Connections between 1st and 2nd

[Kazin]

Even though completing both Half-Life's I still feel confused with the connections with Xen and the Combine. Nihilanth and Combine Overwatch part of the same thing? Why is the factory play a role? Or is this just part of the whole plot and what I am suppose to feel as part of the storyline so far?

 

[Seppo]

Try this http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=65625

 

[Kazin]

Try this http://www.halflife2.net/forums/showthread.php?t=65625

Thanks I guess, I seriously didn't find anything on a search.

 

[Seppo]

Yeah, I know. Sometimes you don't find anything with search even if you tried a million different words.

 

[Wilsonator]

Short, Ok- Long Summary

Factory = Citadel (Movement of 'barrels' (Xenian Slave Pods) around a large interior dotted with Conveyers full of converted Vortigaunts (Who have been turned into Alien Grunts.) and shifted around the citadel for effective deployment, as are the troops in the Citadel on Earth, as well as housing the administrator. (Nihilanth)

Vortigaunts = Stalker (They have not been 'modified' by Combine but instead have been placed with mind control collars linked to Nihilanth, who controls them on behalf of the Combine. Probably because the Combine see their impressive abilities as useful for work purposes, (healing, charge up, electrical attack etc.) unlike humans who the Combine see as essentially worthless since they have no redeeming abilities.)

Alien Grunts = Combine Soldiers (Vortigaunts augmented by Combine technology, much like Combine Soldiers in HL2 are augmented humans.)

Nihilanth = Administrator for Combine
Was probably once a Vortigaunt, but heavily modified into a horrific and bloated form by Combine technology to increase brainpower and effectiveness in controlling the Vortigaunts and receives orders from the Combine. Relies heavily on the Combine technology on his lower half that lets him 'fly', like the Combine advisor, he has been made completely reliant on technology.

 

[ríomhaire]

The Vorts have a group mind and the Combine used Nihilanth to control this.
Overwatch are Combine asimiated humans
Xen was controled by the Combine but now by G-man's people
G-man's people now control or at least comand the Vortigaunts

 

[Sid Burn]

Hmm... the combine already existed in HL1... and they are the Xen Grunts that use hornet missiles

 

[Wilsonator]

Er

Yes, that's what i said.

 

[Sid Burn]

Yes, that's what i said.

yes I can see that... Anyway, Nihilanth cant be a combine advisor. Nihilanth was used by the combine like Breen so they can control the Xen forces... that's also the reason why Vorts are ur enemy in HL1 and why they hate Nihilanth so much. So I say... Nihilanth=Breen seems much more fitting. :smoking:

 

[sfc_hoot]

The Vorts have a group mind and the Combine used Nihilanth to control this.

Then would you say the Vorts still have a hive-mind, even though the Nihilanth is dead? Or has the Nihilanth's death kind of broken the bond?

 

[Sid Burn]

Hmm... I think it has broken the bond... the vort will tell you so...

 

[Pai-Mei]

Then would you say the Vorts still have a hive-mind, even though the Nihilanth is dead? Or has the Nihilanth's death kind of broken the bond?[/quote[

They definitly still have some kind of interpersonal psychic link going on. Captured Vortigaunts "send back" information on Nova Prospekt, and Alyx was aware of when Gordon arrived at Eli's lab becuase a Vortigaunt near her had told her, who had apparently been communicating with the Vortigaunt in Eli's lab.

 

[sfc_hoot]

They definitly still have some kind of interpersonal psychic link going on. Captured Vortigaunts "send back" information on Nova Prospekt, and Alyx was aware of when Gordon arrived at Eli's lab becuase a Vortigaunt near her had told her, who had apparently been communicating with the Vortigaunt in Eli's lab.

That's what I was thinking. The Vorts definitely still possess telepathic powers. I think the Nihilanth was just there to control the Vorts (through the Xen Masters, who might also be hive-minded). Nothing has changed from then, apart from the obvious fact that the Vorts are now a free race. They still have the hive-mind, except there's no boss-entity to control this one mind.

 

[Asknoone]

I think the Nihilanth was just there to control the Vorts

No he wasn't, well, wasn't just.

Nihalinth is, in simple terms, a sort of Fusion Reactor. His concentration kept the portals open and continued to funnel xen aliens to black mesa, he was the source of the invasion, like the scientist at the pinnicle of the lambda reactor said.

Nihalnith was just modified for that exact purpose, he powered the combines tunneling entanglement system, much like breens reactor does, allowing them to port between worlds.

Its another example of the combine stealing others technology and manipulating it too how they see fit.

Or, at least i think thats the case anyway.

 

[sfc_hoot]

Hmm, that's interesting. I knew that the Nihilanth was controlling the portals (and maybe keeping the dimentional rift open?) with the power of his mind, but the whole thing about the Combine here is very interesting. The Combine being a powerful race, I'd think that they'd have an infinite amount of technology, but you can see that they still depend on entities such as the Nihilanth for their teleportation needs. Plus on Earth, they're also trying to capture Eli to gain his knowledge on teleportation and quantum entanglement (that's the process, if I'm not mistaken). Heh, looks like the Combine were never good with their portals.

 

[Asknoone]

Heh, looks like the Combine were never good with their portals.

Guess not hehe.

 

[Jintor]

I'll say this:

It's not a hive mind, it's a group mind. They can't read each other's minds, they don't share all information. I think it's a Riom's quote, but they're like a LAN. Some area's a blocked off to other vorts - individuality comes second.

And, technically, we invaded first. Black Mesa Scientists came to Xen and looked around and took crystals and then...

Cascade.

 

[Asknoone]

Originally posted by Jintor
I'll say this:

It's not a hive mind, it's a group mind

I'll say this, or rather i'll let Raising the bar say something. I am sure he is dying to.

Originally posted by Raising the bar
Vortigaunts are a Hive minded, energy wielding, slave race.

 

[ríomhaire]

Look, this is were you get your Vort info

 

[Sid Burn]

No he wasn't, well, wasn't just.

Nihalinth is, in simple terms, a sort of Fusion Reactor. His concentration kept the portals open and continued to funnel xen aliens to black mesa, he was the source of the invasion, like the scientist at the pinnicle of the lambda reactor said.

Nihalnith was just modified for that exact purpose, he powered the combines tunneling entanglement system, much like breens reactor does, allowing them to port between worlds.

Its another example of the combine stealing others technology and manipulating it too how they see fit.

Or, at least i think thats the case anyway.

So that was his other purpose... no wonder he has that large crystal on his head and he can summon portals. Anyway, where did you get this info?

 

[Asknoone]

Originally posted by Sid Burn
Anyway, where did you get this info?

Half life, like i said, the scientist in the Lambda complex quite clearly states:

"Theres a massive concentration over there."

That's keeping the portals open, and thats why he says to you, that you must kill it.

The combine part was speculation, but its rather obvious, don't you tihnk.

 

[Sid Burn]

Hmm... its pretty believable... since Nihilanth can summon portals... thats also the reason why Vorts will suddenly appear out of nowhere. he can transfer vorts to any place he likes in BM.

 

[bboymatty]

about nihilanth keeping the portals open, that would mean that once hes dead the portals should close, then why did the portal storms occur?

i think he was simply used to control the hive mind of the vortigaunts.
hes got alot of machinery comin out of him so i reckon hes been beefed up by combine mechanics lol

 

[bboymatty]

he wasnt teleporting them, the resonance cascade meant that our dimentions became entangled and xen lifeforms were coming into our dimention though black mesa. Nihilanth must have just directed WHAT came though, not HOW.

 

[Jintor]

It's a LAN mind, then.

 

[Asknoone]

Nihilanth must have just directed WHAT came though, not HOW.

It is he who is controlling the portals, the scientist does say so, he is keeping them open.

 

[bboymatty]

then asnwer my god DAMN QUESTION

once hes dead, they should close as hes no longer keeping them open coz hes DEAD! so they should close.

So why did the portals stay open?? as is shown in the portal storms

 

[Wilsonator]

Theories

-because he never got the chance to tell them to close? Or because the energy overload after you killed him kept the portals going?

Or maybe it wasn't the Nihilanth directly controlling the portals.... DUN DUN DUN!

 

[Asknoone]

So why did the portals stay open?? as is shown in the portal storms

These were portal storms. Not sending specifics troops in like he was in black mesa, these were just out of control storms where the worlds merged.

 

[Jintor]

Fragfiles.org thinks that it was a result of the Lambda satelite you sent up... others think BM's research into teleportation, combined with death of nihalith, combined with a FREAKING NUKE, made all the teleports...

off target.

 

[sfc_hoot]

Why was the satellite launched anyway? I never got that part of the HL1 story. And why would that result in the portal storms and the Combine invasion. Where's that guy's proof? (http://fragfiles.org/~hlstory/)