Episode 3 speculation

[Iron_cube]

I say G-man totally controls Alyx and we get to fight her on the boat!111eleven

Bah, not going to bother with ep3 until the first trailer is released.

Doom3, here I come! yey.

 

[McGooTheWise]

2. What if its summer? Huh? No snow then 'tard!
4. I didn't notice that. liar.
5. Well DUH! How 'bout this "5. There will be more information on everything. A little more on some parts, and a little less on other parts."
6. Duh.
7. No, it's a transformer. If you weren't retarded you'd have gone and no-clipped into the chopper to see the transformer logo on the streering wheel. Nice way to look stupid.
8. Already did. An advisor pwnd Eli.


:flame:

Err... "Kome" as your name says, I realy don't think it's wise for a newby to be arguing so heatedly with a senior member. You might just get your ass kicked out the door.

2. It's not summer. Go play half-Life 2, it's clearly autumn. And I really don't think that "Tard!" is really a necessary comment, as he wasn't being rude or in fact being a "tard." Get a grip on your balls, dude. You're being a little bitch.
4. go listen to the commentary, you deranged f*ck. You got some problems paying attention to details, don't you?
5. Ohh shut the f*ck up, you're really getting on my nerves.
6. Where is all this hostility coming from in you?
7. You know nothing about history? It's a soviet Chopper. Stop watching cartoons and pay attention to your social studies. it might do you some good. Congratuf*ckinglations, you've made an ass of yourself. tell us, how does it feel?

If anybody looks stupid here it's you, for your serious lack of social skills.
8. That was simply, as you put it "The advisor pwning Eli." We didn't see any COMBAT. You really can't be so thick that you don't know what combat is, can you? Combat is engaging something in a battle. You can hardly call... *ahhem* "The advisor pwning Eli" combat.

Wow... nother one down... (Checks another off the list.)

 

[Crash Happy]

The AS research facility in Portal isn't in the artic, that becomes clear in the end sequence.

The mission given to Alyx by her father was to fin Mossman, he told Freeman to destroy the ship and unless I'm misremembering she was out of ear shot at the time. Either way it seems likely that she'll carry out his last wish, although it's concievable that she won't.
The commentary regarding the new Strider technology doesn't actualy say that there are new foes for Ep3, it's purposefully open enough that whilst many will assume that to be the case what's actually being said is that new enemy types may benefit from the new tech. He say's something along the lines of 'any new monsters may...' or similar. This is sensible of course because otherwise it's like promising new stuff before they've actualy got it working and may yet have to edit/remove it.
I think the battle with Advisors must be an interesting problem for them. As already stated these things have tossed us about twice now and left us apparently helpless. They must have solved that problem though otherwise they couldn't have included the scenes in Ep2.

[Actually, does Eli say again to destroy the Borialis just before the slug has his brain for dinner?]

 

[Ennui]

Err... "Kome" as your name says, I realy don't think it's wise for a newby to be arguing so heatedly with a senior member. You might just get your ass kicked out the door.

2. It's not summer. Go play half-Life 2, it's clearly autumn. And I really don't think that "Tard!" is really a necessary comment, as he wasn't being rude or in fact being a "tard." Get a grip on your balls, dude. You're being a little bitch.
4. go listen to the commentary, you deranged f*ck. You got some problems paying attention to details, don't you?
5. Ohh shut the f*ck up, you're really getting on my nerves.
6. Where is all this hostility coming from in you?
7. You know nothing about history? It's a soviet Chopper. Stop watching cartoons and pay attention to your social studies. it might do you some good. Congratuf*ckinglations, you've made an ass of yourself. tell us, how does it feel?

If anybody looks stupid here it's you, for your serious lack of social skills.
8. That was simply, as you put it "The advisor pwning Eli." We didn't see any COMBAT. You really can't be so thick that you don't know what combat is, can you? Combat is engaging something in a battle. You can hardly call... *ahhem* "The advisor pwning Eli" combat.

Wow... nother one down... (Checks another off the list.)

Relax.

 

[McGooTheWise]

Relax.

I refuse.

 

[Ennui]

I understand that he's a jerkoff but that was a rather profanity/flame-laced posted there

 

[function9]

Err... "Kome" as your name says, I realy don't think it's wise for a newby to be arguing so heatedly with a senior member. You might just get your ass kicked out the door.

2. It's not summer. Go play half-Life 2, it's clearly autumn. And I really don't think that "Tard!" is really a necessary comment, as he wasn't being rude or in fact being a "tard." Get a grip on your balls, dude. You're being a little bitch.
4. go listen to the commentary, you deranged f*ck. You got some problems paying attention to details, don't you?
5. Ohh shut the f*ck up, you're really getting on my nerves.
6. Where is all this hostility coming from in you?
7. You know nothing about history? It's a soviet Chopper. Stop watching cartoons and pay attention to your social studies. it might do you some good. Congratuf*ckinglations, you've made an ass of yourself. tell us, how does it feel?

If anybody looks stupid here it's you, for your serious lack of social skills.
8. That was simply, as you put it "The advisor pwning Eli." We didn't see any COMBAT. You really can't be so thick that you don't know what combat is, can you? Combat is engaging something in a battle. You can hardly call... *ahhem* "The advisor pwning Eli" combat.

Wow... nother one down... (Checks another off the list.)

He might have been a tad harsh, but I didn't see him write anything some "privileged" member(s) don't write when someone else's theories don't match up to their own.:stare:

 

[Ennui]

Admittedly it's reminiscent of a few of my more impassioned posts in Politics.

 

[McGooTheWise]

He might have been a tad harsh, but I didn't see him write anything some "privileged" member(s) don't write when someone else's theories don't match up to their own.:stare:

Well it just rubbed me wrong that he argued with such ferocity for no apparent reason. Calling someone a tard because they made a relevant post basically... Didn't make sense to me, so the more I read it trying to think of why he would word it that way, and why I shouldn't post back, the more pissed I got. I guess I was a little bit too harsh on him than I should have been (and my post did respond to it a little late...) but i was in the moment. ;(

OHH WELL!

Someone finish all the achievements so that we can see if there's a trailer when you get them! ><

 

[sixteenth]

Alright here we go, just got an idea. Sorry if this has already been posted, but go ahead bash me if you must.

Anyway, during the last level of Ep2, as you walk into the missile launch room, Kleiner can be heard saying something like, "There is an 8.5 to 9 pound weight anomoly existing in the missile." We all know that this must be Kleiner's headcrab pet, Llamarr. Since Llamarr is brought up again during Episode 2 in relation to the rocket (first instance being seeing Llamarr actually climb into the rocket) and Llamar being a continuous character since HL2, I figure this is important.

Go back to HL1 and the resonance cascade. Gorden and the Black Mesa team test a foreign alien like substance that rips a hole between the worlds of Earth and Xen. Could Llamar colliding with the combine portal via rocket create a similar reaction? Possibly putting Xen as a setting for a part of Ep3?

 

[Pinkle]

Well it just rubbed me wrong that he argued with such ferocity for no apparent reason. Calling someone a tard because they made a relevant post basically... Didn't make sense to me, so the more I read it trying to think of why he would word it that way, and why I shouldn't post back, the more pissed I got. I guess I was a little bit too harsh on him than I should have been (and my post did respond to it a little late...) but i was in the moment. ;(

OHH WELL!

Someone finish all the achievements so that we can see if there's a trailer when you get them! ><

Honestly, I thought it was obvious that that person was being unecessarily sarcastic.

 

[McGooTheWise]

Honestly, I thought it was obvious that that person was being unecessarily sarcastic.

:|

God damnit... -.-

 

[Pinkle]

:|

God damnit... -.-

Don't worry, they were still being stupid.

 

[Sars]

Alright here we go, just got an idea. Sorry if this has already been posted, but go ahead bash me if you must.

Anyway, during the last level of Ep2, as you walk into the missile launch room, Kleiner can be heard saying something like, "There is an 8.5 to 9 pound weight anomoly existing in the missile." We all know that this must be Kleiner's headcrab pet, Llamarr. Since Llamarr is brought up again during Episode 2 in relation to the rocket (first instance being seeing Llamarr actually climb into the rocket) and Llamar being a continuous character since HL2, I figure this is important.

Go back to HL1 and the resonance cascade. Gorden and the Black Mesa team test a foreign alien like substance that rips a hole between the worlds of Earth and Xen. Could Llamar colliding with the combine portal via rocket create a similar reaction? Possibly putting Xen as a setting for a part of Ep3?

I hope we return to Xen, and its possible, but i doubt it. I think i'm one of only a few who wants that though.

 

[Crash Happy]

There's certainly room left for expansion in Xen, it seems doubtful that we got to see much of it after all. Still, I personaly doubt we will go back even though Xen is interwoven into much of the storyline still today by the very nature of the teleports and wildlife.
Valve seem to like to do new stuff and the data packet that Alyx downloaded contained the homeworld coordintaes didn't it? Why people aren't more convinced we're going there than Xen I don't understand. I think both possibilities are unlikely though but I'm prepared to be suprised.

 

[tibetanpunk]

Alright here we go, just got an idea. Sorry if this has already been posted, but go ahead bash me if you must.

Anyway, during the last level of Ep2, as you walk into the missile launch room, Kleiner can be heard saying something like, "There is an 8.5 to 9 pound weight anomoly existing in the missile." We all know that this must be Kleiner's headcrab pet, Llamarr. Since Llamarr is brought up again during Episode 2 in relation to the rocket (first instance being seeing Llamarr actually climb into the rocket) and Llamar being a continuous character since HL2, I figure this is important.

Go back to HL1 and the resonance cascade. Gorden and the Black Mesa team test a foreign alien like substance that rips a hole between the worlds of Earth and Xen. Could Llamar colliding with the combine portal via rocket create a similar reaction? Possibly putting Xen as a setting for a part of Ep3?

The resonance cascade was caused by a crystal that was given to Eli by the G-man and they specifically used the inherent quality of the crystal and caused the resonance cascade...
I don't actually think Lamarr is in the rocket...There are two ways of looking at it.

1. If you don't do the achievement it is as if llamarr is sent into space...Bummer for Kleiner and his pet...

2. If you put the gnome in the rocket then it accounts for the payload weight anomoly and it is like Gordon launches the rocket, chortling about how he just launched the gnome...

I haven't tried this yet, but maybe Lamarr leaves the rocket after you place the gnome in there.
When you go up the scafold lamarr climbs in while you watch...I had no gnome so Lamarr just sat in the rocket..I am thinking that you are meant to put the gnome in in true MIT prank style and lamarr gets out as a result...I will have to try it.
Either way, there is the dialogue mentioning the extra weight and depending on your actions you can view it from two different angles...

 

[Dr_Crowbar]

I haven't tried this yet, but maybe Lamarr leaves the rocket after you place the gnome in there.

Nope, she doesn't. You send Lamarr in Combine portal(NOT space) and there are no options to prevent it.

 

[Apocalypse89]

Considering that the rocket is meant to link up with the satellite Gordon launched from Black Mesa in HL1, it does go into space.

 

[Hamsocks]

Whatever happens in Episode 3, you know it's going to subtlely set up Half-Life 3. With the ability of the G-man to pluck Gordon out of different times and locations, Valve has created a genius storyline mechanic to create believable permises for as many Half-Life games as people will put up with. Me personally, I think I'll get sick of them around Half-Life 34,00,9,087.

don't actually think Lamarr is in the rocket...There are two ways of looking at it.

1. If you don't do the achievement it is as if llamarr is sent into space...Bummer for Kleiner and his pet...

2. If you put the gnome in the rocket then it accounts for the payload weight anomoly and it is like Gordon launches the rocket, chortling about how he just launched the gnome...

I haven't tried this yet, but maybe Lamarr leaves the rocket after you place the gnome in there.

I actually had Lamarr climb into the rocket and I closed the door. I thought it was funny at the time, but I had never made the connection between that and the weight variation before the rocket launch. That's funny as hell.

 

[Intamin]

According to Alyx, as soon as Dr Mossman made it to White Forest, she left in a helicopter to locate the borealis. Given the time between last seeing Mossman, then the time we communicate with Eli in Ep1, and the time we find the transmission, that would give us a few hours of speculation.

With that in mind, we know she didn't use a teleporter (so shes not in the artic) and taking into account of onboard fuel for helicopter; because lets face it, you don't want to venture too far from camp if you don't know where other sources of fuel will be.

I reckon the Borealis, and part of its drydock, are in the mountains North of White Forest (Close to the peak that alyx points out whilst driving)

It doesn't necessarily have to be in water (because the whole ship teleported), but looking in the video, it might be on the edge of a glacier.

How do we know it teleported? Where do people get this info from?

 

[Mahalis]

How do we know it teleported? Where do people get this info from?

Eli tells you that at some point, the entire ship - including part of its dry dock - vanished. Since Mossman's found it, it must've reappeared elsewhere: hence, teleportation.

 

[Intamin]

Yeah, I remember him saying that, but "vanished" is a lot different from "teleported." No? I mean, ships vanished in the Bermuda triangle all the time, but they didn't teleport.

That's all...and where was it beforehand, if it did teleport?

I'm stilling missing the zero-gravity/wormhole/stargate/randomscientificexpression grenade, that was enabled through a hack in Episode 1. I always thought they put it into Episode 2... well, I'm hoping for Episode 3 to have it.

Other than that, this episode could be the biggest, as it's supposed to end the combine invasion arc and you actually have to travel up north first... but maybe you'll never get there ?

The commentary said something about videos being on youtube and how you could watch the old weapons in use. Anyone have a link? I tried finding it but I couldn't.

 

[Andrew LB]

Yeah, I remember him saying that, but "vanished" is a lot different from "teleported." No? I mean, ships vanished in the Bermuda triangle all the time, but they didn't teleport.

That's all...and where was it beforehand, if it did teleport?

Umm... Dry Docks don't "vanish" along with the ship. I believe the only way a ship AND part of the dry dock can "vanish" is if the ship and the adjacent area around it "teleported".

Unless there is something i'm missing...

 

[xcellerate]

half-life is to video games what star wars was to movies.

It's going to be crazy that after episode 3 comes out, we all could have been waiting on the conclusion for a DECADE.

 

[Planetary]

The commentary said something about videos being on youtube and how you could watch the old weapons in use. Anyone have a link? I tried finding it but I couldn't.

Right here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jn1TjZzO9Yk

Just search "hopwire" and "black hole grenade" for a few more.

 

[Jeremyofmany]

That was freakin' awesome.

 

[staticprimer]

Yeah, I remember him saying that, but "vanished" is a lot different from "teleported." No? I mean, ships vanished in the Bermuda triangle all the time, but they didn't teleport.

Logically, if a research ship and part of a dry dock owned by a company heavily invested in *working* teleport technology vanishes, it is reasonable to assume that it was the result of some sort of teleportation, either intentional or accidental.

 

[Yougottawanna]

Since I seem to be the only person that doesn't know this: who is Uriah?

 

[Adabiviak]

I couldn't find this in a search, so I guess this is the right topic: did any of you find it ominous when Eli said "..you have to destroy that ship, whatever the cost"? Will you have to sacrifice Alyx to save the world in Episode III? Yikes - I don't think I could handle that (been nice knowin' ya!)

Uriah is the Vortigaunt in the lab coat, no?

 

[ranmafan]

Those markings on the helicopter aren't Russian. They look Chinese or North Vietnamese.

Get me a screenshot and I'll confirm. I'd do it myself but semester projects are coming up... God I hate Flash... (hm... Flash... Gordon Freeman... Flash Gordon? :cheese

 

[leib10]

Get me a screenshot and I'll confirm. I'd do it myself but semester projects are coming up... God I hate Flash... (hm... Flash... Gordon Freeman... Flash Gordon? :cheese

Russian (erm... Soviet) aircraft had the infamous red star, whereas this one has a yellow star in a circle and bar. IIRC that's Chinese or North Vietnamese.

 

[Inanimate]

Someone thought that it might be possible for an EP4, but that's not going to happen. Newell said in a videointerview that there will be an episodic triology, EP1 EP2 EP3. Then "after that.. well I can't tell you that yet *laughter*".

My guess is that after EP3, they will take some amount of time to update/rebuild the existing gameengine, since, well lets face it, it IS getting outdated if you compare it to games like Crysis, Fear, and even consolegames. When they are done, HL3 will be out as a series-finale, leaving us with an enormous cliffhanger, never to be answered.

In my opinion, Crysis (PC) that is due to release 16th of November, has set the bar for the next generation gameengines, as a standard look, texturewise, AI-wise etc. Upcoming games will have to be at least as good looking to be able to compare in the future. That is Valves next project after EP3. It would've been mine at least.

 

[Mythics]

Why is the 'Dog vs. Strider battle' suggesting new enemies in Episode 3?

Further I hope we can finally kill at least one Combine Advisor.

 

[Rizzo]

Episode 2 is definitely not outdated by any means, compared to other games.

 

[Shift]

Well if they grant the episodes a success, which they are, thne they will just stick with them, and leaving a story on a cliffhanger never to be answered is just daft.

I think they will release EP3 and then yes, there will a short time off while they tweak the Source engine a bit. But when they start breaking into the next story arc, it will be done in episodic format. Hopefully by that time they would have created the technology to release them closer together, say every few months rather than a year. I do recall an interview where they are aiming to do that, and if they had the bandwidth capcity, they would try and release an hour per week.

 

[Iron_cube]

Fisherman comes back in ep3 with an army of tamed ichthyosaurs and destroys any Combine resistance.

And then goes back to the Lost Coast with a portalgun, says "Wat iz dis, lad?"

And then we realize his true identity :

Fisherman
Fisher man

F-man

F, which is the letter right before G.

End.

 

[ic0dy]

HL3 will be out as a series-finale, leaving us with an enormous cliffhanger, never to be answered.

I disagree, valve wouldnt end the hole thing like that.
Ofcourse they are not gonna announce anything after episode 3 just now, it would put alot of preasure on em, having people asking questions all the time.
I will bet, that half life with gordon in the main role, isnt gonna end after this. For the simple fact that alot of the half life fans, arent ready for the ending just yet.
And valve wouldnt dissapoint like that, espcially considre the fact that they make money on it, and alot.

So my guess is, that they are gonna see how people react to episode 3. To see if the episode (cutting the game up in small pieces) works better.
And then take the story futher from there.

Episodes are fine, but IMO it needs a "hole" game to build from. So i would say that "half life 3" is def a reality.
At leaste that's what i hope.

And yea, it's gonna be awesome with the snow. And to see wich direction they will take alyx's in, after seeing eli die ( wich was sad;( )

Ohh yea, the helicopter.
The Vietnamese flag http://www.stalvik.com/images/Flaggor/flag_vietnam.jpg So yea, it's from around there=)

 

[Chug a Bug]

Umm... Dry Docks don't "vanish" along with the ship. I believe the only way a ship AND part of the dry dock can "vanish" is if the ship and the adjacent area around it "teleported".

Unless there is something i'm missing...

I thought it was some kind of portal technology, remember the other lab was working on the same project at the same time as Black Mesa but with them something went wrong (not that it didn't go wrong with Black Mesa either) but with them the entire ship disappeared, presumably though it's own portal and has only recently been rediscovered or reappeared... at least thats how I saw it.

 

[Andrew LB]

Yeah. But part of the dry dock went with it. The ship obviously didn't drive through a portal. What's far more likely is that for some currently unknown reason, the portal system activated at dry dock taking the ship and part of the dry dock with it.

 

[ranmafan]

I disagree, valve wouldnt end the hole thing like that.
Ofcourse they are not gonna announce anything after episode 3 just now, it would put alot of preasure on em, having people asking questions all the time.
I will bet, that half life with gordon in the main role, isnt gonna end after this. For the simple fact that alot of the half life fans, arent ready for the ending just yet.
And valve wouldnt dissapoint like that, espcially considre the fact that they make money on it, and alot.

So my guess is, that they are gonna see how people react to episode 3. To see if the episode (cutting the game up in small pieces) works better.
And then take the story futher from there.

Episodes are fine, but IMO it needs a "hole" game to build from. So i would say that "half life 3" is def a reality.
At leaste that's what i hope.

And yea, it's gonna be awesome with the snow. And to see wich direction they will take alyx's in, after seeing eli die ( wich was sad;( )

Ohh yea, the helicopter.
The Vietnamese flag http://www.stalvik.com/images/Flaggor/flag_vietnam.jpg So yea, it's from around there=)

China has a similar flag. I say the logo on the helicopter is a fabrication made up of various design elements from known communist/former communist states to further reinforce the 'soviet' feel.