient. They simply don't have anything to do with the main story of HL1 (or HL2) - Xenians, Combine, Nihilanth, etc. However, the dimensional rifts caused by the Lambda Incident allowed them to also get to Earth. That's fairly simple, and allows for Race-X to be utilized when needed without really conflicting with any of the story. Thus, in my opinion, an appearance by Race-X in a mod is no story conflict, but Xenians in spaceships are.

By the way, anyone got mods to recommend set somewhere around the time of HL1 but that don't actually conflict with the story? For instance, Azure Sheep is a pretty good mod, but has a few conflicts with the story as established in HL1.

 

[ríomhaire]

Riomhaire, empty your damn inbox, or you get no code lovin.

-Angry Lawyer

done

-ríomhaire

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Uh... I don't think I ever gave the implication that I believed that the Combine and Xenians were one and the same. Not trying to be rude, but at least respect my posts by not making assumptions about what I write.

99% of people who post for a first time assume that they're one and the same. I wasn't trying to offend.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[esplin]

Hi guys, esplin here to brighten up your otherwise gloomy day. I haven't posted here before so im introducing myself now.

As far as Race-X being from Xen. In the area right after you see Gordon jump into the portal in Opposing Force you enter what appears to be the portal that the Race-X use to get to Xen.

In the first "Xen-like" area of opposing force you see a small portal attached to a crystal. You see tiny white lights coming out of this portal and then entiring a portal that Adrian Shephard uses to get back to Black Mesa. I always assumed that this was how Race-X got to Earth in order to warp in the Gene Worm.
This seems to show the Race-X need to use Xen to travel through dimensions just like humans do.

 

[$kelet0r]

you can interpret Race X any way you want unless valve directly contradicts it
for me after taking account of the now universally accepted combine not on xen theory, i see the Nihilanth as a Breen of the Vort who has broken away/rebelled and fled to the inhospitable borderworld of xen for sanctuary with his slaves (vortigaunt, grunts) and his people (controllers)
Race X i see are the combine forces fighting the war against them, and seize the opportunity to take earth when the nihilanth is killed releasing the portal storms using their massive biological creation to keep the portal open (re end of Opposing Force). Th Nihilanth was merely trying to end the resonance cascade by sending his troops through in desperation realising that the level playing field against the combine was dangerously slipping away. His efforts are doomed to failure by Gordon Freeman and his failure allows The Gmans employer (the gman ibecomes a free agent in HL2 like a Q in the star trek universe) - the combine - to take xen (unaware of the teleportation technology as the nihilanth is destroyed). Race x (bearing an undoubted similarity to valve's concepts of combine soldiers in RtB) are the synth soldiers of the combine who's initial invasion Adrian Shpeard single handedly prevents by eliminating their bridgehead (their colouring /appearance is irrelevant as laidlaw/valve had not conceptualised hl2 at that stage and the fact that they use biological weaponry and implants as opposed to mechanical ones is merely a reflection of 1. the initial home planet of these synth was biological cored whereas earth is iron cored or 2 the combine's technology was originally heavily biological and that earth's tech was far superior to that of the combine aside from their use of dark energy teleportation and mass production). in fact the investment of such vast resources by the combine into earth may be an indcation that earth was a far more potent threat to the combine then we realise and a very real excuse for the massive invasion during the 7 hour war.



Don't bother pointing out possible plot holes as i'm probably aware of them. This is merely an exercise in selfindulgence and a way of showing that there is no harm in letting the imagination run riot over the rich narrative tapestry of halflife

 

[Apocalypse89]

How do you know that the Combine are investing "vast resources" into Earth? For all we know, they have thousands if not millions of worlds under their thumb, in which case Earth would count as nothing more than an insignicant outpost.

And if Earth technology was so superior to the Combine's then they wouldn't have defeated us in 7 hours.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

My interpretation for the reason the Xenians poured through so willingly to Earth was because the Earth is one hell of a lot more hospitable than Xen. Plenty of water, solid landscape, everything you need.

However, I'd very much doubt Race X have anything to do with the Combine. They're just creatures caught up in a situation, attacking out of oppertunity rather than any specific plan, to collect specimens, erk out some revenge, and possibly gain a foothold on a world that has just been opened up on them. Saying the Combine and Race X are similar has very, VERY little grounding. Synths have a specific design style. Race X have a very different design style. Mecha, being our resident expert on Race X anatomy, could probably post some interesting diagrams.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Eejit]

wth? A Biological-cored planet...??

Anyhow combine won the 7 hours war because the limited areas in which human technology was superior to combine were at the time under development, while in HL2 they are much more advanced but still not to a sufficient degree or available for widespread enough use to be tactically important.

Maybe someday Valve will show us 'Resistance' invading Combine homeworlds and teleporting like crazy around enemy troops, or shields which teleport any projectiles hitting them back towards the origin


And while I'm not an expert I'm not sure you guys are all thinking about other dimensions in the right way. Of course maybe neither am I. Or maybe neither is Laidlaw.
Hmm, perhaps the 'vortessence' involves one of the extra dimensions?

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Eejit, read "Flatland". It's a bit of a long story, but it's an analogy for multi-dimensional space presented as a story. It's a really good read - I didn't really get extradimensional stuff until I'd read it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_dimension might also help.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Mechagodzilla]

Race X are very nearly the exact opposite of the combine.

Race X are all-natural, while there is no combine unit that isn't partly machine. Except the metrocops, who wear full-body armour and carry a variety of devices.

 

[chimpmunk]

My interpretation for the reason the Xenians poured through so willingly to Earth was because the Earth is one hell of a lot more hospitable than Xen. Plenty of water, solid landscape, everything you need.

However, I'd very much doubt Race X have anything to do with the Combine. They're just creatures caught up in a situation, attacking out of oppertunity rather than any specific plan, to collect specimens, erk out some revenge, and possibly gain a foothold on a world that has just been opened up on them. Saying the Combine and Race X are similar has very, VERY little grounding. Synths have a specific design style. Race X have a very different design style. Mecha, being our resident expert on Race X anatomy, could probably post some interesting diagrams.

-Angry Lawyer

I mostly agree to that.

Until someone proves it wrong, I'll keep believing in the theory that says Race-X invaded Black mesa to get back the larvas (the spore launcher, wich is supposed to be the larval form of the Race-X soldiers) and other Race-X specimens that were takens as "test samples".

Although they probably wouldn't mind taking over earth as it is plentiful in ressources. The fact that they kept the portal opened and used the geneworm to teleport more troops supports the idea that they were trying to make a large scale assault on earth.
It is probable they are the true natives of Xen, although i'm not 100% sure about this. One thing is sure though, is that they are at war (or at least unfriendly to) with Xenians.

 

[Edcrab]

I always agreed with the likes of Angry Lawyer and chimpmunk on every possible level until I read chimpmunks last line there...

One thing is sure though, is that they are at war (or at least unfriendly to) with Xenians.

In all seriousness, that suddenly made me realise that, despite what I keep assuming, Race-X might have met the Xenians for the first time at Black Mesa. They're unfriendly, certainly, but they may not have encountered each other enough to declare open war.

Logically there's no evidence to support that they ever clashed before: they're hostile towards each other, but the Xenians (of Nihilanth) weren't exactly fond of the human soldiers and they'd never matched wits until the portal storms begun.

Of course there's still the theory that they're native Xenians objecting to Nihilanth dragging his lot over, but that's equally likely.

Admittedly it's a moot point as we'll never get direct confirmation of any theory, but considering how some consider Race-X to be a "throw away" addition the concept of them all colliding for the first time ever would make a lot of sense...

 

[chimpmunk]

Race-X can't be "throw away", as Laidlaw worked with Gearbox closely for the two expansions, Op4 is as cannon as HL.

Anyways, to me Race-X are probably the true denizens of Xen, the Xenian came from somewhere else (there was a quote from VALVe on this somewhere, i'd have to check).

 

[Edcrab]

I meant in the sense that, even though they're canon, they may be cast aside and never recalled.

Besides it's not what you and I think, I was just stating what a lot of others consider to be the case: although for all I know, Valve have declared their undying hatred of all things Gearbox and we'll never see Race-X again...

 

[SavannahLion]

Alright alright. Here's what I'll do. I don't have the complete story-line worked out for the mod in question because I want it to stay as malleable as possible. So here's what I'll do. I'll pull together a nice outline for the mod itself, throw it up here, and let you guys have at it. I have a lot of reservations about how Race-X, Combine, Xenians and Humans all fit together.

More or less, I'm taking the stance that they're all independent races a.k.a. creatures from parallel dimensions that all evolved without contact with each other. In fact, since Laidlaw admitted that he didn't really base City 17 on any Earth city, it's conceivable that we're looking at a Sliders type story here. Giving good chance that the story will stay vague enough that a majority of people will be more or less right about something.

 

[ríomhaire]

Right, this may sound assholeish but RACE X WERE ON XEN PRE-CASCADE, FACT.
There were baby shock troops being examined in BM before RC
BM only visited Xen
That is enough to prove they were on Xen for no mater how short a time.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Alternatively, the gateway that BM opened went to more than one place.

Savannah, that's the stance I'd take, although Lombardi hinted that the Xenians and Combine had met in the past (otherwise they wouldn't be running from them)

-Angry Lawyer

 

[ríomhaire]

Alternatively, the gateway that BM opened went to more than one place.

Do you think that they created portals to more than one world? They were clearly being studied.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Well, they could have hopped to Xen, and then to another world, as Xen does border a lot of places.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Mechagodzilla]

You're forgetting the spore plants though, which prove Xen livin'

 

[Eejit]

Eejit, read "Flatland". It's a bit of a long story, but it's an analogy for multi-dimensional space presented as a story. It's a really good read - I didn't really get extradimensional stuff until I'd read it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourth_dimension might also help.

-Angry Lawyer

Nono, I've read things like that before. I think I can "visualise" extra dimensions well enough, but I think people don't understand how that would relate to reality.
Meh, really hard to explain, but I'll try.

A creature WITH a fifth dimension which has, say, height, breadth, time and "Gyoil" (not compact there) could never exist here (nor us there). It would be from another universe with different laws of course - not "from" another dimension in that sense of the word.

A universe with height, breadth, depth, time AND Gyoil would be different again. I'd guess we MIGHT be able to live there, but they couldn't live here, since they have Gyoil and the Gyoil here is compact.


Now, to Half-life.
"Xen" is a border-world (imo) with the same dimensions as our universe, somehow lying "between" other universes which also have our 4 dimensions (combine universe/s etc). Except in a headfrying manner you can bore directly to other universes without passing through it. (Parallel universes )

Also, according to one of Laidlaw's mails time may be somewhat out of synch on Xen compared to Earth (possibly why combine never detected it/couldn't follow Xenians there?) and presumably out of synch with other dimensions too.
Either that or the technology used in BM shifted you through time somewhat on your way to/from Xen. Or one of the Xenian teleporters you used shifted Gordon through time.
Comlicated.


*gasp* So tired now
Well I hope some of that made a little sense to somebody, I hope I wasn't writing completely unintelligible rubbish.

Eejit.

 

[Angry Lawyer]

Relating Xen and Earth to Flatland.

Consider our world. It has three dimensions. Compare it with Flatland. Flatland is a floating piece of paper in our dimension. It's a 2D brane in 3D space. It floats there, and you can pass through it by moving Upsilon and Delta, like the Sphere does to talk to the Square.

Now, consider our Universe as a 3D brane in a 4D universe. We'd be a piece of paper floating in their space. So would Xen. Going between the "dimensions" of Xen and here is just moving "up" in this unknown angle until we reach their brane.

-Angry Lawyer

 

[Zeus]

this is a good discussion...I was going to make a thread asking about race x but I would have been b**ched at for not searching.

 

[Puzzlemaker]

Guys... Guys...

You missed a huge point!!!

Race-X might be the actual natives for Xen. Nihilith might have invaded Xen to get away from the combine. I mean, Race-X? Race-Xen?

They went to war. Suddenly, the way to earth was opened up. Nihilith and his guys came through first, Race-X soon followed. They wanted earths resources.

Bada-bing, bada-boom.

 

[ríomhaire]

No speices is native to Xen, Laidlaw said so.

 

[Puzzlemaker]

Then where did they come from?

Is Xen the border world for ALL dimentions?

Meaning EVERYONE has access to it, if they have the tech? Are Race-X and Nihilith's forces both fugitives, running from the combine into Xen?

Hmm.

 

[Llama]

Pretty much. The reason the Combine havent entered Xen beforehand and administrated the smackdown is that 1.) It's very well hidden or 2.) The Xenians are blocking them from entering it, or 3.) Both.
However, Race-X's motives are unclear. It's likely that just wanted to take over here, but couldnt get in until a portal was opened. So during the RC, they opened up their own portal so they could get in after the Nihilanth was killed. However, because Shepard stopped them, they were unable to enter. Or, they decided that seeing as the Combine had decided to step in and Pwn everything on Earth, it would be a good idea not to draw attention to themselves.