Always Departing, Never Arriving...?

[Maronan]

Who is that guy? "They're always departing, but they never arrive," etc, etc. What's his significance? Is his presence supposed to mean or do anything (other than give me an odd desire to pace up and down saying that in Grand Central)?

 

[Jintor]

He's just a citizen of City 17, muttering to himself like a madman. He's... well, he's flavouring, is what he is.

He's not a time lord, he's not a secret agent; he's not a cyborg, alien, or psychic. He's just letting you know that the trains are always leaving full of people, and never coming back. Where are they going? To a sinister location called Nova Prospekt, of course. It's foreshadowing, my friend. The trains leave, and they don't come back. The people leave, and they don't come back. Something's going on in Nova Prospekt. Something... big...

 

[Pesmerga]

Something... naughty...

 

[Jintor]

Well, broadly speaking, yes.

 

[Maronan]

Ah, referring to people sent to Nova Prospekt? Makes sense, I suppose. "They" is the people? Hm.

I still want to do that in Grand Central. I guess I'm already half as crazy as him.

 

[swan_song1973]

Ah, referring to people sent to Nova Prospekt? Makes sense, I suppose. "They" is the people? Hm.

I still want to do that in Grand Central. I guess I'm already half as crazy as him.

you'll probably get mugged, murdered, raped, and then yelled at by Mets fans.

 

[Lizardizzle]

^ i like this guy.

 

[Tyro]

you'll probably get mugged, murdered, raped, and then yelled at by Giants fans.

fixed

 

[Grodan Freechman]

he is probably most definitely the gman in disguise. all hail the everpresent, omniscient, omnipotent gman

 

[PimpinPenguin]

I don't understand, how can he say they are "Always Departing and Never Arriving" arriving when you just arrived on a train. That must mean that there are trains that are still arriving. The guy must have been drinking to much water.

 

[Jintor]

From the other direction.

 

[PJ]

I don't understand, how can he say they are "Always Departing and Never Arriving" arriving when you just arrived on a train. That must mean that there are trains that are still arriving. The guy must have been drinking to much water.

yeah this guy is talking about the other track, that you are blocked off from just before you meet barney

 

[jet_porkins]

you'll probably get mugged, murdered, raped, and then yelled at by Mets fans.

They'll yell at him after he's dead? (let alone rape)

 

[Satans_Offspring]

He's there to give an impression as to what has happened to the world since HL1, remember that people would have no idea what's changed when they first played HL2

 

[swan_song1973]

They'll yell at him after he's dead? (let alone rape)

hey man, i didnt say they were sensible.

 

[Otto-Grainer]

I like it. I found it spooky on my first play. Just to make it easier, here's the whole thing:

"...They're always departing but they never arrive... and the ones that do arrive... they never leave... you never see them go they're always full... no one ever gets on but they're always... they're always departing but they never arrive... "​

 

[YROC]

Something... naughty...

I sounded out that post with the Grinch's voice in my head.

 

[Shoes_Buttback03]

I don't really see why you thought the crazy guy held any important status in the game other then to add atmosphere. You may as well ask about the drunk guy in the apartments or the guy playing chess with the Vort in Black Mesa East.

 

[Officer Combine]

That man is actually Jon Frohman, Gordon Freeeman's brother!!!

I think he's just a man driven to madness making a paranoid, but true, remark about the trains.

 

[Oreolek]

um..Officer, it's YOU who drank too much water?